6/2/11

6/2/11
After all that rain I complained about last month, the sun came out and hatched a running series of buzzing bloodsucking relentless insect monsters. First were the May flies, appropriately named, who are large enough to see coming and slow enough to slap and kill. Though if they do get a bite in it will swell and itch for days.
While the May flies were still present, Memorial Day weekend brought the no-see-ums by the millions. They just spontaneously came to life out of thin air, assuming so because they are also appropriately named. Little bastards can sneak through the holes in the screens! There's no hiding from them. Since they arrived in such great numbers I had no defense and was welted from their attacks. They also itched something serious. I think they get trapped in my afro and bite my head.
This week the infamous mosquitoes came to town and brought their shade loving friends, the loud big black flies. They may not suck blood but they love to vomit and suck your skin when you are sweaty.
To defend myself from constant bombardment I stock an arsenal of repellent. Natural, almost natural, not-so-natural, and death in a can. I start with the least toxic and graduate up the scale of toxicity hoping not to reach level 4, the 30 deet. I burn citronella on my porch and carry one of those clip-ons that seems to do nothing unless you're sitting completely still. lately my skin has been covered in a cocktail of sunblock, bug spray, sweat, and dirt. Talk about being uncomfortable in my own skin.
Maybe I should invest in some long sleeve cotton or start eating raw onions and garlic. Maybe make a juice from them and spray that on my skin. These bugs coupled with the high temps and humidity is a major reason why I lived west and also why I never wanted to visit the east in the summer.