When is something named “kiss…” not a good thing? When it’s the kissing bug.
It seems most Mountain Citians are like me, totally unaware of this insect and the danger to health it carries with its bite.
Usually, it bites on or near the mouth at night. Hence, it’s the “kissing bug”.
A friend of mine, LeAnn, who lives near Garner State Park, introduced me to the kissing bug and Chagas disease through a FaceBook post. She was bitten in May, and the kissing bug that bit her tested positive for Chagas disease (as do 50% of the tested kissing bugs.)
Texas A&M’s webpage, http://kissingbug.tamu.edu , gives extensive information.
Basically, if you find an insect just a bit larger than a penny with its abdomen encircled with red /orange stripes, capture the bug and disinfect surfaces it may have touched. If out of curiosity or because it inflicted a bite, the bug can be submitted for testing.
Reactions to a bite can range from nothing to anaphylactic shock. If the bite transmits Chagas disease (after biting, the insect defecates on the wound), and it becomes chronic, the disease can lead to death even decades later preceded by enlarged heart and/or intestines.
During the initial stage of the disease, for weeks or months, victims may experience fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, rash, loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting.
On a morning walk last week we encountered a hog-nosed snake on Maple. He flared his head, turning it into a v-shape (to appear venomous) and hissed. RonTom rescued him from getting run over by shooing him with a brushy stick.
KissMe, our Great White Hunter with Red Spots, wriggled from his harness as I used all my might to hold him in his stroller. Oh, how he wanted to attack that snake.
Andrea Wells on Live Oak said, “Hog-nosed snakes are cool. They play dead, too. We captured one on our back porch a few years ago and just examined it a bit before releasing it. He was after a big toad.”
With my hands occupied with KissMe, there’s no photo of the hog-nosed snake rolling over and playing ‘possum until Ron walked away.
That same day we had a nice visit with retired realtor Ann (“Annie”) Green at her home in south Austin. Ann sold many of the homes as John Anderson developed the Mountain City Oaks subdivision, working from the little building up front that became the original Mountain City City Hall.
Ann passed along the plans for some of the houses she sold. As I get them in “street order”, I’ll be passing them on to the current homeowners.
In Mountain City, several children who grew up here (including our mayor and immediate past mayor) have purchased homes.
On Mountain City’s Yard Sale Day, Laura Craig went house to house asking if anyone planned to sell their home. She wants her parents to move here from Houston. Currently, no houses are for sale.
At our yard sale, I encouraged neighbors to “send tidbits.” Every tidbit helps piece together this Montage. Email [email protected] (subject: tidbit) or 512-268-5678 Thanks! Love to you, Pauline
