THE TEMPTING BUFFET

One of the great things, truly great, is the amount of naked skin during a heat wave. Naked white female skin. Shoulders, backs, stomachs, arms and legs. A tempting moist feast for the mosquitoes that breed in little stands of water in shaded areas. Such as around pumps, drip and catch containers, water traps underneath air sucking machinery, and cooling units.
West nile fever, zika, encephalitis, dog heartworm, and even (rarely) malaria.

Because you just know the little buzzy beasties can smell you.
And your vast expanse of soft naked flesh.
Moist in the heat.

On Friday I cleared out one possible breeding pool. Not because I was in danger -- not living in Marin County surrounded by boobies I am relatively safe -- but because such things in addition to mosquitoes lead to rot, mildew, chironomids, and conenose bugs.

As well as moss, mold, and fungal infections in odd places.
Parts of the body you don't scratch enough.
Scratching aerates.


Oh, and jungle rot. Quite common in San Rafael and Novato.

Dessicants, drainage, and DDT. Good for controlling typhus and malaria.

Still haven't found a way of dealing with the natives, but as long as their hot tubs are fully functioning, and their wine cellars stocked up, they appear to be quiescent.
Besides, many of them appear to be medicated.


A large Swiss Army knife and disinfecting foot powder go a long way to assuring comfort when in Marin. No need to pack the machete. Yet. But keep it in mind.

The hot season ends when the rains come.
October, sometimes November.



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