We are plagued with no-see-um bites. These nasty little things – midges, they are – are so tiny that when they bite you, you really can’t see um. But boy do you know they have bitten you after a little while. And the next day, And the next day, And the next day. The bites swell and itch and itch and itch. Normal screens aren’t sufficient to keep them out, so our only alternative is to shut the RV up tight in the morning and at dusk, their favorite times for noshing. It also means that sitting outside or swimming or anything outside, in fact, during those hours isn’t a good idea.
They recommend that if you want to keep from getting bitten, you wear long sleeves, long pants, gloves, shoes and socks. And a hat with netting around your head, I suppose. Other than the fact that you would look like a total idiot dressed like this in 80 degree weather walking on the beach, you would probably expire from heat exhaustion. We are told that the best thing at a campsite is a fan; they are so tiny and light that a fan keeps them away from you. I guess that means two fans if there are two of you! Hydrocortisone cream seems to work on the bites, and I am told that DEET is somewhat effective in keeping them at bay. Now they tell me!
A few days ago we met Hilda and Siegfried in the pool at the private RV park where we were staying. It looked like we were going to get a storm and I mentioned that we could swim in the rain as long as there wasn’t lightning. But, I noted, we were as likely to get hit by lightning as we were to win the lottery. Hilda opined that they were trying to win the lottery with no success. Siegfried had retired early more than 10 years ago, helped along by a concern that if he didn’t take his pension it would be less in the future. But things hadn’t turned out as they had hoped and dreamed it would and now they are living permanently in a small trailer, coming to Florida in the winter and going to Wisconsin in the summer. She told me her tale with the sweetest, warmest smile, a smile that seemed to say, “Well, that’s the way it is and we’re making the best of it.” So many stories and traveling we get to hear them.
Another couple we talked to at breakfast at the same park now live in Arizona, having moved there from California. Another tale of hopes dashed by unexpected bad fortune. This couple had lived in a very fancy, very expensive home with a beautiful view of San Francisco bay. When investments went bad, they didn’t want to move down as far as they would have to stay in the San Francisco area, so they moved to Arizona, where they could buy more with what they had. Charming people, upbeat people, people coping with what life brings. These are the real heroes.
