I decided to start slowly today, enjoying the strong internet connection to putter and post my July Reflections. Then, I mosied on down to The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs. Discovered in 1974 when the site was being excavated for a housing development, the remains of mammoths and other animals are now being examined by scientists with the site being turned over to a 501(c)3 https://www.mammothsite.org.

A quick trip to Ace Hardware in Hot Springs for screws to fix my bathroom door – and then onto Custer State Park for a hike and tick encounter. Hiking through a grass- and flower-filled meadow SOUNDED wonderful, until I kept brushing bugs off of my legs and arms, including two ticks on my leg – easy to brush off – and one on the back of my right shoulder. The shoulder tick came off whole…and bloody. I finished the hike on the road instead of the meadow and found a woman on the road, relaxing with her guy, and asked her to check me for ticks, which she did competently, completely, and kindly – I wonder if she’s a medical professional… 

Back at camp and following some relaxation with the Olympics, I inserted wooden toothpicks into the holes needing screws, added the screws, and fixed my bathroom door. 

Now for dinner!