It's a Centipede!!!

Many years ago I lived in the Bayview and always snickered passing by Marino’s Bar.  There were retired patrons who would meet there and commiserate about the issue of the day.  Each week they would come up with a little rhyming ditty.  One week the ditty was,” If Noah was so wise then why did he save those two flies”?   I have to ask that question but exchange fly for centipede.  There is nothing that can strike such a level of fear, disgust and panic as this one simple bug.  I mean I moved from the South where I was exposed to lizards, snakes, water moccasins, tree frogs, palmetto bugs, alligators and the such.  None of those things compare to an encounter with a centipede.


This morning I had coffee, chatted on the phone, pursued the job boards and then went off to get ready for the day.  I went to my bedroom and spent some time selecting what I was gonna wear for the day (get over it, it is a girl thing).  I have a master bathroom so I went in to take my shower.  I always enjoy a nice long hot shower and spent some time lully-gagging.  I ended my shower, wrapped my hair in a towel and stepped out.   THERE IT WAS!!  Straight across the room on the wall up by the ceiling with the window and curtains just below it.  It was a centipede!  I dropped my towel and ran naked throw the house to get the fly swatter from the kitchen (Yes, the blinds were up).  I got the fly swatter and luckily the damn thing was still where I left it.  I moved the bed away from the wall but not to far that I couldn’t reach and kill it.  I made sure I positioned the fly swatter in front of it because they move very quickly.  I am so nervous that I will miss it and it will either fall onto my bed or God forbid on me!  I am naked I have to have those thoughts.  I aimed and with all my might I swatted and I GOT IT!!!!  I think.  I looked on  top of the window frame and saw nothing.  I shook the curtains and nothing.  OH NO! Did I miss it?  I did a little gig on the bed, afraid to move and at that time the wind blew the curtain past the window sill.  There it was.  My swat had blown off all its little legs and left a mangled up body on the sill.  I scrapped it off onto the floor with the fly swatter and went to get the cat to eat the thing.   Which, by the way, if one is in my bathtub I go get the cat, put her in the tub and she takes care of it for me.     Good Kitty.

My Favorite Summer Solstice

My Dad was stationed in Reykjavik, Iceland during the Vietnam War participating in ocean surveillance.   This is old technology for listening and identifying enemy ships, types and locations.   While as a child I didn’t know what he did  nor did I care,  I was having too much fun being a kid in a foreign land.   I have many wonderful memories and the one  that comes to mind is living in the land of the midnight sun.   It was so cool to be out playing kickball, jumping rope, and hanging out with friends on the playground at 10:00PM with the sun is bright in the sky.   The day before, the day of, and the day after the Summer Solstice the sun never set.   It would be a constant sunset for a couple of hours and the sun would be back up for a sunny 1:30AM.   This provided way more time to enjoy summer vacation before school started again.

However, my Mother hated it because she couldn't sleep will all the day light so she put tinfoil on her bedroom windows.   It almost blinded the neighbors across the street with the reflection of the sun.   Needless to say, the Winter Solstice was just the opposite and made it  intriguing to be out playing after dark......3:30 in the afternoon.   Very fun times in a foreign land.