Saturday, October 23, 2021

Wood ticks

I had started to write a long drawn out and disconnected sort of blog that well, frankly, would interest no one.

So I shut down the laptop and started my Subaru with the remote and said to heck with it.

I drove up to the ridge and kick started my Friday with this....

an amazing blood red sky

and my lovely warm Subaru in 32 degree weather. Don't you just love a heated seat?



Ever take Doxycycline? It sucks too. I picked up a wood tick while out mucking around on Monday and pulled it on Monday night. Guess what? I had to make a visit to the doctor who took one look at my calf and said, "No test needed. That is the Lyme Bullseye and Rash." 
I'm generally very good at changing into my other set of clothes when getting out of the woods. Yet for whatever reason, I didn't on Monday. I had other distracting disconnects going on.

Thankfully [knock on wood], I don't feel sick like the last time I was bitten by an infected tick. Little buggers! I had fevers, headaches, and chills that time. Nasty...just...yuck. Um, wait...I guess there is still time to feel rotten. 

Charlie and I did not hike through the woods and the brush. I thought he'd like a road walk and he did. He sought out all the proper places to pee on clumps of grass. I had to laugh about how serious he seemed to be while kicking up grass afterwards.
We then cut through the large hay field and corn strips to avoid the Naughty Dog House.

Charlie: Who you calling short stuff?

Come on lady!
Yes, I am an amazing little dog with a very mixed heritage.
And I like to ignore you.


The purpose of this walk was to see what the Hazelnut tree looked like along with the dogwood trees and the Bittersweet at this time of October.
This is a way that I study things. Take photos of trees or plants and compare them as time changes them. A lot of the shots, I toss because they are just for personal interest. But eventually if I put them together, I get a clearer 'picture' of how a plant or flower grows, changes, and dies off.

Last note. The doctor I saw said that the ticks with Lyme were awful this year for some reason and she had seen an 'up-tick' in cases. I hope we do have a cold enough winter to kill them off or to at least make them scarce.

Yes, I hate wood ticks but it won't keep me out of the woods. I just need to be much more observant and swap clothes when I get in.












10 comments:

  1. Oh no, sorry Val. Damn ticks! I hope you don't get lingering symptoms. I never would have thought that gorgeous red sky was a sunrise, great capture and way to start your day!!

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    1. Thanks, I had it in 2014 and boy I was sick for a while, so I hope no lingering effects either. That doxycycline messes with my stomach big time.
      I was amazed at the sky also. I wonder if I was the only one standing in the cold and repeating WOW and wow...over and over again.

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  2. So sorry that a tick found you! That blood red sky is absolutely gorgeous, but 32 degrees!!!! I would love to have heated seats in mu Subaru! We are only in the 40s at night. Stay well!

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    1. Heated seats are like having a nice blanket to keep you warm while the rest of the vehicle warms up! We had another frosted morning today!

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  3. Anonymous6:22 PM

    Ouch! Ticks are such nasty bugs. Definitely a "wow" sunrise.

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    1. They are pretty numerous this year with the dry and the heat and apparently continued warm weather late in the fall. I have to be careful I spend so much time in the underbrush looking about for neat things!

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  4. Wow what a sunrise! Take the Doxy...with something to eat! ...I know it is hard on stomachs...but Lymes is worse:(

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    1. Yes, I have been doing that. It is still tough. I feel better in the early morning though. I got the long haul treatment.

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  5. Ugh.... I hate ticks. Disgusting! The cats are having a bad year with fleas as well. We nuke them and yet the fleas come back as if nothing happened. Never had lyme. Hope I never do. Bad stuff. Good thing you caught it in time and got it treated. No one wants that stuff forever.

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    1. They are a fact of life when you scramble the woods like I do. I have only had 4 tick bites in 26 years. Two were fine, two had bacteria in the form of Lyme in them. Dang it!

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