Heebie Jeebies

I don't get icked-out much. Probably a good thing in my house full of testosterone. When I was little, my brother and I used to go frog hunting with flashlights at night. In summer, the kiddie pool was often leaning against the house, and if you flipped it over the little buggers were usually hopping everywhere. Picking 'em up was a guarantee that at least one would pee in your hands. We caught turtles, dug for worms... I used to go fishing with my Grandpa and my Dad and could bait a hook. They taught me how to get fish off the line too.

Bugs give me trouble. I've been avoiding the humongous spider that has been lurking in the eaves at the corner of our garage. The recent torrential rains took down the web, but it's a determined bugger and was back today. Finally got a broom and tried to swipe everything down this afternoon. First time Daniel has been treated to a screeching Mama doing the heebie jeebie dance. I'm not sure he knew what to think! I'm trying not to transfer my phobia to him, but this one is tough... ever faced down a bug you're scared to squish?

Enough talk. Skin is crawling. Off to think happy thoughts!

The Itchy and Scratchy Show

H's family has a cottage up in York, Maine. York has beautiful beaches, although the water is just too cold for me. I grew up dipping my summer toes in Michigan and Wisconsin lakes (not the Great Lakes!) that are bath water compared to York. The cottage has been in need of some attention, and so several weekends so far have had Sundays devoted to heading up there to work. Today's excursion was combined with Uncle Bruce's birthday. It made for a generally happy chaos of yard and house work, cousins chasing each other through the yard and a cake and ice cream celebration.

It is also a big tick area, which makes it very hard for me not to get a little paranoid. Between skeeters and potential ticks I was finishing up the day itching and smacking at bugs. And Daniel is as twitchy about an inspection for ticks as he was about the splinters in his feet. We finished up our evening with showers and baths for the whole family. Begone bugs!

Along Came a Spider

I'm not sure that Daniel knew quite what to do when Mama started doing the "heebie-jeebie" dance as we left the house today to go to the grocery store. The dance was the result of the big black thing dangling from the light fixture right in front of my face. Just like the nursery rhyme...

Have I mentioned that I hate bugs?

I can take lots of things. I used to go fishing with my Dad and Grandpa and brother which involved all kinds of bait. Usually worms, but occasionally other stuff. They taught me how to get the fish off the hook too... I can remember having turtles in the old goldfish bowl we had as a kid. And my little brother and I used to grab flashlights and go frog/toad hunting, which usually involved the things peeing down your arm once you got hold of them. As long as I knew they weren't poisonous even the snakes didn't bother me. But give me a many-legged anything and just watch my skin crawl. We seem to have a nice selection of critters in our area, much to H's amusement as he escorts them outside when I find one or another tucked into the corner of my shower in the morning. Things could get interesting around here once Daniel is old enough to really realize just what bugs are and what they do to Mama...