Rattlesnakes and Scorpions and Brown Recluse Spiders, Oh My!

Ah, the desert. So pretty. So poisonous.

A few weeks ago I pulled into the driveway to find Skip with the dog, motioning me to stop. I thought he was being funny, but then I noticed he was pointing at a very colorful stick. Holy poop. He brought the dog into the house while I kept an eye on the rattlesnake to see where it went. I did this from the car, with windows up and doors locked (safety first!). Skip came back with a long pole, picked up the snake, and flung it back down the hill. As it was silhouetted against the sky while if flew through the air, I noticed it had a giant lump in the middle of it. Must have had a rat for lunch. Yeesh.

Last week I was walking barefoot down a hallway on my way to a pool when I spotted a scorpion on the floor. Thankfully, it was dead; someone had already crushed it. It wasn't so scary, since it was flat. I'm pretty sure I'll still freak out if I see a live one. I'm just grateful I didn't step on it with bare feet.

Yesterday I was unpacking groceries. When I started to fold the bag, a large black angry looking spider appeared. ACK. Black widow spiders are a big problem here. They won't kill you, you'll just wish you were dead because of all the pain. I trapped it under a Ziplock plastic container (those things are versatile!), and then asked Sam to go get Skip, who apparently didn't hear my earlier screams. Skip took a look and said, "oh, that's not a black widow. That's a brown recluse, far worse." Fantastic. He calmly walked it out of the house and set it free. Hope the snake enjoys it.