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Another full night's rest. Good investment, that mosquito net.

I spend most of the morning on the electrical service. Derek and Justin come over after lunch for some more ball. Later they watch from a safe distance as I open the bee hive and add the queen excluder and a honey super. Touring the garden, I see that the deer have eaten some of the tomato blossoms, so I stake the plants and attach some plastic flags to perhaps spook the deer.

The closeness to nature that I'm experiencing isn't exactly what I had anticipated. The deer and mosquitoes and raccoons and thistles and nettles and ticks and quack grass all want theirs, and are eager to take it from my garden and my person. It is a closeness of competitive rivals, of a dog fight for survival. Each player has his strong suit, whether strength or speed or sheer prolificness, which he must try to finesse to his best advantage. I must employ my strength - my brain - to establish and maintain my place in the struggle.