Hold on to what is good even if it is a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe even if it is a tree which stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do even if it is a long way from here.
Hold on to life even when it is easier letting go.
Hold on to my hand even when I have gone away from you.
- Pueblo Blessing
Sunday, Sept. 03, 2006 - 8:56 p.m.
WARNING!!!! if you know me personally, you may read my diary, but if you do, you take the chance of hearing things you don't want to know, misunderstanding what I've written and being hurt by it. If you are unsure if it is ok to read, save yourself and me the grief and heartache, and ask first!!! Please note that this is a DIARY, ie my subjective feelings, hearsay, suppositions, and outpourings of ranting of the moment. It does not represent objective news, the whole of what I think of a topic or someone, or even a thought-out representation of any of the above. Keep that in mind. Thanks. * Here is a Diary Etiquette Read Me.
Cute and Scritchy!!
Caterpillar Dermatitis.
Betcha never thought about it.
Never knew it existed.
Never thought it COULD exist.
ahhh, lucky you!!
Well, this is what my neck looks like. It feels like it looks like it would feel:
 |  |
 | It itches like hell it does. Like a mosquito bite. all images copyright 2006 Wench77 |
Yes, last night I walked the dog in the alleyway, and then the park. Treed alleyway, treed park. And while chatting, I felt something against my neck... brushed at it, nothing there it seemed. Then a few minutes later, same. Sort of annoying, like a hair, or the wings of a mosquito, the feet of a fly.
When I felt it again, I sort of made a scratching scooping movement along the back of my neck... and grabbed a two inch fuzzy yellow caterpillar that had been walking along the edge of my collar. Nicely let it down at the base of a tree.
And then on my way home, the back of my neck prickled. Like when you have been working with fiberglass pink insulation. uck. Wiped at it with a damp cloth at home. By bedtime it was slightly rashy and still prickly...
This morning, scritch scritch scritch!! Raised bumps the size of goodsized mosquito bites from my jaw to my collar at the back, mostly on the side where I picked off the fuzzy caterpillar.
Googled "caterpillar"+"dermatitis"... fortunate choice of terms, since it turns out the medical term is "caterpillar dermatitis". Who knew. Well, I know now, and so do you. ack!!!
It probably isn't one of the several toxic caterpillars in the world... turns out some you can get a reaction from just the hairs blowing through the air: eyes, respiratory tract, skin. Some remain potent ages after the caterpillar has shed its skin or died, lying all prickly in the leaf litter on the ground.
Me, it is probably just an allergic reaction. I really react to stinging nettle too. And apparently there is nothing to do but wait for it to go away. And not scritch.
ack!!
Well, to get that lovely image out of your mind, here is an amazing sunflower opening on a grey rainy drizzly day:
cheers
me
wenchie
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previous meanderings - future past
Goodbye Michael. May your next life be kinder to you. - Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
Taking Care of Your Cows - Thursday, Jun. 25, 2009
Saint Joseph robs the cradle and eats spaghetti - Sunday, Jun. 14, 2009
sticky notes and broken irises - Friday, Jun. 12, 2009
The FOODCOMMANDER - Monday, Jun. 08, 2009
