August in the maritimes

August hit and the very first day brought sweltering humid hotness that hasn't really been a problem so far this summer. I suppose every August it becomes like this, so that when September rolls around with it's cool breezes, you become thankful for the change instead of just fucking bitter.

So I've been away, and busy. Two three-day music festivals two weekends in a row. This weekend a birthday bonfire hosted for a friend, where people who have never seen the house will be visiting for the first time. Usually I freak out at the prospect of being judged (for my plywood floors, crumbling plaster and broken window panes) but either I'm loosening up, just too tired, or have decided this particular crew will have no issues with my humble abode.

Tonight I'll tidy, frame some Audubon prints to cover missing plaster on my walls, and clean the BBQ remnants still lingering in the front porch. Last night was supposed to be a clean up night too, but we sort of got distracted. You see, upon closer inspection, my husband appeared to have (bed) bug bites of the "breakfast, lunch, supper" variety on his thighs and arms. I'll save you the discomfort of linking to a picture.

So I guess we have bed bugs? But I don't have even a wayward mosquito bite on me, let alone anything resembling his red pockmarked, three-in-a-row bites. We checked the beds & we checked the couches but nothing even close to suspicious was found. Other theories: we slept in our tent during the last music festival - perhaps his sleeping bag has them but mine does not? We washed and heat-dried all of the clothing and blankets that we brought with us to the music festival. Additionally, he hung out in the communal hammock section of the festival grounds while I was dancing my butt off. Not a stretch to think vagabond festival goers would have introduced bed bugs to the cloth bags during the festival, but the shear number of bites makes it dubious. He wasn't in one for longer than a few hours. So our plan of action is to make sure his bites subside without reoccurrence, sterilize the shit out of clothing and linens, and hope he actually got the bites from no-see-ums during his Sunday night baseball game. They look pretty similar and you can find pattern in anything, apparently. Oh insect bites, why you gotta be so coy?