Ain’t Technology Great?

Elsa has moved out to sea, the sun is out, and judging by the water level on the steps down from the dock, the lake is eight inches deeper than it was before the rain came. On absolutely no evidence, I’m thinking that the fishing will be greatly improved today due to all this tropical storm action. It very well may be the exact opposite, but isn’t it great to be optimistic? And now, this…

When we arrived at this cabin a week ago today, we noticed that there were three of these on the ledge above the coat rack at the door. I thought they were maybe some sort of yard game racket or something. Pam remarked, “Wait, are these pickle ball rackets?” But a closer inspection revealed that each of the things had something written on them in sharpie..NOT A TOY. Ok. So, what the heck are they then? We got quickly distracted by other things. Then the next day I went out for my first run and noticed that every single other person I saw out for their morning constitutional was carrying one of these things. 

Honestly, sometimes I’m the biggest idiot. I’ve been coming up here for over 35 years now. How on earth could I have not known what these things were for??

 

Maine is not all moonlight and magnolias. There are a few major annoyances, chief among them…the dreaded black fly. When you’re on the lake or anywhere near it you’re generally fine, but the further inland you roam the worse they get. It’s as if nature is doing everything it can to remind you to slow down, relax…stay at the lake!! Every year I deal with them when I’m out for my morning runs. Again, when I’m close to the water, very few black flies, but when the trail leads toward the paved roads, they start to descend upon me. A couple of years ago Pam got me these chemically drenched bandannas to wear while I ran and they worked a little, but the resulting hallucinations were troubling! But now…some smarty-pants who is probably in the islands sipping exotic drinks right now…has invented the SuperhighVoltageBugZapper. It comes equipped with a detonation button for you to push when waving it about which sends a murderous jolt of electrocution to whatever hapless insect is in its path. But, don’t take my word for it. Here’s a customer review I found on Google:

“If you hate flies as much as we do, I assure you that using this product is MOST satisfying... There are no words to describe just what a joy it is to hear that loud SNAP when you make contact with a fly in mid-air!!”

I’m not exactly sure I would have used the word joy there, but I get the point. Its much the same as the rush of euphoria I feel when taking down a squirrel mid-flight with my Daisy Powerline 35. Maybe not joy…but a reasonably close facsimile. 

So, this morning when I head out for my run I will be armed with 4000 volts of eco-friendly, fly-killing power literally in the palm of my hand.

Genius!!