Scott Attenborough
  • Home
  • Art
    • Bottle Magic
  • Blog
  • Contact

Sleep To Shriek in 1.5 Seconds Flat

11/22/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture

I leave you with this little island
painting to end your week. 

Just when I thought the island couldn’t throw any more curve balls at me, today I got a wake-up call. Literally.

My eyelids were just starting to separate, and the cobwebs were beginning to clear when a  shriek from upstairs invaded my still half sleeping ears. 

​“Scott! Scott! Come! Quickly! Hurry Up! Now!” 

Yes, all the exclamation points are necessary

I thought, yet again, I had forgotten to lock the door or left the toilet running. I lumbered up the stairs like I usually do to find Andrea in her dressing gown gingerly and quickly carrying a yoga mat out the front door at arm's length. If her arms could have been longer or she could have used a barge pole, I think she would have, gladly.

Immediately, I thought, oh, okay, another cockroach. 

Cockroaches and other bugs usually get that kind of reaction around here, as if they’re trying to escape Stalag 13 and the sirens need to be sounded. 

Most people know me as Scott, some people know I was a Marine, but most people couldn't guess I have a shadow career. In our home, I'm an expert, or at least very experienced, cockroach sweeper. I even swept one up this morning.

Easy peasy. 

Cockroaches are horrible creatures, and even I get a bit squeamish around them, but I don’t shy away from the creepy little crawlers with a shriek! 

One time, I was at a bar in North Carolina. It was just outside of Jacksonville, NC - read Camp Lejeune. It was the kind of a bar that had straw, peanut shells, and other unidentified stuff milling about in the mix. I had my cowboy boots on, and to my surprise, I felt something crawling around my ankle: Yup, my ankle. 

I took that ole cowboy boot off, and a couple of cockroaches scurried out of my boot. Not just one but two cockroaches. I think they were trying to set up housekeeping or something. 

We’ve all had our run-ins with creepy crawlers, I’m sure. 

​There are all kinds of tiny household invaders on the island. Mostly its mosquitos and noseeums, but there are also:
  • Cockroaches (crawling and flying), 
  • Millipedes (they get everywhere, we even found one in our bed), 
  • Geckos (they're rather cute and harmless), 
  • Tree boas (I've seen quite a few of them, but never had one of these in our house.  I'm sure a boa could get in if it wanted to), 
  • Tarantulas (yes - big hairy spiders - usually found in the garden),  
And what we discovered yesterday morning. 

It was a scorpion, a three-inch-long spikey-tailed scorpion. The critter didn't look all that happy. Maybe I was assuming too much. Perhaps the little bugger was enjoying all the shrieking and stomping going on. I particularly enjoyed that part where Andrea screamed like Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween! 

So, there are now three things I'll consider from now on while on the island:
  1. Never reach into a drawer or space I can't see
  2. Check my shoes before putting them on
  3. Poke anything well before picking it up. 

Though most scorpions won't kill you, they can give you a nasty sting. And really, that's something I really don't want. 

​Until next week, I wish you, scorpion-free peace. 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    AT Departure
    Union Jack
    Currently in
    Surprise
    Arizona
    Be One of My Regular Readers
    * indicates a required field


    Picture
    Self Portrait By
    Well ...
    Me Of Course

    Archives

    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017

    Posts

    All
    Artist Of The Week
    Monthly Recap
    Online Art Sites

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2023
Scott Attenborough Art
All Rights Reserved

Scott Attenborough
19673 N Echo Rim Dr
Surprise, AZ 85387
937-344-6821
  • Home
  • Art
    • Bottle Magic
  • Blog
  • Contact