Critters

Living in the country has its advantages. Among them are peace and quiet conducive to reflection, a introspective person’s delight. We live about three miles from downtown Brenham, but with cattle as our closest neighbors, you’d think we were far away from it all. Our little haven...

I wrote last week about the spider that spit out its prey and the pair of hares (jackrabbits) I could see from the window. (I like glass between critters and me:) Mom did noble battle last summer with a five-foot water moccasin who was sunning itself in her flower bed. It slithered to safety under the concrete of the sidewalk. Yesterday, we followed the path of a mama skunk across our backyard. Our dog, Dixie, went a bit nuts barking, running back and forth, but the only time the huge skunk stopped was to put up her tail when a couple of barn swallows dive-bombed her. I think it’s odd to see a skunk, who’s not rabid, in broad daylight. Later in the day, she passed back through the yard with a baby in her mouth. Perhaps, that explains her urgency to make her journey in the sunlight.

There was no glass between me and the critters I encountered on Friday night. I was helping Mom transplant some bushes. She had gone over to the concrete slab where our water hose is coiled to turn on the hose, when she hollered, “Neil, Come Quick!”. Under the hose were two tarantulas, one about six inches across from furry knee to furry knee, the other slightly smaller. Their egg-shaped centers were about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Ugly creatures ...The tarantulas were aggressive; I managed to subdue them with a strong, hard stream of water and then killed them. Dad killed another one on the other side of the house last night, again it was lurking under a hose. The lesson ... If you’re gardening in this part of Texas and it heats up, wear gloves and look carefully before you pull out weeds or work in the flower beds. There’s critters in abundance. There's a picture behind the cut.


The smaller of the two tarantulas I killed.
The furry legs are shriveled up from the water and it's a bit squashed, but it was a force to be reckoned with.

I’ve been speaking of four and six-legged creatures, but there are two-legged ones who can be dangerous to your visual sensibility:) I drove into Houston yesterday and saw a matinee of “110 in the Shade”. Thanks to my friend Marybelle, I was on the seventh row center for this repeat viewing. I enjoyed it alot more from close up where I could see the faces of the actors more clearly. But the critters I refer to were in the audience. A Saturday matinee audience is like no other. I was by myself, so I had plenty of opportunity to observe the characters out in the house and lobby.

One woman, about 80, had jet black dyed hair. The hair was swept up and over, flipping out about a foot from her face and sprayed into place. (You know, the Ann Miller do:) She looked like a child who had gotten into her mother’s makeup. Application was heavy and haphazard. She was dripping with jewels and leopard skin prints. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, wishing for my camera:)

A matinee crowd on a hot day is always a grab bag in terms of dress. It’s usually an older audience and they dress up. And then there’s the other end of the spectrum. I understand the need to be comfortable and casual, but some folks take it to an extreme. There was a guy sitting three seats from me with his wife and little boy (who in one of the most tender moments in the show, hollered out, “I don’t get it!”:) The guy hadn’t washed his hair (thinning grey with bangs), was dressed in a stained tee-shirt and grey gym shorts. I’m sorry. I know there are people who will disagree with me, but I was offended. I can see walking shorts or jeans and a casual shirt, but his appearance ... *sigh* ... Critters ... No class ....

I attended the cast picnic between shows and got to visit with several out-of-towners that I worked with a couple of decades ago. It was a nice afternoon. When I arrived home last evening, my Mom was all excited. Turns out they were watching Lawrence Welk repeats as they do every Saturday at 5pm. There’s a current day host who introduces the vintage shows. Yesterday, Mary Lou was interviewing Cissy King who was part of the dance team Bobby and Cissy. Cissy was talking about her work with Six Flags parks and up pops a picture from 1979 .... and there I am, singing and dancing. The show was Tumblin’ Tambourines and I was Sheriff Hardy Ever Do Right. Talk about your dangerous Critters .... *grin*

Critters

Living in the country has its advantages. Among them are peace and quiet conducive to reflection, a introspective person’s delight. We live about three miles from downtown Brenham, but with cattle as our closest neighbors, you’d think we were far away from it all. Our little haven...

I wrote last week about the spider that spit out its prey and the pair of hares (jackrabbits) I could see from the window. (I like glass between critters and me:) Mom did noble battle last summer with a five-foot water moccasin who was sunning itself in her flower bed. It slithered to safety under the concrete of the sidewalk. Yesterday, we followed the path of a mama skunk across our backyard. Our dog, Dixie, went a bit nuts barking, running back and forth, but the only time the huge skunk stopped was to put up her tail when a couple of barn swallows dive-bombed her. I think it’s odd to see a skunk, who’s not rabid, in broad daylight. Later in the day, she passed back through the yard with a baby in her mouth. Perhaps, that explains her urgency to make her journey in the sunlight.

There was no glass between me and the critters I encountered on Friday night. I was helping Mom transplant some bushes. She had gone over to the concrete slab where our water hose is coiled to turn on the hose, when she hollered, “Neil, Come Quick!”. Under the hose were two tarantulas, one about six inches across from furry knee to furry knee, the other slightly smaller. Their egg-shaped centers were about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Ugly creatures ...The tarantulas were aggressive; I managed to subdue them with a strong, hard stream of water and then killed them. Dad killed another one on the other side of the house last night, again it was lurking under a hose. The lesson ... If you’re gardening in this part of Texas and it heats up, wear gloves and look carefully before you pull out weeds or work in the flower beds. There’s critters in abundance. There's a picture behind the cut.


The smaller of the two tarantulas I killed.
The furry legs are shriveled up from the water and it's a bit squashed, but it was a force to be reckoned with.

I’ve been speaking of four and six-legged creatures, but there are two-legged ones who can be dangerous to your visual sensibility:) I drove into Houston yesterday and saw a matinee of “110 in the Shade”. Thanks to my friend Marybelle, I was on the seventh row center for this repeat viewing. I enjoyed it alot more from close up where I could see the faces of the actors more clearly. But the critters I refer to were in the audience. A Saturday matinee audience is like no other. I was by myself, so I had plenty of opportunity to observe the characters out in the house and lobby.

One woman, about 80, had jet black dyed hair. The hair was swept up and over, flipping out about a foot from her face and sprayed into place. (You know, the Ann Miller do:) She looked like a child who had gotten into her mother’s makeup. Application was heavy and haphazard. She was dripping with jewels and leopard skin prints. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, wishing for my camera:)

A matinee crowd on a hot day is always a grab bag in terms of dress. It’s usually an older audience and they dress up. And then there’s the other end of the spectrum. I understand the need to be comfortable and casual, but some folks take it to an extreme. There was a guy sitting three seats from me with his wife and little boy (who in one of the most tender moments in the show, hollered out, “I don’t get it!”:) The guy hadn’t washed his hair (thinning grey with bangs), was dressed in a stained tee-shirt and grey gym shorts. I’m sorry. I know there are people who will disagree with me, but I was offended. I can see walking shorts or jeans and a casual shirt, but his appearance ... *sigh* ... Critters ... No class ....

I attended the cast picnic between shows and got to visit with several out-of-towners that I worked with a couple of decades ago. It was a nice afternoon. When I arrived home last evening, my Mom was all excited. Turns out they were watching Lawrence Welk repeats as they do every Saturday at 5pm. There’s a current day host who introduces the vintage shows. Yesterday, Mary Lou was interviewing Cissy King who was part of the dance team Bobby and Cissy. Cissy was talking about her work with Six Flags parks and up pops a picture from 1979 .... and there I am, singing and dancing. The show was Tumblin’ Tambourines and I was Sheriff Hardy Ever Do Right. Talk about your dangerous Critters .... *grin*