Creepy, crawly, cruel and the worst thing about summer - they lurk in the corners and the dark and I can't escape them. There are times when I can be pretty brave in the face of the insect and spider world and times when I am stopped short by the tiny creatures.
Mosquitoes have such great power in this region; all I have to do is mention them in a story and I can watch an entire audience begin to squirm and scratch. I see children and adults every day of the summer with painful looking sores on their arms and legs where the itching has been unbearable. I'm lucky mosquitoes don't find me quite as delicious, but when they are swarming and no one else is available I must look pretty good.
I don't like spraying chemicals and hate the smell of insect repellent, but I don't want to be stuck inside during the short and beautiful summer season. I'll try home remedies for keeping the nasty creatures away and have even rubbed my arms with orange peel and avoided eating bananas in the summer for years.
News reports about West Nile virus have me a little more concerned about bites this month and in some ways I'm looking forward to November as I try the latest bug deterrent, a citrus smelling body cream.
It has also been a good year for ants and a bad year for those bothered by them. Natural ways to keep them out of kitchens have been the topic of conversations and online chats although I don't know if the people or the ants are ahead.
To me the scariest of the little creeping pests are spiders. I've lived with roommates who wouldn't enter a room until I'd removed a tiny little spider, but the bigger ones even keep me away. My one-year-old niece has incredible fine motor skills and likes to pick up tiny specks. She recently scared a small spider into a tiny ball and popped it into her mouth. She is too young to have developed any fears.
I was at my brother's and we watched a very large spider near his back door, neither of us brave enough to get close enough to capture it in a jar or take a clear picture for identification purposes.
My fears of the creatures aren't all irrational. I had two friends suffer serious spider bites last summer and I want to avoid the same injuries. Even looking at pictures to learn about the venom is creepy.
Coming face to face with spiders, such as a large orb-weaver spider at a birthday party last week, had my imagination screaming "get the children and get inside," while I calmly steered myself and others away as a brave uncle with a long-handled shovel discreetly removed the huge beast.
I love summer but I'm bothered enough to look forward to a snowy season where I can be outside without being "bugged."
