The loathsome tick

The dry weather has brought a bumper crop of wood ticks to our little country haven. They live in the grass and I swear are waiting in the pounce position for someone to walk by so they can find a host. We are finding several a day crawling on us and a few times even attached. None have started to fill with blood, when they get large and gray, before we have found them. I am like a mother monkey every night though, checking my kids over thinking every mole is a tick and picking through their hair. I have found them crawling on the walls and the floor. They must get knocked of us as we come in.

Nikki, the dog, has also had a few. She went to the vet the other day, for a well check up and to get her shots, and on the way over we found one on her ear. When we were waiting in the exam room for her heart worm blood test to come back, the kids found a brown pill jar on the counter and it was full of ticks so she isn't the only dog with them. As an aside, the kids hold the jar up to the light and say "oh, how cool, look there is even hair floating in there." I think the proper response should have been, "eeww, gross" and dropped it like the jar full of ticks that it was.

The other day, the Dad was looking under the lawn mower to see why it was making this thunking sound and he said the bottom was just covered with ticks from the grass. I have heard that guinea hens love ticks, perhaps we should look into getting a flock a few very hungry ones.