Chiggers! And a kitchen swap!!

#^&%&((%$ Chigger!! Photo by Mundo Poco.

Sorry to be so quite lately. After the last go 'round of blackberry picking (with more to come probably tomorrow!) I have been itching and scratching myself into insanity. And all because of that dreaded Southern bugger, the chigger!

Now, I know I am just a city girl pretending to live in the country, but I expect any bugs that want a piece of me to at least be visible and make for a good target. Not chiggers, though! These nasties require a magnifying glass to see, and shucks, I don't carry one with me. So, in spite of long jeans, socks, hightop boots, and a long sleeve shirt, I got chigger bit, but bad!

Around both ankles, up my shins and behind both knees! And these bites have the most intense itching I have ever experienced! Wake you up in the night kind of itching! So I have been sitting around the house with ice bags on my feet plotting the nuclear annihilation of all things chigger, and feeling very sorry for my berry-picking self!

Now I don't step outside the house without a heavy mist of bug repellent and I'm thinking of dressing like this guy!

Photo by kthread

I think the duct tape add a little panache to the outfit, don't you??

Now for something happier! Today I received in the mail a large box with my kitchen swap goodies in it! Marcia from Blue Bobbin was my partner and she had told me she was going to be late with it, but frankly, I had stopped looking for it. So it was a nice surprise! You can see what I sent her here.

Look at all this stuff!

Boy, Marcia really stuffed that box! There were knitting patterns,



local candies (all is forgiven, Marcia!)



a beautiful apron she made me, dish cloths, scrubby and a dish cloth that looks like a dress which she included the pattern for. The apron was wrapped in green tulle net, so I can make produce bags out of it!



Check out this lovely pink glass bowl. She knew I liked vintage things and this was a great idea! There is another pot holder, dish cloth she made and a box of Rice A Roni. Why the rice, you might ask? Well, it WAS a kitchen swap theme, and she graciously included a favorite recipe that calls for the rice. Brilliant!




Thank you so much, Marcia! it was well worth the wait!