Creeper.

Today I am grateful for LOCATION.

Really? Location?

You can bet your bottom dollar.

You see, the weather in New England has been absolutely beautiful this weekend. 60 plus degress. I sat outside today reading in shorts and a tshirt. The fact that it's only mid-march has no affect on my wardrobe. I've been rocking flip flops all winter anyway. and while I was chilling out in the beautiful sunshine completely absorbed in my novel, I felt it. The first sure sign of spring. something freaking gross crawling on my foot.

a big gross black carpenter ant. (note to self: be grateful it wasn't a spider)

Cheesy? yes. but it cracked me up!

I didn't over react about it or anything. just flicked it off and went back to my book. ants around these parts are pretty harmless. Unfortunately for him he'll have a short life anyway. He reminded me that I have an unopened bag of bug killer pellets in my garage that I can spread out over my lawn and driveway. I'll be spreading them soon. you can assume I said 'soon' in a very ominous voice.

There has actually already been one ant massacre at our house this spring. earlier in the week when The Marsh watered our cactus a TON of ants crawled out from underneath the pot. The Marsh douced them with some organic bug killer. I've sprayed the area again. twice. you know, just in case. I'm glad it was him that this happened to and not me. I would have flipped my shit. there really were alot of them.

ANYWAY. the reason I am grateful for LOCATION is because as gross and creepy as I find all the little bugs that will be hanging around my heavily wooded property this summer, they are nothing compared to the freaking creepy crawleys that live in other parts of the country.

Sure we get some gross ants. but they're not fire ants. and we get spiders. some pretty decent sized ones too because we live in the woods. But my idea of decent sized is no where near what decent sized means elsewhere. When my brother was in the military and he used to go into the woods for training in Texas he would come across ones as big as his hand or larger. Everything really is bigger in Texas. NO THANKS. and the ones here aren't poisonous. in fact, nothing here is. those little garden snakes that come around on occasion? not poisonous. and there aren't any freaking scorpions either.

not only am I grateful that I don't have to encounter any of those creeptastic bastards, I'm grateful that my babes can play outside without having to worry about them. I don't know how people can even breathe when their children are outside playing, knowing there are water moccasins or rattle snakes or black widows or KILLER BEES. God, I need to stop thinking about this. I suppose if you grow up in those sort of environments you understand the dangers and know what to look for. but I would still have a very very hard time. I think the biggest problem around here are the deer ticks, because they can spread lyme disease. but even that can be prevented most of the time. not always because some of those fuckers are SOOO tiny, but we just make it a point at our house to check ourselves after playing outside. Is it obnoxious? Sure. But I'll take it over the alternative any day.

So tonight I go to bed grateful that my babes live someplace relatively safe. at least in the buggy department. I'm also grateful for the lack or other dangerous animals, such as alligators. but if I were you I would stay away from the baby moose, Mama Moose will take you out.

Thanks for reading!
Lana