*unholy scream peels through the kitchen*
People often wonder why I don't wear flip-flops or (as they were called in my day) Thongs. Sandles or any little strappy shoes that expose your feet. reason #3: my feet defy flip-flops. I quess its because I am hoplessly flat-footed. I get two steps before they jackknife off my feet and turn insideout. reason 2#: sandles and other pretty-like summer shoes are usually made from twine, burlap, macromay, beads and other hellish materials that make me prefer wearing shoes of razor wire. Plus gargoyl toes just look that much more attractive when bound together with twine. It turns them a lovely frost bitten yellow color when walking like a duck footed walrus that has sandles on. most important reason: Reason 1#: I live in a damp boggy area. do you know what lurks upon the seeming safe, clear slate paths or driveways of dank boggy places? You think that cool sensation is just a random blade of dew soaked grass -- until you get inside and realize that those little droppets of dew and grass you thought you were feeling were actually slugs. Yes I looked down at my foot expecting to find a leaf or something but instead I find a slug as big as my thumb on my foot. For some odd reason, I can never differentiate a slug from a leech in my head. I know they are different but they just look rather similar that I just can't help reacting in full GET IT OFF ME MODE. So there i am, all diginity and grace flung to the four winds, my leg out as far away from the rest of my body I can get it without surgical tools, my wal-mart bag dangling from my ear, my other shoe is now perched on top of the kitchen light fixture -- screaming for Nat to remove the horrible ninja slug from my person before it managed to lunge at my face and crawl up my nostal where it can breed. The offending ninja slug as dutfully plucked off my with a tissue and dispathed to slug heaven by Nat and I manged not to kick her in the face however I did do the 'EEEWWWWW SLIMY ICKY THING ON ME' dance for about 20 minute afterward. More to come on important news.

As for shoes, I'm your opposite, Mim.... because of practical reasons rather than aesthetic ones... I hate shoes because I have a hard time finding pairs that don't cause blisters and cuts to my feet and I dream of being able to walk around with thongs (or flip-flops) and sandals all year round (did I mention that I also hate tights?). How can you tell a slug from a leech?

Slugs are slimy and icky but only eat vegitation. Leeches are slimy and icky but they give some nasty bites, stick to you and feast on your blood. There is only a slight difference in appearance. Introduction Leeches are classified as annelids, or segmented worms. They are related to earthworms and share many traits. They are found in shallow ponds, lakes, and marshes. Some leeches have even been found to live in small desert water holes as well as in antarctic waters. Most leeches live in water; however, some leeches are amphibious. Other leeches are called land leeches and live in moist regions around the world. Although scientists have found many medicinal applications and uses for leeches, they can be a nuisance. In 1799, soldiers serving under Napoleon marched from Egypt across the Sinai Peninsula to Syria. They drank water from any source they could find, including waters contaminated by leeches. As a result many problems occurred when the leeches attached to the insides of the soldiers noses, mouths, and throats. Once attached, the leeches began to gorge on blood and enlarge. Many of the soldiers died from suffocation due to the enlarged leeches in the air passages. In addition, other soldiers died from excessive blood loss. Thus the Leech/slug phobia. That and that scene from the AFRICAN QUEEN and the newest KING KONG where the giant leeches swallowed the guy whole Leeches can be found nearly every place there is water. Shallow ponds, lakes, and marshes are popular leech collecting sites. The best time for leech collecting is during the spring and summer. Most leeches are nocturnal and avoid light. Leeches can often be found in shady areas of ponds or in dark places under rocks, logs, and debris of the bottom of lakes. Uhmmmm. That really didn't help. Lets see. Snails and slugs are related to clams and the like. They are grayish-green or bright colored. Leeches as far as I know are dark brown or black. basically if it comes off you easily its a slug, if its stuck to you its a leech. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slugs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leech http://www.leeches.biz/

Very detailed explanation, Mim. I've never run into a leech then, just slugs.

Lucky you. I had a leech experience when I was about 9 at a public lake. I screamed so loud that the decible levels knocked out any aircraft in the area...I was also attacked by a man'o'war when I was 7 in about 4 inches of water. The jelly and venom from those F**Kers is like acid. Like being poisionous wasn't bad enough... My grandpa got sick from handling me. He tried to get the jelly off me and it seeped through his skin. However, in all my years of living here in the deep woods of NJ, I have only had 1 dog tick attach on me and that's when I was about 30 and it was on my knee. I have, however, found then in my underwear after a junt through the woods. Rather disconcerting place to find a tick wondering around. I have never had poision ivy, oak or sumack. Top Ten icky Outdoor Moments 10. Having a wolf spider on my wooly hat just above my eyebrows 9. having my dad tell me that bugs fart on fruit. 8. sitting on the ground when the locus's began to emerge from hibernation. It was llike down of the dead. 1,000s of them coming up out of the ground. 7. Heaps of dead earth worms thrown at you by stupid smelly boys 6. Daddy long legs, daddy long legs, and more daddy long legs 5. stepping bare foot into a milliped nest or colony or whatever 4. the killer leech at budd lake 3. the latrine at girl scout camp 2. Man o war 1. walking face first and mid sentance into a huge fall webworm colony. http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/pests/ipm1019fallwebworm.htm Never run when you've been bitten by something poisions --- and never run with a webworm colony on your face. According to sources I blasted though a tree, through the sliding screen door and one bathroom door lock. The tree was a dead oak tree about 20 feet high and 6 feet wide -- the next thunderstorm would have knocked it over, no great feat of strength there -- So web colony on my face compounded by the fact I blasted through a nest of carpender ants and my dad was on the pot in the bathroom when I entered without knocking. This was also the year The Wrath of Khan came out with those little ear worm things --- convinced that worms were going to come out my ears....my older sister took full advantage of THAT being that older siblings invented terrorism. That should have been the warning bell that signalled, like the trumpet of angel announcing armageddon, that the time of DEATH BY DORK had arrived at my doorstep.

Once again Mim you've painted an incredibly colorful picture into your brain! And it's HYLERICAL!!! But I have to say this: thanks to you I'll never watch the African Queen or King Kong. I remember my first trip to Florida when I was about 12 and being warned profusely of the man-o-wars. To this day I'm still deathly afraid of the ocean because of those things. I hate spiders and all things that are in the woods, on trees, on plants and generally creepy crawly things that you encounter when going camping (including earwigs) which is why I don't go camping. As for the leech thing, I've never encountered one but I did see STAND BY ME. Anybody in here who has seen that movie knows EXACTLY the scene I'm referring to. :wink: Oh and I'm in complete agreement with you on the Wrath of Khan thing. I've never been able to watch that scene since the first time I saw that movie. And I hate that movie because of it.

I remember that scene from Stand By Me, Gnat. It is both funny and cringe-worthy. We have huge banana slugs here, usually in the wet, forested areas, but occasionally elsewhere. I was more worried about stepping on them, slipping, and landing on my keister when I used to run. YUCK!

I ove Stand By Me! We don't really get leeches here, but slugs are my worst nightmare :blink: We used to pour salt on them, as kids to watch them disappear.... With you on the sandals thing, Mim; that's why I love my trusty Birkenstocks.

Stevie - I have to say I figured you British had slugs somewhere since Jo Rowling wrote them into the 2nd Harry Potter movie! :wink: :happy It all comes back to Harry doesn't it?? :happy ANYWAY........yeah it's so hysterical that scene. But at the same time you're watching it like "Oh.My.God." LOVE that movie!!!!

Yeah, Gnat, we used to have these huge ORANGE ones, about three inches long, that came out after it rained. Oooooooh, it makes me shudder just to think of them! :sick: There's alot of snails in my present garden and they're almost as bad - slugs that carry their own houses........ Bleuch!!!!!

Beer. Slugs LOVE beer. If you really want to have fun and knowing that you ended the lives of slugs and snails in a blissful way, put out little saucers of beer whereever slugs are a problem, they drink it, fall in and drown -- happy slug death. Plus you don't have to worry about salt in your garden or toxic stuff that could kill pets or birds. Its like heroin for them. I got 12 in one saucer in one night! I use a big ol' jug of Mississippi Mud beer because it comes in a large moonshine type jug and its not expensive.

Ok! We have something here buried in some beaches called Geoduck (Gooeyduck). They look like giants slugs, but are actually clams. I've yet to see one live as they burrow, but there are areas where people dig for them. It is a bit phallic as warning for those easily offended. This clip is from Discovery's Dirty Jobs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raCUc5A6FHU

Nope sorry Gaff. I can't even look. I'm eating my lunch and trying hard to keep it down. :happy Stevie - Never thought about snails like that! HAHAHAHA!!!!!! But you're right, and people eat them!!! :sick: Mim - good to know. If I ever run into a slug and I happen to have some beer in my hands, I will definitely "kill it with kindness". :wink: Fortunately, either we don't have any slugs or snails or anything like that around here OR I've just never seen them. However, we get earwigs. And again, because I'm eating I can't go into just how nasty they are. And as far as I know, they have no purpose on this planet except to be gross. And I'm sure most of you remember my spider saga from last summer............. :roll: