Today, and for the rest of the week, and the rest of my short holiday, it’s going to be hot. Not sure I’m happy about this…22C seems hot enough. Walked early this morning, but the sun was still pretty intense. Luckily, the mosquitoes came along and provided ample distraction from the humidity. For some reason, they congregate in platoons near the Muttart, where there is no standing water. Mill Creek Ravine, full of fetid pools of slough water and larvae hidy-holes, is mostly free of the little blighters. To attack in wide open territory suggests they are well organized and confident…almost cocky in their ability to overwhelm the enemy (me.) Their confidence is well-founded. These are not the partisan snipers I’m used to in the woods. These are soldiers engaged in a bloody, and monumentally icky war.

So yeah, forgot to Off! my exposed bits before I set out this morning on a few downtown errands, followed by a walk through the river valley. Other than aforementioned challenges, it was a pleasant enough walk. To avoid the 26C + heat the next few days, and cognitively damaging levels of blood loss, I will continue to walk in the mornings for the rest of the week, covered in deet from head to toe. If this doesn’t work, I’m going to make myself a suit of hungry dragonflies. With their permission, of course.

10:48AM/20C (will be 26C)