We manage to get things straightened out pretty quickly here. The kayak swap has been made and everyone has their own back in place; the errant raft off the lower east shore of the big pond has apparently been secured; wildlife is circulating normally - a deer on Narrows Drive and one on our lawn here at W. Shore Road; the black flies have been joined by mosquitoes and deer flies making life miserable for humans and animals alike. Our son, Bob, went up into our woods this afternoon with Cheree, his dog, and when he got back he said the ticks were rampant. He got six or eight off his pant legs and removed two or three from Cheree. We haven't walked in the woods for a couple of years now, not altogether because of ticks, but that is certainly what's keeping me from enjoying our woods now. Bob had sprayed his pantlegs and the dog before leaving here, but even so, the ticks found both of them.

By Butch Bouchard, 4:45 p.m. 6/17/19/

On a much  more cheerful note, I just had a message from Gretchen Farnsworth saying the loons were making a racket and when she got out the glasses, she could see there is a chick. She wrote a little later that the mother loon was back on the nest on the island, so Gretchen thinks there may be another egg to hatch soon. She will keep us posted. That IS GOOD NEWS! I was worried that the nest on the island would prove to be disastrous for our loon pair, but apparently they found a good spot and water fluctuations with all the rain we had earlier didn't bother them that much.
Here's a picture of the baby hitching a ride - Butch Bouchard (Sandy Beach Road) sent this a few minutes ago - he took it at about 4:45 p.m. today (Monday). Pretty darn cool! So now we remind people to be extra careful when out on the water not to go too close to the loon family - always be on the lookout for them, and give them space.

In case you aren't familiar with ticks - here is a LINK to a page that may help you identify and remove them safely. Ticks are not something to take lightly. Twenty years ago or less, it was fairly rare for us to find ticks here, but now they are rampant. Not all of them carry Lyme Disease, but please don't take any chances. If you feel you have been bitten, best to go to a doctor and even if you don't have the "bullseye" rash or may test negative, try to get treatment with antibiotics - just in case.  Vermont Digger has an interesting article you should read regarding Lyme Disease and mistreatment.

You do't have to go into the woods to be a target for ticks - long grass, brush, almost any place you go they could be waiting for you. So check whenever you have been outside - and check you animals for them, too.