Nope, I am not shaking your hand!

  While out on the back porch breaking up yet another cat fight, I thought that I might sweep the leaves off the deck.  The Black Gum Tree has dropped every leaf in a matter of two days so the place is a mess!  As I swept, those exasperating cats started their howling once again.  Geez! There is no peace around here anymore!  I would not fret so much if Ms. Put was not twenty years old, weak, deaf and generally not up to par and her attacker, Ms. Nycto, was not twice the size and a quarter of the age of the old cat.  It is Ms. Nycto who is the antagonist here.  So, I try to intervene to protect the old Bayou Queen.  I decided that the best thing to do was rattle the tarp that Mark has covering some plywood.  The noise, alone, would get the attention of Nycto and send her running.

  As I shook the tarp, I felt something run up on my fingers.  Thinking immediately that it was a spider, I let go and flicked the hand. Nope.  Not a spider but something I dislike.  A centipede had been hiding under the tarp.  Goodness, I do not like these biting things!  Or pinching things...whatever.  I have been nibbled on far too many times for my feelings to be any other than distaste for the critters.  Yes, they do a fine job of capturing other bugs but those pincers do, indeed, hurt like crazy! Sorry, critter, you are not my friend!

  Just out of curiosity, I lifted the tarp to find dozens of the centipedes skittering about the plywood.  They were not to happy about having their roof lifted.  Well, I can see now that before I help Mark with this plywood, I will have to banish the centipedes from the area.  They can just find another place to call home.  My hand is not going to suffer a painful nip from one if I can help it! And I was off to break up another cat fight.  This ongoing battle has got to stop!!!