Just like gorillas

Now that we have this huge yard, we have a whole new set of issues that we really didn't anticipate. Of course we have deer that meander through and eat everything. OK, so we have a fence around the garden and we'll see if it works. We have birds and squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits, tent caterpillars, ladybugs, wild strawberries, weeds, mushrooms...all of these things we expected and accepted. Somewhere along the line we forgot about ticks. Yes, our yard is teeming with ticks. I'm not even sure when tick season is but whenever it started we knew immediately. We had to pluck a few ticks of Peanut within a week, I've had a few, honey has had a few and of course the dog has some riders.

Now I know which ticks are which and how long they need to sit and eat before I get nervous, but honestly, the whole thing is just gross. We spray ourselves and the dog before we go outside to play and do a tick check before we come in. Today Honey caught one traveling on Peanut's arm after we came inside. Got it before it bit her so that was nice. The other night, Honey came to me with the tweezers and pulled his shirt up so I could get one off of him. Then I did a quick check and found one I'd missed before as well, so he pulled it off me. We are starting to feel a little like the gorillas you see on nature videos picking nits off each other! Try to do a tick check when you are 9 months pregnant - it is a little hard to see your whole bod. Now, Honey has to check all the parts I can't see to make sure I am not missing any. Thank goodness, because we found another I would have totally missed the other day.

I have been trying to talk up the idea of getting some chickens so we can have fresh eggs. I recently discovered that chickens eat ticks, so now that is my strategy for pushing the idea of a chicken coop. Plus I think it would be pretty funny to have chickens right at the edge of the golf course. We could train them to be quiet until someone started to swing...