Sarah, ain't it the truth, haha. They are evil, swarming, little bastards. I'll bet the other types of ants hate them too. Don't forget scorpions and copperheads! Some years the copperhead population just seems to explode. All of that is just part of being here though and I still wouldn't live anywhere else. Enjoyed this very much. - Jim
I have to say, we are SO thankful that we never encountered venomous snakes up close in six years, and that was with camping all over the state. It was one of my biggest fears when my kids would take off into the woods while we were camping.
However, we saw our fair share of alligators, and I have two humorous stories about them in my upcoming book.
Wow, you were very lucky. I live about 30 minutes west of Fort Worth, so no alligators here but I look forward to reading about that. It's very rural where I am, and the houses are spread out in the neighborhood I'm in. I have had many up close and personal experiences with rattlers, countless copperheads, etc. and once a huge (probably 6 ft long and had some girth to him) midnight black, rat snake that had slithered up one of the scrub oaks on my property. They are non-venomous, but I'm here to tell you, they sure get your attention! Looking forward to those alligator stories. - Jim
Ugh! Not a fan of fire ants! We fish a lot here in central TX and avoiding those little sandy mounds along the banks is such a pain. And like you, I grew up barefoot or in flip flops, which are now reserved for mostly in the house or on sidewalks 🙄
I've been to Texas many times and luckily have avoided them. One thing I never expect up here in Michigan was wasps nesting in the ground. I had flip-flops when crossing our front yard one summer and they attacked my foot which was swollen for days and extremely painful. I learned my lesson.
Oh, that sounds awful! My MIL had a real knack for finding ant hills and stepping in them every time they came to visit. When a friend moved back to Indiana, her Texas born daughter avoided grass for the first six months after they moved 😂
It sounds like it! Thankfully, I’ve never experienced that in the Midwest, although I’ve always been afraid I would step on a bee. I still at least have flip-flops on grass now because I’m not taking any chances. But even flip flops are no protection against a swarm of fire ants.
I read somewhere that ants have no blood in their bodies.
That is just more proof that they are evil 😉
Ha!!!! So true. ............... I'm not a big fan of the tiny black ants that get inside your house, either.
Sarah, ain't it the truth, haha. They are evil, swarming, little bastards. I'll bet the other types of ants hate them too. Don't forget scorpions and copperheads! Some years the copperhead population just seems to explode. All of that is just part of being here though and I still wouldn't live anywhere else. Enjoyed this very much. - Jim
I have to say, we are SO thankful that we never encountered venomous snakes up close in six years, and that was with camping all over the state. It was one of my biggest fears when my kids would take off into the woods while we were camping.
However, we saw our fair share of alligators, and I have two humorous stories about them in my upcoming book.
Wow, you were very lucky. I live about 30 minutes west of Fort Worth, so no alligators here but I look forward to reading about that. It's very rural where I am, and the houses are spread out in the neighborhood I'm in. I have had many up close and personal experiences with rattlers, countless copperheads, etc. and once a huge (probably 6 ft long and had some girth to him) midnight black, rat snake that had slithered up one of the scrub oaks on my property. They are non-venomous, but I'm here to tell you, they sure get your attention! Looking forward to those alligator stories. - Jim
I know. Let me tell you how happy I was that we went to Big Bend and Palo Duro in the winter while the rattlers were hibernating!
Ugh! Not a fan of fire ants! We fish a lot here in central TX and avoiding those little sandy mounds along the banks is such a pain. And like you, I grew up barefoot or in flip flops, which are now reserved for mostly in the house or on sidewalks 🙄
Yep, and it always made me so sad because I LOVE wearing flip-flops. So glad to be able to wear them without consequence again 😊
I've been to Texas many times and luckily have avoided them. One thing I never expect up here in Michigan was wasps nesting in the ground. I had flip-flops when crossing our front yard one summer and they attacked my foot which was swollen for days and extremely painful. I learned my lesson.
Oh, that sounds awful! My MIL had a real knack for finding ant hills and stepping in them every time they came to visit. When a friend moved back to Indiana, her Texas born daughter avoided grass for the first six months after they moved 😂
The pain was excruciating.
It sounds like it! Thankfully, I’ve never experienced that in the Midwest, although I’ve always been afraid I would step on a bee. I still at least have flip-flops on grass now because I’m not taking any chances. But even flip flops are no protection against a swarm of fire ants.
I doubt anything would. Luckily the wasp or hornet stings were the only ones I experienced living here for more than half my life.