I wonder why I didn't know about BJ's gallbladder.
I wonder if she'd like to know I had mine out (it was 100% packed with stones) and I don't expect we'll be seeing her any time soon. Recovery hurts! Hope you have someone to help you get up and down BJ!!!! Takes 2 weeks to stop hurting. Be sure to take your pain meds and stay on top of the pain.
I wonder as well at how nice it was to see Mrs. Who Moi.
I wonder if Alffe should stop writing in her journal.
Chiggers. Reminds me of a story from when I was a little girl. My parents and my sister Janine picked berries (strawberries I think) at my grandma's house. I didn't, I was playing inside with grandma. All 3 of them got absolutely horrible chigger bites and were miserable.
Here is more than you probably ever wanted to know about chiggers.
Quote:
Chiggers are the larvae of the harvest mite, Trombicula alfreddugesi. The eight-legged adult harvest mites are bright red and are seen crawling over the soil surface when one is spading the garden during the warm days of springtime. They look like small velvety red spiders. In the early spring, these adult mites lay eggs in the soil that hatch into the larval chigger stage.
The adults and most immature stages are completely harmless, but the tiny, six-legged larval stage is parasitic on many animals, including rodents, birds, poultry, rabbits, livestock, snakes, toads, as well as humans. The larval chigger moves very quickly on the ground and crawls onto feet or legs. On its host, the chigger usually moves about until it reaches a place where it is somewhat confined, such as around ankles, under socks, or behind knees. when people sit on chigger-infested ground, frequently they may get severe chigger bites around the waistline or in the crotch area, especially under belts and elastic bands of underwear. Sometimes chiggers may move to the upper torso and attack the armpits. Chiggers become active in June, but outdoor activities and warm days around the Fourth of July result in increased complaints about chiggers.
Contrary to popular belief, chiggers do not burrow into the skin, but pierce the skin, (often around a hair follicle) and inject a fluid that prevents blood from clotting.The fluid causes tissues to be inflamed; each bite has a characteristic red welt with a white, hard central area. The tiny red chigger in the center of the itching bump is effectively camouflaged by the inflamed tissues. Fluids secreted by the mite liquifies the tissues that are ingested by the chigger. It is these injected fluids that results in the severe itching and dermatitis that accompanies chigger bites.
After becoming fully fed, the chigger drops from its host, goes into the ground and enters a quiescent stage. In the fall of the year, it becomes a bright red adult that overwinters.
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