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Friday, July 7, 2017

Chigger misery

On June 26th I went to Marathon looking for odes and butterflies. Thereafter my legs had a dozen or so bites on them. In denial, since I've never had chigger bites in my beloved backyard (aka Big Bend country), I tried to convince myself it was spider bites, kissing bugs, or something else. So when I went back to Marathon on July 4th and got a bunch more bites the next day, I had to face the reality. I hate not being able to frolic around in my home territory without DEETing myself up. The backs of my knees are the worst. (Didn't realized how wrinkled I've become until I took this photo behind my knee. Pretty gross if I do say so myself.) Not mosquitoes. I always wear long pants and besides I don't react at all to mosquito bites.


Since I'll turn 77 this month, and since today is 7-7-17, and since I think 7s are my lucky number, I'm waiting for something exciting to happen today. Nothing yet. 😃 My myxoid cyst came back after being gone for a week, and I borrowed a Neti pot to treat my sinus infection. But I'm in pretty good shape for the shape I'm in.

The Alpine habitat is 13 yrs old and starting to be a real habitat. I think this is the first year Vermilion Flycatchers might be nesting successfully, first year of consistently hearing a Bell's Vireo, and heard my first Yellow-billed Cuckoo here yesterday. (I heard them in Marathon and Lajitas too, so must be a good year for them.) The lotuses are putting on a pretty good show this year too.


I don't expect to ever have nesting Yellow-breasted Chat's (like CMO does) because my husband mows. But it's better than no town habitat at all.



4 comments:

Unknown said...

Carolyn, How I solved the problem of Chiggers is to use cheap thick hand lotion and generously apply it over my arms and legs before doing any work outside. Also I wear long pants and sleeves, even in Louisiana’s hot, humid weather. I have suffered from Chiggers so just had to write you. Have followered you for a number of years and hope to visit your Christmas Mountains Oasis someday.PS: I turned 73 this year so hope this old lady can help another with chiggers. :)

it's me said...

Ouch! They are painful. I got my first batch in Texas about 10 years ago, but get them regularly now. It's a bad year for them.

Carolyn Ohl-Johnson said...

I'm sure that would help. So would bathing promptly upon returning from being out in the tall grasses. Just never had them in the Big Bend before so wasn't prepared. (I always wear long pants.) Not going to happen again. When I went to the valley last fall I used DEET and wore pantyhose and didn't get a single bite.
Please do come visit the oasis.

Carolyn Ohl-Johnson said...

I think they're spreading. When I was a kid in Iowa I laid and rolled in the weeds and grass and never got a chigger there until I was about 20. Ie. about 1960.