The real Rain Story

I said something about rain the other day, so I figured I would check myself. I always check these gut intuitions with facts. We have collected data since 1984 at the Government center on lots of things, including rain:

Year	Total Rain	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
1984	10.65					1.85	2.8	4.5		1.5
1985	44.627		1.9	0.77	1.182	6.77	4.23	5.38	5.292	5.451	1.5	9.702	2.45
1986	35.51	3.84	0.51	2.94	1.75	2.02	2.75	3.22	4.08	0.55	2.4	5.1	6.35
1987	40.886	2.65			9.232	1.652	2.591	2.772	5.67	6.021	3.942	3.722	2.634
1988	33.636				1.841	4.762	0.533	5.561	3.48	3.902	4.223	9.334
1989	40.976			1.3	4.302	12.492	4.83	3.55	5.451	3.831	3.02	2.2
1990	30.162				2.61	4.39	2.72	1.751	6.391	1.85	8.77	1.68
1991	41.816	3.874	2.122	4.094	2.713	4.593	1.595	3.278	7.584	3.892	0.842	3.415	3.814
1992	41.116	1.444	2.084	4.272	2.256	3.378	4.003	3.154	5.883	2.625	1.287	5.434	5.296
1993	32.283	2.522	3.782	3.973	3.124	1.848	1.521	1.501	2.144	4.646	2.453	1.359	3.41
1994	43.841	6.9	3.862	6.871	2.554	3.398	2.605	3.615	4.046	2.064	1.072	3.484	3.37
1995	30.403	3.032	3.551	0.747	2.852	1.372	1.103	1.375	0.72	2.763	6.593	3.875	2.42
1996	63.726	5.581	2.36	5.61	7.661	2.128	5.192	7.934	0.842	6.015	8.8	4.192	7.411
1997	65.142	4.082	1.806	8.351	3.21	8.044	7.191	10.193	8.833	1.4	1.685	3.604	6.743
1998	45.627	5.808	6.291	5.691	3.903	4.81	6.911	1.645	3.741	2.833	3.633		0.361
1999	75.828	6.661	4.985	4.224	1.551	3.901	1.113	1.948	4.46	26.947	9.15	7.686	3.202
2000	118.637	9.283	4.631	17.209	8.204	9.657	12.134	15.245	10.136	12.713	1.498	10.791	7.136
2001	86.684	6.435	5.512	15.12	6.209	7.631	11.802	3.701	11.321	11.281	1.741	2.281	3.65
2002	122.411	4.272	1.441	9.79	8.631	14.394	20.86	2.94	12.491	15.14	13.29	9.292	9.87
2003	144.478	1.604	5.301	5.883	7.731	17.473	23.21	6.584	15.05	17.11	17.132	11.85	15.55
2004	168.19	4.743	7.91	11.201	18.863	12.461	11.163	25.174	14.62	33.741	4.421	14.702	9.191
2005	183.491	2.92	2.8	3.76	9.3	3.64	5.93	5.821	5.2	7.37	93.11	22.99	20.65
2006	334.945	25.66	8.64	3.44	39.57	31.07	35.71	26.5	51.55	20.62	37.565	37.73	16.89
2007	311.41	25.84	3.58	27.95	66.02	8.72	22.5	25.04	18.96	9.88	61.16	16.58	25.18
2008	140.253	11.08	21.96	17.31	9.441	14.65	12.39	7.521	11.33	14.12	5.201	5.73	9.52
2009	3.02	1.77	0.55	1.37
Average	88.067	6.667	4.551	7.358	9.363	7.484	8.295	7.196	9.136	8.731	12.270	8.554	7.862

We are low!

Long Island Sound and rain

Any one notice that we have not yet had much rain this spring. We had loads of snow, but really very little rain. The snow is gone and the temperature is going up and down. Without a good rain to wash the decaying organic matter (read mostly leaves here) into the Sound, there will not be a spring algae bloom. the bloom is a bringer of life as many of the plankton eating fish come to feast, spawn and move on, The fish eggs, babies and grown-ups make food for other fish.
The question is, Are we going to have our cycle or not?
I bring this up because there are many things that may affect fish populations and weather is definitely one of them.
Catching winter flounder has been now restricted. This is rather ironic because the gentleman who I call the Patron Saint of Long Island Sound (1, 2, 3 and 4)tried to get winter flounder on the endangered species list a few years back and now it is. They told him was not ever going to happen, they were not endangered. Someone was wrong and it was not him.
I wait with "baited" breath (pun intended).

Ticks

I promise to finish my "treatment series" in the next post. There is only one or two more things to discuss, but my "adventure" and all the consequences of recovering have left me a bit slow in posting here. However as the temperatures warm up here in Connecticut, the ticks are becoming active. Usually the first batch of ticks waking up from their winter nap are almost 50% infected. Either people are not bringing in those ticks or things changed this winter because we have not had a positive test result out of a number submitted.
We have some complications with testing - the reliable CT agricultural station is still that, reliable, but sending tick there will take several weeks for results. The good news is that they only test ticks which have fed and therefore can transmit Lyme disease. They will not test unengorged ticks.
The Ct Vet Lab has upped prices and required prepayment, so we can't handle them except for special request. They have also added tests for Babesia and Ehrlichiosis. They do have rates that discount if you want all 3 and they will take 5 business days, once they receive the tick.
I do NOT recommending testing ticks as a diagnostic tool, symptoms are a much better indicator, but I recognize that not all doctors follow the CDC guidelines for tick bites and Lyme symptoms.
The following is a general recommendation based on what people who have symptoms have told me.
I want everyone to know I am not an expert on Lyme disease, I can only pass on what others have experienced or discovered.
For those having symptoms and doctors unwilling to treat with out positive tick results, I would refer them to the CDC website with disease and treatment recommendations.
For those who have had the misfortune of having Lyme disease without the benefit of finding a tick bite or a doctor (usually in the past) who would not diagnose or treat, the CDC website will not help. There is lots of information out there, some of it correct, some hype, some confusing.
My own interpretation my not be completely correct, but it fits most of the issues and the people who have followed this (not from my recommendation, I created it from what worked for them) seem to have come out of the long term Lyme syndrome.
Sadly. even the best tests have a time window in which they work. Blood tests do not always tell the story.
1) 3 weeks of antibiotics is enough to kill the organism, but if it has been in your system for more than 3 months untreated, you will still have an immune response and symptoms.
- why i say this is that the organism is similar to syphilis, treating it stops the organism, but you are going to have positive markers for life.
2) Stress, other illnesses, weight loss will make you go through it all over again.
- this releases the markers into your system and no Lyme test in the world will show it.
3) Homeopathic persons and nutritionists can help.
- Some maybe quacks, just like there are good MDs and not so good MDs, find someone who works with you.
4) You are not going to die.
-too many people have been told so much nonsense, they believe they are going to die because of it. You will get better.
5) Make sure you do not get re-infected!
-the ticks are out there, hungry.

My final statement refers to a New England Journal of Health Article on long term Lyme disease and suggests that there maybe another cause. Check my previous post.

So Your Going To buy a House? Treatment Units:filters

But wait there is more! I know I have not finished this in a timely manner, but I have been going back to work where my expertise is much in need. In two part time weeks I think I have spent a good quarter of it on the phone explaining thing about water and ticks and etc...so with out any more ado, we go into the concept of adsorption and absorption filters.
A carbon filter is a great example of an adsorption and absorption because they collect particles on the inside of the activated carbon (gases like radon, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and other larger particles like pesticides. They also adsorb particles like lead and arsenic onto the surface. They are a highly recommended treatment for general safety, radon removal and even reduction of heavy metals. They will remove chlorine and its byproducts.
The issue is that you can not tell physically when they are "loaded" and can not adsorb or absorb any more, in which case they will not work. Changing the filters regularly (once every 6 months) will work, but you maybe going through extra expense. Given the content of the water, an installer should be able to tell you how long it will last and then will shave a couple of months off that to be safer.
Carbon is not the only adsorption filter, there are mangenous rock filters, working on the same concept and they will remove iron and manganese effectively. They will also back wash with water (preferably filtered water) to re generate themselves for a longer life span. these work very effectively and are recommended if you have that kind of a problem.