Living in the Ozarks

Chiggers, and ticks, and rain.....Oh my!

The year 2025 has been a very, very rainy season for Marcella Arkansas and The Ridge. I have now completed about two weeks of living here full time and managing the property. Earlier in the year I was talking to the pool inspector who is a wealth of knowledge, and he told me that Arkansas is essentially a very short amount of rainfall from being considered a rain forest. I believe him. I started venturing out into the woods of the property and have discovered many things.

I have always loved a creek and that is the last view here I am working on. The woods are heavily covered in greenery and dead trees from years past. Being the middle of spring and summer heat along with the rain has made the clearing a little adventurous to say the least. I cleared a small path in about an hour and got to the creek. Once I got there the water was beautiful but the fear of snakes through the greenery stopped me right there. I looked up and around and all that was there was more heavy greenery and rotted wood. I came back the way I came and at least felt somewhat accomplished. I made my way back to the clearing and decided I needed to work on that in the fall or winter like my husband had said was best. I also decided that his equipment was better suited to at least give me a better head start. Later that night I started itching in all kinds of areas like under my knees, right at the beginning of my shoulder, on my belt line, and on my side. I am not allergic to anything I know of and being from Texas I have had my fair share of bug bites, but this was like an invasion! I looked like I had acne in everything but my face! I took a shower and noticed I had some attachments as well. Ticks............I have not seen a tick since I was about 12 years old living in the country town of Concord. I pulled two of them suckers off me and they actually left a welp. I thought for sure I am to die of Lyme disease as a result of choosing to live in the Ozarks.

The next day it was raining so hard the lake was up past the dock and had already started flowing through the benches and I had to get my raingear on bring the boats up out of water. As I was proudly bringing the atv back after rescuing the boats I thought, I can do this, I can live here, I am really enjoying every minute of this life. I took the golf cart for a stroll with lil man and as I was driving past a little spot that had some rain drainage I found a pink arrowhead. It was a sign from years gone by. There was someone there, in that same spot, years ago that held that tool in their hand and used it or at least made it. It made me happy to think we are all somehow connected.

So, the verdict is still out whether I get Lyme disease or not, and I have learned that insect repellent is my friend. My plants and vegetables are thriving, and I love the Ozark living!