Enclosure

The area we choose to sit outside has been enclosed.
After about 2.30pm it gets the sun on it.  That is when we choose to sit outside our “summer residence.”  Which, truth be known, is our shed.  In winter it is never a problem so we always sit outside our “winter residence.”
There are a number of advantages to the place being enclosed.  Chief amount them is that it keeps the insects out.  More specifically the flying things.  Merril very much dislikes flying things.  Birds and stuff are ok.  It is the likes of moths and Elephant beetles and things that fly into a person unexpectedly, that are a problem.  I have even seen Merril launch her ipad at an insect that took her by surprise.  That has only happened once, but it was memorable.  It really shows how much she dislikes small flying things taking her by surprise.
The good thing is, we can sit outside with the lights on knowing we are screened in, and can laugh at the mosquitoes.   We sometimes hear them, and sometimes see them, trying to enter.  But they can’t.  The screen stops them.
If something has gotten inside, we treat the area like they used to do on Australian planes.  We walk down the middle and spray both sides.  It kept undesirable bugs out of Australia.  It deals with insects that come from “the wrong side of the tracks” as it were.
We will use chemicals inside but we are quite pleased with the lack of chemicals we use in the yard. We think it is why the birds and insects like to wander our yard.  Apparently the use of chemicals is a major reason so many yards are deserts.  They look pretty with everything in its place, but they are deserted of little things.  Our place is not deserted.  The number of webs I come across unexpectedly is testament to that.
There is one downside to the area being enclosed.  We feel like we are the ones in the cage, and the birds are outside.  Sure we can see them, but there is no doubt they feel better with us locked away.
That is a small price to pay though.  It is weird, before the area was enclosed, we had all this stuff there.  Now the place is enclosed, I always lock it before going out.  It is not like there is anything new out there.  We do not have the crown jewels there, or some famous Turner painting.  Still I lock it.  It is probably better that my peanuts cannot go missing, or the fly spray.  I reckon I would be speechless if the bird seed disappeared.
If there is a thunderstorm about I tend to be “Peter the Hider” rather than “Peter the Brave.”  Still, enclosed or not, that has always been the case.