May 28, 2009

Oh, The Agony

The clawing, the moaning, the twitching, the howling. Yes, the chiggars have arrived and my ankles are ringed with itchy red bites. Shaving over the bites makes it worse, or at least it makes the ointment sting more, so I have skipped over them while shaving. I'd post a picture of my ankles, but when you've seen one bumpy, hairy ankle, you've seen them all.

It begins with a little prickling a few hours after the chiggar has bitten a piece of skin which has had something pressing against it, like the top of socks, elastic around underwear (and impossible to scratch for even momentary relief) and waistbands. The bite then turns into a firey itch after a little scratching. Add a little heat and sweat and the itching turns into stinging needles of pain. I have red bumps of varying sizes everywhere, accompanied by red streaks where I can't keep from scratching, and all are coated with a white layer of Chiggarex which only slightly eases the itching.

But unknown to the little beasties, I have been to the garden center where I bought 200 pounds of sulphur pellets. I don't know if the sulphur drives them away or causes them a slow, agonizing death. I hope it is the latter.

scratch, scratch, scratch

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