Last night when I went to brush my teeth I discovered a scorpion in the wash basin. The bug was about one inch long,  stinger erect, a brown contrast to the white porcelain.  I had the simultaneous emotions of bewilderment “What on earth is it doing there?” and alarm “They’re HERE!”.  The nearest available bludgeon was a can of mousse. I squashed the bastard into a homogenous beige blog. Its stinger kept moving for a second or two. It was rather unsettling.

 

Since 2005 we have nearly a dozen house scorpions. A few were dead, but the others were very much alive. I sense they come up through the drains, which is a disquieting thought.  I’ve been told if you go outside at night with a black light you can find them en masse. I have no intent to try this.  When it comes to scorpions it is “Don’t ask don’t tell”.

 

The scorpion was a sobering reminder we live in the desert. We’ve had crickets, black widow spiders, rattlesnakes, coyotes, and a javelina.  Amazingly the thing that shakes me most (tarantulas) I have not encountered, thanks be to G-d.

 

While I worry mankind is driving things to extinction, Mother Nature seems to be doing a swell job avenging herself by keeping the nasties alive and thriving.

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