I spend significant amount of time outdoors 2 weekends in a row. This is unlike me. There are way too many green plants I’m allergic too out there in the spring and fall. It’s too hot in the summer and it’s too cold in the winter. And all my stuff- and my cats- are inside my house.
But I digress.
The weather was surprisingly mild both days. The pollen counts were low. I had a great time and both events surrounded by people I care about and who care about me. Would have been damn near perfect if not for one little thing.
Flies.
Multiples sizes, multiple species. Even multiple colors! But they all had one thing in common. They craved the blood from my feet and ankles.
I don’t think I got one mosquito bite. I don’t recall seeing any gnats. But the flies were absolutely out of control. I had so many bites I had to take Benadryl a couple times so the itching didn’t keep me awake all night. One particular species- possibly stable flies? – possess the delightful ability to make a small drop of blood to appear on my foot after each bite. At one point my right foot looked like it had been attacked by a cactus. I wore jeans and sneakers for my second foray into the outdoors but the flies found my sweet ankles anyway and left a giant welt on my arm just for something different!
I do not recall ever battling flies like this. I don’t know if it’s climate change or just the weather in July or what, but I am not interested in doing it again. I will be staying safely inside for the foreseeable future thank you very much.