I have a tick problem.

So I needed to take the cats in for their shots and to get more rounds of flea and tick med for cats and dogs. Ticks are just outrageous this year! I comb the cats every single morning when they come in to sleep and Fatty Cat never fails to have a tick or two on her even with the meds!

So, I am gathering up kitties to put them in carriers and fatty is  in the kitty room (small X-closet with a window). I step over the baby gate like always, grab FC, step back over to get out and get my big toe stuck in the works of the baby gate! Down we go and I think I have broken my foot again! I sat there awhile waiting for the pain to subside and finally felt calm enough to try and get up. It hurt, but thankfully I was OK.

Since my foot is not broken, I now have to find and catch FC because now she doesn’t trust me after I fell and nearly crushed her.

Fast forward to this morning… its time to go out and do my morning routine of feeding, watering, and turning out the chickens and geese. I’m nearly out the door when I realize that I don’t have my glasses and have not even run a comb through my pillow ravaged hair…

Off to the bathroom, grab the comb look in the mirror and see a bit of mulch or leaf chip in my hairline, I swipe at it and it doesn’t come out. Try a couple more times, nope, not coming out. I lean in to have a closer look in the magnifying mirror and HORRORS! The leaf chip has legs!

ITS A TICK!

My first thought is to panic, but then I calmly reached up, pulled the little sucker out, and threw her into the toilet.  I watched with some satisfaction as she slowly swirled down and away…

Now I will be looking in my hairline over the next two weeks for a target shaped rash. Oh GACK!

In the meantime I will be watching my new recruits in the tick battle.  My new little Keets!

This morning I took them out of the brooder and put them into their own little pen located in a nice shady spot.

They seemed happy enough…

After watching them a bit I went back inside to work.  Awhile  later I went out to see this!

It was the welcoming committee!  Geese, chickens, and Claus had all come to inspect the new arrivals!

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Still later, I went out and found that the novelty had worn off…

Well, except for Topper!  It seems that the temptation to get a closer look had gotten the better of him, and now he couldn’t get out!  I took pity on him, went in, and rescued him from his folly.

“Whew, that was a close one… I didn’t think I was ever gonna get out!”  he whispered to Tippy as they strolled across the lawn.