I Hate Mosquitoes!

I'm afraid that its gotten to the time of the year when I get the "garden blahs". This is not good. I find it hard to get out there and do anything, weed, stake, etc. It's just so darn hot! And the mosquitoes have banded together and started a Carole Club.
I have tried so many remedies for mosquito control that I could probably write a recipe book for mosquito prevention. Problem is, none of these remedies seem to work for me. I have tried the remedy that everybody raves about, Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil, plain, and mixed with rubbing alcohol, quite a few essential oils, vanilla extract, ( that one didn't work either, but I sure smelled good; did you know women in 'the old days' used to use vanilla for perfume? Cool, huh?) Anyway, I have tried the Bounce fabric-softener sheet tied to my belt, I think THAT one sent subliminal messages to every mosquito in the state of Alabama to come for a special meeting of the Carole Club; I have tried sprays galore, they all seem to work for a short time, but not for long. ( BTW- the DEET that is in a lot of the sprays is not supposed to exceed 35%; its bad enough to have a chemical on your skin, but you don't want to repel mosquitoes and be poisoned while doing it. There ARE higher levels of DEET in some brands, so be sure to read the label.) So I tried a spray with 40% DEET in it, and promptly broke out in hives. It ain't fun to have hives. Your hands and feet swell up, and you get huge 'blops' all over, and once you ever start scratching, you will have the dickens of a time stopping! So, then you go to Wally World and pay $25.00 for 45 Zyrtec so you won't get sleepy while waiting for all your symptoms to get better, and find that you just as well to have paid $4.23 for 400 x-brand Benadryl at Sam's as to have gotten the Zyrtec, because the Zyrtec makes you just as sleepy as the Benadryl. Good grief! One thing that actually works for me, however, is a product that Avon puts out. It is a sunblock and mosquito repellent combo, that I have actually had good luck with. Now if I can just find an Avon lady........sigh!
So, not only do I have mosquito itches, but I have hives from the mosquito spray, and now that I have much more foliage in my garden, and have more contact with it, I have found that I am allergic to my garden. Yep, here come the hives again! Man, I can't win for losing.
I seriously ask myself why I continue to do this, ( garden, that is.) In 2003, when I moved up to the house that I am living in now, I decided to give gardening a try. I bought every book known to man, ( ok, only about 20 of them); studied up on the subject, ( I like to be well informed), put my raised beds in, (more work at the beginning, but not near as much hassle in subsequent years), dug and hoed, plowed, dumped, bought, planted, weeded, SWEATED. I definitely put body and soul into this venture, let me tell you. I never seemed to be able to harvest much from my garden, though. If it wasn't the bug problems, it was disease, or critters. I never knew so much could go wrong with a garden. The good thing about it is, I have learned (the hard way) what NOT to do. (see previous post) I would have so loved to have had someone to be able to ask questions of. ( BTW, I have since discovered the county extension office; Alabama Cooperative Extension Services, ACES.edu) So, back to the question, why do I do this?
There's just something about getting out in God's world, being a part of nature, digging in the dirt, ( amost-50 year old ladies are not supposed to enjoy digging in dirt, and hunting worms.) I feel so much peace out in my garden. I get out there, crank up the music, ( actually sing along if I have enough breath to do so, much to the dismay of the neighbors), and have myself a good old time just doing what has to be done. I have always enjoyed working outside, I feel more free out there, happier. And, of course, there's always the hope that some of these extra pounds will vamoose. And I keep thinking that if I keep trying, that eventually I will get the hang of it. ( It seems to be working, actually; my garden looks better this year than it ever has before). There's just something in my soul that screams, " Get out there in the beauty that God has given you, enjoy yourself, and teach others!" And, since, this is what is in my soul, this is what I will do. It's nice to know that you are doing what you are meant to do. Happy Gardening.