Holy Bug-bite, Batman!

In my post, yesterday, I included a picture of an insect.  One of my readers, a veterinarian, commented that she thought the insect was from the Family Reduviidae.  AKA....the Assassin Bug!  I'm happy to report that neither Emma nor myself provoked that little bugger.  Apparently they can inflict a nasty bite if provoked.

Wildlife refuges harbor all kinds of critters, and some of them are not user friendly.  :)  That reminds me of the time a couple of years ago that I was helping pick up trash at McFadden NWR in preparation for their Marsh Madness celebration.  I was calmly walking along the roadside with my bucket and trash picker when I saw what I thought was an old soggy glove in the grass.  I tried to pick it up with the picker, but the tongs slipped off.  I remember thinking, "my goodness, that's a heavy glove."  So, of course, I stepped closer and tried again.  As I began to lift the glove, it began to uncurl!  It wasn't a glove at all, but was a cottonmouth snake!  You can bet I dropped that snake and jumped back.  Thank goodness it was early in the morning and still pretty chilly out which meant the snake, a cold blooded reptile, was still groggy.

This afternoon, as I took Emma to the back of the compound so she could have a good run, we both noticed that we were not alone.  Just on the other side of the barbed wire fence was one cow surrounded by a half dozen feral hogs.  Not a good time to let Emma off the leash.  Feral hogs are a real problem for southern refuges.  They reproduce freely, and they have a disastrous effect on the marsh.  I had seen that same
herd(?) of hogs late yesterday afternoon.  (I can't think of what you call a bunch of pigs...not a flock, or gaggle, but what?)

Then just before sunset today, a bobcat loped across the open lawn next to the RV pads.  I hope he sticks around and dines on the rodents.  :)

One of the interesting challenges for female fulltime RVers is getting a decent haircut across the country.  I most often end up with an exuberant hairdresser that more than gives me my money's worth.  Today's experience was the opposite.  This hairdresser was rather timid about shortening my locks, and she used way too much conditioner.  I have very fine hair, and using conditioner means my hair just lays flat on my head...no body at all.  Oh well, next cut will come from around Austin, TX.  We'll see what happens there.

Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later,  Judy