Flies be gone!

The lake boathouse was a one-room affair with an entrance from the parking lot and an exit to the lake. Both doors were wide open, and the exit gave us a stunning lake view. Out on the dock was a table and chairs for those interested in watching the lake activities. It was also were most of the equipment was stored.

Inside the boathouse, while the girls were chatting up Ying and Yang, I walked to the exit and stared out at the beautiful scenery. So different from Florida. It's so easy to forget that our country is so vastly different depending on where you stand. I love that about the States. Travel a few hours north from Florida and whoa!

While standing in the doorway, I happened to look up. A Ziploc bag of water with two pennies, one in each corner, was stapled above the door. I interrupted the four chatterers to inquire about the oddity.

Me: "Why is there water here?"

The four stopped talking and looked at me, seeing only my back staring out the exit at, obviously, the lake. Both girls said later they thought I'd lost it. Because, uh? Lake?

Ying: "Ma'am?"

Me: "This bag of water? With pennies? Why is that here?"

Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief, which I didn't understand. I mean, my head was reclined looking up. Jeez.

Ying: "Oh, thank god! I was like? Ma'am? Uh, because it's a lake?"

I got it then. We all laughed. Then I asked the damn question again.

Me: "Why is there a bag of water with pennies stapled to the doorway entrance?"

Ying: "Well, it's simple refraction. The bending of light. The sunlight refracts, and it travels through the bag of water, causing it to change direction."

He went on and on and on. All I heard was science, science, boring science, get to the point. 

Gee, maybe I'm more like Tom than I thought. 

I tend to zone out when STEM topics arise. I'm not someone who needs the scientific background on things, which always drove my mother crazy, but I love a mystery. Okay, that's not really all that true. I always look up how things work on the Internet now that I have it readily available to me. But I do tend to still zone out when it comes to science.

Ying: "...altering the course and velocity of light which confuses the housefly and keeps them away."

I heard the last part. After the five-minute chemistry lesson...

Madison: "You mean physics lesson."

After the SCIENCE lesson, Ying ends with: it keeps houseflies out of the boathouse? Please. I'm from Indiana. I grew up with the fishing stories where the BIG one (hold out your arms until your muscles strain) got away.

Me: "Are you just shitting me? Seriously? This keeps the flies away?"

Yang: "Do you see any flies?"

I had to give him that one. I didn't see one housefly. The bags of water were in every window too. Huh.

I looked it up later on the Internet--see, told you, I learn science. Or myths.

However, you look at it, some swear by it, and others debunk it. Including a scientist from Tom's alma mater, North Carolina State University. Since we rarely see houseflies in Florida, I will be unable to try out this theory myself.

Darcy: "I'm just glad to know you weren't asking why there was water in the lake. I mean, seriously, I thought that's what you were asking."

Madison: "I did too. So did those guys. It was hilarious."

That's me. Providing entertainment. Getting fodder for the blog. Let me know please if any of my readers have tried this fly repellant, would ya?