Bright Idea Outdoors Weblog

A Pirate Looks at 39

It will be just over a year yet before I turn 40, but this song, performed by Jimmy Buffet at Nissan Pavilion in 2006, pretty much sums up how I feel. . .

 

Deer Dropping Like Flies in Northern Virginia Yards

It's just amazing how many dead deer are turning up on lawns all over Northern Virginia.  After removing deer carcasses for several area homeowners last fall, my dead deer hotline phone stopped ringing over the winter.  But business picked back up in the spring and has been booming for the last few weeks.

This evening, it was an Alexandria resident who found herself in need of my services.  Her house wasn't hard to find; I could smell the decaying deer from two blocks away.

The lady said she found me after Google searching dead deer removal.  Who says you can't make money blogging!

Living in Exile

Some of you may remember that my dog Rocky was banished do Camp Cowboy following an ugly incident last November. 

I don't care to relive that difficult episode, so if you want to know more, you'll have to refer to my archives.  In the meantime, Rocky is alive and well, living the good life down on the farm.  In some ways, I think he's happier there, although he still heads straight for the door of my truck every time I pull up, wagging his tail as if to say:  "I'm ready to come home now."

He'll actually be coming to stay with us for a week or so soon, and part of me hopes that the return will be permanent.  This week though, he and I are getting the opportunity to hang out together while I tend to the horses.

 

Random Notes on a Rainy Monday

Rainy day today; same thing for tomorrow.  It's cool, like the day of my dad's memorial service, and I have to admit I like this kind of weather.  I enjoyed what I'm sure will be one of the final cool wet days of the season before the onset of summer heat and humidity. . .

My mom mentioned something yesterday that made me stop and think: what if the oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico can't be stopped?

"All the oceans are connected," she said.  "This might really be the end."

I hadn't thought about that and have tried not to since. . .

But just in case this isn't the end, I've got a lot of work to do.  Some of it, I actually enjoy; feeding horses, cutting grass, termite inspections, and my favorite, dead deer removal.  Other things--staining my fence comes to mind; my truck needs new brakes; and there's a ceiling fan I've been putting off fixing for about three years--are a little harder to bring myself to tackle. . .

I've also found a renewed joy in the game of baseball.  I loved the sport as a kid--both playing and watching--but somehow let myself drift away from it.  Now that one of my sons is playing baseball (pretty well, I might add) I've returned to the first sport I ever really enjoyed.  I'm fortunate enough to be helping coach his team, and I watch at least part of almost every Nationals game.

That's what I'm getting ready to do right now. . .

Maybe I can get some work done while I'm watching. . .

If the world doesn't end before the seventh inning stretch, that is. . .

Lyme Disease Update

Some interesting information on Lyme disease from a Virginia health care professional:

Dear Colleague,

I am writing to let you know about Virginia's upsurge in Lyme disease cases and to share some resources. As we move forward into another spring, it is important to remember that ticks become more active with warmer weather, increasing the risk of tick-borne disease in your patients. While several types of tick-borne disease (including Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever) are found here, Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infection reported in Virginia.

Since 2000, VDH has witnessed a steady increase in the number of newly identified Lyme disease cases. In 2007, Lyme disease increased dramatically and has remained high since that time. This increase has followed a pattern of progressive geographic spread of Lyme activity southward and westward from northern regions of the state, part of an overall expansion in the eastern United States. Most cases occur during the late spring and early summer with illness onset most likely to occur in June, July and August.

This expansion of Lyme disease in Virginia has created an increase in public interest and concern. Virginians in some areas of the Commonwealth have worked with their elected officials to sponsor legislative proposals and community town hall meetings to address some of their concerns. No Lyme disease legislative proposals were enacted into law this year though several were proposed. The Virginia Department of Health is actively working with these efforts to provide sound scientific information to help inform public knowledge. Your local health director (contact information is at http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/) is able to update you on local community town hall meetings.

Particularly throughout this spring and summer, I encourage you to maintain a heightened vigilance for detecting Lyme disease in your patients. Common symptoms of Lyme disease include the following:



Lyme disease is a preventable illness. Please encourage your patients to follow those practices that will decrease their risk of acquiring Lyme disease such as proper clothing when outdoors, use of repellants, and prompt removal of ticks. For more information on Lyme disease in Virginia, you can review a presentation titled, "Lyme Disease Tracking and Prevention in Virginia" at: http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/epidemiology/DEE/Vectorborne/HCPs.

As always, be sure to report Lyme disease to your local health department. Your reporting is critical as it allows us to track the ongoing spread of this infection throughout Virginia. Thank you for all you are doing to keep Virginians healthy and active during this beautiful time of year!


Sincerely,



Karen Remley, MD, MBA, FAAP

For more information on how to protect your family against deer ticks and Lyme disease contact me at (703)431-0182 or email outdoorblogger@verizon.net.

First Lady Unveils Plan to Fight Childhood Obesity

First Lady Michelle Obama has unveiled her plan to fight childhood obesity.  Government-mandated physical fitness and nutritional standards are interesting concepts, but the Obamas shouldn't take credit for coming up with the ideas.

Imagine how thin we would all be if we were forced to get our food the way this guy does!

Mid-May Update

Hard to believe that Memorial Day weekend is less than three weeks away.  Spring is always a busy time of year, both at work and with the family, and it goes by so quick.  Looks like we've missed out on yet another turkey season, but we did at least get a chance to fish a little recently.

These pictures are more than a week old but still worth posting here.

 
Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to the holiday weekend at the end of the month and the traditional start of the summer season.  I wrote last year that I like the second half of the year much more than the first; then, the last six months of '09 didn't go so well for me.  The first part of 2010 hasn't been much easier, so I'm hopeful that the summer and fall of this year will bring a change in my luck.