PS: we much preferred our mosquitoes to your black flies. Eyes swollen shut, hands swollen as big as catchers mitts, no thanks.
Eventually one comes to terms with the black flies. There are ways of reducing one’s interactions with them. I live in a small town (1100) but within town they don’t generally bother me—mosquitos are more of a problem, but they aren’t too bad.
What’s morendangerous is when there is a bear around which may bring out a swarm of semi-sober Canucks on four wheelers who are loaded for bear in multiple ways.
I remember hearing somewhere on the relative use of the term:
Outside of America, “Yanks” refers to Americans.
Within America, in the south and the west, the term refers to those East of the Mississippi and North of the Mason Dixon Line.
East of the Mississippi and North of the Mason Dixon Line, outside of New England it refers to those in New England.
Within New England, outside of Vermont, it refers to people from Rural Vermont.
Within Vermont, it refers to people who still use an outhouse.
I imagine the definition dates from somewhere between 1930 and 1970.