Annoying mosquitoes, beautiful events in Tehama County

I find it difficult to type more than a sentence or two at a time. This is because I can't help but constantly scratch my knuckles and forearms and even get a huge welt or two between my fingers.

Sometime on Sunday morning or in the early hours of Saturday, millions of mosquitoes invaded our property and launched a full-scale attack on my body while I was watering the garden and taking a long walk with the college boy. We noticed our arms were covered in these sneaky little guys, so we returned to the house and put on long socks and long-sleeved shirts. None of that mattered as the bloodsuckers bit right through our clothes, leaving marks that we couldn't help but scratch, causing more bleeding, and then the cycle repeated.

Our theory is that the monsoon hit on Saturday afternoon, sending millions of tiny mosquitoes fluttering through the yard and surrounding orchards, even finding a secret entrance inside. Maybe I should ask our mosquito control expert, Andy Cox. I'm sure he knows why they're here in their billions. Even at night I wake up with buzzing noises in my ears and then I slap myself, hoping I've rid the planet of another nasty mosquito. It's been nearly five days and we're still itching and scratching nonstop.

The rest of this column reads like a community events section, since there are a lot of things I want to participate in this month, and readers may have had enough of my “wow, that's me and the government meddling in my life” attitude lately.

Let's start with the Fig Hunter's second annual Fig Fest on the River. The event will be held here in Red Bluff at the Red Bluff River Park on Main Street on August 31st from 1-5:30 p.m.

I had no idea there were fig festivals and fig experts, aside from the wonderful folks at Maywood Farms in Corning, who specialize in fresh figs. Apparently we have the Fig Hunter, and you can find him by following his adventures on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Reddit, Tumblr, and anywhere else all these young people go to find interesting content.

Anyway, mark this on your calendar if you love figs too. They find and research new, natural hybrid fig varieties, offer gourmet fresh figs, fig cuttings and fig trees, and host fig festivals. I'm going to make time, hope the mosquitoes are gone by then, and join the folks at Fig Hunter in Red Bluff. If you want to buy tickets for $10, go to www.thefighunter.shop.

This weekend, the Tehama County Farm Bureau is hosting a benefit dance at the lovely Red Barn event center on Highway 99E in Los Molinos — or is it Dairyville? Either way, it's a fundraiser with live auctions, a raffle and dancing to the Max Minardi Band. You don't have to be a farmer to support this cause. Donations go to our local Farm Bureau to promote and protect our way of life here in Tehama County. Farmers and their wives are pretty good bakers and I hear there are some wonderful desserts being auctioned off. For tickets, call the Farm Bureau office at 530-527-7882 or email: [email protected]

The event is a great opportunity to meet new Farm Bureau Manager Angie Thornton. Angie and her husband grow almonds and have cattle and horses in Corning. They are from Mendocino County, where Angie was active in the Mendocino County Farm Bureau and served as director.

Angie loves to sew quilts and even owned a quilting business in Corning for a few years. The most interesting thing about Angie and her husband Keith is that they were born six hours apart in the same hospital. Their mothers shared the same room and Angie even has a newspaper clipping of their birth announcement to prove it. The only thing Angie won't reveal is who is older. Oh well. Welcome to the Tehama County Farm Bureau, Angie.

Finally, there are only two Corning Tuesday Night Markets left. The first will be held on September 3rd and the last on October 1st, both from 5pm to 8pm. This is a popular event in Corning and the Chamber of Commerce has made the wise decision to close off Solano Street so the public can come and enjoy the booths, food trucks and wine and beer garden hosted by the Corning Rotary Club in Rodger's Theater.

Corning is a sweet little community and a lot of people are here to make it even better. In an upcoming column, I'll talk more about the people who are trying to make Corning's downtown even better. One of the best newbies is the Jersey Girls, who will celebrate their second anniversary on Tuesday, September 17th at 10 a.m.

Corning would like to establish itself alongside downtown Red Bluff as a lovely place to shop, dine and enjoy the beauty and character of small-town America here in Tehama County.

I wish you a great week.