Ticks

Just in the short time I was out taking pictures yesterday I had 5 ticks attach themselves to my clothing. Fortunately none of those attached to my person. But, I have already in the past week removed 3 that were attached. A wood tick and a deer tick along my hair line, and a wood tick at the top of my head in my part. They are THICK this year and the Revolution that I've always used (only in the spring for ticks) is NOT working!

Things you may not have known about ticks.

https://www.dhhs.nh.gov/media/pr/2017/05162017-tick-season.htm

http://www.nh1.com/news/beware-as-ticks-in-nh-awaken-from-hibernation-early-due-to-warmer-weather/

https://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/resource000528_rep1451.pdf

http://sonh.mosquitosquad.com/tick-identification-pictures-southern-nh/

This is from 2010, but it is still appropriate as we have a had a bumper acorn crop in the last 2 years. More acorns=more mice=more ticks.
http://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/pest-articles/the-year-of-the-tick/

Taken from the link above-Health and insect experts are calling it a perfect storm of conditions coming together to create a tick population explosion - lack of acorns and the mild winter. Specifically, the mild winter has allowed ticks, much like other insects to thrive and emerge earlier than usual. As for the acorns, oak trees produced an extremely large acorn crop in 2010, which led to a boom in the white-footed mouse population last year.

As a result, the blacklegged (deer) tick population also increased because ticks had an abundance of mice to feed on when they hatched. However, this spring those same ticks will be looking for their next blood meal and since mice will be in short-supply, the ticks will turn to the next best thing - humans!

Life on the farm. Picture heavy.

Between my shoulder pain, and now fighting pneumonia,

I may not be able to do much on the farm. But, I can take

pictures and blog about it. ;)

Golden Comet chicks.

I bought 24 hens and got a RI red rooster.

 2 new to us, but very old girls.

Their owner could no longer care for them.

They are being held separate from the flock 

until they get used to us and get sheared.

 One big pig and one tiny pig sleeping on their 

pallet bed. The other three were sleeping in the

dirt next to a stump. The sun was too bright to

get a good picture.

 Big pig and little pig.

 There is about 6 weeks difference in age.

As you can see below she is quite a bit smaller.

She is 2 weeks younger than the smaller two.

 They get a handful of donuts daily just to make it

easier to get them in the horse trailer when it is time to go.

 What?! No donuts for us?

Silly sheep! They get the bagels the pigs won't eat.

 The chickens are living in what was originally built 

as a greenhouse. The grain bags are blocking the 

windows and cutting down on the heat in the summer, 

and cutting any extra breeze in the winter.

 Hilary and Michelle....

I may have to change their names.

Not that they know them...

The boys.

My poor van!!

Yes, it has been dinged and scratched by mailboxes 

that have attacked it in the 5 years I've delivered with it, 

but never has it had a tree fall on it.

Hubby was napping in his chair and I was napping on

the bed when SNAP! BANG! we heard the tree break 

off and hit my car!

Even though he came home sick himself yesterday,

he went out in the rain with the chainsaw to cut the

tree off my car so I can go out and get grain today.

 It dented the rack and right above the window.

(I will find out today if the window will close.)

It put a new, larger dent in the side door, and took

2 stripes of paint off the front door under the handle.

I will find out today after the junk car guy comes to 

get my old Jeeps if there is any other damage when

I try to drive it away.

Thank God for junk vehicles to sell. Now I will have

grain for the crew for hopefully another month.

Now for the customer for the Kia to come pay for that

and to haul it off. That will pay for hay for another month.

And if the tree did a lot more damage than we can see,

YEAH! As the car is fully covered under insurance

because of delivering mail and his shearing jobs.