FLEA FLICKERS: All that rain last winter...

FLEA FLICKERS: All that rain last winter is making Ventura County’s summer flea season the worst in years, exterminators say. “All you need is humidity and warmth, and fleas start going crazy,” said Brad Craig of Candlelite Pest Control in Oxnard. . . . Exterminators will get rid of adult fleas, but you have to help with the eggs. “People have to vacuum,” Craig said. . . . If pesticides bother you, Shawn Hoffman at Rainbow Bridge Natural Foods in Ojai suggests eating yeast or garlic or taking Vitamin B. “I eat a lot of garlic and fleas don’t bother me.”. . . Peak flea season: July through September.

LAST LICKS: Used to be you’d come home from the grocery store with more than just groceries. You’d also have a handful of trading stamps. Over the years, stamps have gone the way of milk trucks and fountain pens, but some stores still issue them (E1). . . . “We have a few old-timers who want them,” said Lael Hoffman at Oxnard Drug, one of three Ventura County stores that give Blue Chip Stamps. . . . Blue Chip once had a redemption center in Ventura. Now stamp-savers redeem them by mail, and the new catalogue is skimpy, Hoffman said. “There’s just electronic stuff, no sheets, towels or dishes. I don’t think customers are going to like that.”

SUGAR WATCH: It’s hard enough to get adult diabetics to take care of themselves, physicians say. How do you get children to eat right and watch their blood sugar? One way is to let them know they’re not alone (Ventura County Life, J6). . . . Allison Sweeney of Simi Valley has gotten used to testing her blood sugar: “I have to do this right or I can die.”

DISTANT STAR: Having a football hero in the family is exciting for Bob Trevathan of Thousand Oaks, whose son, Mike, leads the Canadian Football League in touchdowns (C8). Problem is, CFL games usually aren’t broadcast locally. . . . “We are able to catch a few games on cable, but it’s not enough,” Trevathan said. Solution: He has flown twice to Vancouver and once to Toronto to watch his son’s games.