I’m sitting in my office, looking out the front window on a dreary day. The sky is white with the cloud cover, and I’m just a little chilled. Thinking of putting on some socks.

Suddenly, the other reason I’m considering socks scurries across the floor. It’s rather big bug. We have a lot more bugs here, which doesn’t make sense to me. Wouldn’t you think that you’d be more likely to be overrun by bugs out in the country, surrounded by forest and meadow?  I know. It’s weird. Anyway, back to the bug crossing the expanse of hardwood in my office: it’s a palmetto bug.

For those who don’t know what a palmetto bug is, think cockroach. Make it bigger. And add wings. Yeah, this:

GAAAAAH. On my computer screen, that sucker is LIFE-SIZE. Imagine HIM appearing at your feet from under the couch. We didn’t have cockroaches that size in California… I would’ve remembered.

(Although one time in a rental that we owned, the tenants moved out and we needed to clean. My mom said that she knew the roaches were bad when she turned on the light and they DID NOT RUN.)

We’re frequently visited by another bug that I never saw ONCE at our old house: The house centipede:

I KNOW, right? Is that not the scariest bug? He’s life-size, too. They really like our bathroom, which makes getting ready for bed an adventure every night.

The only thing we’ve got going for us is that both creatures are pretty easy to kill. They don’t move very fast, and, at least so far, the palmetto bugs have not taken flight. But they’re still gross as all-get-out. They most definitely crunch when squashed.

(Another thing that’s gross? Looking up “palmetto bug” and “house centipede” on Google’s Image Search. I don’t recommend it.)

But there is hope: we’ve got an exterminator coming soon.

(Am I the only one who finds herself saying “the exterminator” in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s voice? Just me? Okay then.)

This started out as a post about socks is originally posted at: The Red Clay Diaries - Rambling down the dirt road of life Copyright 2007-2011. Use only with permission. Follow me on Twitter. I'm redclaydiaries