Our house is under attack. The vile terrorists have been striking fear into our hearts for 7 days now. Just when we think lightening can’t strike twice, or even thrice, we get hit again.
We have gone months, months, I say, without seeing a single scorpion inside our home. But a week ago today, Mr. Handsome found one crawling up the back side of the couch. (The couch of all places! And this is where Sunshine sleeps during the hot summer months.) We killed it and thought it a fluke. Then, the very next day, during our first time hosting Joy School, with little barefoot toddlers all around, the villain again reared its ugly tail. There on the floor in our main living area—right in the middle of the Barbie dolls spread on the carpet--came another charging scorpion. Like lightening, I whisked those barefoot bambinas up onto the safety of the couch, but in doing so, I violated the #1 rule of warfare: never take your eyes off the enemy. He was gone when I turned around and no amount of searching revealed his hiding place. After I placed an urgent phone call to our pest control people, the exterminator treated our home indoors the very next day.
I was feeling safe again.
Naive of me.
Last night I was changing Mr. Bingley’s diaper right in the very spot where we found the bambino chaser last week and thinking you know this piece of carpet/diaper depot is the very spot where we found/lost that big scorpion. The Professor, who was sitting on the floor a mere foot away from us, screamed, flung his arm, and was suddenly on his feet, the word scorpion barely audible on his trembling lips. It had run over his finger tips and he had escaped without injury. I instantly spotted this tiny camouflaged monster. It was minute, the exact color of our carpet and running like h-e-double toothpicks. I slammed that sucker with my sturdy flip flip.
But I did not even feel victorious.
I felt violated and weak.
We had hardly put the smeared carcass into the garbage can when StarGirl called out from our bedroom. SCORPION! There was another one, in plain view on the bathroom tile. Mr. Handsome got that one with a whack.
I felt whoosey.
We were not safe.
Even with the exterminator coming into the house, they were back.
We took out the black light and checked everyone’s beds and rooms before tucking everyone in and I woke up this morning trying to forget about the little monsters that could attack my now crawling baby. Two last night does not mean more this morning. I will not worry, I will be strong and figure out how we can keep the children safe. I will just move forward and take Mr. Bingley’s picture in this lovely morning light that’s streaming through our windows. I moved an upholstered chair to the sunny spot and sat my happy baby in it. His smile was radiant and I took about 50 pictures of him as he sat in that chair. He is happy, innocent, no fear. What’s fear?
And just when I was about to wrap up our photo session, I decided I wanted to experiment with a different angel for another shot. I will just set my baby on the floor for a quick moment while I pull up the upholstered cushion so I can get a shot with the all white chair back as the background. Baby at my feet, I lifted the cushion—and I kid you not—a small, amber colored dagger--I mean scorpion--came running from under the cushion up the side of the chair. It had been underneath us during the entire photo session.
Instinctively, my brain went into frontal lobe mode—fight? Or flight? I remember an impulse of feeling my sturdy flip flop under my foot, but my arms picked flight and scooped up Charles and ran. We ran away from the chair and called out for A Handsome Hero in the next room. All this happened in a split second. And though he was on a conference call with a Bluetooth thing in his ear and a blackberry in his hand, he successfully rescued us from the poisonous tail of terror.
I sat down and had a brief, angry sob.
We are under attack and I am shell shocked.
If you know anything we can further do to prevent these beasts from getting into our home, please tell me. Also, if you have theories as to why they are suddenly in my home like the guerrillas of Columbia, I would like to hear those too. Also, do I dare set my child down on the ground at all today? He is currently clamoring to get out of his high chair, but mama doesn’t want to let him roam. Advise me. I am through being scared and ready to take them on. I've got a baby to protect.
7 comments:
I despise those creatures. Can humans ever win against them? It makes me very nervous too!
so you say that you do have a professional exterminator coming? Maybe one of your neighbors also sprayed or something and they are coming to your house now. Maybe you should get a cat or two, they could even be outside cats. That might help, that's why the Kings had cats I think.
BTW really cute picture of Charlie, he's looking much bigger than the last time I saw him. Those scorpions really freak me out too.
I don't know where you live in Phx - but Moon Valley has them REALY bad as does Tempe where my mom lives. When we lived on Tierra Buena our chickens took care of them, I've heard a cat is good too. Our pug, Daisey spots them in our home, here in Tucson, and she will continue to STARE at the carpet until someone comes to kill it. Damp towels are a draw - keep them off the ground, outside by the pool or inside, especially in the laundry room. Also, keep the beds made so they can't crawl in between the sheets.
I stepped on one the other day, at the foot of the stairs, - Ouch - Rachel was stung pulling out a suitcase from a closet, rarely used, that closet was emptied and vacumned - BUT the worst incident was Daniel was in the shower, he went to grab the soap and was stung by one lounging on the damp soap - good incentive to dry the shower.
I HATE them too. Why did Noah allow them on the ark??
You're little one is adorable - what beautiful blue eyes!!
becky,
we've had them off and on in our house, and my dad actually paid to have the house "sealed" by a scorpion sealer person. i think that helped quite a bit, though it may have been pricey.
also, if you put the bottom of charlie's crib (if he sleeps in a crib) legs inside mason jars, and keep the crib away from the wall, the scorpions won't be able to get into his crib. (this is a trick my friend in texas told me about.)
hope that helps... i, too, am terrified of scorpions. they're horrible, and i can't believe you've had so many in the past few days!
is a neighbor doing some construction or something? they tend to come out of hiding when the earth around them is being uprooted and disrupted.
You do have to keep that beautiful child away from those terrible critters. I found many times that when you have the exterminator come, and he sprays in all their usual hiding places, that they do come out in the open in full force so you will notice more of them for a short time. Use your black light to find where they live in your home and yard and kill as many of them as you can. In ours, it was in the attic and we put insect bombs in the attic and that helped. The exterminators we had said you practically had to get a direct hit when spraying for them as the residue the spray leaves doesn't much affect scorpions. So go on a search and find them before they find you and always keep a trusty weapon handy. Shoes or flip flops work fine, but you have to hit hard and fast and mash and don't let them get away.
They start migrating more at the end of September thru October. I have a sixth sense and before retiring at night I would walk thru and kill one almost nightly. Take comfort that there are no recorded deaths although we nearly lost Roman to the anti venom. Fresh courage girl we are pioneer stock and this to we shall survive.
Post a Comment