DAY 17

DAY 17
04.21.07
TREE 20

Today’s tree was a little boring. It wasn’t that challenging, I didn’t get that high, and with my paranoia of bugs I found myself preoccupied with every little itch or twitch on my body. Death to the tics! Plus, Rachel called while I was up there, and she wasn’t in the best of moods so I wanted to talk to her but wasn’t in the most comfortable spot. So I hung up, climbed down fast and called her back. I think this was the first climb that wasn’t that fun. It was something I had to do… to get it over with. I hate that. And there has to be a way for me to get over the bug anxiety. Otherwise a beautiful, warm spring morning.

4-21-08:  That was the first and last time that climbing felt like a chore.  That feeling gnawed at me so badly I vowed to never feel that way about tree climbing again.  And that worked.  The bug thing, it took much longer to get over.  The tics were incredibly bad last year.  My friend, Leigh Ann, who works at U of L hospital as a pharmacy intern, showed her concern because she had seen a few cases of lyme’s disease from tics from Southern Indiana.  I would go out into the sanctuary and comeback with at least 10-20 tics every time.  I only had one attach itself though.  That was pretty lucky.  I’d say after a constant month of finding multiple tics on my body I just accepted it and got over the jibblies.  That was until I discovered deer tics which are a tenth the size of a nromal tic and they are the ones who typically carry the disease.  I just got hyperaware of any feeling on my skin. 

Another video… me climbing a hackberry.  I realize there is a long pause in the middle.  I ask that you be patient and focus on the shaking branches.  They are moving because I am climbing to the very top of this tree.  Too bad I didn’t get that in the frame.