Things that I miss from summers past: Basking in the sunlight in unsunblocked skin; The smell of the pool; Diving into the cold wetness and feeling the water in my eyes, ears, nose, and mouth; Not wearing a hat in the sunshine; Walking barefoot in the grass.

Since we are usually referring to the bodily effects of aging in this blog, I have to say here that, in my case, the loss of the above summer pleasures does NOT have to do with growing older. The restrictions on enjoying sunshine have to do with the negative effects of sunlight on the skin at all ages. My problems with swimming have to do with a chlorine allergy, and with adult-onset sinus problems; in the case of the latter, I have to wear goggles, and nose and ear plugs in order to swim without getting sick afterward.

And what about walking barefoot in the grass? What happened to me last summer will explain that one. I missed the freedom and feel of grass on my bare feet so much then, that I said the heck with covering up every inch of my body – including shoes – and sat, lolled, ate, and walked in the grass in crop pants and naked feet all summer. Loved every minute of it.

Then one morning last September I noticed a distinctive red rash on my arm, followed by several more identical rashes on other body parts. Target-shaped, or looking like a bullet. You know what I’m going to say next. Yes – I had gotten Lyme disease. Since the places that I like to go are also well-liked by deer, this did not come as a surprise. And then I remembered why I had always been so careful about insect repellant on my legs especially and about wearing shoes, socks and longer pants in wooded and grassy areas.

I was lucky because I caught the infection in its earliest stages; I took the recommended antibiotic and am fine now. But it could’ve been otherwise since Lyme disease is notoriously so sneaky – sometimes not even causing a rash but just infecting, and then laying dormant in, the body, only to cause serious problems months and years later. And  there are many other tick and insect-borne diseases that you can get besides Lyme. That is, if you don’t wear insect repellant, shoes, socks and long pants when you are outside in tall grass or in the woods this time of year, especially in locations where these diseases are common. Shoes, socks, insect repellant and sunblock – the new “must-haves” of summer.

So, the moral to the story? These days, some of those past summer pleasures are just that – past. And not because we’re older but because we know how better to protect our good health. Or, in my case, SHOULD know better. Janet Horn