When practical jokes backfire?

[Star*]

A standing rule in our house is and has always been "catch and release." Recently while reading about another lifestyle I came across a phrase that states "Do No Harm." I like that, it's kind of a Golden Rule without being rulesy. It's just a statement. In our house if it creeps, crawls, flies, slithers, walks, barks, quacks, or short of being a cockroach or mosquito - it's given a ride out of the house. Gratis.

Another long standing rule is NO reptiles. DF will not tolerate any creepy crawlie, slithery thing. Turtles are it. To keep a lizard past the little anoles that run wild here? Is blashpheme. Iguanas are the devil. Ask Janet for proof of that. He said anything like that is welcome to come and make boots and a belt. I on the other hand love all creatures, so I've been reduced to having rubber snakes and fake lizards. I did sell the mechanical iguana - it was hilarious.

So now and then? I will find a rubber scorpion - and throw it under a chair. Then forget it. Or toss a rubber snake in the bushes. Honestly it keeps my flowers because our cat is just plain rude and has ruined every perenial I own except for the ones where the rubber snakes live.

So imagine my surprise tonight while I'm sitting in the den and DF yells GET THE BUG THING GET YOUR BUG THING which means I'm sure - he's spider wrangling tonight. I usually just scoop them up with a kleenex or hands and pop them outside but he now feels I could be bitten or stung so got me a little terrarium bug jar and we are now professional spider and bug wranglers. OMG between that and the pickle jar we're nearly world class. I couldn't wait to see what he was catching tonight.

Then he stands there almost laughing and says - OH Star this is another one of your RUBBER lizards - and as he goes to pull this monstrosity off the wall? It moved and FREAKED him OUT. Well then he slammed the bug thing over this lizard who is WELL over 8" long with a huge head. I came up to see this "monstrosity" and just freaked out too. It's a Broad Head skink. He really is huge and mean looking, but probably not. I wouldn't stick my finger near his mouth though. We've had them outside before nearly 11" long male and female - they are magnificent.

I've posted a picture of what this one looks like - it's not exactly the one I have - Ours is larger but what a hunky skink huh? And the bright red head means he's "fancyin' himself up looking fer a lady skink. I hope we have lots of little skinks -

They've been around here for years - Hope they stay - he's sure not happy in this bug thing. lol

http://bama.ua.edu/~firegrant/Laticeps.JPG

I call him Latimore. lol - Bet he loves THAT name too.

Bet Df thinks again before grabbing anymore of my rubber bugs - hahah

And I picked about a 4" wolf spider out of my bed last night. Just sitting on the bed pillow next to me watching Lopez - like - "Aint he the best." lol - Out the window he went - Just great. Why can't these guys bring me money!

 

[HaoZi]

Goodness woman, did you move to my home state? Skinks and wolf spiders and snakes, oh my! Sounds like home.

 

[Hound dog]

Pretty boy isn't he? I don't mind lizards. Nichole's iguana didn't hang around long. I was not happy.......mostly because she had no real clue how to care for it. We did do a few lizards though until she felt sorry for them and turned them loose.

Spiders? If they're in my house, they're gonna die. Mostly because we have so many of the darn things, only way I can keep the numbers down. Daddy longlegs get scooted outside. Had a snail figure out a way into the family room. No clue how he got in there. Put him out too.

Snakes........don't mind them, but don't want them as pets either. And since Bruce went after Aubrey's rubber snake like John Wayne after a russler.........Evidently Bruce is one of those cats who hunts snakes. He also MOUSES.......got his 3rd or 4th one last night.........You'd have been proud of him. All stalky and so ON IT! lol Actually looks like he knows what he's doing now. Except he gets mad when I take it away.

Nichole suggested putting a snake in the basement for the mice..........except once the mice were gone, I don't want to have to go looking for the snake to release him. My mom put a huge toad in the basement to eat waterbugs.. We had HUGE waterbugs. Too much like roaches for me......ew. Well, he did a fine job of getting rid of them.......only went I went down to let him go.......Let's just say I never found him. Never did figure out how he got out.

I bet now you'll be hollered at for every rubber bug and lizard on the property. lol

 

[AnnieO]

Ohhhh eewwwww!

Ya know, I've never been thrilled with reptiles, but no big deal. Until I got with XH, who had a snake.

Who never fed the dang thing.

Who never cleaned its aquarium.

Whose then-wife called the snakey people she'd met at the Humane Society while donating pet food from Target and asked them to come rescue it. After she fed it for the first and last time because she felt sorry for it.

NEVER.AGAIN.

Onyxx wants one. Well, the iguana she had at BM's died. She's killed more hermit crabs than I knew existed (not feeding them will do that). The frog she caught refused to eat while in her room. (In Jett's, it did... Hmm.) The cats are dog are terrified of her. So - the answer is - NOT IN MY HOUSE.

Spiders? My house. They come in, they get squooshed. Outside? I will move them if they're in my way.

Mice? Are for Possum and Squirrel.

 

[Shari]

Nothing makes me laugh more than a big burly brawny man afraid of a bug or a mouse. Teehee. Thanks for the giggle.

 

[Star*]

Hey Hound - and Step - and HaoZi -

The broadhead is indigenous to Ohio - FYI. Fortunately for you Shari - they don't travel to MO. mwhahahhahahahaha

 

[DammitJanet]

I am phobic of snakes. Dont even play with me. Rubber, pictures, advertisements with them in them...I hate them. I have to cover my head. One came in my yard last summer and I had to call everyone to make sure it didnt crawl up under my car!

Now dont laugh... I have a 4 foot iguana! We had one that was bigger than this one who used to roam the house and we would wake up with it curled up in bed with us...lol. They dont bother me unless they are swimming, then I have to leave the room. I dont particularly handle Corporal Iggy a whole lot but he doesnt bother me. He is rather pretty. If you take him out in the sun he is the most striking orange and green colors.

 

[P-nut2004]

Thats hilarious Star.....difficult child & easy child 2 both have a thing for the rubber bugs n critters (I dont get it, they gross me out worse than real ones cause I hate the texture). At any rate, our religion's main rule is "Harm none" and I have tried for years to enforce this when it comes to bugs as well but, sadly, no dice. We are opposed to hunting unless you NEED the food, we rescue any poor homeless pet we find, we save injured wildlife and find a rehab for them but the girls will not hesitate to stomp/squash then flush any bug with the exception of caterpillars & lady bugs. If I see them first they get to live.....husband is petrified of spiders & squeals like a girl so then it's luck of the draw as to who responds and whether the poor critter gets to live.
As for reptiles, we LOVE them, we have a ball python right now, used to have a Burmese as well and have previously owned all kinds of frogs, lizards & turtles. We also have a policy about stopping to rescue turtles & even a few snakes (thats DHs job tho) from the middle of the road, we never pass a turlte without stopping to save him and place him well off the roadway LoL the girls love it. Kudos to you for successfully implementing a catch and release policy and good luck with your skink population they are awesome looking lizards!

 

[HaoZi]

Step? Get Onyxx a pet rock. A small one.

 

[AnnieO]

Err - tried the pet rock thing. I don't know what happened to it... Nuff said.

 

[Star*]

OH I always wanted a pet rock. Now I have petrified wood.

 

[AnnieO]

LOL - I had an actual Pet Rock as a small child (thinking 7-8 y/o). In fact, I still have it, and even know where it is.


http://www.virtualpet.com/vp/farm/petrock/petrock.htm

 

[Star*]

Yup that's what I wanted - I got a mood ring, and a mood barette. Mom got me a Mood Watch for Christmas. ----Very telling little piece of jewelry. lol What I asked Santa for was a PONY -again. 46 years you think that fat man would get it right.

 

[ML]

OMG! Thank you for starting my day off with laughter xo

 

[Hound dog]

LOL

I remember the pet rocks. I remember thinking how dumb it was someone would pay money for that when I could pick a rock up off the ground and do the same thing. lol I wasn't' that old either.

I remember the mood rings. Mine? Always black. Don't remember what black meant. But I think the thing was broken cuz it never changed colors.

Reminds me of our red, white, and blue livingroom...........and mom's hippie beads (also red, white, and blue) that separated the livingroom from the kitchen hanging up in the archway. And the black leapard lamp mom picked up at a yard sale with the bright red shade........that started the odd stares from neighbors, until my eldest sis braved Mom's wrath to explain to her about what Red Lights in windows meant.

 

[Star*]

ROFLMredlightdistrict OFF. OMG daisy - That needed a spit warning.