Ticking Away

For some reason when I get back to the USA, I always get some kind of weird malady that knocks me for a short-term loop. I was bedridden with the flu one year when it wasn't flu season. Another time I was diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (whew!)...read that dizziness due to ear crystals. How crazy is that? The most painful episode, however, was Lyme's Disease due to a tiny, tiny critter called a tick.

I was wondering if ticks are everywhere or just where I happened to be. Well, they are everywhere except Antarctica. Yup, even down under! Depending upon the bacteria they introduce when they bite you, they can cause diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and especially Lyme Disease (in at least 14 different varieties). Massachusetts is one of 11 states with the highest confirmed Lyme Disease cases. See...it's not just me! By the way, when I say “bite” you, they actually cut through your skin with razor sharp mandibles, injecting an anesthetic as they go, so you don't even notice. Then they insert a “feeding tube” into your blood supply and suck it up. Disgusting! To make matters worse, they're actually arachnid in nature...that would be tiny spider. Oh, man, just the thought of it makes my skin crawl.

Well, I diagnosed myself with the help of the internet. I had the typical target-like rash on my underarm which was painful to the touch. I felt sicker every day until I finally broke down and sought out medical help. Of course, without medical insurance, that was easier said than done. I needed to see a physician first who would prescribe the meds necessary. Finding a physician who would accept cash (in reasonable quantity) instead of insurance was not an easy task. I finally found a clinic that would accept me and the Lyme Disease I walked in with. The physician assistant took one look at my rash, said “Lyme Disease” and wrote the script. The rest is history.

What got me going on this is that it's nearly springtime here and it'll be tick season again all too soon. I think I picked up the last tick by simply walking along a wooded path in my sister's yard or at the local park. If you can't feel them bite, the best you can do is check yourself after a walk in tall grass or in the woods or bush.

The CDC in the USA has been trying to figure out precautions to take and has come up with a few, but all are fairly common sense pointers or the typical governmental overkill. A young, local teen was conducting a science experiment and found that throwing her tick-ridden clothes in the clothes dryer for 5 minutes on low heat was enough to kill the pests. She won a science fair trophy for her discovery and passed on the info to the CDC. Duh!

Speaking of “ticking away”, the clock is ticking days until A meets B and David comes to Boston.

(both photos courtesy of the internet :) )

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Siblings Day

A day to appreciate your sibs. Call your brother; call your sister. Get together. Are you an only? No problem, adopt a sib for the day.

Is it Spring yet?

The weatherman is still predicting snow showers. Snow showers are NOT April showers in my book even though they happen to occur in April. Though the crocus and daffodils shoots are beginning to poke through the ground and it actually hit 50F (10C) yesterday, it doesn't really feel like Spring yet at all. The nighttime temps still dip into the 20's (-3C) and puddles are still frozen over with skim ice in the early mornings.  

I read that a lawsuit was filed against Punxsutawney Phil this year by a winter-weary lawyer. For non-Americans, Phil is a groundhog that resides in Punxsutawney, PA and is the official prognosticator of Spring. On February 2nd each year (Groundhog's Day), he peeks his head out of his borough and if he sees his shadow, there's six more weeks of winter. This year, he did NOT see his shadow and predicted that Spring was just around the “corner”. Unfortunately, the “corner” has been covered in snow drifts lately and though Spring has officially arrived on the calendar, you certainly can't prove it by me. Phil, did get off the hook because his handler admits to misinterpreting “groundhog-ese”.

I did see my first robin the other day, a sure sign that Spring has sprung. I haven't, however, felt like hauling short sleeved shirts out of the closet nor have I given up wearing warm socks. Springtime in New England is a beautiful time of year. I just wish it would get here.

By the way, American robins and Australian robins are very different looking. Do robins signal the arrival of Spring down under? I don't know. And speaking of down under, is it starting to feel like autumn there?

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

No Housework Day

No explanation needed. Just say "NO!"

Identification-itis

 

When you see something new, do you have the compulsion to identify it? I do, especially if it's an animal, a butterfly, a bird, a new flower, a snake, a cool building … actually most everything and anything. If it has a specific name, I want to know it. For some reason, it's inherent in my nature to label things.

There's no such thing as a yellow bushy flower or a small red-breasted bird. No, it's got to have a name. It's rubber rabbitbrush or a flame robin. The boat is loaded with bird and butterfly books, rocks and mineral identification references, plastic shell identification fold-outs, easy-to-identify fish photos, and marine animal (vertebrate and invertebrate) field guides. I've got so many reference books, it makes it hard to complain to David about all his tools and fishing gear.

Whenever we're in a new port, I head directly to the local tourist info office to get information about the local flora and fauna. I get bird lists, plant lists and animals lists. But it never stops there. I'm interested in identifying historic buildings, local building materials (bluestone, sandstone, granite) and architectural styles (Georgian, Gothic, Spanish colonial) if they're unique to the area. I want to know the names of types of fences and barns and trees and shrubs. You name it and I've got to attach a name wherever I can. I even feel compelled to figure out insect names and spiders … iridescent blister beetles and yellow orbs?

When I'm posting to the blog or website, it seems to take forever because of the time expended to pore through all the reference books and come up with a proper name. When I can't identify things, it drives me crazy. I recently got an email from Tim in Wisconsin. He found the website because he was looking for sailing info, but migrated to the butterfly page because that's a hobby of his. He identified several butterflies that I'd been unable to figure out. What a relief. I couldn't wait to update the web page.

This inherent need of mine to identify things … do you suppose there's a name for it? maybe obsessive-compulsive??

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Johann Sebastian Bach's Birthday

He was born this day in 1685. Celebrate by listening to one of his most famous pieces Toccata and Fugue in D minor for the organ. Don't know it? Oh, I bet you do...give it a listen.