Ticked Off

We returned yesterday from a great few days spent camping. We did a midweek trip to Nickerson State Park, on the Cape. Other than a few rainy evenings, the weather was pleasant - warm and sunny, but not too warm. The girls loved playing at the amazing playground, swimming at the pond, and riding their bikes. A few campsites away was a family with two little girls about their age, and they had a blast playing together. Our sites were on a dead end, and they could run races, play ball, and ride bikes uninterrupted for hours. 

But there was one little issue - the bugs. Ok, so bugs are to be expected when camping, I know. But poor MeToo was a mosquito magnet. Her little body is covered with welts, despite wearing long pants and bug spray. And they really swell up and look ugly. Poor kid.

But at least the ticks didn't come after her. They loved the dogs. Despite applying tick medication, the ticks still found their way onto the dogs. We found most of them just crawling around in their fur, with no evidence of actually latching on. This is a good thing. Because most of them were deer ticks. And we're in Lyme Disease territory. 

If you're not afraid of Lyme Disease, it's likely because you don't live in New England and just don't know how ugly it can be. If caught immediately, a course of doxycycline usually does the trick and you're good as new. If not, it can become a chronic condition of lingering and mystifying symptoms. Our pastor's wife inexplicably lost her vision for a little while. Thankfully it came back, but the doctors had no other explanation for it, other than that Lyme Disease can do funny things. 

We keep finding ticks in random places. In the reuseable grocery bags we brought along. On our bathroom floor. Needless to say, I'm washing EVERYTHING that came on the trip, regardless of whether it actually got dirty. I'm waging war against the ticks. They just scare me. And I'm not usually squeamish about bugs.

They're pretty tiny, which makes them even scarier. (Shudder) Anyway, the trip was great, and definitely makes up for the fact that I have a ton of laundry and cleaning and inspecting and dog-washing to do as a result. But I'm still a bit ticked off.