BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind

Subject: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 05:36 PM

Bobert's account of a face to face with a black bear got me off the chair. I hope he copies his story into this thread.

My bet is that many of us have had encounters of the kind, encounters whose outcome tends to have more to do with the animal's mood than with our own actions.

To start: I have two bear stories that come to mind.

One I've recounted on the Mudcat before, a story that involves a young black bear that walked into my home and I chased out with a walking stick.

The other one is of one April a few years back.

There had been flooding in the neighborhood so I walked a mile or so back into the hills on Last Chance Basin Road to see how the river was doing. Basin Road is a hardpan mountain road where one normally meets dogs, joggers with strollers and in season, cross country skiiers. But not this day. I had the road to myself.

Coming back it was heading toward twilight so I was moving right along. With my walking stick the sound of my travel was probably not distinctly human to any nearby ears.

Anyway as I neared the roadside barriers just before a trestle bridge, suddenly to my right a dark shape reared up over a barrier and as it landed a bear materialized, not more than 7 or 8 feet from me.

She (I felt that it was a female but full grown) stared at me, and I quickly averted my eyes to avoid challenging her. I took a step backward; she stepped forward. I held still. So did she. It was a standoff.

After an eternity she moved slowly to the side of the road and sat down. Her eyes stayed locked on me.

The problem was that in order to get home I had to get past her. The road is especially narrow there in preparation for the trestle.

Then it occurred to me that she probably didn't know what I was, and that if I said something she would realize I was human and would scare off.

I couldn't think of any words. True story. So I said, La, La, La, La.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 05:44 PM

I was up on Glacier National Park and wanted to go down a path to see something or other. On a boulder was a mountain goat, which I did not see but to which my wife drew my attention ("Psst! Hey, dummy! On your left!") Every time I took one step past that goat it would clatter its hooves and in general let me know I wasn't to go further. I tried it a couple of times and then backed up outa there, eyed by the goat until I backed around a corner out of sight.

My wife thought it was a pretty funny thing to see me intimidated by a mountain goat.

Then there was the time in Custer State Park in South Dakota when we were in the car, watching a VERY large and VERY male bison amble directly at us. I was fascinated, until my wife said, in a rather loud voice, "I said, MOVE THE GODDAMNED CAR!" Bison amble wherever they want to....

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 05:52 PM

Rap, I like your wife!

Another animal that is sometimes nerve-rattling is Canis lupus familiaris.

I used to hike in back country a great deal. Many homes sported one dog or more that took exception to my passing.

I used the method that Henry Thoreau advised: I dropped to one knee and in the most authoritative voice I could manage, I called the dog to me. They made a lot of noise from a distance but none ever approached me.

As Thoreau said, dogs have no reason to obey a stranger.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Bill D
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 05:56 PM

Many years ago, in another life (former marriage), we were travelling to California from Kansas by way of New Mexico, and planning to camp along the way. Entering N. Mexico from the North, we came to a lovely little area that was in a National Forest and quite hilly.

Fine- unload small pup-tent from 62 VW bug and set up on the levelest spot we could find on a long slope. Have a bite of supper and unroll the sleeping bags as it gets dark.

As we are ready to climb in, she says: "Shouldn't we put everything in the car? There might be bears around."

"Oh," says I "this is a campground with people around...there aren't likely to be bears near.

We climb into sleeping bags and take about 4 breaths.....when *rattle, rattle...scrape..clink* comes noise from above! We push the tent flaps aside just in time to see about a half-grown black bear running/tumbling/scampering down the slope past the tent about 40 feet away. It disappeared into the dark....and I got up and made SURE there was nothing of interest to bears left out...to the accompaniment of knowing giggles.

Lesson: always ASSUME there 'might' be something wild about if you are any place near wilderness.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 05:57 PM

I was hunting one time on a friend's farm when I was challenged by two mean, aggressive dogs. Being armed, I wasn't too worried and eventually they cleared off. When I told my friend about it he said that they were feral, having been abandoned by someone, and I would have done both them and the locals a favor by shooting them.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 06:09 PM

Not my story- but my adopted sister's.

She and her new husband traveled in their new camper from Oregon to the interior of Alaska. One evening they pulled to the side of the road for a bit of a nap. They were awakened by an intruder who was trying to get into their camper.

Fearing the barbarians of the north, Joe snapped loudly to my sister: Eileen, hand me my gun.

Eileen, ever a literal sort, scoffed. You don't have a gun, Joe, she said.

(Joe said later that if he had, he might have used it on her.)

Turned it was not a human intruder but a grizzly.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 06:19 PM

In Juneau, Alaska, there are many accounts of near misses. (Why don't we say 'near hits'?)

A couple of years ago on a warm sunny day a man was napping on the couch of his studio apartment, about three blocks from where I live. As I said, it was warm and sunny- a rare thing in itself - and his door was wide open.

He woke to find a bear lapping at his sweaty chest.

I kid you not.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 06:54 PM

When my wife and her family "went West" in 1962, they towed a trailer and camped along the way. Being from the East (DC) neither her father nor mother really knew what to expect. One evening, quite late, they pulled off the road in front of a gas station in Wyoming -- and all there was there was the gas station and it was closed. They figured no one would mind.

Around 10 a.m. the next day comes a knocking on the door, which awakened them. My father-in-law got out his .45 revolver and, keeping the gun quietly behind his leg and out of sight, opened the door.

The lady outside said, "Hi! We left you sleep, but if you'd like some breakfast come on in!" Which they did.

Later that day, as they were pulled over to view the Grand Tetons, their dog has the wits scared out of him by the wildlife.

A chipmunk.

The dog was a Great Dane.....

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 07:06 PM

I was the caretaker and docent at a house museum for years.

One day this young couple came in. I heard the young man tell his companion, indicating me. "She'll know," he said.

They came closer and the man said, What is the animal that is about so high and it waddles and makes funny sounds?

I said, Oh, that's a porcupine.

Oh, he said. Then after a pause, he said, Should we be afraid of it?

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: ranger1
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 07:24 PM

Most of my close encounters are of the stripey kind. When I was the assistant ranger at Popham Beach State Park, one of my duties was to fill in for the night ranger on his two nights off. This included going through the changing areas and cleaning up all the debris and pulling the trash bags. One evening, I was a bit later getting to the trash than usual and it was getting kind of dark. I leaned over to pick up a potato chip bag and found myself eye-to-eye with a young skunk. "Nice skunk" I murmured softly as I backed out of the doorway very slowly, still bent over.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 07:32 PM

One dark dreary night, I went to the local Folk club where as I entered the door....there it was......I kid you not...a lesser spotted Banjoist!....I considered turning tail and fleeing but decided to brave it out. The evening turned out to be as good as usual.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Mrrzy
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 08:40 PM

The closest I came was when cutting across the tracks and behind the dumpster leaving a friend's house in the wee hours of a coldish Boston morning, and as I came up the hill there were 2 rats (big fucking rats!) calmly heading towards the dumpster, and they hadn't seen me yet. I froze, so they didn't see me, and kept coming closer, and closer... I swear, I was a split second from throwing myself backwards off the embankment and trusting to luck that I'd miss the railroad tracks when they Saw Me! And Froze! And we stared at each other for what must have been THOUSANDS of milliseconds before they turned and ran.... I tell you, I still don't know who was more scared. But they obviously had more sense...

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Mrrzy
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 08:45 PM

Ooh, and I forgot, I also saw a very young rat once, in our kitchen in Abidjan, who jumped out of the sink towards me in an effort to (as it turns out) make a quick turn and go out the door, but I didn't realize that in the dozens of milliseconds between its jumping towards me and actually hitting the floor and turning. I had time to think, How can I get the most people here the fastest? I know, I'll scream! So I screamed - apparently guardiens from up the street got to our kitchen before my parents got out of the living room. It was a doozy of a scream. When they got there I I yelled Un rat! And they all yelled Le rat! Le Rat! And they chased it and they caught it, and they made soup. They were very happy. AND they'd done their good deed for the day and rescued the poor toubabou child...

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 09:10 PM

lol, Mrrzy. What kind of rat? Surely on the other side of the world it is a different one? Meatier perhaps?

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 09:11 PM

By the way, am I the only Mudcatter here who has never seen a cockroach?

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Rapparee
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 09:16 PM

Once upon a time in Vietnam my brother was walking from here to there and passed some of the Kit Carson Scouts who were cooking lunch over an open fire.

"Hey, Sargey! You want some?"

"What you cooking?"

"Rat! Number Fuckin' ONE, Sargey!"

He sat down and ate with them, and his rep skyrocketed. He says it didn't taste bad, sort of like squirrel, but he didn't want to have it every day, either. It was a change from the mess hall food, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Bee
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 09:20 PM

I've had a couple black bear encounters over the years - they are very shy and scared of humans here, but it's still a shock to see one. To be honest, I'm more afraid of the animal in the following tale...

Before I got married, I was in the habit of going solo camping a couple weeks every year. So this one year in August, I was tenting on a friend's property, a big sugar bush on a river. I was way up the hill from the river, though, in the trees on the edge of a blueberry clearing. So when dark came on, I snuggled down in my tent to let the local nightlife put me to sleep with chirps and calls and hoots and such.

I was just about asleep when I heard "rustlerustlerustle.... choomph...choomph.... rustle..." I lay there trying to guess what I was hearing, keeping in mind that even a rabbit can sound like a thundering bull when it wants to. And then one of my tent ropes goes TWANG... more choomphing follows, and I start thinking that the choomphs are close to the ground whilst the rustles sound like they are higher than my tent by a good bit. So I ease up to my mosquito net door, quiet as I can, and try to see something. Now, it was dark, and it was cloudy; I could tell sky from trees but not much else. A long minute passed, then TWANG goes another rope. A couple more rustles, and then, silhouetted against the lighter sky, I finally see the Visitor's head....

Yup, I got a very large moose casually chewing the foliage around my tent, whacking the overhead branches now and then, and not quite clearing my tent ropes with his great big feet!

All I could do was lay there thinkin' 'pleeease don't step on the part of the tent I'm in!' Thankfully, a few minutes later, he wandered off.

I didn't sleep much that night.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Don Firth
Date: 09 Apr 08 - 09:20 PM

I can't recall ever having a really close one with a wild creature. Once in the early 1950s, I went scuba-diving in Puget Sound with a friend of mine. At one point, about 30 feet down, I saw a very large dogfish (a type of shark—or maybe) or a fairly small shark of some other breed go swimming lazily by. It looked to be about 5 feet long and passed me within about fifteen feet. It didn't seem to even notice me. (Whew!)

On another dive, my friend had a hair-raising encounter with an octopus. Puget Sound is great octopus country, and there are some real big ones around here. My friend was investigating a small pleasure craft that had sunk off the Edmonds ferry landing when suddenly something jumped on him and wrapped itself around his head. He managed to wrestle the thing off (sort of like a cat who lands on a sheet of fly-paper) and escaped through the back of the craft's cabin. Definitely an octopus of some size, and probably a female. Ric said he saw several small octopuses (octopi?) there and figured he'd blundered into a nest. Although the movies have made them look like the ultimate undersea monster, the octopus is really a fairly shy creature and generally won't bother you unless you threaten it in some way, and even then, its first choice is to emit a cloud of ink into the water to confuse you and jet away as fast as it can.

In the mid-1950s, I had occasion to drive from Seattle to Denver, and spent a couple days in West Yellowstone while touring Yellowstone Park. I found it was everything it was reputed to be. I've learned more about the geology of the place since, so it would be even more fascinating now.

The rangers were adamant, and quite rightly so, about not messing with the bears – especially not feeding them – no matter how cute and cuddly they seemed to be. But the scams the bears used to try to con free lunches from sightseers were amazing. Kids hanging out in front of the mini-mart and begging for "spare change" (a self-evident oxymoron) could learn a lot by watching the Yellowstone Park bears. They were more on a par with street musicians, jugglers, or mimes. They were real pros. They all had their own acts and they were more than willing to entertain if they thought it would result in a handout. It's possible that whenever someone was mauled or molested, it was because there weren't enough anchovies on the leftover pizza.

On a narrow road, I had to negotiate my way around a cub that was sitting right on the center line and bawling its head off. It's mother had sat him there, knowing that people would undoubtedly stop, and she could possibly bum a handout from them.

A few years ago, I was driving home from work, and just before I was about to turn into my garage, I was challenged by a neighbor's Yorkshire Terrier (slightly larger than the average hamster) that ran out in the street and faced me down, barking up a storm. I stopped (I was driving a Honda Civic), laughing. But when I tried to steer around him, he'd head me off, still barking. This went on for a couple of minutes, then the dog's owner came dashing out of her house and scooped the dog up. We had a good laugh at the Yorkie's bravado, but the Yorkie felt that he was winning until his owner raided the game.

Me and Frank Buck!

Don Firth

But as to "Close Encounters of the Wild Kind," there's always "Well, helloooo, there!"

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 08:57 AM

I never encountered bears except from the car when we saw 3 bear couples all making love simlultaneously.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Rusty Dobro
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 09:31 AM

I was in a tent in the Rif mountains, quietly dying from the less projectile phase of the Tangier Trots, when I awoke to see a large black snake about six feet away. From my ground-level viewpoint, it looked exactly like the cobras that the snake-charmers had in the souks. The only way out of sleeping-bag and tent would have been straight towards it, so with great presence of mind, I took the only possible action: I closed my eyes, sweated a lot, and screamed silently. This worked, as when I looked again, it had gone. Would have worked as a laxative, too, if I'd needed one.

I've never seen a cockroach, though.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: SINSULL
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 09:33 AM

Seamus had a close encounter with a skink last year. Does that count?

Richard Thompson had a close encounter with a scorpuion and cancelled his entire New England tour. I would love to know the details on that.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: KB in Iowa
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 05:17 PM

Some years back I lived in the lower part of a duplex. From the inside the windows were normal level but from the outside they were at ground level. One night I was at my desk (under the window) drawing and I heard a strange scritch-scratch sound. I looked up and hanging on the screen about three feet from me was a raccoon. He hung there while we looked at each other for a bit and then he got down and sauntered off.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Becca72
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 06:16 PM

Living in my first apartment in Portland's west end I learned quickly NOT to go into the kitchen in the middle of the night without shoes on. I, unfortunately, have had encounters with cockroaches.   There are some very old buildings in that neighborhood and one on the next street was torn down to build a Ronald McDonald House (they provide free room and board for families of children in hospital). When they demolished it you could watch the roaches spread out in waves through the entire neighborhood. Landlord sprayed 2 or 3 times and we still had roaches. I moved not long after that.

Kind of a boring "wildlife" story but hey, I'm a city gal. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Rapparee
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 06:52 PM

Following a flood of the Mississippi some friends and I went out walking on previously-flooded island. We knew that the flood had washed up some critters that might possibly be unfriendly-like, so we were armed. Steve had a machete, Jim had a .45 revolver, and I don't remember what I had. These were to scare critters off, not to kill them.

So, I walk around a huge puddle left from the flood, following Jim, and see Steve, machete raised, to cut at a rattlesnake to his right. Just then Jim said, "Steve, don't move!" and raised the .45. Steve, of course, assumed that either he was going to be rattlesnake-bit or Jim was about to shoot him for dating his sister.

Neither. Jim shot between Steve's spread legs and a water moccasin about six feet long crawled into the puddle where Jim shot it again, this time with finality (we measured the thing, which is how I know how long it was). When the heavy bullet smacked into the mud Steve was standing on the rattler took off for parts unknown. Jim and I then assisted Steve in changing his pants, which had somehow become soiled in the back.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 07:34 PM

My wife and her sister jointly own a cabin in northern Wisconsin—their grandfather built it—and we spend a lot of weekends there during the summer. One Friday evening we had just pulled into the driveway at the end of our drive up from St. Paul—it was dusk, and I had just turned my car headlights on a few minutes before—and we saw some dark shapes moving across our yard toward the adjoining woods. Bears! A mother and two cubs. The cubs headed up the nearest tree while the mother disappeared into the woods. Now, I know that black bears, although not usually dangerous, will fight to protect their cubs, so we wanted to make damn sure we didn't appear to be threatening them. We sat quietly in our car and waited until the cubs came down from the tree, and they too disappeared into the woods. Then we waited a couple more minutes, just to be sure they were gone (it was rapidly becoming too dark to see) before we got out of the car and started carrying our stuff into the cabin.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Ebbie
Date: 10 Apr 08 - 07:34 PM

Rap, that is what prime reason why I no longer live in the south! Perhaps I over-react living in Alaska where there are no snakes, but I would rather face the occasional bear than the ubiquitous snake.

When my North Carolina nephew was 9 years old, he came running one day into the yard, grabbed the garden hoe and galloped off again.

He came back a few minutes later, a dead, headless water moccasin draped over the hoe.

ewwww

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Rapparee
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 09:58 AM

Shucks, that was in West Central Illinois. And the snakes wouldn't have been so concentrated if he hadn't been for the flood. Here's another true story:

When I walked the levees during the Flood of 1965 as a member of the National Guard, we carried a heavy-duty flashlight. No weapons, no radio...just the flashlight and (sometimes) a wee bottle of chill-chaser. Along the route we walked, about every mile, as a very large pile of filled sandbags, convenient if needed.

The farm guys we walked with carried both a firearm and a CB radio. We walked in teams of at least three.

One of the groups, not one I was with, came up to one of the piles of sandbags and sat down to take a short break. The farm boy suddenly raised a .357, pointed it at the Guardsman across from him and said "Don't move!" -- with a heavy caliber pistol pointed at him the guy wasn't about to! The farmer then fired and a large water mocassin dropped dead into the Guardsman's lap. Yes, the Guardsman quickly arose (he rose about six or seven feet) and then he DID move.

Floods not only flood out people, they flood out animals: snakes, skunks, racoons, deer...whatever. We saw several snakes as we walked along, but they were busily engaged in getting away from both us and water and so there was no need to do anything other than watch where we stepped. I was standing still, talking to the guys in my group, when a skunk came up, sniffed us, and ambled away.

Fortunately, Illinois isn't alligator country!

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Mrrzy
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 10:16 AM

Ooh, in Africa we had the HUGEST cockroaches, I wouldn't argue territory with them. And in Tunisia they were transparent and when they ran, you could still see the floor through them... and there were also giant green horned caterpillars that looked like descendents of triceratops. I didn't argue territory with them either (Oh, this is your linen closet? Fine, I'll just drip dry...)

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Irene M
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 12:21 PM

Anyone know where the name "water moccasin" originated?

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Rapparee
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 01:23 PM

I don't know where the term originated, but I'm seen enough of them to last me the rest of my days! Copperheads, too. Out here all we have a rattlesnakes to worry about....

By the way, the water moccasin is also known a "cottonmouth."

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: frogprince
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 02:23 PM

I think the only time an animal flat-out scared me was in the wilds of Rogers Park in Chicago. I was walking the couple of blocks from the No Exit Cafe back to my apartment, and a huge coal black dog materialized out of deep shadow, jumping right on me before I saw him. I didn't do anything in my pants, but it must have been because I had just emptied everything. He didn't try to bite, and his owner was right there to holler at him (The damn things name was "Devil"). It took a while before my heart slowed down, or I could breath.
My wife and I have gone backpacking, and true wilderness camping, just once, on the larger of the Manitou Islands, Michigan. We hung our pack high, way out on a rope between trees, just like the park literature recommended. We had barely settled in the tent before I heard a little clamor. Racoon, of course; I guessed him to be maybe half grown. He had scooted right out the rope to the pack, and was trying to tear into it. When he saw me, he zipped back to the fork the rope came over, but he just sat there looking at me. After a while I stepped out of sight, to get my wife out of the tent to see him, and of course he immediately disappeared. We slept with our food pack, or carried it with us, the rest of the week.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Leadfingers
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 04:20 PM

Cockroaches ? Nothing more fun than stepping into the shower , turning the water on and having a three inch long 'roach come from under the duckboard and run up your leg !! That was in Aden !

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Rapparee
Date: 11 Apr 08 - 05:55 PM

I don't know if it counts, but when I was in Korea with the Army we had a dog named "Flunk 'Em." He achieved a sort of mythical status when one night the Officer of the Day came through our hootch and Flunky bit him.
Flunky liked enlisted personnel and NCOs, but was death on officers.

Shortly after he bit the OD Flunky disappeared. We think the CO sold him to the Koreans as food.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Irene M
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 11:39 AM

An acquaintance of mine took a job as a security guard at a bonded warehouse in Glasgow. They used German Shepherds as guard dogs.
He said they had one who would let the would-be burglars in, but refused point blank to let them leave. Every morning, a call had to be made to the Police to come and collect the night's catch.

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: Rapparee
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 11:58 AM

When I lived in South Bend the cops got an alarm from a warehouse. Being intelligent folks, they send a dog in through the broken door first. The burglar was promptly corned by the dog, who barked and growled to keep the guy in place (as the dog was trained to do). Then as the handler rounded the corner he saw the crook kick at the dog, which dodged the kick and clamped his teeth onto the baddy's leg -- drew some blood, too! The baddy kicked with his OTHER foot and of course fell to the floor. Now the dog tried to drag the crook to his handler, who was right there and put handcuffs on the burglar and called an ambulance.

The guy was eventually sentenced to ten to fifteen years (he had quite a record) and the dog was decorated.

However...the guy sued the city because the dog bit him and caused him to fall to the floor.

The court had a good laugh as the suit was dismissed, with prejudice. Oh, yes -- the entire sequence was captured on the warehouse security cameras!

Subject: RE: BS: Close Encounters of the Wild Kind
From: GUEST,NYC gal
Date: 13 Apr 08 - 03:35 AM

Could you folks PLEASE distinguish between cockroaches and waterbugs!(Seen them both, hate them both, but the waterbugs, which are HUGE are definitely worse.)