Growing up in Los Angeles, CA I didn’t gain much experience or appreciation for deer ticks. The only animals that my friends and I ever saw were domestic dogs, cats and horses, with the occasional chance encounter with a skunk or snake. I doubt if I ever heard the word “tick” in my entire childhood. But when I migrated to the southern part of the US, I learned fairly quickly how to identify a tick. Apparently, ticks can attach themselves to deer, foliage, dogs and kids. One time after playing in the bushes, my son and his cousin came in covered with tiny ticks. We pulled their clothes off as quick as two panicked moms can unclothe a child and rubbed a washcloth all over their bodies to loosen any ticks trying to hold on for dear life. Then, feeling a need to disinfect the boys, we used the only alcohol that we could find in the house, Vodka! It worked quite well, disinfected their bodies and smelled much better than stinky, little boy odor.
You would think that after living in the south for forty or so years that I would be aware of the dangers of walking in the woods, or in a West Virginia backyard. Lions, tigers and bears don’t pose much trouble during daylight hours around here, but something much tinier does. Amazing how sick a person can become from one tiny organism the size of a pinhead. One tiny black dot of a tick can turn a grown body into one ball of hurt and fever for days without ceasing.
But alas, we must beware of the dangers that lurk in beautiful places. God gave us this gorgeous earth to use to nourish our bodies and replenish our spirits, but we need to respect it. Sometimes the lure of the beauty pulls so hard that we forget to prepare for the danger.
Note to self: DEET and long sleeves are essential In order to appreciate the beauty of the world God give us. God gave me a brain, wonder why I don’t always use it?