Flesh-Eating Bacteria in the Pool?

Thanks to Carl, the pool is magnificent. Clear. Tadpoles happily swimming. Though I mistakenly killed one when I did a sweep of the pool with the pole skimmer. I had just told myself to be sure to check what was in the net before dumping it on the grass. And promptly forgot to do so. And then, when I looked at the slime I had removed, I noted movement. I tried unsuccessfully to pick the tadpole up with my fingers, eventually settling on a leaf to scoop it up. It wiggled a little when it returned to the water…then went belly up. Very sad.

I will note here that Carl does a lot more skimming than I do … and isn’t quite as careful with every tadpole; the other day, I must have removed twenty tadpoles from the pool slime that Carl was deftly skimming and dumping onto the ground. And all seemed quite grateful when I released them back into the pool, wriggling their way back to their buddies to tell the tale.

Another worry about the pool: I heard of someone local who got a flesh-eating bacteria that landed her in the hospital. How did she get it? Rumor has it by swimming in a lake with an open wound.

Which brings me to Talulah, our friendly tuxedo cat who likes nothing more than to wake me at all hours of the night to play and pet her. And part of the play (for all three of our cats) is to bite. I say nonono. And back she comes, her claws unsheathed and nibble nibble. Ow. And then I push her away not quite so gently. The problem being her claws have latched onto my arm and so…I have an open wound.

No, a great White Shark hasn’t taken out my arm. Nor a baby bear. But it is an opening in my skin. Which never ceases to amaze me. Such a ginormous organ and it gets scratched and bitten and rose-thorned and black fly ravaged and not a complaint. Except when I used essential oils on my jaw the other week.

Did I tell you about that? I learned that essential oils are NOT to be put directly onto your skin. Rather than slathering it all over one’s face, one must take one, maybe two, drops of it and add it to a pint or quart of whatever oil or cream you are using. Otherwise, you will initially look scarred, skin swollen and red, and still, three weeks later, look like you have a five o’clock shadow.

But back to the open wound. Is the work of Talulah’s midnight bite n’ scratch a “wound”? And might this “wound” be a call to party for all flesh-eating bacteria? And do flesh-eating bacteria hang out in my pool? Crystal clear though the pool is, this is a murky question.