They’s ticks in them hills

I think I’ve never seen so many ticks; they are in the woods, in the field, in the yard, in the berry patches, in the trees, in the grass. I saw a recent message- board post on the computer, complaining about somewhere out west…. Seems this guy was finding hundreds of ticks while hiking; I didn’t see anything like that. Still, there were more ticks crawling on me than I was accustomed to. I was pondering the reasons why there seems to be so many ticks; I guess it could be global warming. Space aliens seem unlikely, and communist plots are not as threatening as they once were. Maybe our assault on biodiversity has diminished some important tick- predators. Whatever; the ticks were a good excuse to stay out of the woods. I forgot to bring my sun- hat, so I should avoid too much heat and bright sunshine. Lots of birds were out and very busy, so they required watching. Church with the cousins didn’t start until 9 and then there was a sendoff for the pastor who was being replaced. It’s amazing how many reasons require me to avoid work. Oh well, I’ll just recycle my To- Do list… maybe that is a good conservation practice. I was touched by that church visit; I hadn’t been inside there for a long time… it was coming home, and there was a communion service. Mostly it was family, and it was a relaxed and informal atmosphere. Whenever I enter that little church, I think of my grandfather’s funeral there. It is not troubling thought, just a memory that always comes to me. Beside the road this morning, a pair of quail flushed and flew away together… another half- century- old memory… my grandfather was a bird hunter and would save quail to feed me when I visited.