Time To Watch The Centipedes

   It is my habit to get up before dawn merely to have some "me time".  When the kids were still here, my whole time was spent doing for them.  That "me time" was nonexistent if I went by the standard idea of sleeping late.  So, the habit stuck and here I am in my old age still rising at 4am.  Old habits die hard.  But, the time spent by myself is always some of the most interesting and satisfying of the day.  It is then that I can ponder things uninterrupted.  It is also then that I can visit my critter friends without receiving looks of disdain.

  It was one of those "friends" that made me pause for a good ten minutes or so at the crack of dawn.  My wanderings had taken me around back of the house.  That path falls close to the old chimney at one point.  The bricks of the chimney, itself, are rather neat as they are now covered with soft, green mosses.  It is not good for the bricks but it sure is mighty pretty.  Seeing the moss is always a cause for pause to study the designs woven in the crevices.  That is where I found my "friend".  A tiny centipede was so busy hunting its breakfast among the moss mounds that it was oblivious to my presence.  I was able to photograph the critter at my leisure as it stayed on the mosses for quite some time.  In and out!  In and out!  The tiny centipede poked its face in every nook and cranny.  Occasionally, it would find an ant.  It would only stop long enough to devour the insect before restarting its search.

  It is times like that moment that I cherish.  Had anyone been with me as I traipsed the hillside, I am sure my centipede visit would not have been so lingering.  Not many folks tend to take an interest in such oddities.  I do.  I revel in each find and want to soak it all in before I am not able to do this any more.  Time is short, my friends.  Enjoy it while you can.  Take the time to smell those roses or watch the centipedes.  Take the time for you.

Ok, so they bite

  It seems that I always have to find out things the hard way.  Never once has anything stayed in the head without a physical reminder to go along with it.  Sometimes it takes more than once!  Take this morning, for instance.  I have dealt with critters all of my life.  Growing up on a farm, you are exposed to just about every critter alive both domesticated and wild.  No problem except for the fact that critters defend themselves (and some are just downright mean.)  Growing up, I was bitten by all sorts of critters and lived to tell the tale. I have had rat snake bites, black widow spider bites, bat bites, otter bites (yes, an otter did bite me), cat bites, dog bites, bird bites and any number of insect stings and bites.  I came through them all fine.   (Note here, the otter and one cat died shortly after biting me so I garnered the reputation of being poisonous!  Biters beware!) \

  Years ago, I was bitten by a rather large centipede.  I remember it was quite painful.  That rascal came in on some firewood and decided to go for the juggler vein!  I received a nasty bite to the neck and it left me in pain for hours!  Yep, it seems I would learn.  Nope, I had forgotten all about that pesky centipede and its ability to render intense pain.  This morning, it all came flashing back like some big, bright boomerang!  Smack!  Duh!  Ouch!

  As I was preparing to do a load of laundry, a squiggly centipede caught my eye.  It had wiggled its way under the back door to reside inside.  Nope, not happening, Centipede!  Not being one to kill things needlessly (except roaches!  I hate roaches!  And termites...yeah, termites are bad.  And Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers...eww! Sorry for getting off track.), I slipped my hand down and under the critter.  I was going to gently pick him up, cradle him softly until I got outside then release him in the woodpile.  Sorry!  That sucker is now squished!  He died but not before he bit me!  Geez!  The thumb swelled to twice its normally chubby size and throbbed for over an hour!

  Perhaps now that I have been viciously reminded of the biting power of centipedes, I will think twice about being so kind to them.  No more being the nice, old lady that gently removes the critters from the house.  They will die by the very hand that once was extended in kindness!  

The Crowded "City"

  I like living where and how I do.  For most folks, this life would probably seem hard compared to the standards of today's society.  I do things "the old way".  It suits me.  I grow most of our food and can it for use during the winter months.  We catch fish, shrimp and crabs to go along with the fruits and vegetables.  The old cast iron wood stoves supply our heat during the winter and open windows cool the house during the summer. I am happy living on the Bayou.  I would not fare well in the city.  I get agitated with the hustle and bustle of things and love the quietude of the Bayou and woods.  I love hearing the frogs and toads singing their nightly serenades, the owls calling back and forth from the tall pines and the mullet splashing in the calm waters.  I love finding baby rabbits under the brush piles, large alligators sunning on the mudflats and even the raccoons raiding the muscadines.  I like waking before dawn to watch the sun rise up over the pines and sitting on the pier in the evening to watch it set again.  I like the smells of the Bayou..the magnolias, jasmine and wild honeysuckle, the orange blossoms and peach blossoms, the lemongrass as it wafts in the breeze and, yes, even the "low tide" smell that some find offensive.  I just belong here.

  I sat thinking about this, today, as I watched life in a different big, crowded "city".  While working in the gardens, I moved a container that held bell pepper plants.  Under the pot, in a space about one square foot, an entire city of critters had made their homes.  In fact, even after some scampered to parts unknown, I counted six spiders, fourteen pill bugs, eleven snails, one centipede and about a dozen tiny ants.  They were so crowded that the critters were literally crawling all over each other. The spiders were stalking the pill bugs, the ants were biting the snails, the centipede would have made short work of the spiders.  Each seemed oblivious to the other's feelings which made me ponder if that is how it is in large human cities.  I hope not.  I'd like to think that we all can show kindness to everyone but, then again, I live in my own little world down here and do not have to deal with any hullabaloo from others. Yep, I like it...it suits me just fine.


 

Leave Me Alone! I Am Hiding!

  Late this afternoon, my hike found me gathering twigs to light a fire when I headed back to the Little Bayou House.  Even though the weather is still more springlike than winter, a small, crackling fire in the old woodburning stove sure feels good.  Picking up the small branches would occasionally uncover a critter that had taken refuge beneath the bark.  One particularly rotten branch exposed a rather lengthy centipede. The critter must have been basking in the warm sunshine because it was able to scoot rather speedily around in the soft sand.  Once the critter realized that it was fully in the open, it panicked.  "I need to hide!"  So, instead of searching for a leaf or cluster of dead grass, the centipede stuck its head and about half its body down into the soft sand.  "You can't see me! Now, go away!", I imagined the bug saying.

  The antics of the centipede reminded me of the old cliche "An ostrich with its head stuck in the sand" in referring to someone that denies the existence of a problem in hopes that it will just go away.  By the way, just for clarification, OSTRICHES DO NOT BURY THEIR HEADS IN SAND! Ostriches are much smarter than that as they realize that sticking their heads under sand may (and most likely would) lead to asphyxiation.  Birds are not that dumb!  However, it is obvious that either the centipede had a tunnel already dug so its breathing was not a problem or that critter is THAT stupid.  I am leaning toward the thought that a tunnel was the answer.

  Out of curiosity, I reached down at touched the little critter.  Immediately, the centipede wigggled its way completely under the sand.  Good move, little critter!  I eased the piece of bark back into place over the bug.  There was no need to disturb its cozy nest any longer.  It was a case of "live and let live".  I did not need that piece of wood badly enough that a critter could not have warmth as well.  There were plenty of other sticks in the area.  

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!!!

Survival!

Behind the house is a large pile of lumber or at least what used to be lumber. Most of it has seen better days so Son is sorting and discarding. By sorting, I mean..saving what is salvageable to use as garden walkways or to build birdhouses and feeders. He pulls board after board from the pile and "tests" it for strength. To do this he just whaps it on the ground and if it breaks then it is deemed no good..if it stands to the test, he moves it to the save pile. This is the same pile that has been here since Hurricane Katrina and the same pile that passes through this ritual every year. Sort..test..restack..and forget for another year. Why we just don't toss the whole thing and forget about it is far beyond my wisdom. Still, every Spring..it is the same..sort..test..restack..and wait another year. Hmmm..whatever would we do without our pile of lumber..or stack of rotten boards??

In the middle of this stack, he found a huge centipede. It was one of those.."don't touch" centipedes. The kind that are big enough that they would pack a hefty wallop if they decided you were stressing them. I know..I have been bitten before and hope to never have that delight again. Anyway, this centipede was probably about five inches in length and was not one bit happy about being disturbed. I am quite sure if it could have it would have probably given us quite a tongue-lashing about privacy, intrusion and meddling.

It was skittering along, hunting for a new place to hide when suddenly..danger loomed on the horizon. This formidable predator was being stalked. Out from under one board came a green anole. It eyed the centipede and carefully lifted one foot to sneak a bit closer. I thought sure the end was near for the centipede. I was to witness a battle for survival between two tiny but fierce foes. But..the trouble doubled for the centipede. A very large gecko popped up on top of the board. It, too, ogled the centipede. Which would have lunch for the day? Or would either lizard?

The anole eased in closer..measuring each step..slowly creeping closer to the prey. It has a very distinct hunting method in which it will watch almost motionless until the prey is close enough to grasp. The gecko on the other hand..simply bursts into action..it more or less seems to depend on its speed to catch its dinner. (Yes, I did waste quite a bit of time watching lizards and centipedes!) At about this point a hapless fly wandered into the scene and distracted both lizards. The centipede took advantage of this diversion to slip under a piece of plywood and made its escape! Smart centipede! It has lived to tell the tale of being stalked by two enemies!

Another..who knew???

Again, I have to ask..who knew? This time it is about centipedes. I was out working in the yard and turned over a rotted pine log to move it to the burn pile. Before burning anything, I always check it for toads, lizards, mice, etc. since I really do not want to burn them. This time, to my surprise, there was a mother centipede with a whole slew of eggs. She was wrapped tightly around this bundle of eggs as if to protect them. I have never seen this before, as matter of fact, I always assumed that centipedes were like most other bugs that would "lay 'em and leave 'em". This centipede was trying hard to hold onto these eggs so I very gently put the log back down on the ground. Now I know that I will probably regret this as I have been bitten by these vicious little monsters and they HURT! I mean really hurt! I just had the opportunity to rid my yard of about fifty of them at one time and I (stupidly) let them live. Geez, I am a sucker for babies..even baby centipedes!

I came in and decided to research centipede egg-laying just to make sure of what I had just seen. Sure enough, there is one type of the bug that does lay its eggs in rotted logs and she does curl around them to protect them. The mother even licks the eggs to free them from mold spores that would consume them. Such a good mother bug! Anyway..who knew? I did not! At least this log is way down the hill near the marsh and not near my house! Stay away, little bugs, stay away!

Sometimes, it is hard to let go of things from the past. A favorite dish, and old toy, pictures or even memories. This week, I have been cleaning cabinets and I must say, I am rather proud that I have been parting with things. I have several huge boxes of just "stuff" that was cluttering up my house for a number of years. I feel good about the orderly cabinets in my kitchen and have no qualms about parting with these items. One thing, I could not part with this week was not really an item but rather a quirky little action. Something that I (and probably you) did as a kid. Earlier this week, I noticed a dandelion had sprung up right outside my front door. Dandelions, as you well know, are not the most showy flowers. This one caught my eye, though, and I waited with anticipation until this morning! I went out and carefully picked my dandelion. It was gorgeous! I held it high in the air and..poof!..I blew! Seeds floated gently on the breeze like tiny little faeries. I was a kid again..standing there watching my seed faeries dancing on the wind. Sheer bliss. (Unless, of course, anyone saw me. Then I would have to start explaining the smile on my face and start defending my sanity!)