I have to say, the comments on my complaint post have really tickled me, as I am usually the last person to complain even when it's justified. I'll mutter, I'll grump, but complain? State my dissatisfaction in a reasoned and dispassionate manner?
Of course, that's partly why I posted about this incident: the situation called for complaint, complaining was justified, I complained, and the situation improved. Wild! Even I need to learn from that.
Right now, I would like to complain to Nature about mosquitoes. I am told that all critters, large and small, lovely and pesty, have their part in the Grand Cycle and if anything vanished, it would have vast repercussions that I would be sure to dislike, but I must say, I feel my life would improve without mosquitoes.
They sure love me. If I had inherited my mother's blood, and got bitten once every ten years, I wouldn't be complaining, but I got Dad's, and right now I can hardly venture out without the little vampires sending out an all points bulletin that I am in the neighborhood. I have at least half a dozen big itchy spots from daring to set foot out of doors this week, which irks me. If I'm supposed to share the planet with them, they should share it with me. If they want a teeny bit of my blood, I'm sure they wouldn't take enough for me to notice, except that they leave itchiness behind!
I'm testing something new, new to me that is: a citronella wristband, that is supposed to repel the damn things. It does seem to help, to a degree. For example, while wearing it on my wrist, I was bitten on the ankle, so the range is clearly not full-body. Also, one needs to not mind the lemony scent, which fortunately I do not (mind, that is).
And, to state the very obvious, if you forget to wear it, it does not help at all (I never said I was perfect). One of the bites I have came on break yesterday when I forgot to wear it, and maybe it would have prevented that, who can say? I will continue to test it. I have hopes it will help, because there are a lot of mosquitoes outside at work, and I want to work in the garden without paying the blood price, or smelling of bug spray all day, which are the other options.
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Finally, a knitting note. I took the sweaters into the Knitting Room to show Jackie how they turned out, and mentioned my nervousness at washing them. She suggested making a swatch and washing that first, which is a good idea, and also suggested how cute matching hats would be (and I love making hats!), and I think I'll kill two birds with one stone, and knit a hat and wash it, to see how it turns out. Not right this second, but before I wash the sweaters. Right now, I'm crocheting dish-scrubbies for Mum's birthday (don't worry, I'm not spoiling the surprise, she requested them; it's nice to make something you know is truly wanted, isn't it?), plus I'm getting ready for houseguests, but soon. The shower isn't until the end of June, I have time.
I feel good about this plan.
I mostly knit, sometimes crochet or cross-stitch. I read, a lot. I love cats. I love hockey, especially my no-longer-local team, the Boston Bruins. Want more? Read on.
When I quit eating refined sugar and most meat, the mosquitoes stopped biting me.
ReplyDeleteI'll never forget when DH, DS & I went camping with DH's little sister, shortly after our diet changes. There was a mosquito in the tent with us that night, but none of my little family was bitten even once. However, DH's sister had about eight or ten bites in a couple square inches on one side of her neck--the only skin that hadn't been under her sleeping bag. Poor thing--she was really uncomfortable.
Barring radical diet changes, though, I've heard that Bounce dryer sheets (the perfumed ones), keep mosquitoes away.
Good luck . . . oh, how I dislike bug bites.
i've gotten to the point where i love nature ... behind a screen. I believe i heard/read somewhere that garlic helps. if you don't want to deal with the social repurcussions of the real thing you might try the pills.
ReplyDeleteI must eat uncouth sugar because I know a lot of things I enjoy have a sweet flavor, but do not have sugar (in it's various known-to-me forms) listed in the ingredients list printed on the packages.
ReplyDeleteBugs sorta like me, but they *love* my husband. I try to shadow him whenever I am outside. It usually works quite well.
I began using the citronella wrist bands last year. One on each wrist. The range wasn't the best, but I kept them (somewhere...) for this year because any help is something!
Those and the industrial-sized tube of Bike Block that cuts the aweful itching almost immediately are in my summer gardening basket....which is around somewhere...
:-)