The Penguin

 Well, it's been a rough couple of months, environment-wise; here in Michigan, we were in a drought* for most of the Spring season and into early Summer. My yard was mostly spared, with the exception of a small patch along the driveway; the flowers and saplings survived the heat and dry with a little help from my rain-barrels. One of the nice things about the drought (Lord forgive me) was the distinct lack of mosquitoes; typically my backyard is a no-go area from May to August. Part of me was hoping the sporadic rain, which seemed adequate to keep my plants from shriveling up, would continue to thwart the tiny bloodsuckers... Then the deluge came. I've described it to family members as "apocalyptic" - these mosquitoes came out en masse, and they don't go for the legs, they go for the eyes.  I think it was about the time I breathed in a mosquito that I admitted defeat and ran inside, where the errant Culex pipiens  is a regular occurrence. I'm combatting them w