The Hazards of Living in Paradise

Amid crazy reports of the never-ending winter in the States, cryoseismic activity in Upstate New York and Indiana, and record snowfalls across the midwest, I am finding myself wishing we could have at least one good, hard freeze before the end of this "winter". Not because I'm feeling particularly sentimental about having wanted a white Christmas, but in the hopes that we could rid the yard of....

...this:

"Mom!" Vivienne screamed. "There's a snake in the pool!" I came running and found our friend, pictured above, thankfully already dead, at the bottom of the deep end. And yes, the scale is in inches, not centimeters!

In an effort to understand the potential dangers lurking in my bushes, I have tried to do some research on the net and have discovered some conflicting information about centipedes verses millipedes but I do believe that the pincers at the one end deliver a dose of hydrocyanic acid that, while not fatal, is quite toxic and leads to a very painful reaction, lasting for up to 12 hours.

Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Who wants to come swimming with me?