Thursday, December 12, 2013

Morning Thoughts--Fleas

I was up at five this morning. Scratching on flea bites. My friend said that it isn't just my place. It is some kind of flea infestation all over town. Does anyone else have fleas? Strange thing is that I don't ever see any. Chico doesn't scratch....  I don't see them jumping around my house but when I wake up in the mornings I have new very itchy bites. They are driving me crazy. Any advice?

I am going to the spa today so I can soak in the hot water and maybe that will help with the itching. My friend Pat from San Blas is back in town for a day with her boyfriend Doug. I will take my camera and get some photos of the spa. It is beautiful out there now and not crowded at all. I am so happy to be swimming again. Okay, I am so happy to be back home again and out of that cold Portland weather. But of course, I miss my family. That missing is always with me.

I took a lot of photos in the past few days. Nothing new. Same old, same old. Photos of LCS. Photos of the Tuesday market, the Wednesday market, the plaza, the carretera. Like my son says, the same six blocks.

I get to apply for my permanent residency at the end of December. It will cost me 800 dollars but I will never have to apply again. They have gotten very strict now on the income you have to have in order to apply for it. Fortunately, I am grandfathered in because I would not be able to meet it. I also apply again for their medical care, IMSS. I have never used it. Once, I tried when I broke my ankle but it was too difficult. But I keep paying several hundred dollars a year for it. I hope I never have to use it but if one day I get run over and have to be rushed to the hospital, I will have it.

Other than the fleas and missing my family, my life is perfect at the moment. Knock on wood. 


14 comments:

  1. Hate to say this but........... If the dog is not necessarily being bitten and you do not see them....... probably bed bugs.

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    1. Now that is an unpleasant thought. I wonder if they came from that overnight hotel? This is NOT good. Thanks for commenting. p

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  2. Check the seams and around the edge of your bed. They are becoming a huge problem again all over the US too. Cats and dogs get bitten too but just not as much as you would think.

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    1. Thank you. I went to the spa today and it really helped with the bites. But I will check my bed during the day tomorrow. p

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  3. I remember we had fleas in the house once when I was a child...don't remember much about how we got rid of them, but we vacuumed quite often for quite a while. I do think you would see them, though... Take care!
    Karen in VA

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    1. Thank you Karen. I can't see anything but I still am getting bites. I may have to go to the doctor. p

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  4. Pat, i did my own application, etc. for Permanente and saved a bundle. It's really easy to do online.

    As to IMSS....yes, it's definitely good to have. i, too, have had it for years and never used it, but when i got my breast cancer diagnosis a year ago, i was REALLY happy to have it.

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    1. Thank you Barb on the information on both counts. I will see if I can do the Permanente by myself. Otherwise, it will cost me 8500 pesos. That is a lot. I will also renew my IMSS.... It is good to hear that it was useful to you. P

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  5. Funny thing about fleas.... Everyone blames the dogs and cats, but humans carry them into the house too when they jump on you. Besides treating the dog, you need to treat any carpets you might have, as well at your lawn or area leading into your house. For carpets, sprinkle 20 Mule Team Borax (yes, that old laundry additive) into the rug, and grind it in. Let it sit for a few hours or even overnight before you vacuum it up. For lawns or outside walkways, buy Sevin dust powder ans shake it all over high-traffic areas leading into your house. Not sure if that's commercially common in Mexico but in the US/Canada it's cheap at Home Depot, Lowes, or Canadian Tire. I learned this the hard way when I lived in Atlanta. My condo/house in Atlanta, we had them so bad you could see them leaping onto you in our basement laundry room. And I get horrible welts from flea bites. If you don't treat the outside of your house, you and the dog both will keep carrying them inside again.

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  6. Oops...sorry, forgot to say who I was...!
    JimS in Seattle

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    1. Thank you Jim. It is probably to cold up there now for you to even have fleas. p

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  7. There was a really severe cold snap last week where the temperatures got down into the 20s a couple of times. It's back up to around 50 now, but I'm sure the fleas are all killed off now after the cold last week.

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    1. Thanks for commenting. I think mine are gone now too. No new bites. I am just dealing with the old ones. P

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