skeeters, 10; Carrie, 0

     On those days when the sun is like a baleful eye glaring down from the sky, all I can think about wearing is an easy cotton dress that skims the body. I just added a little jewelry and shoes in a punchy hue.

dress, Esprit, very old

pearl bracelets, HauteLook

Softspots "Ventura" sandals, Ross

     My purchasing pattern seems to be: buy something nice, ignore it for years, dig it out on a whim one day, and fall in love with it.

     I kind of like this photo spot. While it's fairly close to one of the campus dorms, there are some trees and bushes that I've fooled myself into thinking render me invisible to residents. It's part of a garden, but a less-trafficked area. The bench and a rock wall offer a place to rest the camera for photos, since I'm working without a tripod. The worst part? I can spend 10 minutes here and walk away with 10 mosquito bites. Mosquitoes love me, but it's a one-sided affair.
     Many years ago, I foolishly went off to a weekend camp without repellent, returned with probably 70-plus bites all over my legs that necessitated a trip to the dermatologist, and had to wear pants for two weeks (in very hot weather) while I got over the allergic reaction I had to the mosquito bites. Since then, I've figured out that a Bounce dryer sheet tucked into my pocket will drive away the bloodsuckers ... but a dress without pockets makes it a little hard to hide the dryer sheet on my person.