It’s hard to keep playing in a silly way about such things as “trashy blogs” today. A dear friend has been diagnosed with cancer and I am nothing but sad.
But, nonetheless, shall I share with you the wild animal which announced itself during yesterday’s trash-cleaning expedition? No, Gerry, it was not an armadillo or possum. Believe it or not, we don’t have possums here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, although I’m sure they’ll be trekking this way soon. The creatures always end up moving north, whether we’re talking about wild turkeys or black squirrels. No, Carla, it was not a snake, although those long and slender fellas should be announcing themselves soon, usually in our woodpile.
It was…it was…
Are you ready?
The season’s first wood tick! Yes, wood tick season has begun. Sigh… These are not usually the creatures which carry Lyme disease. These are second cousins of the Lyme-disease carrying deer tick.
It’s not uncommon to have a half dozen, or a dozen, or two dozen, of the little creepy-crawlers climbing into your socks and behind your ears and attempting to burrow in your scalp or stick their tiny pincers in any available juicy skin.
We’ll have lots to talk about wood ticks in the next few months, when I’m not so sad.
Welcome to our first wood tick of the season
P.S. today’s outdoor adventure involved wandering in the drizzling rain in the woods. That’s all.
11 comments
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May 1, 2009 at 6:45 am
Cindy
Aww, Kath….I’m so sorry and will keep your friend and you in my prayers. The drizzle probably matched your mood well.
What do I love about spring in the UP? Mud season is followed by tick season….oh boy!
May 1, 2009 at 4:07 pm
KD
I love you mama.
May 1, 2009 at 7:19 pm
sahlah
I shall hold your friend in the light and hope for healing.
I do not miss wood ticks. That is all.
May 1, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Gerry
I am sorry for your friend’s illness. May the fear wolves be kept at bay by the warmth of your friendship, your compelling tales of Mama Nature’s handiwork, and the humor of trashy blogs and migrating possums.
May 2, 2009 at 6:18 am
Emma
Thinking of you and your friend today…
May 2, 2009 at 6:52 am
centria
Thanks all you guys. It’s been such a sad few days. The woods has been comforting though. And I’m trying to hold her in the highest healing light…whatever that may be. I really appreciate all of you.
May 2, 2009 at 8:12 am
flandrumhill
Humour and fresh air are some of the best weapons for fighting cancer but it’s SO HARD to summon laughter when you’re feeling sad and almost impossible to get dressed and outside. That’s why we need others to lift us up and get us out.
May 3, 2009 at 8:15 am
centria
Amy that is so true. My friend reads this blog sometimes, so maybe that will help…maybe part of a gift will be to invite her along for a walk some days, when she’s strong enough. Thank you for your thoughts and care.
May 3, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Deborah
We’ve been in a drizzle for days (sometimes a downpour). Still, there have been good moments. The Wild Azaleas are blooming – MY flowers, my birthday month flowers, my Mother’s Day photo op with the kids flowers, and the fragrance is never less than heady and heavenly. At their peak, you can smell them before you see them.
I remember how excited I got when I found my first Armadillo and the MO Wild Mammals book pronounced them rare, so I wrote to the Dept of Conservation only to discover that they aren’t so rare anymore, blame global warming pushing them north.
Oh yes, the ticks have come out of hibernation here too. My husband got Erlichiosis from a tick bite 2 summer’s ago. Nasty illness, severe chills and sweating fevers in waves. Very, very ill but the antibiotics did the trick. Still, I remain careful. Our ticks are abundant but I quit using repellents many years ago. Deet eats the plastic on my cassette player and so, probably is not good stuff to douse my skin in. I just jump in the shower. I wear blue jeans and hiking boots in summer too. If you get them off within 12 hrs, the chance of transmission is almost non-existent.
Hugs about your friend. My friend, who interestingly enough named her oldest boy Possum and the younger one Lynx, boys who are just a slight bit older but approx spaced the same as mine. A very much “older” mom like me, lost her battle with cancer not long ago. Her memorial service was in April. It’s hard, especially when the circumstances hit so close to home and you’re already familiar with the ways of cancer and hospice and understand what’s coming. There was another mom of twins my youngest boy’s age. She died too. Cancer, the disease that just keeps on killing somehow, even though medical science has much to offer and can extend the days, weeks, and months one has left. Hugs. I know how it feels.
Deb
May 3, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Deborah
I best add, not to only highlight the negative, because it is sometimes hard to remember – but I also have friends that have BEAT cancer and remain cancer free. We have Relay For Life events in our community annually and they are all about the success stories too.
I will add my highest concept of perfect health and wholeness to my prayers with your friend in mind. I had to remind myself of this positive side too. There is always the whole picture to be remembered . . .
Hugs to you both -
Deb
May 4, 2009 at 6:15 am
centria
Hi Deborah, it’s so good to see you here. The azaleas sound so beautiful…I feel like I’ve just been transported to Missouri and can almost breathe the perfume of them and feel the drizzly rain and see the woods in which you hike.
Yep, sounds like we handle the tick situation similarly. I don’t use spray either, but try to strip and either get in the shower or examine carefully for ticks, especially after being outside in long grasses. Sometimes it’s been known to have 20-50 of the little creatures crawling up the jeans… One year I got a big red circle around a tick bite and the doc put me on antibiotics (not knowing whether it was lyme disease or not). It wasn’t, thank goodness. But it’s not uncommon to get maybe two or three or more bites per year.
Thank you also for your kind words concerning cancer. I do know that she may fully beat her cancer. And we’re all praying for her full recovery. It was just such a shock to hear the news… Thank you for your prayers and focusing on the positive side. That’s where I am focusing now too.
Love, Kathy