Blurb

The shoes didn't fit. It was an omen.













Thursday, April 26, 2012

A to Z Challenge, Day 20: W is for Woods

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Hi everybody!

My Hanny’s been letting me help post her blogs. It’s fun.

Today, we’re posting about the Florida woods. They can be dangerous. There’s lots of bad critters in them. Okay. Hanny. Your turn. I’m getting sleepy. ***he stretches and yawns***

Thank you, Glowstick. Ababababa…You’re sooo cute. I just want to eat your chubby-chunkness.

Hanny. You’re supposed to be blogging not tickling me. I really want to go to sleep. ***he fusses but smiles***

Okay. Sorry. Hi everyone! ****Cheeks are hot**** He’s just so cute. I can’t help myself.

Anyway, today I give you the Florida woods. In the southeastern part its full of swamps, gators, and water moccasins. Most times you have to navigate these parts with airboats.

Now in the northern part of Florida, you still have swamps, gators, and water moccasins but you also have land and low growing vegetation. The soil is sandy, and if you stand in it long enough you will sink. And if you don’t sink you may trip over rows and rows of crab grass.

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And I can’t forget the mosquitos, horseflies, and wasps. One of these or, all will be buzzing around you when you enter. They all leave nasty bites.

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Lila, the main character, finds herself several times in the woods. She either uses them as an escape route or, a place to hide in.

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Imagine trying to walk through that. Especially in three inch heels. YIKES!  I always wondered how Charlie’s Angels did it.

Before Glowstick and I go, here’s a diddy.

I walked for at least a half hour. When Max and I left the wedding it must’ve been in the sixties. It warmed up since then. That’s a Florida November for you. Humid, I was sweating, my bodice soaked. The money inside my bra stuck to the skin of my breasts. It itched. The lace on my arms and back itched more. I smelled no better than Max did when he got home from work and every winged creature buzzed about me. I smacked at mosquitoes. A big, black horsefly followed me. It wouldn’t go away. I thought of Max.

My blisters and toes screamed pre, mid, and post-step. The balls of my feet, too. These three inchers got caught up in vines, branches, and mole holes. It took a lot to stay upright, in the dirt and deep leaves. I considered taking my shoes off, but there might be hook worms or some jungle ameba waiting to feast on some unsuspecting human. I didn’t want some parasite working its way into my leg muscles. I needed my legs down there to get me out of this mess. Mom put the fear of going shoeless in me when I was little. Never in my life had I ever gone barefoot except in my own clean house with clean carpets and disinfected floors. I wore shoes or slippers at Cynthia’s. Her mother didn’t vacuum everyday. Nor did I taste Pine Sol in the back of my throat at her house.

DISCLAIMER: No one may use any of the pictures or written content in this blog post. It belongs to Shelly Arkon.

14 comments:

  1. Love your story - totally relatable, not that I'm terrified of going barefoot or know the feeling of having sweaty money stuck to my skin. Of course not. :)

    I don't think I could deal with living where there are alligators. I'm terrified of the occasional possum here. I can't imagine the freakout I'd have if there were a gater in the yard.

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    1. Gators here are known to walk right into your house through doggie doors, and eat your pets if unattended.

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  2. Remind me to avoid the swamps. I get chewed alive just mowing my lawn.

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  3. Yep, that there's home! I grew up in central FLA and know it all very well. Gators are as common as lizards and tree spiders the size of a man's hand. I think tourists neglect to realize just how many bugs we have here in our beautiful state. :)
    Nice descriptions on your snippet.

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    1. thanks, pk. sorry for the lowercase. feeding granson right now.

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  4. Terrific passage, of course. And you did really well in conveying the great outdoors throughout the book.

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    1. thank you , sir wills. maneuvering a bottle at present.

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  5. Swamps, gators and snakes oh my. The Florida woods sounds full of everything I am afraid of. :)

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  6. This was good, I like what you've done with it since I saw it last (^;

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  7. My husband's going to Florida tomorrow to pick up our daughter from UCF. I wish I was going to Florida.


    Catch My Words
    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

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