Battle of the Bed Bugs and the Bulge

JULY 3

A cloudy day, but nice. We got to bed at a reasonable hour, 11:30 PM. But then I sat in bed, engaged in guerilla warfare with my unseen enemy, of the flying, biting sort, until 2 am. I just can't sleep with all that buzzing going on around my face, and I do see it as my duty to protect the innocent by warding off the mosquitoes that zone in on Estelle's face. But the enemy has gone into retreat, and we've seen and heard and felt less of them. Now, we have to do a wash down of all the walls to remove the remnants of all our successful battles. There are insect remains and splatters where my army and I were a little zealous in our onslaught.

But last night was a good sleep, nonetheless. I got six solid hours undisturbed because Estelle was undisturbed by the insects and no one fell out of bed. Yes, Diana fell out of the top bunk and split her chin, but that's old news. Evangeline and Ezra have had almost nightly spills since we got here. It's like dominoes-one goes and then the other goes. And the funny part is, they fall out-THUD!- I hear a moan and when I go to check on them (yes, I do go and check now since Diana fell), they are still asleep, huddled on the floor. How DO they do that?! But I can't leave them there, because it does get cool and they might get crushed by the next one who bites the dust. Last night, I hemmed them in with couch pillows, and voila, no casualties. And I slept like a baby.

Bronwyn and I ran again today and it was much easier, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I enjoyed it. However, it was great to run, or rather shuffle, the whole way without stopping and we both felt good at the end. Now, we're at the library and tonight Bronwyn is staying with the troops while Keegan comes with me and Estelle to Fort McPherson to pick up Josiah and Mackenzie from camp. We'll be praying for sturdy tires and a reliable engine.