Birthday and Bites

Ludo unstuffing one of his birthday gifts-Wizard Winnie the Pooh

My husband and I try to celebrate our pets' birthdays.  Mostly it is a good excuse to throw out their ratty collars, buy them a new one, and perhaps a new toy for fun.  All four of our pets, two dogs and two cats, act like puppies and kittens so it was quite a shock to realize that last week our eldest pet, a Newfoundland mix named Ludo, was turning 6.

Hard to imagine the little beasties laying in wait for me!

Part of his birthday treat was a long hike down an old logging road near our house.  Unfortunately that's where the bugs were laying in wait for me.  I came home with only five bug bites but to the new discovery that I am highly allergic to something in their saliva in the Corinth area.  By the next day the bite on my forehead and the one on my arm had puffed out to be the size and shape of golf-balls.  Every day since I've been taking allergy medicines and using creams to keep the swelling and itching to a minimum.  Even three days after our hike the bites are still clearly visible and my forearm has a circular bruise the size of my fist!

Next time I'll remember to put on my bug-repellent spray and stick closer to my husband who had more skin showing than I did but ended up with no bug bites.  I suppose I must taste delicious!