No See Ums

Attila has been dealing with skin issues, related to his late encounter with Hogweed. He itches, he swells, he turns bright red, the sun is his worst enemy; and he works out of doors in full sunlight, all day long, six days a week. Attila is fighting for comfort every single day.

I sympathize and watch with dismay. It hurts to see someone you love hurt. Quite frankly, it hurts me to see anyone hurting. And when it is this close to home I want to do something about it! But I cannot. Attila has it well in hand, and he is doing everything that is humanly possible to combat the evil effects of Hogweed. My efforts to “help” are not really helping Attila cope with the situation. So I must make an effort to remain as silent as possible, and not make hopeful suggestions aimed at finding relief for him.

The last few days I have been experiencing sudden, localized, and extreme itching. I thought it was probably sympathy pains for Attila. This morning I discovered that my itches are a result of insect bites. I felt the itch on my arm, looked down and saw only my skin. Then I noticed a small movement, and saw the almost microscopic body of a small insect, which then flew away. These little monsters have been biting me for days! They leave no marks, just a bit of an itch, and that doesn’t last very long. They are annoying, merely annoying.

Attila had a lovely Father’s Day! Terra cut the lawn at the little house in the city as a Father’s Day gift. Attila was surprised and delighted when we arrived at the little house late Saturday. He had been thinking that his Saturday evening would be entirely dominated by trying to get the lawn cut before dark; which would have been necessary because rain was predicted for Sunday, and cutting the grass in the rain is time consuming and labour intensive. Arriving after the long drive, to find that this stressful task was already taken care of, was a real thrill and “the best present anyone has ever given me”.

To add icing to the cake, Lares and Terra invited us to a BBQ at their house. So Attila not only had no pending duties when we arrived a the little house, he also was treated to a wonderful meal, a visit to see what Terra and Lares have been up to at their new house, and wonderful company for the evening.

On Sunday we chatted over Skype with Luna and Imp and Elf and Tink, which was great fun. We also chatted with Emmi, Otto Lilt and Skipper, again over Skype.

Attila called his Dad and had a nice chat. Attila’s Dad is suffering from pulmonary fibrosis and needs oxygen. We did not know how serious this problem had become for him. He usually summers in Michigan, but can no longer travel, so he will be staying at this principal residence in Florida now. Because Attila works such long hours and has few vacation days, we cannot manage visits to the USA. I am hoping Attila’s Dad can get setup on Skype so that he can keep in touch with all his children, there are five of them.

After staying up late on Saturday night, rising early Sunday morning, and eating pre-processed foods last Sunday, I am still not feeling all that well. Aging is a privilege, but it is not without its down side. I have been going to bed early and eating well, and every day I feel a little better.

I am working the rest of the week, so I guess it is early to bed for the next three or four nights!

Worldly Distractions

Weather

4°C
Condition: Sunny
Pressure: 102.2 kPa
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: 3.8°C
Dewpoint: 3.5°C
Humidity: 98%
Wind: NNE 4 km/h

Quote
“It’s so much easier to suggest solutions when you don’t know too much about the problem.”
Malcolm Forbes
1919 – 1990

4 Comments
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Bex

Durn bugs. They get in our house every day, usually on the dogs’ furs, and I sit here every evening with my fly swatter trying to smush them. The dogs run around trying to eat them, too, but very rarely are successful. I give up. Hope those “no see ums” leave you alone. Maybe there is a cream you could use on your arms…

Sarah

‘Tis the season…for bug hatching, flying, annoying of people. We have a small, lightweight critter which is attracted to mucus membranes–eyes, nose, mouth. Impossible to see, but annoying nonetheless, particularly when doing something active outdoors. Sometimes when the sun is slanting just right through the trees I see them in clouds, orbiting an imaginary center. One of the dubious “pleasures” of living in southern California.

Don’t complain to the authorities about mosquitoes hereabouts. They come with insecticides and spray your whole yard and you are confined indoors for 24 hours. When you get outside again, everything has a fine coating of greasy residue, which has to be cleaned off. I’ll deal with the mosquitoes and mother nature in general without the human chemical interference, thank you.

Hope Attila gets the milkweed reaction out of his system soon. I can just imagine how miserable he feels.

BTW, I love your nom de plumes. You’re probably all famous — or infamous. The pseudonyms you use are very clever. I’ll have to think of some for me and my friends/family, just for the heck of it. Maybe Greek gods and goddesses…?

Maggie

Bex, bugs seem to be a part of life! I am thinking that surely the no see ums have a season, and that it should be over soon! They don’t hurt, just that intense little itch that takes over the known universe for one second!

Maggie

Sarah, that spray sound awful! We could spray here, but in the forest it would be a drop in the bucket, and the effect of spraying would disappear very, very quickly. We grow our own insect population, having our own wetland on the property.

Giving people monikers is a lot of fun! In my case the names suit the personalities of the people they represent. Greek gods and goddesses sound like a lot of fun!