Expecting the Unexpected…A Cautionary Tale.

Every time my Darling One leaves town something unexpected happens… for which I have no rational explanation.

All you wonderful ones who read my musings fairly frequently will remember the story about the cell phone being left behind…the start of my Darling One’s little jaunt out of town.

Next day finds me ‘tap-tap-tapping’ merrily, writing the most amazing post ever.. .well at least in my mind… but wait, what’s that noise, why is that tree, which by the way is right outside my window less than three feet away, shaking like that?  I’m adding all this extraneous information to create a bada boom moment.

This is the tree in question…but really its more like an over sized shrub.

And this is what was creating all the commotion in said tree:

And yes, its very blurry, but you get the picture…pun intended.

This my friends is a Florida Panther, and it’s right outside my window.

I wanted to run outside and get a photo, honest I did.  But I’m pretty much a scaredy cat about giant felines at close quarters.

I kid you not, a Florida Panther, not quite as big as this one, but big enough to transfix me on the spot, was wandering outside our house, as cool as a cucumber.

When my Darling One heard about it, he was…well in a word… jealous.  He’s wanted to see one of these, oh for donkey’s years.  I did briefly mention that if he wasn’t gallivanting around the Country he’d have been here to see it…I couldn’t help myself, I miss him when he’s gone.

But my comments fell on stoney ground…he was busy looking up Audubon’s Florida to check that it really was a panther I saw…and yes it was.  Who knew they climbed giant shrubs?

As if this wasn’t enough, later that day as I arrive home from an oh-so-mundane grocery run,  this little critter follows me into the garage:

Photo by amblin
Now my Darling One tells me it was more scared of me than I was of it.  Not true.  I have nightmares about snakes…although they’re usually gigantic ones, but believe me when I say this was a big snake, no giant its true, but big enough to give me the heebie jeebies.

What did we do, the snake and I?  Well he climbed up and underneath my car, which naturally meant I couldn’t get out.  What if I put my legs out and it climbed on me?  Or bit me?  Do black racers bite?  I didn’t know.  Did you know that black racers were climbers?  Apparently my Darling One did.  He’s very knowledgeable about wildlife!

So I had to back out of the garage, because I obviously needed to keep moving, on the off chance  that this particular black racer wouldn’t care to be chauffeur driven around the neighbourhood.  Thankfully he and I were on the same page and after a few yards of travelling at about five miles an hour he dropped off and I’m hoping he slithered safely back home.  I didn’t want him hurt…I just wanted him gone.

I thought that my adventures with wild things were over once MDO came home, but today he came rushing into my office telling me excitedly that he’d seen an animal outside with a long tail.

“Really”... the words I speak.

“Oh please no, don’t tell me that the panther has taking a liking to us and intends to stick around.”  The words I’m speaking in my head.

“Yep…and it’s called a squirrel.”

He’s a funny one.

All I really want to see outside the house is something pretty like this…

ronsaunders47

Plus I wish I’d taken this photo.  Now that’s a better thought…that I take great photos of things other than panthers and snakes. Oh wait I didn’t actually take any photos of panthers or snakes.

Maybe I just need to do a better job with my expectations!