For those of us involved in agriculture, or who spent our youth so engaged, these warm, sunny summer days are a bit of a paradox. Although we may enjoy them recharging after a long, cold winter, we might be rightly worried about the lack of rain. We’re a couple of inches down for the year, give or take, in most places. And for those of us who eat, we are legitimately concerned about the plight of Hoosier farmers. Their success keeps us fed. Still, we have not yet arrived at a crisis point, and with good luck, rain will fall as needed and averages will return to average.
In the meantime, we can take some solace in the benefits of the hot, dry weeks. Aside from improving our bodily vitamin D supply, we may notice a reduction in nuisance insects. Relying on standing water in ditches and nearly anything that holds a thimbleful of liquid, mosquitos and other pests have declined some with the dry weather. Still, we carry gallons of “repellant” to our family picnics, outdoor concerts and sports activities for the hardy few that emerged despite the dry conditions. But why? For the hardy few that have made it this far, what would be strong enough to repel them from dinner?
If we are sufficiently hungry, what can drive us from what we need, or believe that we do? Fear of death? Fear of discomfort? Alternatively, we attract moths to the flame, glowing blue bug light. They gleefully surrender, so compelled by attraction to their own demise that they appear unaware of the clear and present danger. Sure, these tiny creatures likely exist on instinct and are devoid of intellect, but do we fare much better? What good repels and what evil attracts in our own lives?
