The worst part of my job involves the side effects of working outside.  Don’t get me wrong, I love working outdoors!  By the time it’s warm enough to be outside, I’ve been dying to get out for months and have been counting down until my body can survive a few hours outside. 

But there are certain downsides to working outside for hours on end.  One of the unpleasant side effects is itching.  Yes, I get poison ivy and when I react, I react very very badly.  Last year I got poison ivy all over- I had it on my arms, my legs, my face.  I was a wreck!  I actually had to end up going to the hospital because my face was so swollen my eyes were almost shutting.  It was quite an experience! Look at these two pictures if you don’t believe me.  The one on the left is my face with poison ivy. Yikes!

Believe it or not, poison ivy is not my most feared side effect of outdoor work.  My least favorite thing is TICKS!  These creepy crawly blood suckers really freak me out. After a few hours working outside all I can do is search for ticks.  My entire body feels like its crawling and the urge to keep looking is hard to combat.  Ideally, I like to find ticks before they actually attach and start sucking my blood. 

Last week I found two ticks on me in one day.  The first one I found during my lunch break.  Finding a tick on you does not lend itself to enjoying your lunch.  The second tick I found while I was sleeping that night.  I woke up to the feeling of something crawling on my leg.  I touched it and new immediately what it was.  I could barely sleep afterward.  I just kept scratching and searching for more ticks.  That was not a restful sleep! 

So although I’ve been enjoying a summer outdoors, clearing brush, mowing or removing weeds, I could really do without all the ticks!