doves, bugs, and milk

We have yet another pair of doves visiting the wall of love. We have maybe that same pair eyeing under the gas meter for a nest. We have a chick from the last pair in the nest in the vine. Doves, doves, doves, doves, doves. My neighbor told me that around here, they can produce as many as three clutches a year. It's a wonder you can go outside without getting hit.

Oh, yeah - those bugs you hit riding your bike around here? Cicadas. I thought they only lived on the East Coast. When they hit your sunglasses, they leaves splat marks. They're still better than snakes.

In other news, I still don't have all the formaldehyde out of the canvas. If I have to soak all 40 yards in milk, that is going to be a proper mess. And yes, milk is the formaldehyde solvent of choice. It's a royal pain in the neck to get out of things afterward, but it's better than formaldehyde.