Ticks

Tick... tick... tick...

Being from the forested mountain area of California, I was familiar with checking for ticks after a walk in the woods.  I had dogs that ranged freely, and an indoor/outdoor cat, so I knew just one look would not be enough.  As we were leaving the woods Tuesday morning I picked at least a half dozen ticks off our legs.  Before we got into the car I checked Craig and had him check me.  When we got back to the Alfa we removed our clothes, left them in the door well and each showered.  I shook and inspected our clothes before putting them in the wash bin.

You would think that would have been enough, but as we were driving I noticed several very very tiny black "things" on my bare legs.

 

image from Web

I removed one with a tweezers and upon inspection with a magnifying glass I could see it had wiggling  legs and was the smallest tick I had ever seen.  I removed four more.



When we arrived at our new location, I had Craig strip and checked him over.  Found and removed one.  He rechecked me and didn't find any.  

We know the signs of Lyme's infection, and have no reservation about seeking treatment for it. Personally I think I had it as a child, but because I was also treated for a massive strep infection, all the antibiotics I got also treated the Lyme's.

image from web

The other natural hazard I was on the look out for was poison ivy. 

As a child in Wisconsin I was very sensitive to it, and in fact broke out in a terrible rash after sledding on snow covered plants! There is no poison ivy in the West. Instead we had poison oak which I was also quite allergic too.

Throughout our walk I kept repeating the old Girl Scout rhyme: "Three shiny leaves upon a slender stalk..." and carefully looking at the ground cover we were walking through.  I didn't see anything I could definitely say was poison ivy, but when we got home I was diligent with the soap and water on my legs and arms. It is now 30 hours later and no rash had come up.  Finger crossed!  Sometimes a good shower can remove the oils that cause the rash.

I have looked on Google at pictures of it to remind myself what to watch out for.

We had an easy drive today of 180 miles northwest.  We are settled  in a a small mobile home park in Independence, Missouri. There is a busy highway next to us, but I suspect it will be quiet at night.  Besides, our new air-infiltration package also dampens the noise from outside and it is still a bit warm to sleep with the windows open.

Tomorrow we will go somewhere that Craig picked out.  Can you guess what it is?