Surviving

[smoke665]

As for the level of caution that I think is appropriate, It seems reasonably safely, and I will continue to use it, hopefully "minimally" for now.

It's like having to choose between the lesser of multiple evils. Use the chemicals and risk the exposure from them. Don't use the chemicals and risk exposure to insects and the diseases they carry. You can't win!

 

[VidThreeNorth]

I recently bought the "botanicals" version of Off!. It was surprisingly expensive. This was a "pump" style bottle. It was 118 ml and cost $10.99 + taxes, compared to 175 ml at $9.99 + taxes for the DEET version. I'll try to do the math later. The instructions are a bit different too.

 

[MartinCrabtree109 3]

Curious to see the effectiveness of the botanical version. I have a bottle of DEET around here somewhere. I'm old what's done is done.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

About Caffeine:

Years ago I drank about one or two small cups of coffee per day. This was fairly cheap coffee bar coffee. Eventually I stopped, and for caffeine, I bought tablets. These are cheaper than coffee, and I can't accidentally knock over a cup . I did have a couple of bottle of instant coffee that I left unused for a number of years, and I ran across them, and decided I might as well mix them and drink them. I'm currently working my way through a bottle of Nescafe (it was fully sealed up until "now".) with a use before date of Sept 2006. First surprise. It doesn't taste bad. In fact, I don't think it has lost any flavour/aroma. I do think the caffeine might have weakened a bit. That's hard to tell. I have a bottle of Maxwell House too. When I finish the Nescafe, I'll open it and see how it's doing.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Re: "Off! botanicals(R) Insect Repellent Spritz"
I have only begun using this, and I've run into a problem. I don't like it. The problem is that it is "chemically synthesized from pine oil extract", and as such, I think that it might leave a residue when it dries. I'll summarize this:

Regular "Off!" in pump bottles dries very quickly. It seems similar to a perfume in that sense. It is like an alcohol. I don't think it leaves a residue.

Ben's 30 in its spray cans is oily, but it dries eventually. I don't think that it leaves a residue when it dries.

"Off! botanicals": This might be water based -- it needs to be shaken before use. I sprayed it on myself and as it dried it seemed to be a bit sticky. I think that it leaves behind a residue. So if I spray it on my clothes, I expect it might attract dirt, and that is something that stops me from using it.

Anyway, I'll post more later if I think of something else.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

I have more stuff I need to type up and post, but one thing I thought I would add right now is that after using DEET on a football jersey for a couple of days, and then washing it, I noticed that it smelled like chlorine. I think that chlorine might be part of the active chemicals in DEET. Yes, I can see insects finding that unpleasant. It's also not entirely wonderful for people. Mind you, it is part of table salt too, so it sort of "depends . . . " Also if you go to a swimming pool, it is chlorinated.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Don't Stop Insect Repellent Too Early

One thing I keep forgetting to post: Around the beginning of September, I saw a post on YouTube by a news team with a medical expert (I think she was a doctor in eastern Canada -- the Maritimes). She warned that just because it was the end of summer and school had started, that it was too early to stop using insect repellent. She specifically said that ticks were still going to be a problem through the Fall because insects don't disappear. She also reminded people that ticks should be removed carefully (don't just splat them -- lift them off your skin). She mentioned specific health problem that were of concern -- I think one was referred to as "EEE"? Something like that.

 

[smoke665]

Don't Stop Insect Repellent Too Early

One thing I keep forgetting to post: Around the beginning of September, I saw a post on YouTube by a news team with a medical expert (I think she was a doctor in eastern Canada -- the Maritimes). She warned that just because it was the end of summer and school had started, that it was too early to stop using insect repellent. She specifically said that ticks were till going to be a problem through the Fall because insects don't disappear. She also reminded people that ticks should be removed carefully (don't just splat them -- lift them off your skin). She mentioned specific health problem that were of concern -- I think one was referred to as "EEE"? Something like that.

Interesting side note. Lyme Disease (spread by tick) is more prevalent in New England than the south Why is Lyme Disease Not as Prevalent in the South as it is in Massachusetts?

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Probably my last note about "DEET" etc. for this year:

I think that the last time I saw any insect repellents in stores was weeks ago. The stores unloaded it roughly as "schools" started. I still have some repellent and will use it until it's gone. If next year is "bad" again, hopefully the Mfrs. and stores will do better.

Nov 15, 2025 (added information)

One thing I did recently was a "residue test". I sprayed a small amount of "Off! Spray Insect Repellent" on a mirror and let it dry. Then I wiped the mirror and smelled it. As far as I could tell, there did not seem to be any residue. I also tried this with "Ben's 30" repellent. That didn't go so well. I left it overnight but it never really dried. The residue was clear, but oily, which was not a surprise. I mentioned before that "Ben's 30" felt oily, like suntan oil. I think it does eventually evaporate with body temperature heat. I think that mixing the DEET with the oil is intended to keep it on the body longer, and I think it probably works. The evaporating "Off!" probably means that it really does not last any longer than the "3 hours" that the instructions say.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

What about Absorbine Jr?

I use Absorbine Jr. for athlete's foot, which is an occasional problem. A few days ago, I was running low, so I bought a new bottle. Estimate a week ago -- I don't have the cash receipt, but I know exactly what I paid. I bought 120 ml for $7.99 + tax = $9.05 Canadian. The theoretical expiry date on the old bottle, which still has enough to keep on using for a while, is "2011 MA", but as far as I'm concerned, it's still working fine, so that much is not so relevant. The new bottle says "EXP 2027/AU". But I'll ignore the date because long experience tells me that I'll be able to keep using it for years, again. But what I was thinking was, "I wonder if a tick would bite this stuff?" Seriously, I don't know if I need to use "Off!" on skin that has been treated with Absorbine Jr.?

I might add that last week I found what might be very small new bites. It could be they happened long ago, but I didn't notice them. It's an annoying thought though. Most of the earlier bites are healing and going away. But if any of the bites are really "new", then that means I've encountered live ticks recently, and I was hoping that I'd eliminated the all by now.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Dental Floss:

I was taught to floss when I was young, and I still have some teeth -- less than half a mouthful, but enough that I actually still chew food, and no, I have not got dentures yet. . . .

Wonderful. I broke another tooth today. It was a lower left molar. Ironically, I can still it a pizza, though I have to chew a bit slower now.

 

[cgw118 143]

Wonderful. I broke another tooth today. It was a lower left molar. Ironically, I can still it a pizza, though I have to chew a bit slower now.

Think it was Jonathan Swift's observation: "I'm as old as my tongue and a little older than my teeth.”

 

[CherylL1]

Ahh the good old days when your Mom sprayed you down with DEET, bugs wouldn't come within a 100 yards.

What about riding your bike behind the truck spraying for mosquitos? I did that at least once.

 

[cgw118 143]

What about riding your bike behind the truck spraying for mosquitos? I did that at least once.

A couple senior colleagues joke about living in Nevada during the early atmospheric nuclear tests.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Decaffeinated Coffee

After drinking a lot of coffee and coffee substitutes over the last couple of years, I was wondering what decaf coffee would be like. I have had it before, but that was long ago, and really, I didn't care what it was like. So I have been looking for it for a few weeks now. The first thing I can say is that it does not seem to be popular around "here". The local "Food Basics" (a small super-market, which is an odd concept in itself) has about 1/4 aisle of coffee (half the length of 1 aisle, but only on one side). And the instant decaf was sold out (they had decaf ground). They finally got it back today. They only got in one brand, in one size. It was a small 100 g bottle of "Taster's Choice" for $6.49 (no tax). It tastes milder than the Maxwell House caffeinated that I am currently drinking. On the one hand, it costs about the same as regular coffees in that size, but the caffeinated choices are available in other sizes which are cheaper. All the bottles of caffeinated I have are 200 g or larger, so the decaf is effectively "expensive stuff".