We got that "Sorcerer's Apprentice" downpour last night. A few places lost power and some flood alerts were posted. I have to go back and see if the creek is any clearer. I need a kayak to launch regularly to pick up trash washed in from upstream.

It's too humid out for laundry to effectively dry on the line, so it will go into the box of hot air in the warmer-than-usual house. Next week the AC repair guy arrives. Alas, it isn't my normal guy, he died in March "after a battle with a sudden and aggressive cancer." You see a guy every year for 20 years and he becomes a friend. I had the thought that he might have retired and Googled him, only to land on his obit. Now I need to find another shop that has the same honest approach to repairing the AC and doesn't try to sell me a new one each visit.

The weight is slowly dropping. My two doctors' visits last week both happily noted the change. I'm getting most of my exercise in the yard, but am being careful not to get more fire ant or chigger bites - an infection near the surgery knee could delay the procedure. I have more work to do on the keyhole bed with tall grass (where the chiggers are), so I'll take the trimmer out to cut it before I do more digging.

In case you wonder:

Chiggers are the immature stage of certain mites belonging to the family Trombiculidae. More closely related to spiders than to insects, chiggers belong to the class Arachinida, along with scorpions and ticks. In Texas, the term “chigger” commonly is used to describe the parasitic larval stage of mites in the genus Eutrombicula. These common mites cause most of the itchy, summertime bites that occur after walking outdoors through grassy or brushy areas.

Several species of chiggers occur in Texas, but only two are troublesome. One, Eutrombicula alfreddugesi, inhabits disturbed grassy and weedy upland areas and may be encountered in overgrown briar patches and along the edges of wooded areas. The other, Eutrombicula splendens, prefers moist habitats such as swamps and bogs, rotten logs and stumps. Even within favorable habitats, distribution of chiggers often is spotty. Chiggers may be concentrated heavily in one spot while virtually absent nearby.

Chiggers of the genus Eutrombicula prefer birds, reptiles, rodents or other small mammals as hosts. Although chiggers readily bite people if given a chance, humans do not make good hosts. Chiggers often do not survive on humans more than 1 or 2 days, because of people’s adverse skin reactions and scratching.

Chiggers hitch rides on people who walk through infested vegetation. They grab onto shoes or clothing and typically explore a host for several hours before choosing a place to feed. Chigger bites are most common in areas where clothing is tight or where skin is thinnest. Bites are most common at sites around sock lines on the ankles where socks fit tightly, around the waist and near the groin. Bites also may occur in other areas, including behind the knee and under the armpit.

Another reason why living in the South can be troublesome.