Bugs

I really can't remember it ever being this bad. Thinking back to very buggy times; hoeing stray stalks of corn out of my dad's soybean fields at dusk > mosquitoes, OR hiking to Agawa Canyon past the dead bear and numerous piles of bear dung> more mosquitoes, OR camping somewhere in Canada where Jeff said the bugs were so bad he had to wait in the car while I set up the tent "because the gnats were making nests in the curls of his hair" > gnats.  ( I bet he wishes he could say that again!)

 So the bugs are just really, really bad this year. Two huge lake fly hatches so far this summer but seems there are a few dozen or so every day in the house since April. The mosquitoes have been bad the last few days. My arms, legs, feet, face, ear lobes, toes, in between my fingers, almost everywhere is covered with red welts.

Today while Jeff and I were outside the gnats came. They sat on my legs and arms. Dozens of them. They sat on my face and lips. Maybe it is worse when they buz between my glasses and my eyes. They didn't sit on Jeff at all. Finally I couldn't stand it any longer and had to come in the house. I was still useful indoors, I scratched a few dozen new mosquito bites and picked up and discarded a dozen or so dead lake flies. Jeff just came inside from watering the plants and said the mosquitoes are really bad. For him to complain about mosquitoes, it must be bad.

Jeff got me a little pin on box years ago that made the sound of some dragonfly and was guaranteed to keep the mosquitoes away from the wearer. I see Off is selling something like that now. The dragonfly one did nothing but use up battery power. Wonder if the new thing works.

 I use unscented soap, unscented deodorant, unscented lotion. I may just stay inside for the rest of the summer.  Or maybe I need to take B vitamin supplements. Maybe I could make some kind of net caftan or hooded cloak to wear over my clothes with the cot netting the girls used at Girl Scout Camp. Might work on that tomorrow. Hope I will not scare the neighborhood kids...