Harbingers of Spring - & - Learning to Accept My Power Animal

There is no doubt that flowering trees, shrubs, and perennials tell us summer is nigh. Inside our home the annual earnest ant invasion began. I am happy to say that applying fresh caulk upon the kitchen window ledge seems to have solved the problem. I discovered this trick a few years ago and much prefer this solution to using poisons.

Discovered on an afternoon walk

Another creature that likes our home are centipedes. They tend to appear in high numbers during early to late spring and again in autumn. I’ve mentioned these insects before and apologize if you’ve read these same stories.

At any rate, my husband remains oblivious to their presence while I see them almost every day. Years ago a particularly obnoxious crop of these creepy crawlers gave me close up and personal attention. One found its way onto the bedspread and trundled right toward where I lay stretched across the mattress with my journal. Another got inside an unlatched DVD case and fell down the front of my blouse when I picked it up.

Ugh…

I am trying to intellectually embrace these beneficial hunters. They are fast, strong, and nocturnal. What’s not to like? And it’s impossible to know how many harmful insects centipedes have spared us. My instinctual disgust does result in crushing a specimen here and there.

Have you ever witnessed a housecat gleefully fling a centipede about? Can you suggest how I might overcome my revulsion?

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