The lucky one

Last night, I lost an earring in our bedroom. So I grabbed James' super-duper, high-powered flashlight, turned it on, and shined it under my bureau. Ewwwww. Dusty! Ugh, a dust bunny, too....

From there, I swept the light beam across the floor toward James' cedar chest....

.........and.......

......oh, my.....

......time to fetch a critter container......

Using a pen, I coaxed the critter into the plastic jar, then carried the occupied jar down the hall.

"What cha got?" asked James from the couch in the living room. "A spider?"

I shook my head.

A roach?

No.

A scorpion?

Pause. 

"You've got a scorpion, don't you?!"

Sheepish grin.

"Let me see it!" James took the jar from my hand and held it up to the kitchen light for a closer look. "I'll take care of it."

"No, you won't," I retorted. "I will."

But first, we had to have a brief photo session on the back porch. Then I tossed the striped bark scorpion (Centruoides vittatus) across the fence into some grass (no one lives there). 

Later that night, James made a startling announcement from the bathroom. "There's another scorpion!" 

No way! I've lived in this house 15 years and have found less than a handful inside the whole time. Two in ONE NIGHT? Sure enough, I ducked my head past the door and saw a big scorpion, nearly flattened by James' shoe, on the tile floor. 

"We're gonna have some storms," James muttered as he flushed the unlucky one down the toilet.