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!