Death by a thousand scratches

Society6

I’m currently typing this blog post in an effort to keep my hands busy.  I’m sporting two mosquito bites on my face, several fly bites(!), and half a dozen more mosquito bites around my ankles, feet, and knees.  As if that wasn’t gross enough, my right foot was so puffy and swollen from one of these that I could barely fit it in my shoe on Friday.  To add insult to injury, the vast majority of these bites were obtained inside vs. outside.

Of course I’m scratching, as much as they tell you not to scratch - more irritation, permanent scarring, etc.  But I can’t not scratch.  Even the bites on my face that look oh-so-lovely already.  Benadryl and Cortizone anti-itch creams only provide extremely temporary relief.  It’s all annoying as hell and stretching my eggshell patience this Monday.  I suppose that’s one way that I know that summer has begun.  Dallas has had its first documented positive test for West Nile, and the OFF isn’t keeping the mosquitoes away.  Complete with a storm-driven headache, I think it’s all I can take of this week on a Monday, no less.  Maybe I’ll scratch myself into a new skin or into a new week even.