IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 68

When Carl and I moved to Arkansas a long time ago we were told of ticks and to make sure we checked ourselves over before going to bed. Now we were aware of pests because New Jersey has the biggest greenhead flies and mosquitos both that bite.

Carl was a man with a light ruddy complexion and I myself  have an olive complexion.  I was constantly picking ticks off of him.

Every place on earth has its season when pests prevail certain times of the year and here in Arkansas has one of the least desired one when the ticks are “in”.

My mobile home is surrounded by Pine trees  and I believe that is their breeding spot. I don’t know this for certain but it’s as good guess as any.

My metal carport is close to the house so when I pull my car under it I don’t have to walk but a few steps to get to the ramp or steps to the porch to get in. The mobile home sits parallel to the woods which is only ten feet away and DIL’s dog Chili lays right at the edge of the woods so he can survey the woods for critters he might like to chase and still see me park.

The other day it was warm and windy and when I came in from the women’s Bible study.  As soon as I was under the carport and opened the door Chili was right there and put his head in my lap to be petted. He  loves the attention and I love to give it to him.

I always have a chore getting my groceries in because I have to stop close to the porch and open the trunk to get the groceries out and lift them on the porch which is about chest high. I then put the car under the carport and get out. I did all this and after petting Chili I came in and put the groceries away. I had lunch and sat down on the couch feeling completely exhausted. This little chore tires me out.

My shoulder had an itch on it where I couldn’t reach and after trying and trying I finally got up and got an old bamboo back scratchier we purchased many years when we lived in Southern California. Well I scratched and seemed to be reaching the spot okay and didn’t think much about it until later.

I was preparing for bed and my shoulder had an itch at the same spot (I certainly missed not having my bed buddy.) where I couldn’t see if anything was on my back shoulder. I finally got some rubbing alcohol and pour some on my shoulder so it could run over the spot I had been scratching relentlessly. I went to bed and didn’t think much about it. I awakened about two hours later and I was itching and itching so it was at that time I remembered Oh yes it’s tick season time.

I stood in front of the large bathroom mirror and held a small mirror to see if I could see anything. I used the back scratchier with and alcohol swab wedged in the prongs and I scratched away. I finally did see a black speck on my back and I doused  it good with alcohol because I did remember ticks do not like the stuff and they will retreat from the hold they have on you. I finally was making headway but I still could not reach it with my hand. I remembered I had a long tweezers  somewhere and after searching  I finally found it. I reached back using the wall mirror  and finally reached that pest with my extended fingers and pull it out. I still have a welt where it bit me but I don’t itch any more. I am much relieved and finally went back to bed. This process took an hour at least.

I am much annoyed with myself because I let myself be pestered all day and didn’t remember the solution as soon as I should. I guess age does have it’s limitations.

I have been enjoying watching the college March Madness basket ball down to the sweet sixteen. So far a couple of my favorites are still in the running. It has been such a good tournament that it is anybody's guess who will win.

I do enjoy watching sports. One thing for sure you won’t  see people disrobing and jumping in bed together. In the sports world baseball is beginning.  It is hard to keep up with that sport because they have increased their number of teams in the league that it isn’t interesting until it comes down to the World Series. It is impossible for me to remember them all so I wait until the series and then pick a team to root for.

I remember baseball of years past with fondness because it was when Carl came into my life then. Back then Dad always had a radio on for the customers that came into the restaurant. Baseball was very popular, and everyone liked to listen and young men and boys played on the local teams. I remember telling you that Dad hit the ball over the barn and broke the window in the doctor’s house and then ran back in the store and left my brothers to take the blame.

Needless to say our country was a good place to grow up. Getting back to my story. I was seventeen and asked out to go to a baseball game to see the Philadelphia A’s  play a night game. As fate would have it a sailor who came in the restaurant also asked me to go. I would have liked to go with him too so I had to think of how to go with both. I asked B the customer if he would not mind if Carl came with us if he had his own date and he said yes. You have to remember this was a small town and customers got to know each other because of conversation going on in the restaurant. You see a waitress couldn’t neglect or favor customers.

So a friend from school came to be Carl’s date. Customer B had the car so we all met in the restaurant so my Dad could see there were four of us going to the night game in Philadelphia. All four of us had a good time because the A’s won and we ate hotdogs and popcorn and rooted for the old home team.

The picture above is Jimmy Foxx who played for the A’s.

So whenever I hear the song “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” I have loving memories of the Lord letting me have the best of the ballgame and Carl too. I share these glimpses of my life for my children to look into my past of things I might not have shared with them. I can’t remember.

Until next time, I Am IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 47

I have to tell you I fell into a slump of not wanting to write or do anything or go anywhere. It seems as though my mind went completely blank. So rather than push myself I just stopped even trying. Well several of weeks have passed and my mind has kicked in and I have a story to tell you.

I was so eager to get up and get started that I spilled a full glass of orange juice that ran down the cabinet and splashed all over the floor in my small kitchen. I still do not have complete mobility of bending and walking without a walker or cane so clean up for me was quite an ordeal. I must have used a whole roll of paper towel and then had to wipe down the cabinet between the stove and the sidewall. Thank goodness for the use of a yardstick. After wiping the front of the cabinets I then used the yardstick with a dishcloth dipped in soapy water to get between the stove and cabinet. I then had to mop the floor. That itself was a chore for me, just picture the Tin Man trying to mop a floor and you will get a good laugh. If I could have taken a film of my self I would have because I know I laughed at my movements at that time. It took me several hours because I had to mop it twice because it was so sticky to walk on when it was dry. I usually have someone come in to clean the bathrooms and kitchen floor for me every two weeks and the phone rang at that moment saying she couldn’t come in that week. Oh well!

This is a new day and I called my doctor to find out if there was some kind of therapy I can get to help me walk and do my housework better than what I am doing. They happen to have had a cancellation that morning and offered it to me and I yelled yes I will, be there. The visit took a lot out of me and that only proves I do need help. It seems my right leg is a half - inch shorter than the left. That is the leg with the hip replacement. They gave me a few exercises to do at home until Medicare okay’s the program they issued for me. I will keep you posted on my progress. I feel better knowing there is something wrong with the progress of my healing and it not just me.

Another day passed and here I am again. I let both dogs in today feeling sorry for them because of the heat. We have a record heat wave going on. All week has been in the 100-degree range and more. Well I gave them fresh water which they gulped and food to help with all the water. And as I was sitting at the table watching they them plop on the floor after they ate I noticed a lot of dirt on the floor that they tracked in. Their paws usually are dirty but this was unusually dirty, it looked like poppy seeds all over the floor. I got up to get the broom and noticed that those I stepped on seemed to pop and then I got concerned. I never saw so many bugs come to life that quick in all my life. As I started to sweep them up I used my dustpan, which is white to pick them up and all of a sudden all the black seeds started to walk. As I said they looked like poppy seeds and would roll. Poor Scout and Chili got thrown out so fast that the poor dogs didn’t know what hit them.


I had to close the blind on the window that faces the porch because the dogs can see inside and if they see me they scratch the screen wanting to get in. I felt bad but not as bad as I would if I let more of all those little critters in.

I did not think they were ticks because usually you can’t pop ticks by just stepping on them. Does anyone have any idea what these critters are? I sprayed the whole carpet because they had to walk on it to get to the kitchen. My kitchen floor looks like a war zone with blood spots all over it. My DIL came in and wondered why I had a sign on the door saying don’t let the dogs in. I told her my tale of woe with what I went through with the dogs and she said without even seeing them; ”Oh they are seed ticks”, so now I know. I did not know that seed ticks were soft and would roll.

I am not a squeamish individual but I am glad to know what I am up against. I saw an article in a magazine about hotels being infested with bedbugs and without realizing it people are carrying them home and it left me feeling yucky thinking of all the motels we were in recently.

Each new day has its’ own surprises and I will keep you posted on this and other surprises that occur in my life, until then I am Immigrant Daughter