Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but compared to the chilly weather we’ve had lately, not too far a stretch. Stinkin’ hot, in other words, and not especially conducive to a long walk in the river valley with a heat-seeking backpack hanging off my shoulders. Yesterday, however, was gorgeous. No mosquitoes in the woods on a sunny Sunday afternoon, so I figured I’d live dangerously and walk on a sunny Monday afternoon without a layer of chemical deterrent on my skin. Bad mistake. The mozzies were out in their numbers by the Muttart. Even saw a guy spraying some foliage…so hoping to get some action (of the deet kind), I walked toward the truck and realized he was actually watering the plants. Watering_the_plants. I could hear the hostas weeping.
On the good side, my new runners no longer look new. Long walk yesterday, short walk today. Love the sound of raindrops on my umbrella. Love the sound of raindrops on anything. I will take a rainy day 100% of the time over the intense heat plaguing the east. Toronto was 37C on Thursday. Brutal. Here? Lovely…comparatively speaking.
…or before the storm. It’s one or the other these days. The drought correcting itself, which started last year with our rainy summer and snowy winter. The black sky to the south directed me to the shorter paths, and of course, now it’s sunny, so just a 45 minute walk. Longer walk tomorrow, hopefully.
Yep. Edmonton has overtaken Winnipeg as the mosquito capital of Canada. We are also the murder capital of Canada, which is in no way related. One more interesting fact: we’ve had 33 days with rain out of the last 43. For a mosquito larvae, Edmonton, and our many standing pools of fetid water, is the ultimate staycation.
The mosquito in question is not our typical summer pest. According to the Edmonton Journal, we are up to our swollen tissues in Ochlerotatus spencerii, an unusual mosquito for these parts in that it is a ‘daytime biter.’ It is also an indoor biter, an under the umbrella biter, and a right through my shorts biter. As long as their plungers are wet (with blood) these little shits are entirely indiscriminate about when and where, and whom, they bite.
Nevertheless, today I had a great walk in the warm sun, which is a nice change. Also happy to report that the leaf-roller caterpillars, or worms, that infest Rossdale in June and July are gone. The numbers were way down this year, according to a Rossdale resident. I saw three and that was enough to keep me out of that area for a month. I think I am permanently scarred from that time, a few years ago, when the worms hanging from the trees and bushes were so numerous, it looked like someone had decorated the neighbourhood with squirming green party favours. There were thousands of them. I’ve never gotten over it. In any case, the area is back to its usual lovely, lush self. I’m ever so thrilled that I can add this route back into my walking regimen.
Raindrops, bazillions of raindrops, have fallen since last Friday, many of them on my head. In spite of the wet, I’ve walked up and down the stairs, along the trails, one side of Mill Creek to the other, downtown and Louise McKinney Park. I submit that there is just not enough product in the world to get the frizz out of my otherwise relatively straight hair. Luckily, being on holidays, my access to human beings is limited. Tomorrow, back to work. Hope I have a good hair day.
It is astonishingly, exuberantly green in this city. Also very mushroomy. This is some consolation. The other is that we are on the other side of the drought. Whatevs, I love the rain, or at least I prefer it over excessive heat. I wish there had been a few more sunny days on my holidays, but the weather did not prevent me from walking. It did, however, prevent me from entering beauty contests.
