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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Enjoying the milder days...but, remember....








Pssst, come over my friend,
take a word to the wise,
here in Washington's cool, wet clime
the dangerous tick never dies.

Put your pants in your socks
when you walk the trail,
play in yards, climb mountains,
or dance in green dale!

Wear lighter clothing
so you can see
if one little tick
took a ride on thee.

Check one another
when you come home at night.
Look in folds, behind ears...
in your hair? Yes they might!

Maybe you've heard of
a disease called Lyme,
and other infections that,
left for a time,
can cripple your body
and cripple your mind.

It rips apart families
and drains our government dime.

My friend, the little tick causes Lyme.

Educate yourself and
KEEP WASHINGTON FINE!

8 comments:

Mizu Sugimura said...

Have you written a song to go with this? There's some kind of melody already going as you read it. As I am a musically fuddy-duddy, I hear something like Arlo Guthrie or his dad. Maybe it's the economy.

Lorraine Hart said...

Oh how I'd love to get Arlo to come and sing a song about Lyme in Washington! LOL!

I just thought that, giving the same nudge all the time, I could give it a different twist and catch people's ears. It's so mild here that ticks live all year round...in your wood pile...leaves, etc. Lots of folks think everything dies in winter.

Stephanie Frieze said...

Hey, Arlo will be in this neck of the woods in March at a high school in Kent and then at a theater in Bellingham. The Kent show is cheaper and easier of course.

Winter isn't over yet. We'll hope that we get a freeze that kills some of the buggers!

Lorraine Hart said...

That's what I'm saying Stephanie...they do not get frozen to death. It stays all nice and cozy under mulch, beauty bark, wood-piles...getting my drift here? There is no time to NOT be vigilant, especially with our little kids at nightly bath-time. It sets a lifetime habit of knowing how to be in nature with our eyes wide open.

Washington has the highest numbers of MS in the country...we believe some of those numbers, if not many, are actually Lyme (and other tick-borne infections) disease. We firmly believe, with education about Lyme, we can save many families from having to deal with chronic illness. Thanks for helping me keep the conversation going my friends!

Kim Thompson said...

What is Lyme movement saying about pets? I mean, I go through my dog's fur and look around in there, but are there any special recommendations for our animal friends?

Lorraine Hart said...

A daily tick check is needed because, yes, our dogs and cats can get Lyme disease and Babesia, which is particularly hard. There's a lot of information for pet owner's about it on the net. I'll ask Anna for some specific links for you and any other readers interested.

Lorraine Hart said...

http://dogsandticks.com/

Here's a link for you Kim...and for any other dog owners.

We make sure to use Advantix...whichever you use, make sure it includes tick protection as well as flea protection.

Just as you would check a human, you check your animals. With long hair, take sections and comb back so you get a good look at anything that might be on the skin...or working its way down to it.

Anna and I hope to make a youtube soon, with a demonstration of how to look in the hair.

Kim Thompson said...

Very cool and informative. The meds we are using (different brand) does protect from ticks. This is good.

I think a video would be great. You could post it here.