Buzz Off

This past weekend  I went to Home Depot to pick up a few items that I needed to complete some of my "to do's". I felt like a traitor since my mom owns a small hardware store, but because Home Depot was closer and I knew had everything that I needed I decided to go there. As soon as I rounded the corner I knew I was doomed. The parking lot was packed, people were spinning their carriages from one isle to another, and little orange aprons bounced around like ping pong balls. 


I just needed a few things so I got out my list, got my game face on, and went for it. Since my little lovely was in tow I made sure that the importance of strategy was understood.....paint department first, that way they can make our color while we pick up our vegetables and plants for our garden. Knowing that the checkout line was jam packed I made sure that we had everything we needed so that we wouldn't have to get out of line. Have you ever been in the midst of huge chaos and just started grabbing for things? That's kind of how I was. I think it's a 

psychological thing. For instance make sure you have everything even if you might not need it because you definitely "do not" want to come back to this zoo anytime soon. So that's how it was. I grabbed a product that I wasn't quite sure I needed. OFF!® Clip-On^™ Mosquito Repellent. 

I live in a buggy area, especially this time of year so I figured worse case scenario if it doesn't work I'm out $10. I have nothing to gain by what I'm about to tell you, OFF!® Clip-On^™ Mosquito Repellent is not a sponsor of mine so this is only what I experienced, but the darn thing worked. One of my "to do's" was to paint the tree house. Tree + Mosquitoes = Missery. Nope!, not with this product, I simply clipped it to my pants and painted all afternoon. Not one mosquito bite. I kid you not! 


Now I will also say this, there are quite a few precautions on the product but I've tested it for you, and am still alive. Just don't lick it, rub it on your skin, or do anything totally crazy like that and I'm sure you'll be fine- or grow an extra pair of bug eyes :-)

"Five Star" (well actually a zillion stars) Hotel

Last summer my brother in law and I built a tree house for my little lovely and her pals to enjoy. Since we only worked on it one day a week, it took the better part of the summer to complete it, and we were only able to get one sleep over in it. Ever since the snow melted we've been eager to book a second nights stay at the "Four Seasons" Hotel. 

This past weekend it was chilly, but not unbearable so we decided to brave the elements, and have a "no sleep" over in the tree fort. It was a really fun night, and a really early morning. When we came out I stopped dead in my tracks. I could hardly believe the amazing sight that was waiting for us, a Pileated Woodpecker. I know it sounds really impressive that I actually know the name of this bird, but don't be impressed. I had to Google several basic words i.e.: big, black, crow, red, long beak to finally narrow it down to the actual bird name. 

Pileated Woodpeckers are nearly the size of a crow, in fact when I first saw them sitting on my lawn I thought they were crows. They are the largest of the common woodpeckers found in most of North America. They have zebra-striped heads and necks, long bills, and dynamic  red crests. They love to eat carpenter ants and beetle larvae by digging large, rectangular holes in trees. These holes can be so large that they weaken smaller trees or even cause them to break in half. 

It's a good thing that we found them in the grass and not pecking away at the tree that supports our "Five Star" (well actually a zillion stars) Hotel.