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THE ITCH TO scritch Story by Laura Moyer Photo illustration by Reza Marvashti

Summer's idyllic moments don't always come in pretty packages

Date published: 8/14/2006

Don't scratch.

You're not supposed to scratch.

Be in control.

Mind over matter.

Don't scratch mosquito bites, tick bites, chiggers, heat rash, poison ivy.

Especially don't scratch poison ivy.

Scratching only makes everything worse.

Sometimes the bug bite is on a finger or toe, and it feels as if the itch goes right down to the bone.

Don't scratch. Dab on some rubbing alcohol. It'll hurt, but pain beats itching.

Heat rash is sudden and maddening, the body's rebellion from summer.

Don't scratch. Rub on some cornstarch and drink some iced lemonade.

And poison ivy? Like grief, it has five stages. Denial. Itching. Blistering. Oozing. Acceptance.

That itching can wake a sufferer from sleep. That itching could wake the dead.

But. Don't. Scratch.

Itching is a part of summer. No one escapes.

Sometimes, when no one is looking or when you've just stopped paying attention, you scratch.

Scratching is summer's secret pleasure. For a few moments, at least, you get some relief.

Aaaaah.

To reach LAURA MOYER: 540/374-5417
Email: lmoyer@freelancestar.com

There are some experiences that just shout, "SUMMER!" Sights, sounds, smells--things that can happen at no other time of year. The Free Lance-Star Life staff has tried to capture the essence of this season without boundaries, without time limits, in an occasional series of essays we're calling "American Idylls."

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Date published: 8/14/2006