I interact daily with lots of new animals and bugs that I never interacted with in the states. Jarrod and Ally live out on a farm, and besides the cows, horses, chickens, ducks, turkeys, pigs, parrots, dogs, cats, and roosters let me just say that there are a lot of other bizarre things around as well. I admit to killing some crazy looking things!
Now that rainy season has begun it seems that I cannot step across the porch from my guest house to their main house without almost kicking three or four toads and stepping on a handful of tree frogs. All the different frogs were something new, but at least they are a little cute... A couple of weeks ago the maid, Carmen, found a tarantula in the mop head. She had the good sense to trap him in a jar. I don't think I could have been that calm and rational.
Recently, my little guest house has been serving as a new home for the biggest spider I have ever seen. They don't qualify as tarantulas but they sure to have long legs and really scary pinchers. They are quick too! I have to try and smash them two or three times before I succeed! The creepy crawly, however, that beats them all is the scorpion! I had seen and killed several in my house before I left for the US a few weeks ago. When I returned I went a few days without seeing one, and naively thought, "Huh, they must be scared because I have killed all their little friends!" WRONG! Saturday morning I slept in a little. After I got up, I brushed my teeth and went to wash my face. I pulled the washcloth down, got it wet and started to wash my face when I could feel that there was something stuck to the back on my washcloth. I thought it was a piece of grass, or something along those lines, and went to pull it off. When I pulled it off what did I see in my hand but a scorpion! In the split second that it took for my brain to recognize what it was that I was seeing, I threw the scorpion into the sink, screamed and sufficiently beat it to pieces with my hairbrush. I continued to scream as I realized that miraculously the scorpion had not managed to sting me!
Jarrod and Ally told me that they had my house fumigated against scorpions and tarantulas before I arrived... I don't believe them.
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4 comments:
Hey Meredith, those are the stories that give us nightmares!! I think I went to Honduras 5 times before I saw my first tarantulas our and about (but it was 2 in one day!). You do what you have to do. If the critters have the bad sense to show up in my house.. they deserve what they get. Be safe and don't get stung! Donna U
your story made me laugh and cringe. :)
You paint great visuals. I can so picture you smashing a scorpion with a hair brush. I think I would have done the same thing. One time Jimmy had a bug on his neck and I think I damaged him more than the bug. I love you! I'm praying for you and the lives that you touch there.
I can image what you saw! ;-)
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