yesterday afternoon hiro found a snake in the genkan. it was brown and quite long, but not very thick. it just wanted out. it was over near the door, but the door that we never open (off topic a bit: i just found out about a week ago that that door wasn't locked. don't know for how long! i only noticed when hiro was opening both doors.) our front door is actually two doors, both sliding. since i had locked the second door (the one we never use) about a week ago, i had to step near the poor snake to unlock it so i could open it. but even with the door open the snake was too scared to go out. so, i had to use a broom to prod it. out it went, into the bushes (and hopefully far from here.) some snakes here in japan are poisonous, though (in general) not deadly, but i for one do not relish the thought of being bitten by a snake. probably painful. and if poisonous, it's possible to be allergic, right?

the other night i noticed a lizard on the wall in the bathroom. well, in the part of the bathroom where the sink and washing machine are. i'd never seen one in the house before, just on the window of the bath. hmmmm. there are vents in the bathroom, though, so it probably got in that way.

there are plenty of spiders in the house, and i don't do anything about them. i haven't seen any huntsman spiders in this house, but i've heard that they're a rather shy spider, so i probably won't see any.

and the roaches. well, we know about my adventures with windex and those little creepies...

but we all also know about my fear of suzume-batchi. yes, another hornet story. this morning hiro was being most disagreeable and throwing banana around instead of eating it for breakfast. so, i took him to mcdonald's for breakfast. (shhhhh.) when i got home, there were two, two!, suzume-batchi in front of our house. i actually dragged poor hiro by his arm into the house. i had observed one of those two near the vent at the top of the house. creepy. once inside, though, i actually managed to keep hiro from opening doors and screen doors (for some inexplicable reason he just has to open the doors. if i close the screen doors and scold him, he opens them anyway! he actually closed one yesterday, and i praised him, but...) i had laundry in the machine, and i wanted to put futons outside. i have noticed that in the late morning/afternoon, there aren't any suzume-batchi around (too hot? in the woods? i don't know...) so i took the summer pads off the futons for washing and took one futon out. i closed the screen door, i know i did, but the little stink-pot (aka hiroyuki) must have opened the screen door. when i got back into the house i heard a buzzing...in the tatami room...yes, a freakin' suzume-batchi!!! FUCK! i closed the doors, but i had locked the glass doors (the ones leading outside) when we went to mcdonalds. and i'm not entirely sure how it got in! i mean, if it came in through the screen door it flew over hiro and into the tatami room (more wood for nest-building??) or if it came in through that vent and a hole in the wall (very very scary thought!!) i thought i would leave the screen door open in the living room, close all the doors to the two rooms (except one door between them) and put hiro in the crib (baby jail) to keep him from opening doors (and damn japan and it's sliding doors anyway!! LOL)

but that didn't work. like most insects, the hornet seemed to be attracted to the light from the windows (sliding glass doors). hiro was shouting so i took him and held onto him while i peered through the door at the hornet (i had to make sure it went out.) but it wouldn't go through the door. and i was afraid of letting more wasps, hornets and bees in from the open door in the living room. so, i thought i had to unlock and open a sliding door in the tatami room. scary thought. but then i remembered that the sliding doors between the two rooms would allow me to get close to the sliding doors without walking across the room. i opened the door slowly. the suzume-batchi was on the paper door farthest from me. i pushed open the closest paper door, unlocked the glass door and slid it open. but then, there was still the screen door. i had to go outside and open that last door. i don't know why i'm so afraid of these things, of being stung (and yes, the wasps and bees frighten me, too.) i was so afraid. i noticed that the hornet had gone between the door and the screen door (not the one i opened) and so i could close the door and hope that it eventually left. so i did. and now it's gone, all the doors are closed and locked...

the other day i thanked yoshi for this house. it's really nice, in a quiet neighborhood, but the suzume-batchi are scaring the crap out of me. i don't know how much longer i can stand it...and there's so many of them. they must have had a prosperous fall last year. where the hell is the rainy season???? *sob*

ok, wussy me signing off.