25 Comments

You had me LOL at #1! I spent most of my youth in rural areas and moved back to "country living" three years ago. In addition to our 85-year-old bungalow (that we are constantly working to make more comfortable and less...old-house-ish), we also own a 119-year-old three-story brick building that operated as a mercantile for 35 years then as a hardware store for another 70. We run it as an event venue, and the other day I went over to prepare for the next weekend's event (prepare=mop floors, clean toilets, and all those other fun things). When I walked out, there was an actual bat on the padlock plate that we use to secure the door. A BAT! Did you know bats are federally protected? You can't kill them. But you can take a broom and knock them off your door and into the street with no legal repercussions. Freaky little thing!

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Aug 22, 2022Liked by Jessica B. Sokol

This made me laugh out loud multiple times. Who knows why I was so calm about the snake, but can’t handle tiny spiders. One of the many mysteries of the universe. ❤️❤️

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Oh my heavens!!!! That would have COMPLETELY freaked me out as well!!! And did you ever find out what the thud was? Yikes!

Thanks for the shout-out!

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Aug 22, 2022·edited Aug 22, 2022Liked by Jessica B. Sokol

This is absolute nightmare fuel. 😳

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Aug 23, 2022·edited Aug 23, 2022Liked by Jessica B. Sokol

That snake story is crazy! We had a small squirrel gnaw its way through a window screen in the kitchen earlier this summer, but it was gone before we knew it was there. But that's enough for me to realize how freaky the snake-nado episode is. Thank goodness for Mr. Snugs' quick action. And, as usual, you relate the story beautifully. Glad you could flee to a snake-free pool! Hope you were eventually able to get back to Parks and Rec.

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Aug 24, 2022Liked by Jessica B. Sokol

Ok, so the first thing I must do after seeing your photo is sit down & put my feet up. I DO NOT like snakes, and you know I love most of our backyard/wildlife creatures (minus the squirrels). 🐦🦉🐞🦃🐿🦝

Your piece is captivating. Remember, it’s a jungle out there. 😍

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Sep 9, 2022Liked by Jessica B. Sokol

My friends have a mountain cabin in the Catskills in upstate New York. We went on a hike, and I asked about ticks. They said, "Nah, it's too late in the season. Tuck your pants into your socks and you'll be fine. They never clamp on high in your body." You know where this is going...

Come back from the hike. We're having nice summertime adult beverages when I spot a tick crawling up my wife's shirt making a move -- albeit a glacial one -- toward the back of her neck. We remove the little bastard, but of course we need to do a tick check now. My wife and I go upstairs, strip down and check each other THOROUGHLY. Nothing. We're good....until she does a double take on my neck. A tick had clamped on. We had a tick key, so we popped the sucker off posthaste. Ended up fine, but they don't clamp on high up, my ass!

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Hey! SO happy to see this great piece appear on The Sample!! Fantastic!

And thank you again for the shout-out. Cheers!

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