Barefoot Sisters, Ticks, and Friday the 13th Karma

I have so much more to talk about than what is below, but what I am posting is some practical advice for health and safety this spring. I have been reading Barefoot Sisters, about two sisters who hike the Appalachian Trail barefoot, living off of nuts, seeds, and the land. They are the original hunter/gatherers, and I can't help but think of Rice's Maharet and Mekare. To my friends Nellie Blue, Carol Josten and Linda Cox, Happy Birthday today! The date with the Full Moon have combined to make this a miserable day for me, full of bad and odd things happening, but these two, shall pass.

It is also Good Friday for those of us who belong to The Greek Orthodox Church, so Kali Anastasi and Kallo Pascha!

Read below:

Ticks can carry the organisms that cause Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Ehrlichiosis. Everyone needs to start protecting themselves against tick bites. For information on how to prevent tick bites and tick removal when a bite does occur, please review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention information at www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_people.html. For guidelines on the safe use of insect repellants, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/idph_universalhelp/main.aspx?system=IdphEpiManual&context=DEET_factsheet. The most common tick-borne disease in Iowa is Lyme disease; 85 cases of Lyme disease were reported to IDPH in 2011.The most diagnostic and earliest sign of infection is a rash that may appear within a few days to a month, usually at the site of the tick bite. The rash will first look like a small, red bump, then expand until it begins to look like a bull’s eye, with a red center and a red ring surrounding a clear area. Unfortunately, this rash does not appear in everyone. For more information on Lyme disease, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/idph_universalhelp/main.aspx?system=IdphEpiManual&context=Lyme_Disease_factsheet.

Be safe and enjoy the great outdoors.