furrowed & sweaty brow. post-tick removal.
We were at the land all day on Sunday & had family there to help us remove some underbrush & really just introduce them to what is our future! There were chain saws, machetes, laupers & gloves. There were also ticks. Ticks galore. These wretched little buggers are living in grape vines & underbrush all through the wooded part of the property. They are round demons that come in a myriad of sizes and colors. They're devious--up to no good.Natural lemongrass & garlic based repellents stand no chance against these vile beasts who have made it quite clear that we are the best meal they've seen in a while. We've found them everywhere. EVERYWHERE. The terror that a creature no bigger than the tip of a pencil ensues is ridiculous. I hate to fall victim, but the danger of Lyme disease & Rocky Mountain Spotted fever is real & finding these little suckers on the innocent bodies of my children is troubling, to say the least.
I'm not here to complain. I'm here for a dose of reality. We are up to the work, we are up to the grunt-nature of working the land. We are game for letting our kids run wild in a natural environment full of brambles, snakes, poison ivy, lizards & toads. Ticks, in the quantities we've discovered them, are unwelcome. So, do you know the remedy? Is there an alternative to Deet & peremthrin that the internet otherwise doesn't know of?
we marked off corners with posts for a garden plot & planted some left over tomato seedlings
We have considered introducing a flock of Guinea hens, but aren't sure the neighbors will love having free-birds roaming around, surely crossing into their property from time to time...
& the kids romped & picked wildflowers (dandelions) for crowns & bracelets.
So, our immediate goals are changing a bit. While we manage to enjoy ourselves out there, it's difficult to really relax. We were putting off shelter options in favor of tent camping, but it seems without a retreat from the ticks we will never get comfortable. Hm...that is what we're thinking about. But, we are so optimistic about the possibilities, the only REAL problem is choosing what direction to take.
