Pests and Pestilence

It is well into Summer and the ticks (fästning in Swedish) seem to be winning the game.

Current Score

Ticks 5
Chris/Lily/Zoey 0

Two things are wrong with that score. First, that my name is up there. Second, that TJ's name is not. I've already described the tick that we tweezed off Zoey several weeks back. New scores were posted during our Midsommar excursion.

You see, in Tanum, where we were, there are walking paths. And those walking paths pass through forests. And in those forests, lying in wait, are ticks. Lots of ticks. We picked quite a few ticks off the dogs while we were there. Then, we came home. And, the ticks appeared.

We got back in early evening. I showered. And found the first tick...on me. And, I'm almost too embarrassed to tell you where it was. Almost. It was on my nipple. No, I have no idea how it got there. But, it was attached. And quite content, suckling, as it were. And so, I can only say that the image of TJ coming towards me with a pair of [heated] tweezers is not a pleasant one. And, yes, I am monitoring the area to make sure no telltale ring appears. Lyme disease is present here in Sweden.

The next day, an even scarier discovery. A tick on Lily. On her eyelid. I had to wait until TJ got home so we could both deal with this tiny terror. Lily is one of the most patient (and gentle) dogs in the world. Two more ticks, the last one 5 full days after our return. Hopefully the last. It hasn't scared us from venturing into the woods. We'll just be better prepared.

On to another recurrent pest. The rats at the Otter House. Two nights ago, as I was walking the dogs out the front of the building, a rat ran right in front of the door. Oh dear god, they are relocating to our building! Nooooo! Stay across the street at the Otter House!

I did, however, make a discovery that puts my mind at ease. As I mentioned, the dogs relieve themselves in the back yard of the Otter House. A week or so ago, Zoey started eating something off the ground. When I finally discovered what it was I was horrified. It was a pellet. As in a rat pellet. As in rat poop. Needless to say, I kept her away from the pellets as best I could. No sense having her contract bubonic plague or a rat version of Hanta virus. Yes, I do worry about these things, even if the possibility is remote.

All that worry for naught. Yesterday, I took the girls over to the Otter House. As we rounded the corner into the back yard, a giant rabbit bounded away. It was a ridiculously large rabbit. I did wonder how those small rats could produce such large-looking poop pellets. Now, I had my answer. It was the giant rabbit! So, as I explained to TJ, I no longer worry about the dogs eating the rabbit pellets. A supplemental food source, right? Somehow, TJ does not share my viewpoint on this. He even questions the existence of the giant rabbit. I know what I saw. It was there. A big, hinking rabbit. What else could it have been? Does Lyme disease cause hallucinations?

UPDATE: TJ has seen the rabbit! He described it as huge. I'm vindicated! And not crazy. Well, not that crazy.