Critter Alley

Critter Alley

Monday, May 27, 2013

What We Found at the River

We spent time on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning working at our small lot on the St. Francis River. Between weddings, anniversaries, graduations, birthdays, and assorted other special events, it's been a while since we've been there, and boy could we ever tell it.

Weeds of all types stood at least knee-high. The shortest walk meant a cobweb or two right in the face. Trees needed trimming. Bugs were everywhere, especially the most feared and disgusting one of all.











Yep, ticks. I bet I found at least 10 of those critters on me, and Hubby at least that many more. I found one on Indy's face and I'm afraid there may be more lurking on him. Finding ticks on a black dog is harder than hunting a cotton ball in snow. All I can do is shampoo him and wait.

Isn't it weird how fast finding a tick gives the creepy crawlies? Every little skin tickle or prickle caused me to drop whatever was in my hands and perform an immediate check. Luckily no one else was around to witness the images of pulled up shirts or dropped pants. After all, we weren't at Mardi Gras.

Ugh. I don't care how many romance novels feature vampires. In my opinion there's nothing sexy about something chomping on you for a quick meal. I wish mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and all those blood-suckers could be obliterated forever. Of course that would probably mean the extinction of some rare and beautiful bird species who can only survive on a meal of mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas.

Oh, the cruel ironies of life...


16 comments:

Fireblossom said...

Ticks are disgusting.

Frankie Furter and Ernie said...

Reiley and Denny say that NAIL POLISH REMOVER kills them INSTANTLY.

Icky thingys the are.

Sketching with Dogs said...

OMG, you would have heard me screaming over there if I had had a tick stuck to me, gahhhhhhhh!
Lynne x

Mariodacat said...

I agree with you 100%. What purpose do those particular kinds of bug serve anyway? None that we know of.

Linda O'Connell said...

They say the ticks will be really bad this year. I hate those little buggers. It is fun to go into the country though.

Two French Bulldogs said...

Run for the hills
Happy Memorial Day
Benny & Lily

Dougall-the-Scottie said...

Those naughty bugs... Grrr!!

Ann Summerville said...

Even scary how small some of them are. Hope you got them all. I read a mystery (and can't remember the name of it) where an intruder put ticks, carrying Lyme Disease, on the head of a woman who was sleeping. Yuk.
Ann

Lassiter Chase and Benjamin said...

yucky ticks!

Anonymous said...

Yep, ticks suck.

That would have been the perfect time for your hubby to wear the "Official Tick Inspector" hat I gave him. Did he have it with him?

Lisa Ricard Claro said...

Eww! Ticks are awful! They rank up there with fleas and lice. Ugh!

Alittlesprite said...

Funny you should mention ticks... My son has just come back from a camp in the bush and he had... yep, a tick on him! UGH! And yes, every little itch and twitch I had I was instantly checking for a horrid little crawlie.

Sioux Roslawski said...

Pat--I agree with you. Ticks give me the heebie-jeebies. Yuck!

Tammy said...

I get the heebie-jeebies just looking at that photo, but your point about vampires made me giggle. Hope you find them all!

Faythe said...

the ticks are already bad here as well. My neighbor found several on herself & her dog. and that was just walking in her yard! I am allergic to most biting & stinging bugs, so far I have not found any evidence on me, whewww.
Faythe @ GrammyMouseTails

Donna Volkenannt said...

I'm with you, Pat. The last time I went out to our country place I pulled several ticks off me then found more on my clothes.