Mosquito in the Cabin

Back in highschool, my friend and I worked through an art elective which I never regretted. Oh yes, we had lots of projects and unpredictable tests, but doing art as schoolwork was fun! I still use techniques I learned then. I also appreciate different forms of art more now than I used to.

One book emphasized drawing cartoons. That was probably my favorite! For one project, we chose a familiar nursery rhyme or poem and drew a full-color cartoon strip for it. Cartoons capture action and express emotion better than most other drawings. We let our creativity flow!

Now four years later, I am reminded of my poster. Today morning, I bravely chored our chickens. It took courage because to enter the chicken coop, one had to bulldoze through a mass of mosquitos. Before I left the house, I thoughtfully put on a sweater even though it was comfortable outside. I zipped it up all the way, pulled my sleeves down so only my fingertips showed, and tightened my hood so no mosquito could possibly squeeze through and feast on my scalp. The only challenge left was not to inhale any of them. I collected the eggs, cheering when a hen snapped a mosquito out of midair. As I headed back to the house, a swarm of overly friendly insects accompanied me, but I slammed the door in their faces. What a victory! No fresh mosquito bites this time!

Then I saw her. Right there in the entrance. I kicked at her, but of course, I missed. So I took her photo, shook my head, and pulled out my old poster featuring parts of Mosquito in the Cabin by Myra Stilborn.

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And so with that, I accept the fact that we have lots of mosquitos this year.

Maybe I should try sketching some cartoons again in the moments when I’m not swatting mosquitos or scratching the bites. Why wouldn’t you give it a try?