Wednesday, June 27, 2007
MORE GOOD ADVICE
DON’T LET THE BEDBUGS BITE!
I’ll bet everyone has said that at bedtime one time or another. I’ll also bet that nobody among these readers has ever been bitten by a bedbug, except for me. You probably think that the Noonans have always been wealthy, in addition to being smart and good looking. Not so.
Believe it or not, there was a time when the Noonans, at least my branch of the clan lived in the low rent district! Grew up in the low rent district, in fact, and were actually bitten by bed bugs, among other things.
From around the 3rd grade until I got hauled into the navy, I lived at 558 Church Street, New Britain, Connecticut, and that address, not surprisingly, had bedbugs at one time.
Bedbugs lived where you would expect them to live, in beds. They got into the folds of the mattresses, and into the bed springs. We don’t know how we acquired bedbugs, but at one point we did, and they not only gave itchy bites, they filled up on your blood. You could see when one was engorged with it. That’s when I liked to stick pins in them to get even.
Getting rid of bedbugs was tough. I can remember my mother taking the mattress off my bed, exposing the bed springs, and using a lighted candle, burning out each spring, one at a time.
Then the examination of the mattress, examing each fold and physically removing each bug had to be done. She finally got rid of them.
The reason I got on this subject is the recent heat wave and people talking about having uncomfortable nights. This recalled one of my most uncomfortable nights. I was about 12 at the time. It was a sweltering night. And just as there was no central heat in that dump, there was no air conditioning, either. In addition to the weather, the bedbugs teamed up with the mosquitoes
and practically ate me alive. I can recall vividly the night I spent. I had to get out of bed to do all the scratching and sweating which was necessary.
So next time somebody advises not to let the bedbugs bite, you’d better listen.
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I’ll bet everyone has said that at bedtime one time or another. I’ll also bet that nobody among these readers has ever been bitten by a bedbug, except for me. You probably think that the Noonans have always been wealthy, in addition to being smart and good looking. Not so.
Believe it or not, there was a time when the Noonans, at least my branch of the clan lived in the low rent district! Grew up in the low rent district, in fact, and were actually bitten by bed bugs, among other things.
From around the 3rd grade until I got hauled into the navy, I lived at 558 Church Street, New Britain, Connecticut, and that address, not surprisingly, had bedbugs at one time.
Bedbugs lived where you would expect them to live, in beds. They got into the folds of the mattresses, and into the bed springs. We don’t know how we acquired bedbugs, but at one point we did, and they not only gave itchy bites, they filled up on your blood. You could see when one was engorged with it. That’s when I liked to stick pins in them to get even.
Getting rid of bedbugs was tough. I can remember my mother taking the mattress off my bed, exposing the bed springs, and using a lighted candle, burning out each spring, one at a time.
Then the examination of the mattress, examing each fold and physically removing each bug had to be done. She finally got rid of them.
The reason I got on this subject is the recent heat wave and people talking about having uncomfortable nights. This recalled one of my most uncomfortable nights. I was about 12 at the time. It was a sweltering night. And just as there was no central heat in that dump, there was no air conditioning, either. In addition to the weather, the bedbugs teamed up with the mosquitoes
and practically ate me alive. I can recall vividly the night I spent. I had to get out of bed to do all the scratching and sweating which was necessary.
So next time somebody advises not to let the bedbugs bite, you’d better listen.
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# posted by Noonski @ 4:54 PM 
