We have been enjoying the fall weather, even with its high and low temperatures. The other night we actually had dinner all together! This is an unusual occurrence during this season, and boy did we savor it. The backdrop was beautiful.

The leaves of the trees on the prairie path are just starting to turn colors, which makes the daily jogs even more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, when I returned home from a run with Molly the other day, we found deer ticks on her. I was dismayed to learn that the pests continue to be active in the fall months. Arg!

It took less than a minute for one curious child to run down to the basement and grab the microscope to look at one of the despicable creatures up close.

Once in focus, he also took a picture with the ipod. This is not for the faint of heart.

Though I was mostly confident that we found all the ticks on Molly, we did keep her off the carpeted areas of the house for the rest of the day.

For the time being, I shall alter Molly’s jogging environment–from the prairie path to the running track across the street. We will not be deterred!