Whoa!

It is ridiculous outside. And by that I mean its 80.

Being that it is so nice I decided to do a little yard work. We had a bad freeze last month that kinda killed some of the plants out front. I wanted to get out there and pull weeds (yes we get weeds here) and trim some of the plants. We also have a little flower bed that's up against the house and the annuals in there have died. I decided to pull those out first, then turn off the irrigation to that part of the garden until I plant more. Well I was almost done pulling the dead flowers out when something in the garden, oh so close to my hard, caught my eye. The initial signals sent to my brain were "its a roach" and "its a large gross bug".

Naturally I turned my head to see what it was. With my body in bolt position I laid eyes upon it. Indeed I jumped up and moved back. It was a scorpion. A big one, like 4 or 5 inches.


I stopped a minute in disbelief at what I was looking at, but also at the fact that it did not get me. I ran into the house to get the camera, this is obviously a moment I must capture.

I just stared at it. I guess I knew this day would come, I mean they are very common here, and we did see that teeny tiny one out back already. But this one was for real and I had pulled away its hiding spot and there it was.

So now the new thoughts are "where's it gonna go", "Will it try to come in the house", " Will it go into the neighbors yard, I hope so"?

So I came into the house to download my photos and figure out what kind it was. When I went back outside, it was gone. I did not get closer to see if hes under the brick or crawling across the yard, I have flip flops on, no way. Now all my tools and weeds lie out in the yard waiting for me to resume my job. Am I freaked out? Yes, yes I am. I am not afraid of scorpions like I am of spiders, but to be that surprised by one really messes with you.

I am going to put on my boots and go back out there. I figure he will go for the foot first if we meet again. You know thinking about it, I had stuck my hands in that garden many a time trying to get the water right and what not.

I am not in the east anymore and I really have to try to remember that. Everything here is pointy and poisonous and it all hurts.

I have learned that this guy is most likely the Hairy Scorpion, possibly the Stripe-Tailed Scorpion. Either way he will not kill me, hes not a threat to humans. Good to know. Actually there is only one here that is and hes small and I hope I never see him.

-Nina