Scorpions are evil. As I said, we had an infestation at one point. The first one we ever found in the house, was sitting by my foot as I was peeing one day. Modesty be durned, I high-tailed it out of the bathroom. The only two people who got stung though were my little brother -- then about three -- who got a full dose of venom and went into convulsions for a couple of days -- and my mom, who got stung in the thumb while folding laundry. She had no feeling in her arm up to her elbow for about a month. That particular scorpion got smashed by my older brother's algebra book, which was the only good he ever got out of algebra.

Shudder. We're callinig exterminators today.

I guess this is a case of familiarity breeding contempt. If you see these things around the house all the time, and especially if you get stung, they must be pretty odious. Here in Virginia, they sell the things in pet stores. You ought to get a look at the Zimbawean whip-tail scorpion (available for under $20!!!). I don't know what they're supposed to eat; cats and mailmen, I suppose.

It fell on her face?

Okay. Gonna definitely have some nightmares tonight.

D, one of the nicest things about coming East after high school was the fact that I didn't have to worry about scorpions anymore.

I should have mentioned that there are a fair number of, what, breeds of the things. The ones Jordana had to deal with in Arizona can, I understand, be quite deadly. The ones around San Antonio were generally of a different variety. Their sting hurt like hell, but generally wasn't any more poisonous than a hornet's.

I'm sitting in an office in the middle of Dee Cee typing this and even now my skin is beginning to crawl. I may have to delete this post altogether!

Oh, I know the little devils can be dangerous! I lived in Arizona for a year and a half when I was in grad school and used to love to go hiking in the White Tank mountains. The first week I was out there I picked up an interesting-looking rock, turned it over, and saw a small scorpion clinging to the underside. I got rid of it, pronto. The sting of the bark scorpion (Centruroides) is said to have resulted in more deaths in Arizona than have the bites of all poisonous snakes combined.

The brown recluse is the next most danferous spider in north america right behind the dreaded black widow and yuk you just dont want to ever encounter one and you wonder why little miss muffit was so afraid of spiders and have you ever seen the movie TARANTULA?

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