Here’s a few things that are irritating me. My boy is extremely allergic to mosquito bites and he loves to play outdoors. We’ve had so much rain that the mosquitos are much worse than usual right now. So, I did something I would not ordinarily do and bought a bug zapper from Amazon.com. I don’t use Amazon ordinarily because they like to donate money to Republicans. And I would prefer to leave bugs alone, not zap them into oblivion. But I can’t have my boy cooped up in the house or covered in what looks like cigarette burns. I paid an extra $3.99 for next-day delivery and the damn zapper never got here. Now I probably have to keep the boy inside all Memorial Day weekend.
On top of that, I bought a new grill from Home Depot a couple of weeks ago. I’ve used it about seven or eight times. The ignition switch is already broken and Home Depot is too busy to give me a new grill. So, now I have to go down there and get parts and try to figure the damn electronics on the thing. Either that, or I can just match-light the thing this weekend and deal with getting a new grill next week.
Also, too, I want to watch both the Philly Union game and the UEFA Championship between FC Barcelona and Manchester United, but I’ll never get away with watching both.
Did I mention that our dishwasher broke and it’s going to cost almost $400 to fix it? So, handwashing dishes all weekend.
At least the lawnmower didn’t break. We have a nicely mowed lawn that we can’t enjoy because of the skeeters.
And, it’s beautiful out right now, but I think it’s going to storm soon.
Your post reminds me of this: http://whitepplprobs.tumblr.com/
For the grill, I’d just match light and return it next week. If you make repairs on your own, that might violate the warranty or at least cause you some hassle when you try to exchange it.
http://whitewhine.com/
god that site is hilarious
Yeah, I’ve seen those before. They’re funny.
But I reserve the right to whine when life conspires against me.
Meanwhile, the Philly Union just destroyed Toronto 6-2.
I’m enjoying washing the dishes because some nice fellas gave me a new birdfeeder and seed for Mother’s day, and the cardinals, chickadees, and woodpeckers are hanging out right outside my kitchen window.
I took a nice hike with Mr. Finny in his backpack carrier, and Miss Dog got to go too…we kept moving, so the mosquitoes didn;t seem to find us, and FInny is loving the view from up behind mom.
I’m thinking I can run down to Home Depot and pick up the switch and swap it out…and now BooMan understands what I hate about Home Depot. 🙂
And I’m thinking I might be able to finds some Bygone Bugz over at the whole foods store to chase the skeeters away; in the meantime, I’ll keep singing “There’s a skeeter on my peter, whack it off..”, much to everyone’s chagrin.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.
You are living on the sunny side of the street today1!!
::
home depot is another big GOP donor, and (at least in PHilly) their customer service BLOWS (and not in the good way).
Try Lowes if you have the choice. Much better service.
what’s wrong with the dishwasher? y’all might be able to fix it yourself if you don’t mind rolling around on the floor and swearing occasionally.
Better yet. Look for an independent Ace or TruValue hardware.
Awright, awright. I’ll get off your lawn.
Can’t help you pal. I would however e-mail Amazon and make them refund that delivery fee. I did that with my mother’s camera. Paid extra for certain delivery period, didn’t come on time, e-mailed Amazon and they refunded the shipping fee I paid.
Try a little dab of tea tree oil on those skeeter bites. It smells bad, but it works.
Absorbine Junior is great, too:
Tea Tree oil is also very effective on Bee/Wasp stings and red ant bites!
Burt’s Bees insect repellent. Non-poisonous, and it works!!!
Ditto that tea tree oil suggestion too.
AG
They have been added to my list for the store this afternoon – thanks for the recs!
My pleasure.
AG
Maine, Minnesota, Sweden/Norway. They have serious mosquitos. I’d find out what their residents do and do that.
Good luck!
I am in Maine often during the summers. Burt’s bees by a landslide. Giant mosquitos? Black flies? Gone.
AG
And of course…non-poisonous to humans.
Deet? It’ll kill ya.
Bet on it.
AG
Thank you. Black flies leave scars. Nasty devils.
If I ever need that stuff, now I know.
Where was the grill made?
I still think stuff oughta be made here.
Because of quality and lack of poison like pet food etc.
We wound up with Badger instead of Burt’s Bees, but they have similar ingredients (no DEET, either). Seems to be working as well as my old favorite stuff did, with a similar (inoffensive to me) smell.
And the tea tree oil seems to be working a charm on the ugly bites he had already gotten as well.
Similar stuff abounds in good health food stores. They all have pretty much the same ingreients…citronella, etc. I mentioned Burt’s Bees because it has a good distribution network so it’s fairly easy to find.
And tea tree oil? Amazing stuff! Good for almost all infections and itches. Cures nail fungus, too.
Glad it’s helping. I hate to see kids feel discomfort in the great outdoors. It’ll spoil it for them forever.
AG
currently battling wood ticks (dog ticks)and Buffalo Gnats, mosquitoes not too bad, yet, due to highs of 50-60F, lows to 32F.
Never heard of burtsbees before, but just put in an online order for same. I’m sure it will get a challenge from the insect world ’round these here parts.
I’ll report in later after a suitable “testing” period.
Looking forward to your report. 🙂
Dunno about ticks and Burt’s bees…ticks are as dumb as Republicans.
Almost.
They may not even notice.
AG
A gas grill? Boooo!!!!!!
Well, it is a holiday, so try and enjoy it anyway. Grab a beer and smell the new cut grass 🙂
I think the idea that Amazon favors Republicans is out of date. The second edition of the Blue Pages lists employee contributions as favoring Democrats 4:1. Open Secrets shows that the Amazon PAC has been contributing more to Democrats than Republicans since the 2006 cycle. And Jeff Bezos himself donates almost exclusively to Democrats.
good to know.
.
Sorry Boo, could only find repellant advice for two groups of Kentucky mosquitoes.
Personally, the skeeters have a dislike for my skin type and prefer people near me so I can hardly offer any advice from experience. Perhaps invite the neighbours as decoy or sacrifice. Keep the air moving, provide a draft and the skeeters usually will avoid the smoke of a delicious BBQ meal …
PS Grandma’s recept: apply household vinegar on arms, legs and neck. Yes, I’m looking forward to the soccer final ManUnited vs. Barcelona and will give the edge to the
SpanishCatalonia team with striker Lionel Messi."But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."Helpful post, especially about mosquitoes being heat-seekers. My major alternative medical source doesn’t say so explicitly but implies same, with the recommendation that the lotion massaged into the skin (which formula I believe works but hesitate to note here only because it contains one ingredient that apparently has side effects in some people, at least taken alone) be applied particularly under the arms and in the groin area, as well as along and down the spine.
Before taking that particular formula route, I’d try the several non-DEET natural formulas available at places like Whole Foods. I’ve seen 2-3 choices, including Burt’s Bees.
In addition, there are outdoor Citronella Incense Sticks sold which claim to deter mosquitoes.
Are you sure the bug zapper works on mosquitoes? I have heard that they don’t and I went here to see:
http://www.mosquitoes101.com/electric-bug-zappers.aspx
Might kill some other insects, but mosquitoes are attracted to our CO2 and warmth. Maybe you ordered a special kind? If so, I’d like to know about it so we can sit out on our porch, too.
Pssst! BooMan! We bought a new dishwasher and with installation the whole thing came to about $400.00. Check out prices and installation before choosing to repair yours.
Yeah, I know. That’s the choice. Downgrade or repair. Personally, I want to invest in improving our water pressure, because none of our appliances work as well as they should. But a repaired Bosch should work better than a new Frigidaire.
And you know the worst thing? Some A-hole is coming out to the cabin tomorrow to “cheer you up” (!)
For portable patio use. They last forever and multi-task as smokers. For gas, best one I ever had was a basic, in-ground post mounted grill. No dicking with tanks, it always lit off with zero maintenance and the cast aluminum will outlast the house. Plus, I bet the shake, rattle and roll of wheel mounted grills shortens component life span by a good margin.
Gas grill electronic igniters never work. Just buy a cheap butane fire lighter like a Scripto Aim-n-Flame and use that. I keep a couple my my gas grill cabinet. Works every time.