Trial # 1

Once we decided what we were building, murv went to work building and I took job in Austin as a nanny to keep the cash flowing. It also made camping more fun since stayed in Austin during the week.
There is a spot on the land that has a grove of trees and a little rock prayer garden which I call "The Park." My first weekend home from Austin I woke up to a sunny beautiful Saturday, and after scouting around on the land with Dru all morning dreaming about my gardens and my beehives and where I would put them, I set up my cot and laid down for a nice leisurely nap in the park. Little did I know that the direct result of my scouting trip, and my afternoon nap in the park, was that i was being eaten alive by hundreds of microscopic bugs, affectionately called chiggers. (in order to fully appreciate my suffering, this is a must read link)
Unbeknownst to me the damage was done. By the time I got to work monday morning (it takes 24 hours to feel them) I had red welts everywhere-- and when i say everywhere I mean everywhere. They itched so bad I wanted to crawl out of my skin. The lovely little welts lasted about two weeks and the itching never really lessened, it just finally went away never to return again. NOT. I suffered from chigger bites all through the spring AND summer.
I am currently researching multiple natural ways to combat these little buggers without harming the land and jeopardizing plants, soil and other good bugs-- so that I don't suffer the same fate this spring and summer. keep your fingers crossed and pray hard.