Sunday, October 10, 2010

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT BEYOND THE HOLE

SOME may remember my encounter with a son of the beach insect.  One reader could not see beyond the surface, the disease or ground wise, but most did.

Now if you live where snow falls, or it does not, imagine a pristine, apparently clean white/black sand beach, in the Atlantic, Pacific, or Caribbean. Take your pick.

I am not sure about my indifference toward beaches anywhere. Was it consequence of seeing one for the first time in third grade?  Is it the glare, stickiness, heat, bathrooms that will make you, tourist, vomit your heart out?


Be optimistic, look at the glass half fool, look again at the clean beach, lake, or river, thanks to the Volunteer Environmental Beach/Lake/River, FOOLS Garbage Collectors spreading as spores here.

Just do not visit the public bathroom and imagine yourself with a daikiri with a theoretically Puertorican rum. There is  no sugar cane to find anywhere,  except in some invader garden, or in a museum photograph.  Or a beer.

Reality Bites

After further conversation with the dermatologist this is the story.
The disease: Cutaneus larva migrans

The Culprits
Ancylostoma brazilensis,
Necator americanus      

I kept wondering, and discovered the last possible reason.  The house next door is the water closet for Farrukito's
stray cats.

There, in the sandy soil, somewhat deep, is the only source for a fern like , Asparagus cetaceus.   It was fashionable, decades ago and so pretty that it was part of any orchid corsage 3/4 decades ago in proms, weddings and that kind of crap. I am almost certain that was the day I got the migrans.

And the beaches? Well dear reader, the beach may look clean, but there is echoli in the water and if dogs or cats have left any poop, even when you do not see it, you will get it. 

Time to go apagad e iros.

Gardening Bonus

 Snail/Slug Report

After the pine needles top dressing, the amount of snails has certainly decreased.
Slugs remain strong, but unlike before, 
not hanging around the concrete floors, just on the walls, where I pick them up with the trowel and send them away.

If there is a god, then slugs, have some use in nature. To open your eyes check
this out:

http://www.opb.org/programs/ofg/segmentsview/1683

What can I write? It has changed somewhat my view. After all ornamentals are not edibles, a different story.




3 comments:

  1. Yes yes yes. When I lived on Cape Verde and her beaches, people got this all the time. It's nasty. Some still have the marks from these little critters. I like the beach, but so do cats and dogs....and rats! Because people eat and the general public is nasty and they don't pick up after themselves....and voila! rats come at night and eat. I always think of the movie Charlotte's Web and that song sung by the rat...."The faire is nothing more than a smorgasborg all around!!" It's pretty nasty.

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  2. Is it still bad? I hope you are feeling better.

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  3. One, no all is fine, just a little scar....Thanks for the visit...

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