7 Days Before We Head to Wisconsin

It's official. #1 son has graduated. He even tossed his hat in the air...but caught it so we can take some posed portrait shots tonight of him in his cap and gown with diploma.

As I warned, today is the day that we're starting to pack. At least I'm going to start to pack. I've got my revised list all set to start on the project. #1 son is sleeping...he had his senior party last night. At least he's following the rules and staying out of my way.

It's come to my attention that I've had a lot of people researching woodticks and my site keeps popping up for them. I thought I should mention my hints and suggestions in regard to woodticks. Spring has sprung and the woodticks are coming out of the woodwork. My parents told me that they each had two of them crawling on them...and this was just walking from the car to the cabin and back to unpack.

I have the following suggestions in regard to woodticks:

1. Make sure any tall grass is mowed short in an areas that you frequent.
2. Make sure that your pets are protected with Frontline or some similar product (ticks don't seem to be bothered by flea and tick collars). If your pets aren't protected, you aren't protected. Any woodticks that your pets pick up will somehow end up crawling on you. I found woodticks every time that I played with my parents' cute little Maltese. They don't use Frontline. Please note that most kennels insist that you use Frontline if you kennel your pets.
3. Stay out of tall grass or undergrowth in the spring. Woodticks seem to be most prolific at this time. I'd recommend avoiding the call of the wild if at all possible during this time.
4. If you must listen to the call of the wild, wear long pants, long sleeves, socks and sturdy boots, and a hat (a good idea at anytime in Wisconsin if you are going to hike the woods with the problems mosquitoes now pose...West Nile Virus) and use some kind of mosquito and tick spray, the real stuff with toxic chemicals. The other stuff may scare away a few mosquitoes but ticks won't even flinch. After such ventures make sure you check yourself for ticks. Hopefully you can catch them before they decide to snack on you.
5. Girls...don't shave your legs if you're going to go hiking in the woods! You can feel ticks crawling a lot faster if you don't shave your legs.
6. If you have long hair, do not let it fly free. Tie it back...tightly. Stick it under your hat.
6. Ticks like to dig into vulnerable areas. Check or have someone else check through your hair and scalp (easier for bald guys), your back, and any other area of your body. Check for a full week after you've been in the woods because even if you laundered your hiking clothes woodticks are survivors.
7. If you do have a woodtick embedded, remove it or get your doctor to remove it. Worried about Lymes Disease? Stick the tick in a bottle and take it to the doctor with you to have the bite and tick checked out. Chances are that if you catch the tick before it's been embedded more then 24 hours, you won't have to worry but don't count on it. There are wonderful websites that will tell you all about the warning signs of Lymes Disease. I've never had it, but I know people who have had it. I've had lots of ticks both embedded and not. I remove them. I keep an eye on the area of the bite and if no telltale bullseye, or any sign of infection shows up I figure I dodged the bullet. Please note, that I'd head straight for the doctor if I found a woodtick that had been embedded long enough to start "swelling". I would let the doctor remove any of those. You don't want the tick to "toss his cookies" into your body while you're attempting the removal process. My brother gave me this nifty neato woodtick removal device that I might use this summer if this situation arises. I really hate going to see doctors. Nothing personal but I usually wait until I really have no other options.

That's my advice to all you who are braving this woodtick season. My experience has been that woodticks will settle down a bit come late July. They are still there but don't seem to be as voracious. I wish I could say the same about mosquitoes, deerfly, horsefly, and wasps.

Murphyism of the Day

Farnsdick's Corollary to the Fifth Corollary

After things have gone from bad to worse, the cycle will repeat itself.

Today's Little Bit of Trivia

Cream cheese was invented in 1872; Philadelphia Cream Cheese hit the market in 1880. But it wasn't until Joseph and Isaac Breakstone began selling their Breakstone Cream Cheese in 1920 that New Yorker bagel eaters discovered it-and cream cheese became the bagel spread.