Good Morning Folks, The other evening an E-mail friend sent me a cute note on which she added "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite". This brought me back to my childhood, so I wrote back how I remembered as a small child being told that at bedtime. Mom or dad would pull the covers way back making sure there were no bed bugs before I climbed into bed. During the winter months mom would place a hot water bottle there so as to warm up the end of the bed. But I wouldn't put my little feet down there, no way - warm or not. I didn't want those bed bugs to bite my toes. Maybe that's how I learned to sleep in the near fetal position. Hahaha! [Note: Now days its flat on my back with multiple pillows under my knees] You see I actually saw those yucky bugs on occasion, so they were a real danger, not the monster under the bed like children believe today. Anyway I wrote that perhaps it was because the house my family lived in (from 1940 the year I was born to1951) was over a hundred years old. An old two story farmhouse heated by a coal furnace, with a cistern in the dark spidery basement. No modern improvements as I recall because there was a well pump outside the kitchen door, and a pump for the kitchen sink; one of those big wood burning cook stoves (where mom placed a round, galvanized tub on two kitchen chairs at bath time), an icebox (but not in the kitchen), and a two seater outhouse. Maybe my bed was that old too - yikes!! Bugs!!! Perhaps some of you remember those "bed bugs". Wonder what kind they really were, and if they did bite. Ooh, shutter, shiver!! Even with these childhood memories, looking back I view them with much warmth. Have a wonderful day Evelyn in Colorado ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!

Evelyn, I used to hear that too! And maybe it why I used to dream that there were spiders in my bed!! Ugh! I still say that to the dogs when I say good nite to them......Ah, old habits die hard.............. :-) Jo in Michigan ----- Original Message ----- From: "evelyn b cooper" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2004 11:45 AM Subject: [FOLKS] Bed Bugs > Good Morning Folks, > > The other evening an E-mail friend sent me a cute note on which she added > "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite". This brought me back to my > childhood, so I wrote back how I remembered as a small child being told > that at bedtime. Mom or dad would pull the covers way back making sure > there were no bed bugs before I climbed into bed. During the winter > months mom would place a hot water bottle there so as to warm up the end > of the bed. But I wouldn't put my little feet down there, no way - warm > or not. I didn't want those bed bugs to bite my toes. Maybe that's how > I learned to sleep in the near fetal position. Hahaha! [Note: Now days > its flat on my back with multiple pillows under my knees] You see I > actually saw those yucky bugs on occasion, so they were a real danger, > not the monster under the bed like children believe today. > > Anyway I wrote that perhaps it was because the house my family lived in > (from 1940 the year I was born to1951) was over a hundred years old. An > old two story farmhouse heated by a coal furnace, with a cistern in the > dark spidery basement. No modern improvements as I recall because there > was a well pump outside the kitchen door, and a pump for the kitchen > sink; one of those big wood burning cook stoves (where mom placed a > round, galvanized tub on two kitchen chairs at bath time), an icebox (but > not in the kitchen), and a two seater outhouse. Maybe my bed was that > old too - yikes!! Bugs!!! > > Perhaps some of you remember those "bed bugs". Wonder what kind they > really were, and if they did bite. Ooh, shutter, shiver!! > > Even with these childhood memories, looking back I view them with much > warmth. > > Have a wonderful day > > Evelyn in Colorado > > ________________________________________________________________ > The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! > Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! > Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! > >

Evelyn, My Mom used to say this also. Although I never, thankfully, had any first hand knowledge of them they are apparently real. My dictionary says they are small, wingless, biting insects that infect beds. It doesn't say what they are but I assume they are some sort of louse. I recall a young lady telling of going on her honeymoon in the mid 50s and the first night they stopped at some cabins in rural NH and when they got into bed the bedbugs bit so they had to get up and move on to another place to spend the night. Quite the wedding night!! Ruth At 8:45 AM -0800 3/4/04, evelyn b cooper wrote: >Good Morning Folks, > >The other evening an E-mail friend sent me a cute note on which she added >"Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite". This brought me back to my >childhood, so I wrote back how I remembered as a small child being told >that at bedtime. Mom or dad would pull the covers way back making sure >there were no bed bugs before I climbed into bed. During the winter >months mom would place a hot water bottle there so as to warm up the end >of the bed. But I wouldn't put my little feet down there, no way - warm >or not. I didn't want those bed bugs to bite my toes. Maybe that's how >I learned to sleep in the near fetal position. Hahaha! [Note: Now days >its flat on my back with multiple pillows under my knees] You see I >actually saw those yucky bugs on occasion, so they were a real danger, >not the monster under the bed like children believe today. > >Anyway I wrote that perhaps it was because the house my family lived in >(from 1940 the year I was born to1951) was over a hundred years old. An >old two story farmhouse heated by a coal furnace, with a cistern in the >dark spidery basement. No modern improvements as I recall because there >was a well pump outside the kitchen door, and a pump for the kitchen >sink; one of those big wood burning cook stoves (where mom placed a >round, galvanized tub on two kitchen chairs at bath time), an icebox (but >not in the kitchen), and a two seater outhouse. Maybe my bed was that >old too - yikes!! Bugs!!! > >Perhaps some of you remember those "bed bugs". Wonder what kind they >really were, and if they did bite. Ooh, shutter, shiver!! > >Even with these childhood memories, looking back I view them with much >warmth. > >Have a wonderful day > >Evelyn in Colorado > >________________________________________________________________ >The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! >Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! >Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! -- Ruth Barton [email protected] Dummerston, VT