http://thoughtdistillery.com/2004/11/02/65 100% pure ideas, ramblings, and amusements Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:36:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 http://thoughtdistillery.com/2004/11/02/65/comment-page-1#comment-165 Lady Claudia Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 http://thoughtdistillery.com/blog/?p=65#comment-165 I was always considered a bit of an odd child. Fascinated by slimy creatures, cold and small, I spent countless hours scouring the ponds, swamps, and lakes of our township in search of them. Armed with empty butter tubs and tall rubber riding boots, I collected salamanders and slugs, the bigger the better. They were lovingly housed in moss-laden vivariums where I watched them lay eggs and hatch, devour lettuces and each other. I would fantasize about finding such prize-proportioned slugs and snails as were found on the west coast. Indiana doesn't offer such fauna, so I thought...until I came to the land of Fort Fun,USA! When I first saw these six-inch monsters, I thought it was some strange fluke, an unusual season for the Hoosier mega-slug. Now that I am a Fort Wayne land owner, I know that they are a regular reality. Now that I am older, I am not so fond of sharing my lovingly planted flora with them. One rainy night, insomnia encouraged me to seek employment to pass the time. I decided to go on a slug roundup. This time armed with a quart jar half-filled with water, I easily filled it in an hour, frequently swirling the jar to inhibit escape. What a lovely surprise to greet my husband at his post-2nd shift arrival: not a jar of fresh-baked cookies on the counter, but a jar of fresh-picked slugs...*FLUSH*! Never a dull moment at our house. I was always considered a bit of an odd child. Fascinated by slimy creatures, cold and small, I spent countless hours scouring the ponds, swamps, and lakes of our township in search of them. Armed with empty butter tubs and tall rubber riding boots, I collected salamanders and slugs, the bigger the better. They were lovingly housed in moss-laden vivariums where I watched them lay eggs and hatch, devour lettuces and each other. I would fantasize about finding such prize-proportioned slugs and snails as were found on the west coast. Indiana doesn’t offer such fauna, so I thought…until I came to the land of Fort Fun,USA! When I first saw these six-inch monsters, I thought it was some strange fluke, an unusual season for the Hoosier mega-slug. Now that I am a Fort Wayne land owner, I know that they are a regular reality. Now that I am older, I am not so fond of sharing my lovingly planted flora with them. One rainy night, insomnia encouraged me to seek employment to pass the time. I decided to go on a slug roundup. This time armed with a quart jar half-filled with water, I easily filled it in an hour, frequently swirling the jar to inhibit escape. What a lovely surprise to greet my husband at his post-2nd shift arrival: not a jar of fresh-baked cookies on the counter, but a jar of fresh-picked slugs…*FLUSH*! Never a dull moment at our house.

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