The Feast Within Me

It's always exciting to discover hidden treasures within you.  Delightful traits of which you were previously unaware and of which you can now boast.  Case in point: I apparently have delicious blood.  I am a veritable feast for the insect world of southern Texas.

Please observe the photo to the left.  This is a lovely picture of my lovely ankle on my left leg.  I don't know how well you can see, but there are at least a dozen red, itchy blotches in the few square inches covering that ankle.  And it is representative of the condition of both of my calves and ankles.  My thighs have been attacked as well, just not as rigorously.

My husband is not being eaten alive.  Neither is my youngest daughter.  (My oldest daughter refuses to spend much time outside because she suspects she would become a victim as well.)  I am the one the little buggers prefer, for who-knows-what reason.

I was warned early on by a local friend (who grew up in Iowa) about the ants.  She said if you're not careful where you stand outside, you could find fire ants crawling all over you biting you, leaving such marks. 

But I don't believe these are ant bites.  I don't know what they are. I have never seen the culprits that create them; I just notice a few hours after I've spent time outdoors that I have new itchy places on my legs that are driving me insane. The fact that they are all on my lower extremities lends some credibility to the ant theory, but wouldn't you think I would notice ants crawling all over my legs? No, it must be some other critter.

Some clandestine critter with a military strategy to strike under the cloak of invisibility and retreat quickly, waiting for an opportunity to strike again. I would have to admire their skilled maneuvering if I believed there was anything intelligent about it.

Another local friend has suggested Avon's Skin So Soft. I'm going to have to try it.  I'm going to have to try something. The heat and humidity will not yet allow me to cover my legs, and the itching is making me nuts.

In other news, my un-ending cough has locals suggesting I have allergies -- another common discovery to Texas newbies. I had allergies in Jersey. They disappeared in Iowa. I'd rather not have them back. But whatever -- they can be controlled by medication, usually. The bugs . . . I don't know how much control I can have over them.

But at least I can take pride in my tasty blood. Enjoy while you can, you pesky varmints. Your feast will end soon. Mua-ha-ha-ha.