Top Tip: Mosquito Season

"If you think you're too small to make a difference...try sleeping with a mosquito in the room" Dalai Lama

The Mosquitoes are back. While the weather in Virginia is great a lot of the time, once the temperatures rise the reality of this area's swampy history comes back to bite us. I'd love to be one of those lucky people who are left well alone by these bloodsucking females but alas my Northern Irish flesh is too sweet to resist and they have already grabbed their first feast of the season.

National Geographic gives a great description of the annoying and deadly threat of mosquitoes. With such lines as "They have an uncanny ability to sense our murderous intentions, taking flight and disappearing milliseconds before a fatal swat," the article captures the human/mosquito standoff beautifully.

In an attempt to ward off the mossies I planted a Citronella Scented Geranium in a raised pot next to our adirondacks. It smells fab but sadly hasn't worked. So I tried a Good Housekeeping Top Tip on my multiple bites and yo ho! I sit, bitten but not itching! It's a miracle!

Not long after being bitten I rubbed solid deodorant that contains aluminum on the bites and, as Good Housekeeping promised, the relief was practically instantaneous. The bites have all but disappeared too and I wasn't woken in the wee hours by mad itching. Result.

I love easy solutions that utilize stuff I already have at home!