Get off me, tick monster!

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Last weekend, a tick bit me. I did all the wrong things when removing it: bursting its stomach, pulling too fast and leaving its head behind, messing and messing with it until the bite became a wound. I had to send its body to a lab in Rhode Island. They confirmed it was a deer tick, female, partially fed, but all tests for diseases (including Lyme) came back negative. I’m thankful, though nervous now in the grass – I feel shrunk, with those nasty bugs looming large and hungry, wanting to feast on me.

Jenna Beaulieu

About Jenna Beaulieu

Jenna is a writer and fine art photographer who recently moved from the Saint John Valley region to the quiet side of Mount Desert Island. She’s a fan of excellent music, homemade gravy, and colored pencils (also, short books and long books, good pens, flannel, and when the June bugs don’t really come out much that year). For more about Jenna and her work, visit her website at www.jennabeaulieu.com