Mosquito Madness

I’m melting!  I just hope I can get this article written before I’m reduced to a puddle under my desk.

I’m also scratching.  The only place worse than the ankle for a mosquito bite, I think, is the instep of the foot.  Or the palm of the hand.  Or the eyelid.  Come to think of it, I guess there really isn’t any good place from which to have my blood sucked.

My dad isn’t a cursing man, but mosquitoes have brought him to the brink.  I remember him setting up citronella candles and other burning buckets and coils that were placed strategically around the campsite – defying any and all mosquitoes to attempt entry.  I’m surprised he didn’t have us tie dryer sheets to our belts.

Unfortunately, I’ve inherited my dad’s mosquito-enticing blood and my mom’s aversion to heat.  Sweltering days sap my energy and give me headaches, so I prefer to go outside in the cool mornings and evenings.  But the moment I step outside, those menacing mosquitoes are there waiting for me.

Since I can’t stand the smell of spray-on bug repellant (thank you, asthma), I’m pretty much stuck inside on humid summer evenings.  I guess it’s time to plant citronella around my house and buy a mosquito magnet.  Do those things actually work?  Thankfully, I have an enclosed deck that allows me to feel as though I’m outside while reaping the benefits of screened protection.

There are some things I love about summer:  the lazier days, bright flowers, sun-ripened fruit, refreshing dips in the lake, and not having to carry a shovel in my trunk.

But those mosquitoes have got to go.