# insect-free weeding

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Posted by Zonie on September 27, 2021 at 07:30:06

Two results of our wet summer were a weed-choked alley and a proliferation of mosquitoes and other annoying insects. At midday the mosquitoes weren't active, but the strong sunshine was oppressive.

It turns out that the solution for insect-free weeding was--hair of the dog that bit me--more rain. The early morning was overcast but dry. I had mountain climbing, so it was just as well. I don't mind getting wet while climbing, but my climbing partner is very protective of his wood floor. Shortly after our return, it began to rain. The forecast called for showers and thunderstorms. This was neither. It was a light, steady rain that lasted into the late afternoon. Apart from the temperature having been in the 70s rather than in the 50s, you'd swear it was a winter day.

Worried about neither mosquitoes nor sunburn, I figured I'd just wear my mountain climbing clothes, an A-frame shirt, a bandana, jeans and my desert boots. I added my camouflage ball cap to keep the rain out of my face.

Had the rain been coming down a lot harder, I'd have been tempted to head out to the desert to stomp in mud puddles, but I figured there wouldn't be much mud with rain so light, but if it was heavy enough to keep away the bugs, that would suffice.

After a couple hours the rain intensified a bit, and I found the weeds were coming up more easily from the damp ground, and in several places mud and mud puddles were starting to form. I stomped in these every chance I got, and I certainly enjoyed the feel of the cool rain on my back. There were several joggers on the canal bank enjoying a break from the heat, and I noticed one bicyclist with the rear tire mud stripe on his back. I've often wondered if many bicyclists enjoy that.

Trash pickup day is Monday, so I figured Sunday was the best time to do it, so I wouldn't be filling the bins with weeds and taking up space the neighbors would need for their household garbage. I found one of the bins after a whole week was almost empty of household garbage, and I did fill that one with weeds.

I took a break to dump rain water collected from the roof into the back yard mud pit. I then got the shovel and churned it up, preparing a mud bath for when I was through working.

At about 4:30, I had filled four bins, and the rain was diminishing. The alley and the canal bank were far from cleared of weeds, but I had made a large dent in their coverage.

That being done, I ended my work and proceeded to enjoy my mud bath. If the mosquitoes emerged as the rain diminished, I knew that was one place I would be protected. Then I hosed down, took a swim, went inside and took a shower. After that it was about 6 PM, but for some reason I felt a need to sleep for at least a few hours. It was an enjoyable day.

Follow Ups:

- Re: insect-free weeding Pamudder 19:49:51 10/14/2021 (1)
  - Re: insect-free weeding Zonie 00:25:45 10/17/2021 (0)

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