Be Careful Where You Step

I live in the desert now and there is a much different set of flora and fauna here. In Houston, there was a great deal of humidity and that moist atmosphere was teeming with life, most of which, while thriving, was unpleasant and at best tolerable. Here in the desert life has to do more fighting to survive and in doing so, sometimes fights me as well.

I saw my first scorpion a couple of months after I got here. It was outside my front door clinging to the wall like a cockroach. It wasn’t big enough to be a threat and it wasn’t nasty looking enough to earn my disgust. I just stared at it for a bit and moved on. I thought about killing it but couldn’t come up with a reason why. I saw the second scorpion a couple of months later. It was about the same size and at a similar position on the wall. This time, however, the wall was in my house. This one I killed.

I have a bad habit or tendency to walk around my house barefoot. It’s a practice I’ve had for as long as I’ve been living alone. Since I’ve been living here though I have experienced a deterrent to that practice. I keep stepping on burrs. They stick to my shoes, my socks, and my bare feet whenever they can. They’re in my backyard as well as the front and there is no getting rid of them. It took me more than a few ouches to get me to make some adjustments. Vacuuming, sweeping, taking my shoes off at the front door has helped but they still occasionally get me. When they do they have to be dealt with immediately, not out of fear of infection because they hurt. I collected a few to remind me.

I could complain but since I have been here there have encountered no mosquitos or other pests large or small and there aren’t enough naturally surviving plants to be a concern. I’m just saying that if you choose to come out to visit me, be careful where you step.