have you noticed a lot of TICKS this year?

[Syrinx]

I've never seen so many ticks as this year.

I can't walk to the mailbox, or water my tomato plants without getting one on me.

One afternoon recently I spent about three hours outside doing a little yard work. When I went to bathe, I found no less than fifteen of those little bastards on me. Never, ever in the past had I found more than two or three.

I wonder if the extreme drought that we are experiencing in this part of the country has anything to do with it?

[Heidi]

1. That's one thing I sure don't miss about where I grew up.

Ticks. And chiggers. :scared:

We have ticks here, too, but I've never had one on me. About once every summer, we have to remove a tick from the Wiley and Excellent Boy Cat Named Ginger, but that's about it.

[Syrinx]

2. where did you grow up, Heidi?

And if you don't mind me asking, how did you end up in Switzerland?

I remember having chiggers as a little boy, but I haven't heard anything from them in years. I wonder if they still make them? ;)

[Heidi]

3. Born in Arkansas, raised in Oklahoma,

with one horrible summer in Kentucky when I was a kid. :hi:

Re: "I wonder if they still make them." Sorta like box turtles and click-clacks? :rofl:

[Syrinx]

6. Clackers?

Is that the same thing as Click-Clacks?

Clackers were a deadly dangerous toy that I had as a small child. Basically two glass-like, but deadly hard and blunt, spheres dangling on a string that I was encouraged to swing violently around the heads of myself and my friends.

I hadn't thought of those things in years. Brian Regan was on Letterman last week talking about them. I need to try to find mine. I could probably get major swag from some insanely wealthy nostalgia freak on E-Bay. Or so I wish. :)

[Heidi]

8. Yep, same thing. They're right up there with lawn darts!

:rofl:

[VenusRising]

4. They still make 'em!

I have a scar to prove it.

Damn little buggers!! :grr:

:hi:

[Syrinx]

7. remember redbugs too?

Maybe that's the same thing as chiggers, but I don't think so. I've forgotten most of my childhood bugs, but the ticks are going strong. I hate those bastards. Apologies to Patrick Warburton. ;)

:hi:

[VenusRising]

10. No, I don't think so.

I got the chigger scar in north Texas.

I hate ticks. They are in north Texas, too.


:hi:

[Rocinante]

5. I don't see many these days

The farmers in these parts lay down a pretty toxic soup of insecticide and herbicide so that takes out a lot of the smaller critters and varmints.

Fleas and mosquitoes continue to thrive however. Bastards.

[Syrinx]

9. hey there Roci!

You know, I think I might prefer the varmints to the toxic soup. It's a hard call.

I hope everyone is doing well up that way! :hi:

[Rocinante]

11. Everything is fine.

The painting is going as well as can be expected.

The creek is drying up, and a new well will have to be dug.

I have a new computer. It works nicely.

[SeattleGirl]

12. Not around here, I haven't.

Thank goodness. Had to deal with a lot of them when I was young, and visiting my relatives in Arkansas. Ewwww. Hate those things!

[gatorboy]

13. Global warming.

The ground here doesn't get cold enough anymore to kill last years batch so they just accumulate with this year's tick growth.

[SeattleGirl]

14. Ugh.

Glad I don't live in an area prone to ticks.

[Orsino]

15. Quite the reverse.

I've only seen one this year, despite increased deer activity in the yard. I assumed that the cold April and subsequent drought were to blame.

[Callalily]

16. No, not really.

But it's always been my habit of checking for ticks after hiking in the woods, particularly the woods up north.

[Joe Fields]

17. I can't walk my dog without having to pull ticks off of her afterwards.

They're absolutely worse this year, than I have ever seen.