Holiday Feasts, of a different sort

Summer holidays remind me that I should wear bug spray. We keep a bottle of bug spray in the car, but I still rarely put any on. I regret that now.

You see, firework smoke or grill smoke will chase off the mosquitoes, but the chiggers are different. They crawl into your clothes and seek the tight warm confines of things like bra and underwear lines.

I have a nice ring around my knees.

As well as the obligitory "I'm not feeling myself up" bites. Those are the most obnoxious because they ALWAYS seem to itch when anyone is over.

Random fact about chiggers: their saliva contains enzymes that liquefy cells walls in our bodies, then they suck out the goo. Out bodies react by hardening up the area around the destruction, which ironically makes a sort of straw so the chiggers can continue their tyrannical attack. A good soapy shower will wash them off, but the itch remains for about 2 weeks.

Just in time for Pioneer Day.

Oh, and women and shildren are more likely to get chigger bites because they have nice soft delicate skin. Men have tougher skin, so chiggers seem to avoid them.

Alice seems to have avoided getting any bites. A true miracle, since she was sitting in the grass during the ward picnic/4th of July party. Though she was held most of the time for the evening fireworks.

I am wearing sweats today, but its not because I am going to be outside in the grass, its because I need to do laundry. So I guess I will do that now.