Dang Ticks!!

I hate ticks...HATE THEM!  First a short story.......***wavy lines...wavy lines***

The front part of my yard is easy to care for....but a few years back I had an incident where everything in the back half of my yard died over night...I mean literally curled up and died...all of it. I had made what I called my secret garden room..my pride and joy. My best guess is I have an embalming house in that corner and there dumpster is right in that corner...I suspected they dumped embalming fluid in the dumpster. I confronted them and they denied it . I have friends that work at Yale's forestry department  so a whole class of brains came to my yard saw the strange death of my room :( . They took soil samples and plants samples and even took some samples from around the dumpster.  In the end they found nothing...which added up to embalming fluid because it dissipates fast. My friend went and talked to them and said that they were reporting them...but because I had no real evidence there was not much I could do....so sadly I abandoned that corner for years. I was  tiered of looking at the over grown mess and went out there with the chain saw this weekend and leveled it all!!! It made my yard look happier. 

Sooo anyway after doing that I ran to the store to get some bags to start the real clean up and what do I see 2 TICKS on me!....FREAK OUT!!!!!

Of course I scratch them off ( not the right thing to do but  I need those fudgers off me!). When I got home I dug out my tick stray and thought I would share the recipe with ya's. 

Tick Repellent

Your base for the spray is good ole fashion witch hazel. This recipe is a 2 to 10 ratio. 

To make sure to get that right I mix the essential oils separate and them mix them with the witch hazel. 

Note: you can use white vinegar but I don't like the smell

or you can mix it with a carrier oil (like mineral oil or  jojoba) 

or even add it to an unscented lotion

I mix the following oils:

Lavender

Citronella

Lemongrass

Catnip 

and Yarrow

Mix it in with the witch hazel and bam tick repellant. It has yet to let me down. 

You can also use this on your pets.

Added note: all of the herbs above I grow in my garden and made the essential oil myself. Much cheaper that way :) and and endless supply. 

A few other things you can add are:

Rosemary

Tea tree oil

Peppermint oil (which I have, but I think it takes away from the nice smell of my mix)

Eucalyptus (which you most likely would have to buy)

Cedarwood (another thing I have only because I live and a place called Cedar Hill, so how can I not have cedar trees)

Cinnamon

Rose geranium (a lot of people swear that this is the only oil you need. A few dabs and you are all set)

Just a reminder I removed that tick the wrong way and I am watching for the circles because I of course live right in Lyme disease territory. BUT lets not forget the new tick disease that has come down from the north this year. (which does not leave a circle but will start with a burning feeling)

...this is how you should remove a tick.

Song for this post hmmm I could not find a tick song....so I am going to post a song I like 

JJ Grey & Mofro - The sun is shining down