Let the Tick Wars Begin!

Very small life forms & I seem to frequently be doing battle. Today it is the ticks. I went to Petco to check out what they had available to de-tick the bathroom. So many choices.

I told Dave what happened & asked for a recommendation. I left with this Vet's Best Flea + Tick Home Spray for Cats; Dave said if it didn't work to bring it back for a full refund. The on-line reviews are mixed; people either love it or hate it.

As I was leaving Petco a woman came up to me; it was cousin Mona! She was there as a volunteer with the Hawaiian Humane Society at a pet adoption event. The dog she was assigned to had been adopted so she was now just helping with the other animals. I spent about half an hour talking with her ... and avoiding the tick removal work ahead of me.

I have been keeping the door closed to keep the cats out and the light on to keep the ticks in that bathroom. (Ticks will move towards light if they are in a dark place.) I go in every so often so there is the smell of a potential food source in there. I have cleaned out the easy to reach places. Now I need to get to the part behind the toilet. It can most effectively be reached from inside the shower. The nice thing about ticks is that, unlike fleas, they don't home in on you & start moving towards you. They sit at the top of a blade of grass or leaf on a shrub or the edge of the shower stall with 2 of their front legs raised up, waiting for something to brush against them. And in an environment where almost everything is light colored they are extremely easy to spot. I haven't found any new ticks since Friday, but I haven't completed the deep clean of the bathroom yet.

From the shower, looking at the area behind the toilet.

On a more positive note, I decided to check out some of the other items at Kokua Market. I picked up a box of Milkadamia today; it is basically macadamia nut milk. Upon further reading, I found that although the macadamia nuts are sustainably grown, Milkadamia also has a large carbon footprint. The nuts are grown in Australia, shipped to Illinois for processing, then shipped here. I guess I had been hoping that it was produced here. And like the other nut-based non-dairy milk alternatives it has a relatively low amount of protein per 8 ounce serving, 1 gram. In comparison, the Ripple pea milk has 8 grams, most soy milk has 7 grams, & whole cow's milk has 8 grams. If I was just looking for something to put on my cereal it would be okay, but I am trying to find a source of protein to use before I go on my morning walk so the higher protein level is important.

I also got a bag of Lotus Foods' arare, it's made with heirloom brown rice and black rice. I thought it would be a safe carbon footprint purchase since there is a lot of arare made in the US. But no, while it distributed by a California company, it is a product of Thailand; it's probably the black rice. I guess if I read the name more closely, Sweet & Savory Thai Arare Rice Crackers, I would have seen that. But it is sustainably grown in southeast Asia using the More Crop Per Drop practices and also supports women growers. Other positives are that it is made with gluten-free soy sauce & has no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. 

This is what they look like out of the bag. This is one serving (40 pieces) = 120 calories.

Chibi had gotten very chummy with Dad. Usually she sleeps on the corner of his bed. But over the last week or so she has been spending more time snuggling up to Dad.

Shot of the monitor showing Chibi snuggling up to Dad.

Happy Birthday to Rep. McCoy & cousin Aimee!