At least two people in the past 3 days have told me they’re getting chickens.
No, chickens aren’t the latest designer pet. These are attack chickens because we’re in the midst of an all-out war.
At my check-up last week, my doctor recounted how he’d pulled a tick off himself just the day before, and his son had just returned from three days in ICU after the toxin from a tick bite worked its way to the lining of the boy’s heart.
A friend of ours is only recently ambulatory after being bed-ridden with not Lyme disease, but something even worse that could, if not caught in time, have proved fatal.
No chickens gobbling up ticks at our house yet, but it’s beginning to sound like a pretty good idea at my last round of gardening.
Day One - I sprayed the yard with some wholesome, all-natural, non-toxic, but supposedly highly effective tick killer.
Day Two - I put on my jeans, pulled my socks over my pants, rubbed myself with a similar wholesome, all-natural, non-toxic, but supposedly highly effective tick repellent. I spent three hours weeding, and scattering mulch over the freshly weeded beds.
I then showered, brushed my hair, and dressed in a whole new set of clothes. The rest of my day was spent napping, walking Mamie in the center of town, and later using the blower to clean the deck and back patio.
Some TV, dinner, and more TV.
At about 9:30 I ran my hand through the back of my hair and found something foreign. I dropped it on the table next to me, didn't like the look of it, and mashed it with a coaster. I then took it to the sink and ran water over it and returned to the living room, job done.
Fifteen minutes later, I got up for a snack and found a tick walking around on the counter next to the sink.
Forget about that old saw of cockroaches surviving Armageddon.Ticks will be the last thing standing.
These new tick borne viruses are very scary as the symptoms like dormant until it is almost too late. No bite for me this year ... yet. But we live in the heart of tick bite season. I do notice that if I stay in the yard and away from the woods I do not get bites. My neighbor who has a free ranging cat has gotten TWO tick diseases in the past.
ReplyDeleteAaaargh.
ReplyDeleteCockroaches and ticks are the worlds new leaders is not a happy thought. Though they might do less damage than we do.
I think you are right about the ticks. Ticks are hard to kill. I have flushed them down the toilet, and washed them down the sink drain, only to go back later and find them crawling around. It's scary to think about all the diseases ticks carry now. Maybe the folks there should get guineas instead of chickens. Of course, the noise would drive you crazy.
ReplyDeleteYes, we have a friend who had them for a while. Unfortunately, along with their characteristic noise, they also had a habit of running into the busy road in front of his farm.
Deletewe have ticks down here, I know because I've picked a few off the cat, but I don't think they carry the diseases yours up there do. I stay in the yard like Tabor and don't go trekking through the wild edges. not because of ticks so much as the poison ivy.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we live on the edge of woods and having deer and wild turkeys roaming freely through our yard, likely scattering ticks with each step.
DeleteAnd then there's the tiny dog, who loves snuffling in the leaves.
Unfortunately, we live on the edge of woods and having deer and wild turkeys roaming freely through our yard, likely scattering ticks with each step.
DeleteAnd then there's the tiny dog, who loves snuffling in the leaves.
We have ticks here, but they don't seem to be as abundant as the ones on the East Coast. A couple of our hikers have picked one up over the years, but nobody has gotten sick (that I know of anyway). I hate ticks; they are so creepy.
ReplyDeleteWhen mashing things with a coaster, you need to really mash it flat until it bleeds. I'd suggest something sturdier than a coaster. A meat mallet maybe. And maybe get one of those full-coverage bee keeper outfits to garden in.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend get tularemia from a tick and it was brutal. They are bad this year since we didn't have much of a winter. I mowed the yard Monday and was rewarded with a small varmint attached to my love handle. Hope I got him in time. I hear Guinea hens are killer on ticks. Good luck with the chickens.
ReplyDelete