PAYBACK FOR HUMOR AT SOMEONE ELSE’S EXPENSE

In all honesty, I do think it’s funny that Name Withheld is afraid of snakes.  Shame on me, but it’s true.  Payback:  I was working in the garden box, getting it ready for planting last month, when a large garter snake slid out quickly and unexpectedly.  Garter snakes are usually small, adorable and easy to get along with.  Nothing to fear, except when they “suddenly appear”, then the that high-pitched squeal emerges like no sound you could make if you were actually trying.  What thought comes to mind:  It will be embarrassing to admit this to Name Withheld, as much fun as I have enjoyed at her expense.  <g>

Now, the naturalist in me comes naturally, and is long-entrenched in the roots of my upbringing, if not my genetics.  I even have an ancient relative who was a member of the Dinosaur Wars.  I love spending time outside, and I love the diversity in nature, the plant kingdom as well as the animal kingdom.  There are a few creature varieties that give me pause, at least until I get a closer look.  Not a fan of scorpions, love lizards, glad that most are not poisonous; enjoy non-poisonous snakes, frogs, toads, anything that lives in water, on land or in air, but don’t like most wasps and really don’t like hornets.  Then there are the eight-legged creatures.  I hate ticks!  That I can state firmly and with confidence using a four-letter word.  And, there are spiders.  I’m not a fan of spiders in general, but there are a few that I like.  I enjoy the jumping spiders, and particularly enjoyed the one who stayed in my office last summer.  Now there is a new inhabitant.  And this one has either been replaced or has grown already, and I think it’s the latter.  He’s (or she’s) been hanging out for several weeks now.  It is larger and fuzzier than the one last year.  The front legs that look like iridescent eyes on this one are more green than blue, and are very intriguing.  In the afternoons, he gets busy, and this one either has a remarkable sense of humor, poor judgment or is so hungry that he is exceptionally ambitious.  I was sitting at my desk, watching him from his perch 2-3 feet away, and I could almost read his thoughts.  Surely enough, he jumped directly at me and there was that unrecognizable sound as my blood pressure  dropped so fast that my skin tingled.  And I even saw it coming!

I don’t watch scary movies or read scary books, don’t get a thrill from that kind of rush at all.  Lost my popcorn at one moment in the new Pirates movie.  (It rained on everyone around me.)  So, even if I would go, I’m not good company anyway, unless you’re one of “those” who would have humor at someone else’s expense.

I would like to think that he was simply having humor at my expense, and we all know about payback.  He didn’t lose his place in the desk area, but he did retreat and seems to be a little more cautious about emerging since.  Can’t imagine being a little spider when some gargantuan creature makes a noise like that.  Must be terrifying.  <g>

The one last year seemed somewhat Newfy-like in personality.  Maybe this one is like Jade, and wants to be a “lap-spider”.

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