Daily Disasters – Animal Adventures

[Snapping Turtle]

 

Introduction

A distant relative with whom I have developed a good relationship has recently moved from Connecticut to the Ozarks. I’ll refer to her simply by the acronym JK for privacy considerations. For those who are not familiar with the Ozarks, this is a branch of the Appalachian Mountains that crossed the lower Mississippi and extends across the states of northern Arkansas, south-central Missouri, the eastern edge of Oklahoma, and a small corner of Kansas. It’s about as different from Connecticut as it could be. JK has enjoyed my blog for many years and has asked me to share some of her adventures – or as she calls them her Daily Disasters. I hope that this will become a regular feature of my blog, going along side of my genealogy explorations, my medical issues, and the occasional short story.

 

Animal Adventures

Moving halfway across the country and quite a bit farther south, the types of animals that one encounters on a regular basis can be quite different. Here are three of the ones that JK has encountered so far.

 

Snapping Turtle

The above picture is one that JK sent me when first outlining what’s been going on in her life. While one can encounter them in CT as well, they tend be found in moist/wet areas such as ponds and not in the suburbs where JK had lived before. Since her property in the Ozarks is much less suburban and, being somewhat flat, she and most of her neighbors have small ponds on their properties. Thus, seeing a large snapping turtle is not unusual there. But if you have never had one in your suburban property before, it can be quite a shock to see one.

 

Termites

Termites occur nearly everywhere, but again, with JK having been in a CT suburb with zoning regulations, they tend to be much less common than in her new digs in the Ozarks where she is beyond the incorporated areas and in a much older house. This is something that she will have to deal with in the coming days as it appears that the house is well infested with them. Just one more of her daily disasters that I will be commenting on in a future blog post.

 

Armadillos

The last animal I will mention here is the armadillo. Originating in South America, their range is continuing to spread, with many found in Texas but others as far north as southern Illinois and as far east as North Carolina. Adults average 30” in length, so they are not small animals. And their principal diet? They are particularly fond of insects like ants and termites – perhaps the reason that JK is seeing them around her house.

[Nine-banded armadillo]

 

Moving to a new part of the country can mean encounters with new types of animals. They may or may not be dangerous, but when you step into the front yard they can be scary! Just one more of the daily disasters that JK is now facing.