Day 212; Footnotes When the Ants Taught me to Dance And Other Painful Lessons

Strange things happen from time to time.

Incident One-
I was minding my own business, and the business of everyone else across the world wide web when my dogs decided to raise a ruckus outside. I walked over to the door to see what was going on to see a big, white SUV pull down my driveway and stop. I finally manged to get both dogs inside, make sure they can’t escape this room and walk to the front door. I get there just in time to see the big, white, SUV pulling out of my driveway. Well okay then. I come back inside, let the dogs out (yes, it was me) and went back to being nosy.Then mom called. She wanted to know if I knew who that was that pulled down my driveway. Nope. By the time I got to the door they were gone. She then proceeded to tell me, several times, how the vehicle had first stopped in front of the third apartment, turned around, pulled down  my driveway and then pulled up to the second apartment and banged on the door until someone answered. She just wondered if I had noticed anything on the sides that might would have identified who they were. Nope. I didn’t see anything at all on the sides. Who ever it might have been, I had nothing to do with it…this time.

Incident two-
When my son was preparing to leave to go back to work after lunch he some how managed to catch one of the smaller kittens. He said it wasn’t paying attention and he grabbed it. The kitten was NOT happy. It spit, hissed and did its best to bite. I wasn’t about to try and take it away from him because I was wearing a tank top and didn’t particularly care to be shredded. I told him to just set it back down, the kitten was moving before it touched the floor of the carport. Cute kitten, mean little bugger.

Incident three-
The other day I charged the battery for my real camera. Today, after my son got home and the sun was lower, I took it and headed outside. Just as I reached the door, my son, actually asked me, “Going to take pictures?” I stopped. I stood there and just looked at him. He then asked, “What? No Here’s Your Sign comments?” No, not you made it too easy.

I went outside and wandered around the yard for a while, taking a few photos here and there. Then I thought I’d wander down to the pond, which then had me across the field, through the woods then back home by walking up the road. Only I ran into a slight issue.

I stopped at one point to take a photo of the setting sunlight through some leaves that are already changing color. Apparently, I also put my foot down on an ant hill. As I began walking away, the pain began. I made a halfhearted swipe at my ankle but that didn’t help. When I looked down I saw that my left shoe was covered with ants that were making their way across my sock and to my flesh. Here is where I not only learned to dance, but made up a few new steps. It took a few moments of my dancing around on one foot while waving my shoe in the air and swiping at my socked foot, but I finally managed to dislodge all the ants so I could put my shoe back on. I don’t really care what that person driving down the dirt road thought. That hurt. Amazing how something so small can pack such a wallop of pain.

I took three short videos while I was out and about in the woods. Unfortunately since I’m on a free account I can’t upload them here. I heard that sigh of relief.

And now-
Sitting here now, listening to the crickets and feeling that very slight breeze, I am content. It felt good to be out walking in the woods, enjoying the peace from there. Even that moment of the ant dance, helped me feel better. I found a bit of the balance that had been missing. Took some half way decent photos and by the time I got back home, my son said I looked as if I had been running a marathon. Well, ya know, it is just a tad on the warm side out there..

The funny thing though, I had been watching very carefully where I was putting my feet. Some of the grass was high in places meaning it was difficult to see what might be there. Some places was bare of grass and weeds, but a copperhead blends in really well with a plan ground. Even though I was watching, it only took one time, a few seconds of distraction and I ended up suffering. That’s all it takes for lie as well. We travel along, watching, careful, paying full attention, but for that one short moment. That moment when we step into something that is going to hurt badly in more ways than one.