It's not overly clear or visible in this photograph, but my legs are COVERED in band-aids. (I'm the one on the right.) And I hated them. But what I did love doing in the summertime, was raking up mounds of leaves and making small "houses". Basically it was a waist-high maze that was the outline of my pretend house. And leaves, especially old wet ones from the previous fall, are excellent breeding grounds for mosquitoes. (As was the pond behind our house.) As long as I can remember, I have been a food magnet for mosquitoes. And their bites leave HUGE whelps. This particular summer was exceptionally bad. And when things itch; I scratch. Scratching creates scars, which I scratched. And that summer, which seemed worse than any other, my mom, in her desperation to get me to leave all the bites and scabs alone, slathered me in band-aids, forbid me to take them off, and placed any and all leaf piles around our property (which was very wooded) on my list of restricted places. Looking back as an adult, I realize this was as much (maybe more) a punishment for her as it was for me. I did find other things to do, but those bites seemed to take FOREVER to heal. It's a wonder my Mom is still sane after all I've put her through.
This summer has reminded me so much of that summer. My legs and arms have been COVERED with bites and whelps like no other summer in my adult life. It's been so bad I've quit counting the bites, have been washing my legs and one arm in hydrogen peroxide to help relieve the itch, and have been wearing pants in public (yes, even in this heat!!) because my legs looks SO bad.
My mother-in-law, after visiting Alaska, claims that cold weather does not kill of mosquitoes. She said Alaska was full of them. Sometimes I think maybe I should live in a colder climate in the summer, but then I remember that, and realize it wouldn't make a difference. Early in our marriage, Bobby was amazed at how we could go to the pond at night. Within 10 minutes, he would not have one bite at all, but I would have 10-15 whelps appearing on my arms alone. Mosquitoes are not my friends, and am I greatly looking forward to fall and winter.
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