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Dear Delores,

The skeeters are bout to eat us up and carry us off. Do you have a

recipe for skeeter spray that doesn't have that stuff in it that causes

liver cancer or brain damage? We would be much obliged.

Chewed Up

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Dear Chewed Up:

Judging by your vocabulary I'm not sure you will even have the ingredients, save the alcohol, but here it is anyway. To get it mixed really well maybe you could gather the whole family out in the yard and kick the jar around real good. You know, make a game out of it. I hope I didn't use too many large words that you, perhaps, can't read or know the meaning of! Good luck with those "skeeters"!

Homemade Herbal Insect Repellent

2 1/2 teaspoons total of any combination of the following essential oils: basil, cedarwood, citronella, juniper, lemon, myrrh, palmarosa, pine, rose geranium and/or rosemary (available at health food stores)

1 cup 190-proof grain alcohol (Available in liquor stores or your local still. You sound like you probably have one out in the woods somewhere.)

Place ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Transfer to small bottles for storage. To use, rub a small amount on any exposed skin (test first to be sure your skin will not be adversely affected by the repellent) or dab it on clothing.

Experiment a little to find which essential oils work best with your body chemistry. If you’re lucky, you also will like the way they smell; otherwise, add a few drops of peppermint oil to fine-tune the fragrance.