We Poison Our Pets

We purchase poison and pour it over our pets.  And we do it on a regular basis.  We are also CHEAP pet poisoners, so we search the internet for the cheapest poison and use that.  We are bad people.

Because I am lazy, I don't like trying to carefully remove ticks from our pets.  ( What an indictment, lazy and cheap.)  You have to hold them still and comb all the hair away from the attached insect.  Then you have to use tweezers to grasp the tick at the attachment site, grab it and pull it out.  If it has been there for a while it may be stuck in there tightly, so keep pulling until it comes out. You also have to be careful not to squeeze the body of the tick.  You don't want the contents of the tick squeezed back into the pet.   Then go buy poison so you don't have to do that again!

   

I use the Frontline Plus for dogs and also for cats.  Do not mix these up.  Cats and dogs are not interchangeable and neither are their meds. 

Flea and tick preventers are not cheap.  I also give the dog heartworm preventative.  These add up, but it is cheaper than dealing with diseases carried by these insects.  Or getting fleas in the house.

The strange thing is that we get ticks, but I haven't seen a single flea since we moved here.

   

I also use Equi-Spot for horses.  Have you ever seen a horse in the field with a face full of flies?  If the owner just knew to put on some Equi-Spot, they will fly-free for at least two weeks.

A lot of people just buy the Frontline and Heartguard from the veterinarian when they bring their pets in for "service".  It's easy and convenient...and pricey!  There are a lot of sites online where you can buy these meds, but I use Joe's Pet Meds.  They are about half the cost that I would spend at the vet and they are mailed to my house.  No vet visit required.  The strange thing is that they seem to come from New Zealand.  I don't see how that makes for a less expensive product, but it does.

   

I wish they could make a similar product for humans.  I would love to put goop on the back of my neck once a month ( so I don't lick it off) and then not have to spray myself with OFF! every time I venture outside.  I don't like finding the odd tick crawling on me or imbedded in my own personal flesh.

I presume it is because humans live a lot longer than dogs and they do not know what would happen with long term use.  And because you buy the product based on weight, and women would buy a much smaller size than they really need, and then it wouldn't work!

Berry Picking Techniques

There is a technique to picking wild blackberries.  Fisrt you have to dress in long sleeves and long pants.  My sister-in-law recommends chaps and I think this would be appropriate.  I currently look like I am a heroin addict.  Puncture wounds all over me.  I use a floppy Coolibar hat to help with the sun issue on face and neck. 

                         

Then you have to use sunscreen on all exposed areas.  Then spray all openings with OFF!  I did that yesterday and forgot today.  After two hours of picking I found 4 ticks on my person.  I KNEW I should have gone back and sprayed myself as soon as I remembered, but I didn't.  You have to accept the consequences of your actions.  I just hope the consequences don't include Lyme disease!

                        

The blackberries ripen at different times, so there will be small green buds and orange and red berries all the way to the very dark black berries.  Don't pick any but the black ones as they will be very sour.  Some look like raspberries and so pretty.  Do not be tempted.

Gently grasp the berry and sort of roll it with your fingers.  If it comes off easily, it is ripe.  Don't force it.  It is exciting (small town, small pleasures) to find a whole CLUMP of ripe ones.  If that happens I place my light weight plastic picking bowl under the cane and roll all the berries right into it.  This also gets you fewer pokes in the backs of your arms as you reach in to pick and back out to drop the berry in the bowl.  If at all possible push the bowl under the berry. 

                        

I use my left hand and leg to push the thorns away from my which is why it has the most wounds....er...badges of honor!  I also stomp quite a bit as I want to let any snakes in there know that I am coming so they can move off.  Don't like snakes.

Virginia has rattlesnakes and cottonmouths and other poisonous snakes.  I grew up in the mountains and deserts of California and have had pet snakes.  I have killed and skinned rattlesnakes.  But I don't like them and would prefer to avoid them.  We have only seen black snakes.  We like black snakes because they eat other snakes.  They can leave a nasty bite, though.  Hence the stomping.

Then it is just a matter of perservering.  It hasn't really gotten hot, yet.  That all ends tomorrow, so I am glad I have two batches of jam under my belt.  I mean, in my pantry.

When you pick, you tend to wander along the berry patches.  I ended up about 10 acres from where Lee was using the tractor.  I hadn't seen the dog in quite some time.  Then I heard a sound behind me.  It sounded sort of like a combination of a snort and a cough.  My horse makes that sound when she is startled and unhappy about it.  We have quite a few deer living on our farm.  I was fairly close to the last place I had seen a doe and her spotted fawn.  I thought maybe she was warning me off.

Then I wondered if I could be intruding on a bear feeding on the berries.  I thought that I had read somewhere about bears making that sort of sound.

I thought I would drive to another part of the farm to pick berries.  Lots of berries.  No point in crowding somebody!

Two Hours Max

I have decided that 2 hours is the maximum amount of hard physical labor that I can do in a day. It helps to have been a bit of a slug the day before. I had hoped that working this hard would mean I could lighten up on the dietary restrictions. You know, have some bread or a glass or two of wine. Well, no. I have gained a few pounds and I need to get into a Mother of the Bride type dress in a few months, so I dare not let this outrage stand! Back to veggies and unsweet tea.

If someone went to the gym and worked out for two hours you would think that they could eat what they wanted, but I guess when you are fifty... mumble.. you don't get to do that. SO back to the yard work. Or maybe I should say farm work.




This time I got smart and sprayed myself all over with OFF!. It says it repels ticks and I sure hope it works. I am not a big fat baby about them, but they do embed their little, disease carrying heads in your flesh and suck your blood. So it is not too weenie-ish to want them to stay outside and suck on something else. I have been checking the dog and cats because even with the Frontline ticks can get them, too.

After two hours of clearing, raking, hacking and sawing I came in and inspected myself. Now I am over fifty and not a former Supermodel, so this is an unpleasant task at the best of times. When I find a tick if is even more so. But I have to put on my big girl panties and do it...not granny panties. I am not THAT old.

So far the OFF! is working just fine. I had sprayed around my ankle, wrists, waist and where my long sleeved shirt buttoned before leaving the house, and it seems to have been successful. Yay, OFF! Guess I gotta get a case.




After the work on the drive, RJ was riding with me back up the hill to the house. We both spotted a turkey in the field ahead of us. I slowed down because he is famous for jumping out of a moving vehicle to chase things off "his" property. He has twice torn off a toenail while doing so. Then we have to keep him from bleeding all over the house. (Don't you love the high tech bandage of an old sock and duct tape?) Not to mention the vet bill and trying to get him to take the antibiotics.




So naturally he ran off, chased the turkey into these woods and came back panting, yet proud. Once again he has saved us from the deadly invasion of wild turkeys. Wish he could do something about the ticks. Something that doesn't involve bringing them in the house on his flesh and having me pull them out and flush them. Where did I put those big girl panties, again?