Itchy

My favorite aunt and uncle had moved to Missouri. I missed them a lot because they had spoiled me as much as they could.

They had no children but their house was huge. We went to visit and there was plenty of room.

They also had a gorgeous lawn. The grass was green and thick. It was perfect for playing. We went out and played tag. We tumbled in that glorious grass. It was such fun.

When supper was ready we all went inside to eat. Then it was time for a bath and bed.

That was when we started to itch. It was a burning itch. Soon we were all crying.  

The grass was full of chiggers. Chiggers are small mites related to spiders and ticks. 

These small mites feed on animal skin. The bites burn and sting at the same time. Intensely.

The common treatment is Calamine lotion. My aunt did not have any.

She did have Campho-Phenique. We used that. It stung a bit but we felt better.

We were able to finally sleep. Not well but for a while.

We did learn not to roll around in strange grass.