PYTHON??!!

I've heard from a few people about the python comment, so I'll explain. I live in Key Largo, Florida, the first island in the Florida Keys. As they say in a recent ad, "the everglades are our backyard"

We have alligators and we live about 8 miles from the Crocodile Preserve. Our crocs aren't the man eaters like they have in other countries. The American Crocodile is pretty peaceful. Gators will eat anything.

We have lizards everywhere, if you've ever been to Florida you've seen the little anoles, people call them chameleons. This guy is a Knight Anole and his body is about 6 inches. They live up in the trees, so you don't see them very often. 

If it bites or stings we have them here. This year we've had a lot of Huntsman Spiders in the house. You'll need to google that one, I'm too busy running for Raid to stop and take a picture. We have centipedes and scorpions and of course clouds of mosquitoes and other biting bugs. I've been stung twice by a beautiful caterpillar, which made my arm go numb for hours.

 I've been dragged into the water by a manatee, they are very sweet and playful. Legend says that they are the mermaids that sailors saw. I'm not too sure about that.


Don't you love photoshop? That's my daughter Coral when she was about  4 years old.



 I've seen wild dolphin playing around our boat and I've walked for hours with a team keeping a whale afloat trying to save him.


I absolutely love where I live. All of the wildlife and nature are wonderful to me. To me this is all natural.

Then came the day this came in the mail. 

 Since then I've been Python Paranoid. They've caught huge ones just a mile from my house at an abandoned resort where we used to go ride our bikes. Notice, I said used to. I'm not going back there again. My husband says I'm being silly, we have a six foot wooden fence around the backyard, but really, what's six foot to a 20 foot python? I'm sure they can wiggle their massive bodies right over that little fence.

O.K., breathe.

Now, whenever there is a ruckus in the backyard, I'm sure it's a python trying to eat one of the dogs. I go running out to save them. I did find a 5 foot iquana in the pool one time when I went running out to save them. David has pointed out that a 20 foot python would be stronger and bigger than me, so now I take a butcher knife. It's the only weapon I have. David's amused, the neighbors are amused. But I'm prepared.

See you soon,

Dana