Almost cottage time!

We are finally heading up to our cottage on Saturday for a long-overdue opening.  Last year's mosquito population just really freaked me out, and I decided we would wait till mid July to start spending time there in future, but now I'm thinking it would be nice not to have to spend this week remembering and pulling together all the stuff you need for a summer in the woods.

At least I get to knit on the way there though, right?  not these socks, which are nearly done, but another pair maybe.  Socks are wonderful for requiring the least possible attention, not to mention the most possible distraction.

This particular pair has done both jobs recently, thanks in part to massive amounts of unpacking and also to yet another trip to the hospital emergency room.  And an insect bite right in the city on our condo terrace no less!

This has never happened to me before, but it's not uncommon: the bite got infected.  I happened to glance at it one morning after it happened and saw a red streak extending from either side of it, and by evening it was redder and hotter.  When I started feeling achy a few hours later I looked up what that might mean and debated for a while whether or not to wait to see my GP the next day.  Ultimately, the mention of 'fast moving infection' and 'flesh eating bacteria' had me headed out the door around midnight.

Knit stitches are just so peaceful to look at, aren't they?  Not so a downtown emergency room at 12:30am.  I so admire people who participate in any aspect of the work required in such a place, because you never know what you're going to be dealing with except for its not being cosy.  I was very very grateful to have these socks in my bag to compensate.

I was only there for a couple of hours, and I was given my first dose of penicillin before I left, and if I hadn't gotten food poisoning at the same time I was finishing off the prescription it all would have been quite easy to deal with.  As it was, I wished I was only trying to keep down something I was taking once a day, rather than FOUR.

The moral of my story is that you can get bitten in the city or in the woods, so take care of yourself. 

Matching stripes, illustrating the city/country mosquito balance

I watched a news report recently that said the most effective non-chemical deterrent for mosquitoes is sitting next to a fan running on high, in case that helps.  (I'm totally getting a tall fan for the deck!)

And now I'd better get to work with the packing prep!  See you tomorrow - hope you got some good knitting in today in a nice scenic place.