We won’t let the bugs win

I’m a big fan of letting Peeper get dirty. I have no problem with grass stains on her pants, hands covered in dust or tasting sticks and pine cones and tree bark.

I absolutely love the outdoors, and I want her to explore, too. But there came a point this weekend when enough was enough.

On Sunday, Peeper, Finn and I met a friend of mine from grad school for this hike on Sauvie Island (which is bigger than Manhattan, if you want to squirrel away that fact for trivia night). The 3-mile loop on the wildlife refuge stipulates that dogs must remain on leash, and I was more than happy to keep Finn on lockdown: Cows, and the poopy evidence thereof, were everywhere. Finn has a disgusting track record with hikes through pastureland.

(Sorry, TMI.)

The scenery was gorgeous. We caught glimpses of Mt. St. Helen’s—or maybe it was Mt. Adams, but I couldn’t be sure because the top was obscured by clouds. Birds swooped this way and that. Old barns punctuated rolling fields.

Catherine Ryan Gregory IMG_4174_2

Halfway through, we stopped for a picnic lunch. Peeper practiced standing on her own and chowed down on tomatoes. Finn waded in the lake. It was perfect.

Until I spotted the tick.

Thankfully, it was crawling on Finn, not Peeper, and I spied it before it burrowed its creepy little head into him. I had just finished smooshing it in a diaper wipe when I heard something odd.

I looked up and a huge cloud of insects was coming toward us. At first I thought the bugs were mosquitoes, but once the buzzing mass got closer, I realized they were bees—a whole hive’s worth.

Instinct kicked in and I shielded Peeper with my whole body. Luckily, the bees had no interest in us (or the tomatoes), and they passed overhead without incident.

After that, I was pretty done. I thought every tickle from a blade of grass was a tick crawling on me, and every bumblebee investigating a flower was a threat. (I’ve had borderline PTSD regarding blood-sucking creepy crawlies ever since a trip to Thailand, when land leeches—yes they exist—made a meal of me. Shudder.) To make matters worse, Peeper wouldn’t nap in her carrier and cried/screamed the majority of the rest of our hike.

Apparently she’d had it with nature, too.

The ticks and swarm of bees might have put a damper on our outing, but I refuse to let them win. So we went out again yesterday. I packed another picnic for us to enjoy, this time at Torii Mor winery, where Eric worked over the weekend. No critters bugged us, and Peeper didn’t skip a beat returning to her outdoors antics. She pulled grass, stamped red dirt under her bare feet and, of course, tasted a stick or two.

You can’t beat us, bugs.

Catherine Ryan Gregory

 

0 thoughts on “We won’t let the bugs win

  • May 27, 2014 at 10:10 am
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    To quote Winnie the Pooh: You never can tell with bees.

    I can’t wait to do some hiking/birding (nerding?) with Margot this summer. And picnicking!

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    • May 27, 2014 at 10:44 am
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      More wisdom from Winnie the Pooh. I’m pretty sure I could base my whole life on his philosophies.

      Reply
  • May 27, 2014 at 10:14 am
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    Ack!! I haven’t ever encountered a tick (to my knowledge) but the thought of them FREAKS me out! I love being outdoors, but I think the bugs would have caused me to rethink my plans too.

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    • May 27, 2014 at 10:43 am
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      I hope you never come across one! They’re totally gross AND hard to kill. Ugh.

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  • May 27, 2014 at 12:59 pm
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    Yikes! I hate bees! But I do love Sauvie Island, so at least you were able to make the best of it! Also that photo at the end of your post is ADORABLE!

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  • May 27, 2014 at 7:44 pm
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    Great pics! Love the last one especially. I would have reacted the same over one bee let alone a swarm! Yikes!

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  • May 27, 2014 at 7:54 pm
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    So brave! There are only a few bugs that bug me. Crickets being number one. I like that you guys arent to get dirty!

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    • May 28, 2014 at 11:05 am
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      Haha, isn’t it funny how we have weird aversions? At least we don’t have a lot of crickets here in Portland!

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  • May 28, 2014 at 12:13 am
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    Eww…I always wondered if I would be able to spot a tick when I saw one. I love the outdoors, but bugs are not my friend. Sounds like your picnic at Torii Mor was nice and bug-free! 🙂

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  • May 28, 2014 at 6:52 am
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    The funny thing is I have lived in Oregon since 1998 and have never even gotten a mosquito bite here, but I do miss lightning bugs from back east.

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    • May 28, 2014 at 11:05 am
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      Haha, isn’t it funny how we have weird aversions? At least we don’t have a lot of crickets here in Portland!

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  • May 28, 2014 at 8:51 am
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    Haha! I really did have fun Sunday, despite the weird bugs. I hope we can do more this summer 🙂

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  • May 28, 2014 at 10:42 am
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    I think you naturally received your aversion/extreme freakout to ticks from me. When I was pregnant with Beth, I went mushroom hunting. Walked out of the woods and picked off MORE THAN 100 ticks. PTS for sure! aggggggh. Anyway, I love that you’re adventuresome with Edie! and yes, I love love the last photo!

    Reply

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