MOSQUITOES - THE LITTLE SUCKERS

I do not like mosquitoes but they sure as hell like me! For as long as I can remember I have been prime meat for mosquitoes to sink their little proboscises into & draw out a little droplet of my blood. I suppose it has something to do with my skin being fair or easy to pierce or I'm just really susceptible to them. Our unusually hot fall has the little buggers out in force.

The damn little things seem to land on me & bite me without my even noticing. I rarely feel anything when they do their damage. BUT shortly thereafter, the god awful itching will drive me almost insane. I'm guessing I'm a little more allergic to them to most people because the first couple of days I form half inch welts where each bite was made. Hell, that's way bigger than the little suckers that do the biting!

Okay, this description of what happens when a mosquito bites you kind of freaked me out. I had no idea it was this creepy. Here is what I found online: "The mosquito truly is a blood-sucking machine. The thin tube the insect injects into the skin, what's called the proboscis, is actually comprised of six different needles that all work in tandem to extract blood from the body. The first two needles act a bit like teeth. The have tiny ridges at the end that help the mosquito puncture through the skin. A second pair of needles act like clamps during the blood draw, holding the skin's tissues apart to allow the last set of needles to do their work. Among these is a needle that acts like a homing beacon; it finds our blood vessels by detecting the chemicals they give off, and then slurps up the tasty blood inside. The last needle is the real jerk: it injects chemicals into our vessels to stimulate blood flow. But it's also what makes those itchy bumps appear after the mosquito gets its fill and leaves. All of these needles are shielded by a flexible sheath called the labium."  EEEEWWWW!!!!

Now, I know why my mosquito bites itch so damn bad, but I'd sure like to know how to relieve that incessant itching. Years ago I had a tube of ointment called Caladryl that seemed to help ease the itching but I can't find it anymore. It was pink & I'm assuming it was a combination of calamine lotion & Benadryl. I dug around in the cupboard until I finally found the tube. Unfortunately, the little bit that remained was hard as a rock.

Normal hydrocortisone cream only gives minimal relief at best. I bought some liquid Benadryl specifically for insect bites which advertised instant relief from itching - NOT. It turns out that my mom's old remedy of a baking soda & water paste is still the best relief. It doesn't last long but you can keep putting it on as often as needed.

I just looked up "home remedies for mosquito bites" & found lots of things to try:

Oatmeal - it contains potent antioxidants, known as avenanthremides, which reduce inflammation and may calm itch.

Ice cubes - the brain can only process one sensation at a time, hold an ice cube on the bite & the itching will stop as you feel the intense cold.

Yogurt - a great inflammation reducer & the probiotics have skin calming properties.

Aloe vera - squeeze the gel from the leaf onto the bite for its anti-inflammatory benefits.

Honey - apply it directly to the bite for its anti-inflammatory & anti-microbial properties.

Aspirin - dissolve it in water & apply the paste to the bite to calm the itching.

I found our bottle of honey & put a dab on the bite on the top of my foot. It seemed to help slightly but then I accidently rested my opposite foot on top of that one getting honey on the bottom of it. When I walked into the bathroom to wipe it off my foot was sticking to the floor. And I certainly couldn't go to bed with honey on my foot.

The ice cube thing did work temporarily. We'll see how long it lasts. I have an aspirin waiting to be soaked in water & dissolved as the next attempt to stop the fricking itching. It amazes me how a stupid, little flying insect can disrupt your life for a few days!

Does anyone else have something that will ease the crazy-ass itching?

LORNA & BILL

Over the past 40+ years as I've traveled on tours & cruises around the world, fellow travelers would exchange contact information during the trip vowing to keep in touch. In reality I've learned that very rarely happens. So much so that our last few trips I haven't even asked for or shared my email & phone number. On our recent Iceland, Greenland & Norway cruise Lou handed out his cards to our table mates. He hasn't heard from anyone yet.

There are two notable exceptions to this in my estimated sixty or so trips. One was a Carnival Caribbean cruise in March of 2016. We booked the cruise fairly late & the anytime dining choice was sold out. Lou & I normally take this option since we can often get a table for two & like to say that we prefer each others company rather than strangers. But maybe it's just because our kindergarten report cards had the "Doesn't play well with others" box checked.

We were seated at a table for eight on this cruise. It happened that Lou & I sat opposite a delightful woman named Helen & her husband, Weldon on the first evening. Helen & I hit if off like old friends, enjoyed each other's company & talked nonstop. Some of our other table mates thought we were traveling together. We did exchange info & regularly comment on each others Facebook pages but I wouldn't say that we "keep in touch" closely. Although I would love cruising with them again sometime!

The traveling companion who is still my regular correspondent after 7 & 1/2 years is Lorna. We met Lorna & her husband, Bill, from Michigan, on a Danube River Cruise for my 60th birthday. The river boat was small, I think around 200-300 cruisers. Dinner was always open seating & less than halfway through we started gravitating toward finding each other at the same table.

Lou & I were impressed that Bill was just a few months shy of his 90th birthday & here he was on a two week river cruise in Europe! If my math is correct, Lorna was about 12 or 13 years younger than him. They told us that this would likely be their last big trip. Wow, that's fantastic! I hope I'm still traveling the world at 89 years old!

A couple of things about Bill are etched in my mind. At one port in Bulgaria, the tour included a hike up to the top of a beautiful mountain. It wasn't super strenuous but it had me huffing & puffing a few times until we reached the top for the gorgeous views. As we took it all in, we turned around & there was Bill at the top! He had his little device that doubled as a cane & a three-legged seat when you unfolded it & he was enjoying the scenery as well You go, Bill!

As we conversed over dinners, Lorna pointed out that Bill had a shunt in his head to drain fluid for Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus just like my dad does. His had been caught early & really helped to reverse some of his symptoms allowing him to still enjoy traveling. Wine was included with dinner &, of course, we indulged regularly. Also regularly, Bill would knock his glass of wine over! The waiters would run over, wipe it up & pour him another one. It really endeared me to him.

But the real jewel of that trip was Lorna. She has emailed me regularly for 7 plus years, always complimenting me on my blog posts. Numerous times, she has thanked me for allowing her to travel along with us over the years or related her stories of their trip to the same places in the past. 

Sadly, Bill passed away this past February at the age of 96. Lorna has since moved to Texas to be closer to her children & grandchildren. She still keeps in touch, just recently emailing to make sure we weren't affected by the terrible wildfires in Northern California. We have really become friends over the years & I look forward to hearing from her.

I am always heartened to see an email from Lorna each time I include her in my blog post emails. It often says "sent from my iPad". How cool is that to be 80-something & sending emails from your iPad? She has told me if she stops writing it is likely because she is incapacitated or dead.

Lou & I are planning a trip to Texas next May to take in a Giants-Astros game & do some sightseeing that will take us through the town where Lorna is living. I asked her if she would like us to stop by for a visit. She was thrilled & so am I!. It's one of the things I'm really looking forward to on that trip.

GUN VIOLENCE

It is time to resurrect this post from December 2015 - almost two years have passed & nothing has changed, except perhaps that now each mass murdering lunatic feels the need to upstage the previous one. According to the FBI statistics almost 16,000 people each year are killed by gun violence in our country. When will we say "Stop"?

 

This is what I wrote two years ago:

 

Yesterday, two people armed with assault weapons killed 14 people & injured 17 more in yet another senseless mass shooting. This is happening at alarming rates in this country of ours. At some point those of us rational, appalled & disgusted citizens need to step up & say, "Enough is enough."

At this point, I'm not really sure what has to happen to stop this massacre of innocent people. If the killing of 20 elementary school children & 6 teachers in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, didn't bring the huge majority of Americans to unite & stop these horrific murders, I don't know what will. As a grandmother I just want to wrap my Charley in my arms & protect her from this evil. But I can't.

On July 4, 1983, my 81 year old Grandpa Frank & my grandmother, who we called Nannie, left my parent's house at 9:30 PM to drive home to Oakland. We spent the evening eating dinner then setting off fireworks out front. I was 33 years old with a 7 year old son who laughed along with Grandpa Frank as a ground flower "chased" his father after lighting it.

With my son in bed after a fun day of family visiting, I took the call around 10 PM from my mother that Grandpa Frank had been shot & my parents were driving to the hospital to be with Nannie. About an hour later the second call from my mother told me that Grandpa Frank was dead. He had been shot in the head at point blank range as he sat in his car outside of their house.

We could only speculate on what had happened. As always, Grandpa Frank dropped Nannie off in front of the house to go in the front door. He would then drive the car to the detached garage in the back. Nannie would unlock the back door for him. When he didn't come in after several minutes she went back to the front to find him slumped in the car covered in blood - killed seconds after she entered the house. She hurried back into the house to call 9-1-1 but we learned later that he was already dead.

Again, we all had our theories on who committed this senseless murder of an 81 year old man. My father believed it was a robbery gone bad. He still had the $80 in his wallet. My grandfather was a man who called a spade a spade & didn't take any crap from anyone. I believe that someone in the predominantly black neighborhood who he offended decided the Fourth of July was the perfect time to kill him. Whatever the reason, Grandpa Frank was dead & Nannie was a widow.

We were all scared of our own shadows for weeks. Their neighbors were terrified as to who would murder an old man & wondered if they were next. My 7 year old son couldn't comprehend that someone would kill his Grandpa Frank & to be honest, neither could I. It was a horrific time as we packed up Nannie's things. My mother wouldn't let her spend one more night in that house.

So, even though it has been more than 32 years since that traumatic night, it comes back to me every time there is another senseless killing. Only the multiple murders are reported in the news now days. The individual killings, like my Grandpa Frank, don't even warrant a few seconds on TV since they are too numerous. His killer was never found & we've done our best to move on as a family.

My thoughts are that we need to outlaw assault weapons & high powered guns - period. No one needs them. If you want a rifle to hunt, fine. If you want a handgun to protect you, fine - hell, I know how to shoot a gun & I owned one for years. BUT no one, I repeat NO ONE, needs high powered assault weapons.

It is too easy to buy guns & far too easy to take them into schools & other places to kill innocent people. Those of us who believe this is unacceptable need to stand up & say, "Enough is enough!" Write your representative & senator telling them this needs to stop now! Don't vote for the politicians who won't support gun control!

And if any of you reading this disagree & want to tell me why my views are wrong & we should all have AK-47s in our closet, please don't bother. You will never convince me & I won't listen. And maybe, just maybe, if your grandfather is killed by senseless gun violence, you won't either.

Next day note: The newspaper this morning had one line that says it all, "Yes, 14 people were killed in a horrible tragedy yesterday but there were likely also 40 other people killed by gun violence in this country." These killings barely get a mention in the local paper. This has got to stop!

MATT CAIN

Unless you are a Northern California resident or a Giants baseball fan, you probably won't completely understand this post but I'll do my best to describe it to you. Our San Francisco Giants won three World Series Championships in five years - 2010, 2012, & 2014. It was magical to be a Giants fan during that time. It still is - because the organization, the players & the fans are amazingly special. Even though our team was terrible record-wise & were working to NOT lose 100 games (which they managed to do!) these last few games were incredibly moving & emotional.

That is because one of our starting pitchers, Matt Cain, a 13 year veteran, retired at the end of this season. Yesterday he was given his final start on the mound even though he hadn't pitched in about a month. This organization does a great job of honoring its players. Matt began his Giant career as a 20 year old & played only for the Giants. It is a rarity for a player to be with one team for his entire career as a Major League ball player.

Matt was on all three World Series winning teams. His post season record was one of the best. He had some huge wins for us. Matt was always an all-around good guy. I recall a photo of him posing holding his baby daughter who is now about seven years old. Yesterday he said in an interview he wants to be "dad mom" to his two daughters & commented that if their hair doesn't look right, he did it.

Back in June 2012, Matt Cain pitched the only perfect game in Giants history. A perfect game is extremely rare. That is when a pitcher faces only 27 batters, the minimum, no one gets on base at all - no hits, no walks, no errors, no one on base. There are only 23 perfect games ever in the history of the game. My entire life I wanted to be able to witness a perfect game. 

I vividly recall watching that game on TV. As the innings wore on & still no one reached base, I called my son, my sister, my father & asked if they were all watching. They were. It is considered a superstition to never mention a no-hitter while it is in progress. We didn't know if that applied to a perfect game as well, but we all just said, "Are you watching this?" It took a few great defensive plays & unbelievable pitching from Matt to complete the first perfect game in Giants history. It is a moment I will never forget. Thanks, Matt!

Yesterday, when Matt pitched the final game in his career, even though it was a terrible season, there was an incredible amount of emotion rolling around the ball park. He completed five innings giving up only 2 hits & no runs scored by the other team when the manager took him out of the game. The crowd gave him a standing ovation when he took the mound, at the end of each inning & when he was finally finished. The moment was one of the most emotional I've seen in baseball.

Of course, I cried but that's not a good indicator since I cry at coffee & beer commercials. But Matt was teary, the announcers were wiping their eyes & most fans & players needed a tissue or two. There were hugs for Matt from every coach & player when he left the game. There was a strong, heartfelt embrace between Matt & our best pitcher, Madison Bumgarner, that lingered for many seconds which moved everyone. "There wasn't a dry eye in the stadium," our announcers commented on their hug adding, "These aren't touchy, feely guys." But for a few seconds they were.

When talking with my sister, who said she, too, was in tears for the whole thing, I wondered why this particular retirement was so emotional. I believe it is because this signals the end of the three championship era for the Giants. Maybe there will be more or maybe there won't. But this was such an unbelievable accomplishment & to have one of the icons of the Giants reign retire moved every fan to tears. His genuine love for the game, the organization & the fans came through loud & clear. Yes, winning is good, but there is so much more to the game than that. We witnessed that yesterday & today with the celebration of Matt Cain.