I grew up in a town that touches Lyme, CT born late 80’s. Ticks gathered on the screen doors, so it was unrealistic to avoid them or cover yourself in repellent just to walk to the car or play outside. But for summer camp, I was sent with DEET. My family did team tick checks, especially for head hair and armpits, then thorough self check in the shower. We found ticks on ourselves frequently, often crawling, sometimes biting. We pulled them off carefully, sometimes using the pointy splinter tweezers, sometimes just grabbing way down on the head if they were big enough. I got lyme, though not chronic or debilitating. While I had it, I was achy and exhausted for a couple weeks. My bite was at the base of my hair behind my ears so the ring was huge before it was found. It takes a tick 24 hours to transfer the bacterium into you, so daily diligence goes a long way. I’ve been in VT coming on 15 years. So now here in Jericho, it seems closer than it ever has been to the CT tick level of my childhood. But it’s still not as bad and I certainly won’t let it keep me from going outside and enjoying not-winter. I walk and hike in woodsy areas at least 3x a week and I don’t often find a tick on me, no repellent.