I took Dobby for a Sunday hike before it got too rainy. I was clothed appropriately for the woods–boots, jeans, and long-sleeved sweatshirt. Nevertheless, later that morning, I scratched an itch on my back, felt a lump, checked it in the mirror, and saw an embedded tick.
You probably know that I have had Lyme disease twice, and I have facial paralysis from Bell’s Palsy associated with the first case. I couldn’t easily reach the spot, so I got tweezers and had Graham pull it out. Except, of course, it didn’t all come out. So I got out my Swiss Army knife, opened the scissors, and lay down on the front room carpet. For the next ten minutes or so, Graham cut in and around the wound, digging out the remaining parts, then tweezing out what was left. I had him take a picture of the finished product.
I couldn’t find rubbing alcohol, so I had Graham grab the white wine from the kitchen (don’t @ me, Latter-Day Saints—it’s cooking wine, and the Word of Wisdom says alcohol is for rubbing on the body). I dabbed some on a towel and had Graham rub the wound with that.
Then, I regaled the family with the tale and these pictures. That got great reactions like, “Oh wow, your own at-home Civil War surgery! Are you so happy, Dad?”
Yes, so happy.
His Smile Lit Up a Room and Other Things to Say at My Funeral 