posted
Time: 3am on Sat Oct 24, 2009 Place: Williamstown, MA (NW corner of MA, the Berkshires Hills).
I have been up here for 30 hours. Of that maybe 2 hours was spent outside with long pants, socks, shoes. I was only walking around the house. Not hiking or doing lawn work.
As I was getting into bed, I happened to run my fingers over the back of my thigh. I felt a little piece of something that got stuck to me. But it didn't come off. Yeah, guess what.
THEN I noticed a 2nd tick attached to my hip as I was checking out the first one! 2 FREAKIN' ticks at once!
I got them both off with an O'Tom tick twister. They came off easily and still have their mouth parts. I have them in a small ziploc bag and they're both running around it trying to get out.
The bite on the top back of my thigh is slightly painful, like a fly bite.
This is only the second time I've seen a deer tick on me. This is why I believe I have been bitten multiple times. I don't check every night when I'm up here, I could EASILY missed them! And then I only started checking a couple of years ago.
They are so damn tiny. How could someone find one if they were a hairy person? I'm surprised anyone actually catches one in the act.
It will be interesting to see if I get a rash in either bite spot. The other time I found the tick I did not get the rash.
My LLMD told me that I'm basically immune to new infection while I'm under treatment. But I wonder about what I don't have: Bart, Erlichia, Mycoplasm, etc.
I don't think I'll send them in for testing yet, it's expensive. But I'll keep them around in case I get some new symptoms. I would get them tested then.
[ 10-24-2009, 12:56 PM: Message edited by: JamesNYC ]
Posts: 872 | From New York City | Registered: Jun 2008
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posted
Anyone need a tick to convince a Dr that you have lyme? Posts: 872 | From New York City | Registered: Jun 2008
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Starfall1969
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Lol, yeah. Somehow I think my doc would be too dense to diagnose it even then...
Posts: 1682 | From Dillsburg, PA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Pinelady
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Hey that looks like an adult deer tick. Only nymphs transmit disease and since it has not hung on for over 48 hrs. you should be safe. Just kidding. I have to spray down just to get to the garage. I think they smell me, and grow wings to get to me. High chloride levels?
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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Ocean
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Oh no James!!! I'm so sorry!!! Goodness, that's crazy to only have been out for 2 hours AND you were protecting yourself...
Pinelady, LOL!! At first I was like, "What? No no no!!" Then I read you were kidding...whew!!!
But you are right in that the 'so called experts' believe that junk!
I'll have to say that I was impressed that I had 2. I wonder if they work in tag teams?
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joalo
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It's amazing that something so tiny can make us soooo sick. Ugh!
-------------------- Sick since January 1985. Misdiagnosed for 20 years. Tested CDC positive October 2005. Treating since April 2006. Posts: 3228 | From Somewhere west of the Mississippi | Registered: Aug 2007
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massman
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Waiy ! I have heard that ticks are NOT ALLOWED in some towns in the Berkshires. Especially Williamstown and Stockbridge !
Sorry to see yor pic and the hitchhiker.
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Hah! Yeah Massman, the taxes should keep out all but the most elite of insects!
2??? I got jumped by 2!!! Do I get extra points for that?
What should I name the ticks? Anyone got any ideas?
How about Gary and Allan?
Posts: 872 | From New York City | Registered: Jun 2008
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Dekrator48
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James,
So sorry that you were bitten.
They are sooooo ugly!
I wish we could do something to kill all the ticks in the world.
Hope you don't have any new symptoms.
Take care.
-------------------- The fibromyalgia I've had for 32 years was an undiagnosed Lyme symptom.
"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". -Jeremiah 29:11 Posts: 6076 | From Pennsylvania, USA | Registered: Nov 2008
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disturbedme
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Yuck, I'm so sorry.
I'm confused... were you at camp or at someone's house visiting or something? Just wondering since you were at MA and you live in NYC.
-------------------- One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller
My Lyme Story Posts: 2965 | From Land of Confusion (bitten in KS, moved to PA, now living in MD) | Registered: Jun 2007
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bettyg
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posted
james, dog gone it! 2 more tick bites! good pohto. what a bummer, but glad you got them out easily.
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My family has always had a cabin in the woods in MA. It's about 3 hours north of NYC. I come up here weekly. This is where I get all my bites. I'm heading back to the nice, safe concrete of The City tonight.
Dek,
Yeah, thanks. I'm pretty confident that I will be okay. I think the multi abx should protect me.
Betty,
Thanks for the hug! That Tick Twister really worked well. Especially since I could barely SEE it because of where it was. If I was using anything else, like forceps, I wouldn't have been able to get to it.
Posts: 872 | From New York City | Registered: Jun 2008
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posted
How long before the rash is supposed to show up?
I'm still reeling from the fact that I had 2 on me. Wow. If it wasn't raining, I'd go out and try for a Triple!
Posts: 872 | From New York City | Registered: Jun 2008
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posted
If I gave the ticks some Omnicef, do you think it would cure them of lyme?
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tick battler
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James, sorry you were bit again. I do wonder about getting new infections that you don't already have...
Have you thought about spraying with permethrin the areas you frequent? I know it would be a pain, but it might prevent additional tick bites or at least minimize them. Just a thought.
tickbattler
Posts: 1763 | From Malvern, PA | Registered: Jul 2009
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Thanks. However I don't want to spray. There are plenty of harmless insects and other critters that I don't want to kill. Plus the amount I'd have to spray would be an environmental hazard.
I have considered Tick Tubes though.
It's interesting that this doesn't happen to me in the summer when I'm in shorts. But in the fall when I have long pants on.
Posts: 872 | From New York City | Registered: Jun 2008
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posted
"I don't think I'll send them in for testing yet, it's expensive."
Well, put a moist cotton ball in the bag with them to keep them alive while you're deciding.
And my LLMD told me the same thing when I got bit again- I was already in treatment- so it wasn't much of a threat.
Posts: 365 | From Sylvania | Registered: Aug 2008
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Actually Igenex said told me last time that it didn't matter whether they were alive or not. Or even if they were mushed in an envelope.
But I'll check with them again. Maybe I should freeze them.
They're still kicking around, but one, Gary (as in Gary Wormser) isn't looking to good. He looks fatigued, and cognitively impaired. Maybe I gave HIIM lyme and Babs!
Allan (as in Allan Steere) seems to have plenty of energy.
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Hoosiers51
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Maybe you gave the tick Lyme and Babs? hahaha very funny!
Well....I usually think of a freezer as something that halts the growth of bacteria. Freezers will even kill some pathogens. So maybe you would want the ticks in the fridge instead.
Not sure though. This is not real advice, just kind of thinking out loud.
Posts: 4590 | From Midwest | Registered: Jun 2008
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I'm sorry you got bit...not once, but TWICE! You are taking it well though. You sure made me giggle.
Gary and Allen, lol.
-------------------- The advice I give, should not be considered medical advice. My opinion comes from years of research and experience. Posts: 233 | From Somewhere | Registered: Sep 2009
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Shosty
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posted
It can be smushed. There is a lab at the UMass Agricultural Dept. that tests, maybe it's on your way...
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I picked one up over the summer and it was soooo small I'm surprised I even saw it. I just felt a tiny itch on my ankle, reached down to scratch it and look at whatever it was, and there it was...tiny like a grain of sand.
I think they find the long pants easier to cling onto...then they slowly crawl and work their way up to wherever they decide to set up house. *shudder*
Posts: 423 | From Upstate NY | Registered: May 2009
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Sadly, Gary (Wormser) the tick has passed away. I followed IDSA-for-ticks lyme guidelines and treated him with abx for 30 minutes. He said he still had symptoms and wanted more abx. I explained that he just had "Post-lyme-syndrome". Maybe he also caught babesia too when he bit me.
Allen (Steere) the tick (in the photo) is still okay and seems to have responded well to treatment. However, he still complains of pain and cognitive impairment. I told him he had FM and depression. I gave him advil and prozac.
Posts: 872 | From New York City | Registered: Jun 2008
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bettyg
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posted
james
i enjoyed your above humorous story; glad you can see a funny part and cute names....
you made us laugh; now we'll try to give back to you also.
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Pinelady
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LOL If you see him having jerks or his knees swell up you know its working. I am glad you did not get out the saw for removal. The guy that uses the line"Say Hello To My Little Friend uses a big one.
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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Rumigirl
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James,
Well over this past Memorial Day weekend, I got TWO ticks on me, too!! We visited friends in NJ for 24 hours only. That night, I insisted on doing a tick check, and found one on my scalp attached (it was late at night, so it had been there a long time).
The next day, as soon as I came in from outside, I found one on my throat!! He wasn't attached, as I got him right away. And I had lots of DEET on---didn't help.
I was already on rocephin, and started oral doxy that weekend. And in spite of the meds, I went downhill really badly---to even worse than I had been before tx.
I and my LLMD figured out that it was Babesia, as the meds didn't cover that, and my symptoms screamed Babesia. So I started meds for that, and slowly improved.
And then in August, in spite of everything I was on, I got a new onset of Bell's Palsy!!! Not badly, but definitely there!! What a slippery slope.
So a word to the wise about any co-infections that you are not targeting currently. If you start getting worse, evaluate it ASAP. And get permethrin and treat your clothes ahead of time before going out in the country. These buggers will be around long after us.
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Sadly, Gary (Wormser) the tick has passed away. I followed IDSA-for-ticks lyme guidelines and treated him with abx for 30 minutes. He said he still had symptoms and wanted more abx. I explained that he just had "Post-lyme-syndrome". Maybe he also caught babesia too when he bit me.
Allen (Steere) the tick (in the photo) is still okay and seems to have responded well to treatment. However, he still complains of pain and cognitive impairment. I told him he had FM and depression. I gave him advil and prozac.
HEY!! You'd make a GREAT ID duck! You're GOOD!
Thanks for the laughs!
As for testing .. don't count on it to be correct! Can be a waste of money.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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WildCondor
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posted
quote:Originally posted by JamesNYC: UPDATE:
Sadly, Gary (Wormser) the tick has passed away. I followed IDSA-for-ticks lyme guidelines and treated him with abx for 30 minutes. He said he still had symptoms and wanted more abx. I explained that he just had "Post-lyme-syndrome". Maybe he also caught babesia too when he bit me.
Allen (Steere) the tick (in the photo) is still okay and seems to have responded well to treatment. However, he still complains of pain and cognitive impairment. I told him he had FM and depression. I gave him advil and prozac.
ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!
I think the dead ticks must have had post-lyme syndrome indeed. As for their deaths, they must have been purely psychosomatic in origin. Autopsy being performed? I would like to know what the autopsy shows on Gary for sure. Make sure the medical examiner knows about the collagen lip injections and botox on his face. It may be a possible cause.
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Truthfinder
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A-ha, ha, ha! That's just EXcellent, James! You've really got the whole IDSA 'party line' duck-walk down pat.
Thanks for a great laugh this SNOWY morning!
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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feelfit
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James! IDSA is hoping for miracle they think that Gary can be resurected with a short course of CPR and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Hope that you watch for any changes in yourself.
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Amanda
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Did you find a bulleye rash on Gary or Allen? Even if their tests did come back positive, unless they have a bulls eye, clearly it is just another false positive.
Also, you will have to inform Allen insurance will not cover treatment. So he better pony up some serious cash.
I'm sure Gary simply died from "Somatization Disorder".
Just send Allen to a Psychiatrist, and he will be fine.
Seriously though James, I think if those ticks did have lyme, I understood from Dr. Volkmans work that antibiotics get rid of the rash quickly. Your on a lot of stuff, and I wonder if that would prevent a rash from forming...
-------------------- "few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example" - Mark Twain Posts: 1008 | From US | Registered: Dec 2007
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steve1906
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Hey James, Just stop coming to back to MA and you'll be Lyme free!!!
Roy
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quote:Originally posted by WildCondor: I would like to know what the autopsy shows on Gary for sure. Make sure the medical examiner knows about the collagen lip injections and botox on his face. It may be a possible cause.
Now I'm ROTFLMAO!!!!
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-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Lauralyme
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posted
James where do you buy a tick twister?
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WildCondor
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posted
quote:Originally posted by Lymetoo:
quote:Originally posted by WildCondor: I would like to know what the autopsy shows on Gary for sure. Make sure the medical examiner knows about the collagen lip injections and botox on his face. It may be a possible cause.
Now I'm ROTFLMAO!!!!
LOL you finally saw that one TuTu!!! Muhahaha!!
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posted
Dayumm.. that pic gave me the heebee geebees. I hate those friggin bugs.
Sorry you got bitten again, James. Ack!!....
I was thinking that maybe we all should be living in the wonderful world of concrete. So much for this "lovin' nature" stuff. I've had my fill.
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Unfortunately Allen Steere the tick has succumbed to post-lyme-syndrome and CFS and depression and has passed away.
However the bite welts from him and Gary Wormser the tick have lived on on my hip and upper thigh.
The one on my thigh really hurt deep, like into the muscle. As if I had a IM shot. Very weird.
Neither bite has produced a rash. So I guess that proves they did not carry lyme--NOT!
Posts: 872 | From New York City | Registered: Jun 2008
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posted
Be careful, James - not all IDSA ticks cause rashes - by the way, you could let the IDSA know the ticks didn't make it according to their suggested guidelines, so the guidelines do indeed need to be rewritten, 'cause they can't even keep their namesakes alive -
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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Over the last few weeks I've developed all the classic symptoms, including a rash. These sx are very distinctive from my lyme and babs sx.
My experience with the onset of the new vs old sx, and my exact timeline for when I was infected, and the start of treatment (levaquin), may give some useful info for others here.
I'll post more about when I get a chance, kinda busy these days.
James
[ 12-06-2009, 04:17 PM: Message edited by: JamesNYC ]
Posts: 872 | From New York City | Registered: Jun 2008
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The same happened to me this year, after having Lyme now since 22 years.
But maybe you will defeat them quickly, since you discovered it early. Wish you the best.
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seekhelp
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FU###N TICKS Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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Pinelady
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posted
I hate to hear that. I was watching a show today on the buffalo herders in MT. herding them back
into the national park so they could kill 1000 of them as they have the last few years. Supposedly
because Mt. ranchers do not want the buffalo spreading BARTONELLA. The group that was there
said it was killing for profit because MT. could not export beef contaminated with Bart. But it
was not the buffalo that was the main vector, it was the ELK. And they are not herding the elk out
of MT. LOL I had no idea, but they said the herd in question is the only pure herd out of only a
few, maybe 15 they found roaming in the forest that keep the whole population from
extinction. I wonder if they have some kind of natural immunity?
-------------------- Suspected Lyme 07 Test neg One band migrating in IgG region unable to identify.Igenex Jan.09IFA titer 1:40 IND IgM neg pos 31 +++ 34 IND 39 IND 41 IND 83-93 + DX:Neuroborreliosis Posts: 5850 | From Kentucky | Registered: Dec 2008
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richedie
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posted
James, was there high grass???? Bushes? Did you have on any spray? Whenever I am going to be anywhere I could get a tick, I spray loads of Herbal Armor AND OFF on me and my clothes.
I was told eating garlic can help keep them at bay. I eat raw garlic like apples.
-------------------- Mepron/Zith/Ceftin Doxy/Biaxin/Flagyl pulse. Artemisinin with Doxy/Biaxin. Period of Levaquin and Ceftin. Then Levaquin, Bactrim and Biaxin. Bactrim/Augmentin/Rifampin. Mepron/Biaxin/Artemisinin/Cat's Claw Rifampin/Bactrim/Alinia Plaquenil/Biaxin Posts: 1949 | From Pennsylvania | Registered: Feb 2008
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Truthfinder
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posted
Oh, James - very sorry to hear this. Well, hopefully catching it early will pay off.
I have to say that I get really frustrated that more people don't try using the `after-the-tick-bite homeopathic prevention' protocol I've posted about.
No, not because I want to promote one system of medicine over another, but because I want us all to find things that WORK, along with things that don't work. And it will take participation to figure any of that out.
James, you would have been a perfect candidate for trying the preventative protocol, because you can identify the new symptoms so clearly. Also, since you are already being treated with conventional meds, it might have been helpful to learn if those meds interfered at all with protection from the homeopathic remedies. I have no data on that so it will have to come from observing real-life experiences.
Well, in any case, maybe it's something you'll consider doing next year.....
All the best,
-------------------- Tracy .... Prayers for the Lyme Community - every day at 6 p.m. Pacific Time and 9 p.m. Eastern Time � just take a few moments to say a prayer wherever you are�. Posts: 2966 | From Colorado | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
Mercy,James, can't believe you left the pavement. I haven't had that kind of courage in years. Must've been nice out there tho.
Posts: 661 | From NY | Registered: May 2003
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Actually, all I did was walk on a leave covered path from the car to the house a few times. And then on another path to an adjacent house.
Ticks love leaf litter.
I did not get any ticks on me this past weekend, I think the 3" of snow slows 'em down!
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