Chigger Bites Hello!..

I have spent an itch-free winter which sadly came to an end last week.

I had manually weeded both my front and rear flower beds without mishap and sown flower seeds.

Watching them emerge was very rewarding this year because I knew what to expect…

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From last year’s effort.

Well I thought I did!

Welcome sunflowers that I didn’t plant, at least not this year!

Hello mint that had taken over most of the bed while I wasn’t looking during the colder months.

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And Hi to a heavy blanketing of grass that keeps coming back to remind me of the fact that this patch was once part of the lawn!

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Oh well to nature!

I spent an hour turning over the soil, pulling out grass by the clump, until my back insisted on a break.

Besides it was muddy and I’m not a fan of mud between my toes (yes I was in crocs!)

When I got inside and showered the itching began.

Across my torso, above my knees and along my upper arms.

My exposed areas (I had worn shorts and a T-shirt) were clear and I hadn’t put on any insect repellent…silly me… but I would only have applied it to the exposed skin anyway so I’d still have been bitten.

Huge blisters emerged atop angry, red and swollen bumps that burned and irritated.  I felt as though I was on fire!

I slathered on hydrocortisone, took an allergy tablet and restrained my fingers from scratching.

An exercise in self control if ever there was one!

I told my bird keeping son,

“I feel as though I need a slathering of mentholatum…”

“That makes sense,” he said, “it may cool the burning down.”

I took out the Vicks and applied it liberally walking around in a haze of refreshing vapor.

Breathe in, breathe out!

It either worked by calming the surface of my skin, by clearing my sinuses, or by distracting me with a tolerable tingle all over.  I was positively glowing!

Apart from leaving grease marks wherever clothing touched it worked for me!

Two days later there was no more involuntary itching and the blisters had dried up.

Not to be recommended for all skin types…. but well worth a try.

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