The Summer Itch

I’m crediting our recent spate of warm, sunny weather for our urge to get on the road!  Or maybe it’s the fault of our friends Fred and Vicki who recently began an entirely new lifestyle and are on their “maiden voyage” with their new-to-them-fifth-wheeler.  Or, perhaps, it’s because the Dorrances are off to Dartmouth for his 55th class reunion.  Or because more than one friend has said they are “outta here” over the Fourth.

But most likely, it’s because Nyel feels so much better than he has in several years and we’ve got the summer itch – the direct opposite of the winter itch (defined as a common name for the skin symptom of generalized itching in the winter. It is primarily caused by dry skin and is most common in the elderly.)  No, the summer itch has nothing to do with dry skin or with being elderly.  Quite the opposite.  It has to do with getting on the road and having an unexpected adventure or two!

The Nickle Plated Beauty by Patricia Beatty

But before I leave the winter itch subject – this is the first I’ve ever heard of the ‘elderly’ connection.  I’ve always associated winter itch with tales of youngsters being sewn into their winter long johns and, around here anyway, the inevitability of a drenching on the way to school.  In The Nickel-Plated Beauty, her book about the Kimball family of Ocean Park, Patricia Beatty described the cause perfectly: …but no matter how we walked, sideways or backwards or forwards, the water ran down our necks into our long underwear and made us itch.

Nope.  The summer itch I’m speaking of is a good thing.  Not a skin condition, but a set of mind.  It’s all about hitting the road, exploring new territory, making new friends or, perhaps, revisiting special places and people of the past.  And, as always, one of the best parts is the planning…

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