Creeeepy...and it's not even Halloween anymore!

Country living.

Mountain-style.

Old house.

Distant views.

Abundant wildlife.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!

....but sometimes, just sometimes, it's a little too wild - on the inside.

I'm not afraid of the red and black beetles that invade the sunny side of the house twice a year. Those hundreds, if not thousands of annoying little bugs. That "do no harm" according to the local county extension office. That are "nothing more than a nuisance bug" according to a Google search. That cannot be exterminated by the local bug killer guy. Oh no. I'm not afraid of those flying bugs that get into every window crack and nook and cranny - which, in an older home, are plenty.

Nor, am I afraid of the not-so-random fuzzy brown spider that graces my bathroom floor in the daylight basement. Or the long-legged spider that makes his web in the corner of the window overlooking the yard. Or the fast little spider with the short legs that I chase with a Kleenex or paper cup, trying to save by releasing it outside.

Nope. I'm NOT scared or creeped out....

but

I 

am

terrified

petrified

mortified

and 

truly

creeped

out

of 

my

ever

lovin'

skin

by

the

little

dark

brown

sharp

tailed

scaly

SCORPION!!!

Yes, I saw my first teeny-tiny intruder in the house the first month we lived here.

I called the exterminator and with sheer disbelief I was informed that we live in a high desert climate. HIGH desert? This is the Pacific Northwest for crying out loud. True, it's not the Washington state Pacific Northwest - green, cold and wet where we used to live, but I've also lived in the Mojave desert - the high deserts of Bishop and Ridgecrest, California. This is NOT high desert to me. There should NOT be scorpions in my HOUSE!

The exterminator told me they could spray, but chances are it would not do much good. 

GREAT!

Tina vs. the Scorpions.

I have found them under books.

I have found them in dark corners throughout the garage and even in the laundry room and closets that reside in the basement.

Thankfully, I have NEVER found them in my shoes or my dresser drawers.

BUT

a few weeks ago, in my bedroom downstairs, I removed the over-head light fixture to change out the lightbulb....

I unscrewed the finial that holds the upside down glass shade in place. 

Put my hand over the finial and the retaining washer so it wouldn't fall on the floor. 

Then gently removed the glass globe and set it down on the table.

I changed the lightbulb.

When I reached to pick up the globe, the finial fell to the floor.

 and I FREAKED OUT when I spotted THIS!!!

THIS!!!!

HOW IN THE WORLD DID A SCORPION GET HERE????

It was between the globe and the finial!!!

UNDER THAT LITTLE FINIAL.

(look closely at that first photo - he's there - dead, yes - but I put my hand over that - what if he had been alive!!!)

All I can hope is the little menace had to painfully contort its body
to get through the tiny, tiny gap and then it died a sad slow death....

Ok, so that is kind of harsh thinking, but I can't help but feel that way.

If this one can magically squeeze in this unimaginable space, overhead, no less, where else can they get???

Why on earth do we need SCORPIONS?

Huh? WHY????