Who let the dog out ?

My job is an adventure. You never know what will happen or what you'll run across each day. Saturday I was out in Midlothian with my trusty co-worker Mark. This was creature day for the property preservation guys. The grass in the back yard was waist high at points, even walking through it and surveying what we would need to do made me a bit nervous. I wondered what creatures lurked beneath the thick grass.

Our first encounter with the habitat came with Mark. We had noticed many nice crafted one foot high ant hills as we came into the back yard and strongly cautioned one another about mistepping. Mark picked up a wood pallet and was holding it against his leg. The stings brought to his attention the hundreds of ants crawling on his legs. They had been all over this wood pallet and had transplanted themselves to Marks leg as a likely meal. Mark created a couple of new dances as he got rid of these menacing little beasts.

The next encounter was mine. I was walking in front of the house measuring the width of the yard, appreciating the coolness of a mild fall day. I approached the house next door which even though there were obviously residents there also had grass about 2 foot high. About two feet away from the next house I hear a high pitched growl that I can tell from the sound is approaching me at a high rate of speed.

I then see the meanest looking dog I have seen in a long time. His eyes are just a little crossed, one ear looks like it has been bitten or caught in the lawnmower, and he is doing a real good impression of mean, real good. I am thinking the rope will catch this dog any minute. I know all good dog owners tie their dogs up especially if they don't have a fence. But not out in the sticks where we were. I realize their is no leash, no rope, no chain and I am thinking I am about to demolished. The dog stops two feet from me. I reach down and with my hands push my leg backwards because my leg has turned against me and even though my brain is tellin it to move, it aint budging. By some intution unknown to me, but that I am very thankful for this dog does not move beyond the property line. Who needs red bull to wake you up with moments like that.

There were some wasp, large spiders, and slugs to deal with but we survived the creature house and got our jobs done.