Midges are in the Air

When we lived in Colorado, the deer were our nemesis.  While deer are definitely still around us here, they are far less noticeable.  What is much more prevalentin Klamath Falls are the midges!  Funny how I had never heard of them before, but when I was reading Charlotte's Web to Danielle the other week, I noticed that Charlotte talks about them.  They just weren't on my radar in the past.

Wikipedia proclaims that the word midge is a generic term for many different types of flies.  This particular species was apparently introduced to the area to control the mosquito population, because they eat mosquito larvae.  They aren't too much of a nuisance until the end of the summer when their numbers get quite high.  This year we had much more than the last.

With perfect conditions, they form funnels of midge love.....and we can't walk down the road with our mouths opened or we might end up with a little extra protein.  Still, I will take midges over mosquitoes ANY day!

I have a new little project that I have been working on.  We bought some living room furniture that is pretty dark considering how dark our floors are, but I have had it in mind to update them and paint them a nice antique white.  This shows what they originally look like:

I found a few tutorials online and then jumped in with some Sherwin William's primer and  paint that they picked out for me.  This is the end table which I forgot to snap a before picture of:

I love how much nicer it looks against the floor, and I think when I am done it will really lighten up the room.

This is the bookcase that I am starting on next.  It goes behind the couch, but I am thinking about putting in the entryway.  I will see how it looks when I am done.  I just take it apart, do a rough sand to take off the glossy coat, paint two coats of primer and two coats of paint.

In other news, Nathan and I just celebrated our 18th anniversary with a quick trip to Ashland, where we got to see "Into the Woods."  It was fabulous!  We had a great time with the two of us.  We are about to leave for an even longer trip to North Carolina this weekend which will be even more fun!  I love to travel to new places.

We went to Reno near the end of the summer to help my mom do a little painting and to see family.  We had a great time.  The kids enjoyed the crazy science experiments that luckily did no harm during our visit.

I am a little fond of this sign.  It takes me back to my childhood growing up in Nevada.   They didn't have midges, but they did have WIND.  I will take midges over the wind.