Worse. WAY Worse.

So I'm chatting to my kids as we walk across the driveway tonight, coming home from a dentist appointment, and look down just in time to avoid THIS...



The fact that it was already dead did nothing to diminish my hysterical screaming. Trust me on this one.

Here's a headshot, because it was so my-worst-nightmare creepy and I gotta vent...



So here's a poll...Spider? Mouse? SNAKE??? Other? What's your biggest screamer?

a.

Well it ain't Mickey

So I go to feed the cats last night before bed...dip the cup into the kitty food bag under my sink, scoop up a cupful and feel a weird brush of "something" over the top of my hand. Probably just a string from the top of the bag, right?

I go back for the second scoop (Kitties are so selfish. They won't share a bowl!) and before I reach in it occurs to me (because I'm a sick and twisted whacko) IT COULD BE A TARANTULA!!!


Now why I thought "tarantula" and not "common house spider" or more aptly, "brown recluse" (eek), I'll never know. My overactive imagination maybe?

In any case, I had a sad, meowing kitty at my ankles crying because his bowl was still empty, while his fat brother paused in his chomping to smugly purr now and then. So I stand there staring at the bag, thinking..."Do tarantula's jump? And if so, how high?" I take a breath and open the sack, keeping my head a good distance from the bag opening.

It wasn't a tarantula.

Or a string.

It was this...
Still ew. I quickly clamped the bag shut (and I'll admit, briefly considered the broom and dustpan leaning against the cabinet beside me...seemed plausible until I envisioned MISSING and the little bugger running rampant around my kitchen while I haphazardly slapped thin air with my broom) and went out the back door. Opened the bag away from me and Mickey bounded across the yard. Free at last.

Did I mention this entire saga occurred while I was FEEDING THE BLOOMING CATS???

Geez Louise. Maybe I should feed them less. So I got out the aluminimum foil & that steel wool stuff and replugged all the cracks, etc under the sink. (Old house. I skimped on this over the winter because it's been forever since I had a mouse!) Guess I'll have to grab some sticky traps this weekend just to be on the safe side. And fewer kitty treats.