Don’t Live in Maine, The Black Flies Aren’t Worth It!

Why? Why do we continue to live in Maine? What are the benefits? Zero!

In the winter we deal with the biting cold of sub-zero temperatures and blowing snow, in the spring we deal with the joys of mud season, in the fall we have to rake all those damned leaves. Oh, the summertime? Didn't mean to graze over all the traffic brought on by a gazillion out-of-staters piling in to get their fresh off-the-boat lobster.

Now, we're not here to talk about the folks from away, we're here to talk about the current batch of nastiness that makes Maine such a miserable wasteland of what once was.

I tried to go outside yesterday mid-morning with my two year old to get a little fresh air and get some yard work done. However, after about 5 minutes outside we had to go back inside to seek shelter from the piles of black flies that instantly began swarming us as soon as we stepped outside. No big deal, we'll just deet up with some bug repellent and go back out.

Nope, even with the bug dope on those little annoying things still won't leave you alone. In fact, it's like they taunt you by enjoying the aroma of the exact scent that's supposed to repel them. What the heck dude?

After realizing that standing still wasn't gonna cut it, we found that if we kept moving it slightly hindered their presence. Okay, maybe I'll mow some of the lawn and Gavin can ride his big-wheel- Just maybe this will be the solution we're looking for.

Nope. Not only did we both go in with multiple black fly bites anyway, but I ended up wheezing away for the rest of the day because of the stupid allergies. So, in short, my point is that Maine is a great place to live if you stay inside year round and never go outside ever for any reason.

See how easy it is to go on and complain about such seemingly silly things? And that's realistically what they are. Silly. Things like black flies and allergies are (in most cases) only temporary and be dealt with fairly easily. Lately I've been doing a lot of complaining. But I've come to realize that even given all the things there are to complain about, Maine is still the best state in the union to call home.

We have low crime, we have more wilderness than you could explore in a lifetime, and we have friends, family and neighbors who were raised being taught that you take care of one another. I don't care how many times this spring I sneeze, or how many times I have to apply calamine lotion to my seemingly endless bug bites.

Yeah, overall, I don't think there's anywhere else in the world I'd rather live and raise my family than right here in the Pine Tree State. Okay, except maybe Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville in Turks and Caicos.