Summer is for fun and games and most of that play happens outside. Unfortunately, the weather on the East Coast this year has provided us with a bumper crop of my least favorite creature – the tick. Please, please be safe as you play. Talk to your doctor about ways to avoid ticks and which sprays work best to repel them.

The reason I’m posting this warning? I’ve been feeling really tired and sore and had headaches and nausea for the past few weeks. I thought it was just heat and allergies, but yesterday, I had a nasty looking welt with a ring around it on my side-one of the biggest symptoms of this tick borne disease. Lyme’s Disease takes the fun out of summer. I didn’t even see the tick that bit me, which is common for people who contract Lyme’s Disease. Deer ticks are small and good at hiding.

One other thing-don’t forget your pets. Dogs and cats need tick preventatives every year, but this year is especially important.

For information on Lyme’s Disease, check out the Lyme Disease Foundation’s website.