H is for Heebie Jeebies

We've been working on cottage renovations during our spare moments and the entire family is eager to be out there, living in the country and running in the woods. To satisfy our itch, we spent the weekend camping at the farm. We traipsed through the woods, picking gooseberries and mullberries, and getting a feel for the land. We swam in the creek and cooked smores. We slept in a tent that offered a view of the stars and a symphony of noises only found in the woods at night. It was beautiful.

However.

We managed to pick up a thousand ticks. 3 days later and we're still finding ticks. Thankfully, Missouri ticks don't commonly carry anything to worry about. We'll keep an eye on the bites, of course, but mostly they are just gross. ~shudder~

We also didn't sleep in the tent for long. Honor is apparently allergic to the woods and campfires and woke us up with an asthma attack after sleeping for about 15 minutes in the tent. We had to go home for breathing treatments.

But the truly Heebie-Jeebie part is.....the "S" word. I just don't even want to talk about it. If you don't want me to talk about it, then you probably don't want to see any pictures, either. I recommend you turn your head while I share. ~shiver~

Last week, I caught a glimpse of this across the road as I drove away:

Then he showed up at the cottage. Right outside my back door.

6 ft of heebie jeebies BESIDE MY BACK DOOR!!!!

Chris was my hero and shooed it away with a rake. 

It didn't like the rake.

And it didn't go away. We managed to get it to the driveway, where it hid in the grass until we went inside and then slithered its nasty way right back up to the house. I know, I know, they're beneficial, they have good points. Whatever. They make my spine tingle and give me goosebumps. Just posting these pictures has me so tense, my shoulders are touching ears.

My real fear is that these boogers will find their way inside my house and that I'll step on one in the middle of the night. ~swoon~

#ABCblogging