I thought there would just be the two of us here for Thanksgiving, but Lil and her husband wanted to come now for their yearly visit. They usually come after Christmas, but it looks like we're in for another lockdown which could last until next spring. They live in Missouri and both work for a big company with exposure to a lot of people, so I was hesitant about getting together, but Hubby isn't as cautious as I am and insisted they come for the week. Brownie had to work a half day on Thanksgiving, so we kept the boys that morning too. We all wore masks, at least the adults did. The boys kept taking their off and had to be reminded to put them back on. When it was time to go home, for the first time ever, the boys were glad to leave.
But that's not the surprise. Lil brought her little dog, who wanted to run in the yard after they got out of the car and came in covered with fleas! Well, maybe not covered, but there were a lot on her. Since we don't have any pets, we couldn't figure out where they were coming from. Deer come near the house, and we have seen skunks right outside the door, but we've had those since we moved here and never had a flea problem. Hubby walked around the house and saw the telltale signs of wild hogs! They were everywhere around the house. There was no rooting damage, at least not yet, but plenty of sign that they had been there for awhile. A quick google search for wild hogs and fleas showed that they did indeed leave fleas behind when they rubbed against things and rolled in their wallows. I had been hearing some odd sounds at night, thumps like something big hit the house, and that has been going on for a couple of weeks.
Lil and I went to the city for a little Christmas shopping and a stop at the pet store for a bag full of flea supplies, for the dog, the yard, and inside the house. Despite constant spraying and bathing the dog, she continued to pick up fleas and bring them in and they decided to leave the day after Thanksgiving instead of staying the weekend. Mr. Google told us that the bestf way to get rid of the hogs was to kill one in their new, favorite night spot, preferably with a hog trap. That has been easier said than done since we don't have a hog trap or a gun to kill them. But we have neighbors who have been hog hunting on their land, so after the holiday, Hubby will start putting the word out for someone who can get rid of them. Meanwhile, we are treating the yard every day.
What a Thanksgiving. Next year, we are going to go camping. Alone.
