Ticks! That's what today (June 20, 2021) means to me.

Today I will take it slow and try to stay inside as much as possible.
Yesterday I've been bitten by a tick again. Two weeks earlier it was the first time in my entire life. It's a myth ticks are brought to us by dogs or cats. Ticks, just like mites, are spiders living outside, in "high" grass. You find them on children's playgrounds, in forests, the dunes, your garden.

About 10 years ago the 'Souther tick' (like it was called with us) arrived in our country. It killed many dogs, was found at several places and a good reason for me not to go to the forest in Rhenen again and no longer go to a recreation place (water and sand) where it was spotted. That might sound weird to you but I do not like to put life at a risk and Lyme disease is not a disease to be ignored. Pain, sleepiness is something one can live with. Many do especially women and the elderly. But you can get paralysed too. Paralyzed by a tick's bite a stupid bacteria that lives on... birds!

It can take long before you notice symptoms. If they say "keep a close eye on yourself for 3 months," this likely means one year or even longer. Symptoms are not different from many other diseases. Most likely the doctor will not recognize it and test you for Covid-19.

The ideas, versions about how long it takes for a tick to dig itself into its prey differ from what you read and my own experiences tell a different story. There are more than one species of these parasites. Parasites without an enemy where I live. Interesting is not much investigation is done to kill them. Some fungus could be the enemy. In some countries, birds and tortoises seem to consume them.

I read 90% of dogs are immune to the bacteria causing Lyme. They can be infected but not get ill. That's not different from being positive tested with a coronavirus but not having Covid-19 or being HIV positive but not having Aids or having the herpes virus but not having Herpes and so on. We live with many viruses and bacteria without getting ill. As long as nature has a certain balance it's no problem.
Dogs, cats, horses are all vulnerable if it comes to ticks, actually, these spiders jump on every vertebrate. The fact you do not notice ticks doesn't mean they do not exist where you live.

It's years ago I walked barefoot, did lay on the grass or sat on it. Playgrounds are no longer safe for children. The number of ticks is increasing and there are different reasons for it. Winters aren't cold enough, too many hosts (more people, more animals...) and no enemy taking care of the overpopulation of ticks.

It's a myth ticks hide in high grass only. You don't kill ticks by mowing your grass plus in forests, dunes and at children's playgrounds high grass, even grass is rare. Ticks don't need grass to survive but a host. Animals and humans. I have seen ticks crawl over the walls of our house. Therefore we try to avoid sitting or lean against it. In some countries, they sell sprays that kill mosquitoes and ticks. If these sprays work I wonder why ticks cannot be killed. Why nothing can be done to reduce the high number of these parasites which clearly do not belong here. I get tired of wearing farm boots 24/7, never be able to sit outside and all those sprays cause me allergies.

Worried about your cat?
They seem to be stronger, more immune than dogs. The fact you do not see a tick doesn't mean your pet is not bitten by one. A tick can be a slow eater or a fast one. They say it can take 12 hours till days till it's filled and leaves its host. Some will not notice they are bitten, to others it's itchy but out of the experience, I can tell you it can hurt too.

If with us, a country with four seasons, ticks get active as soon as the temperature is above 7°C I wonder how other countries, those with two seasons only deal with it. The only reason I can think of is in those countries the enemy of ticks exists. This fungus they mention or some other enemy needed to fight plagues caused by this parasite.
To me, it's a miracle there is not much research done and we are told to live with it. If all life matters, if we are so caring how come we do not care about an increasing health issue that can be avoided? Or is mutation of a coronavirus the only threat in a human's (and animal's) life because it scares the hell out of way more people which benefits a handful of people and makes a big reset possible?

It sounds to me if it comes to health we have to take care of ourselves in the first place. This pandemic was a good test for it. Doctors' offices remained closed. We are forced to use internet more than ever. The place where we can find answers, tips and advice. Good or bad advice so search on, think and use your common sense.
What happened can not be changed. A tick can be removed. No twisting but pull it out in one firm movement. Disinfect the wound and hope for the best. An entirely removed tick is no guarantee for not getting ill and one whose head remains behind doesn't need to give you Lyme disease. No tick is the same neither are people.

According to some ticks seem to prefer a certain type of body. I read about it and to be honest I find it hard to believe I belong to that group of people with a low pH level ticks love so much. Why? I drink over 4 litres of water, do not use medication, rarely drink coffee (never a strong one). I am not a smoker, drinker or sweet tooth and my amount of carbohydrates is limited just like gluten. If you ask me a tiny spider like a tick just grabs what passes by. After all, it needs to live and feels the urge to multiply.

The world outside is dangerous. At times it is hard to see the beauty of it. Today I noticed my tomato plants are taken over by aphids and ants are crawling around the pepper plants. I treated them with clover and cinnamon and will see how much damage they will do to my tiny plants. The tomato plants already have tiny roots. Warm weather and humidity are attractive for aphids they say.

I don't want ants living in the roots of my plant and keeping aphids for their benefit. In the next few days, I'll see what it looks like and if nothing changes I will take the plant and dig it into the ground somewhere else.

Today I am scared. The world outside my window looks nice, inviting but can be dangerous and change your life from one moment to the next. If it comes to fear... I fear the side-effects of ticks way more than the coronavirus or any flu.

This is my entry to the CCC contest hosted by @freedomshift. See: https://steemit.com/ccc/@freedomshift/what-does-today-mean-to-you-win-upvotes-sbd-steem-trx-and-more-ccc-4-02

I invite @heartbeat1515 @mgaft1 @sarix @marblely and @gracieux to join too.