It's A Pity .......

The weekend is over and here I sit awaiting the onslaught of swimmers. I seem to have fallen off the face of the blogosphere. I have been here lurking in the outer regions, reading and laughing or commiserating with all of you.

I am not on a break. If you recall I am prone to the intense rashes of the poison oak and ivy variety. I am very careful to avoid contact and wash vigorously with my trusty laundry soap if I even think I may have come into contact with a suspicious plant. So when I noticed what I thought to be a mosquito bite on my leg, I grabbed the soap in the shower and scrubbed. You know, on the off chance that it would cure the itching of mosquito bites. Then I could reveal my discovery to the world and become famous .......... yep, I live in a dream world.

The itching did not stop and more "patches" of these itchy bumps began to appear. The itching is intense. I slathered myself with Benadryl gel. Minimal relief. I tried every remedy I could get my hands on. Nothing offered much in the way of relief. He who sympathized from afar (lest it be contagious), made a run to the local pharmacy and procured Camphophenique. Almost $5!!!! I remember when ......... never mind, he said I was worth it.

In the wee hours of the morning, as I lay scratching and thinking, I remembered a few years back when I had the rash and the itching. I called my favorite doctor and he called in dose pack of steroids. That will usually knock it out within a few days. It didn't. After 4 days I called back, almost in tears, as I had been itching insanely for over a week. I had to go in and he took one look and told me I had pityriasis. Pity what? Pity me.

There is no treatment, it has to run its course. How long, you may be asking? Varies. Could be 6 weeks, could be 6 months. You treat the symptoms. The itching. It starts with a "herald" patch (Hear Ye, Hear Ye, you have been chosen to itch!). Plenty of time to ponder such things as I watch the sky turn light. I had such a patch a couple of weeks ago on  my ankle. It was almost a ring of braille like bumps. I wondered about the possibility of ringworm at the time. It was accompanied by a purplish color to the skin. Like a healing bruise.

I thought nothing of it, I get lots of bruises when I am doing yard work. Most of the time I can't remember what I did to get a bruise. Ringworm would not be out of the question, I am outside as much as I can be and some of my chores are downright nasty. But I am quite certain now that it was the herald patch. Suffice it to say that I itch from head to toe with  outbreaks. They will start out with the intense itching and inflammation, then after a couple of days subside and tease me into thinking it is over, only to have new outbreaks occur close by.

Nothing helps much. I am trying to stay busy, too busy to scratch. Idle hands and all. Clothing bothers me. I am wearing loose clothes. I considered wearing some big loose dresses with no foundation garments, but I caught sight of myself passing by a mirror. I have reached an age where gravity prevents me from subjecting the public to that particular image.

On a lighter note I am looking forward to a visit from my son and his family this Wednesday. They will be on their way to Branson for a dance competition for Jada. Jada is a talented little dancer. I wish I could see her dance, but, we can't afford to close the park and go. I will have to settle for a video and some still shots. I am so happy I will get to see them, though. Can't wait to wrap each one of them in a hug and breathe in the sweet scent of little girls. They are growing up so fast. You can expect to see pictures later this week.

The first round of peaches have been picked and processed. The other peach tree is sagging under the weight of the ripening fruit. I have all manner of props supporting the tree, even a ladder! The birds snacked on the other tree and the harvesting was tricky. As the fruit got ripe, wasps would discover the peaches that had been nibbled on. Twice I reached up to grab what I thought was a perfect peach, only to find the top full of wasps. I discovered that I may throw a ball like a girl, but, put a peach full of wasps in my hand and I become a pwerhouse!!

The crows have taken up residence in the field near the pond. They have been stealing my apples! It may be the wrong season for a scarecrow, but I am thinking about it! In the meantime I am going to hang some windchimes in the trees. I have them in the vegetable garden with some whirly-gigs and it seems to help.

I have discovered that I can type with one hand and scratch with the other .........