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Post by AussieMeg on Mar 9, 2023 23:24:35 GMT
..... that people in other parts of the country, or in other countries, wouldn't have to even think about doing. I thought about this topic this morning as I was getting out of the shower, and shook my towel before drying myself, to shake off any spiders that might be on my towel. Yes, it has happened to me, and happened to DS recently. Some others that I can think of: Sticking with the spider theme.... For years, my MIL and SIL would pull back the covers to check my nephew's bed for spiders after he was bitten by a spider in bed one night at MIL's house. When I take the dog for a walk in spring, I carry a big stick that I wave around my head like a lunatic, to ward off the swooping mapgies. People have DIED, y'all! You often see kids - and adults - riding their bikes with zip ties tied to the top of their helmets for the same reason.  When I have to drive down certain semi-rural roads around here, I have to slow right down to 5km/h at dusk, to avoid kangaroos jumping out in front of my car. My aunty, when she was living in North Queensland, used to check the toilet bowl for snakes before sitting down. If I am going to an all day event here in Melbourne, or going to be away from home for a few days, I make sure to pack for all weather conditions. We are known to have four seasons in one day. If there is an all day music festival here in summer, you know it's either going to be stinking hot 42C or torrential rain and 16C! (That's 107F or 60F.) What are some that you can think of for your part of the world? |
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lindas
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by lindas on Mar 9, 2023 23:30:43 GMT
That does it, I’m scratching Australia off my bucket list.  |
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Post by essiejean on Mar 9, 2023 23:35:20 GMT
When I go into my garden (during the heat of summer) to weed or harvest I take a stick and poke around under the cucumber growth listening for a rattle. During the heat of summer prairie rattle snakes like to go into the gardens under the foliage to find water.
I also have to slow down on my road home (live out in the country) at dusk and watch for deer bounding out of the ditches.
Taking my walks on the dirt roads at dawn/dusk I also have to keep an eye open for coyotes and mountain lions. As of yet have never come across a mountain lion on our road (although my daughter has) but have had to throw rocks at a few coyotes to scare them off.
I can also relate to packing for multiple seasons for one days outing - happens her frequently as well.
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Post by deekaye on Mar 9, 2023 23:36:34 GMT
>My aunty, when she was living in North Queensland, used to check the toilet bowl for snakes before sitting down.
OMG! This is one of my biggest phobias/fears... and we don't even have scary snakes where we live! In my teenage years I watched a movie where someone sat down and was bit by a snake. I'm WAY past my teenage years, in fact, I'm in the "gotta get up 1-2 times a night to use the restroom" years and I can NOT sit down in the dark or even with a night light. I absolutely must flip on the freakin' light to check for snakes! (Did I mention we DON'T have snakes where we live??)
<shudder>
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Post by AussieMeg on Mar 9, 2023 23:43:08 GMT
I also have to slow down on my road home (live out in the country) at dusk and watch for deer bounding out of the ditches. Are the deer as stupid as the kangaroos? The roos will jump alongside your car as you drive down the road, then for no reason whatsoever, they do a sharp turn and jump right in front of your car! I saw dash cam footage of this happening to someone just yesterday. |
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smcast
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,500
Location: MN
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Post by smcast on Mar 9, 2023 23:44:21 GMT
That does it, I’m scratching Australia off my bucket list. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Nov 1, 2024 1:23:24 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2023 23:45:15 GMT
Here in QLD, Australia I apply sunscreen like cattle dip. Unfortunately too little too late from my childhood though as I just got my first 2 skin cancers diagnosed last month. Official QLDer status now.
I also check my toilet bowel first.
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peabay
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,913
Jun 25, 2014 19:50:41 GMT
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Post by peabay on Mar 9, 2023 23:46:55 GMT
We have to check ourselves for deer ticks if we dare to go outside without long pants and/or repellent on.
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Post by AussieMeg on Mar 9, 2023 23:52:53 GMT
I just got my first 2 skin cancers diagnosed last month. Official QLDer status now. I have had multiple basal cell carcinomas cut out in the last three years - probably about five or six? Not to mention a gazillion solar keratoses frozen off. So it's a Melbourne thing too!  |
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Post by AussieMeg on Mar 9, 2023 23:55:47 GMT
I thought of a couple more:
I don't let my dog off the leash at the river in summer, in case he gets bitten by a deadly tiger or eastern brown snake. We've had friends who have lost their dogs to snake bites.
And when I'm walking in summer, I make sure to stay on the path, and watch very carefully. A couple of weeks ago, I was walking in a state park, and there was a huge male kangaroo standing on the path. It seemed that he was NOT going to move for me. I had to toss up between walking around him into the grass where there might be deadly snakes, or to keep walking on the path and risk being kicked or punched by an angry roo! (FTR, I risked a snake bite.)
Friends in Sydney make sure they cover the opening to all shoes left outside, in case a Sydney Funnel Web spider crawls inside. Luckily there haven't been any deaths from these particular spiders since the antivenom was created in the 80s, but still...... you don't want to be bitten by one.
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Post by ~summer~ on Mar 9, 2023 23:57:57 GMT
We have to open all the windows at night to cool the house off if there is a heat wave (no air conditioning)
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Post by peano on Mar 9, 2023 23:59:54 GMT
Wear crappy clothes and waterproof boots/shoes during spring thaw (mud) season when I’m walking the dog. Be especially careful in the fall to look for deer on the road. The males are in rut and all of them are active. And no offense to Massachusetts Peas, but we have to watch out for the special brand of crazy Mass drivers (Massholes) 🤪
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Post by monklady123 on Mar 10, 2023 0:07:36 GMT
Omg, my mother may have been born and raised in Australia but I may never go back there!  I don't think most of us here in the States have anything to compete with that, except maybe those people who live in Florida. The best I can come up with is driving down the interstate and watching helicopters land at the Pentagon. Or maybe watching three Ospreys flying together over the road. |
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The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
Moose. It's what's for dinner.
Posts: 7,379
Location: Alaska -The Last Frontier
Jun 30, 2014 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Mar 10, 2023 0:11:18 GMT
AussieMeg I am still loving all things Australia!! What are those huge spiders that get into your house and a lot of people just let them be because they eat other bugs?
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Post by cadoodlebug on Mar 10, 2023 0:12:12 GMT
When I lived in Louisiana and my singles Sunday School class would go on a 10 mile canoe excursion, I had to watch out for water moccasins. Had one float about 2 feet away from me when I was cooling off in the river.
In CA, we have to be careful about rattle snakes in our yard or under the door jam where they like to lay next to the house. We've only had one since moving up here 6 years ago.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 10, 2023 0:12:51 GMT
I also have to slow down on my road home (live out in the country) at dusk and watch for deer bounding out of the ditches. Are the deer as stupid as the kangaroos? The roos will jump alongside your car as you drive down the road, then for no reason whatsoever, they do a sharp turn and jump right in front of your car! I saw dash cam footage of this happening to someone just yesterday. They don’t typically run alongside the car but they will jump right out in front of or right into the side of vehicles driving down the road. It’s definitely a thing here to watch for deer popping out into the road, and it usually isn’t the first one you see that you hit. Often it’s one of those following the first one that generally gets creamed. We have to check for ticks here too. I think they’re way worse than spiders because they attach to you! Ew. |
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Mar 10, 2023 0:20:44 GMT
I guess I live in a bubble. I can't really think of anything.
We have humidity. Thick wet air that makes breathing hard as hell in the heat of summer.
That's all I got.
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SweetieBsMom
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by SweetieBsMom on Mar 10, 2023 0:27:24 GMT
AussieMeg I am still loving all things Australia!! What are those huge spiders that get into your house and a lot of people just let them be because they eat other bugs? Huntsman spiders. I would love to visit Australia but I think I'd have a damn heart attack. I'm seeing a lot of TikToks with people removing frogs from their toilet. If I'd have to choose frog, spider, or snake, I'd take frogs all day long. I don't think I have to do anything unusual where I live. |
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lesley
Drama Llama
My best friend Turriff, desperately missed.
Posts: 7,308
Location: Scotland, Scotland, Scotland
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Post by lesley on Mar 10, 2023 0:31:02 GMT
Hmm. Temperate weather (mostly), no extreme events like cyclones or hurricanes, no beasts that can kill or maim you, nothing venomous or poisonous. I think I’ll stay in Scotland, TYVM.
Oh wait! We have midges! And while they won’t kill you, they will drive you crazy! 😄
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Post by AussieMeg on Mar 10, 2023 0:39:12 GMT
What are those huge spiders that get into your house and a lot of people just let them be because they eat other bugs? Huntsmen spiders. I always leave them, even if they are in my bedroom. The only time we have to relocate them is if they are in my son's room. He's a wuss! |
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valincal
Drama Llama
Southern Alberta
Posts: 5,778
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Post by valincal on Mar 10, 2023 0:41:08 GMT
We have lots of magpies here AussieMeg (and they don’t leave for the winter) but they never dive-bomb humans thank goodness. In the spring when I go to BC I’m constantly chased by starlings. They are relentless! I take crampons to attach to my boots when I go for a walk around my neighbourhood to deal with icy trails once I get off the sidewalk. Not sure if that’s unusual or not! 😄 |
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Post by lisae on Mar 10, 2023 0:50:07 GMT
Race around to be sure the garage doors are down and all windows are closed when we see the neighbor's renter come to fertilize the field next to us with chicken litter or when he sprays the weeds. We are lucky if we spot his tractor in time. For the next several days, it's better to be inside if possible although you do get used to the smell and it goes away in a few days.
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The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
Moose. It's what's for dinner.
Posts: 7,379
Location: Alaska -The Last Frontier
Jun 30, 2014 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Mar 10, 2023 1:03:51 GMT
What are those huge spiders that get into your house and a lot of people just let them be because they eat other bugs? Huntsmen spiders. I always leave them, even if they are in my bedroom. The only time we have to relocate them is if they are in my son's room. He's a wuss! I am a wuss too! If/when I come I hope to never see one!! Kait is still there and if she had seen one I am sure I would have heard about it!  I would love to see a kangaroo and you already know how crazy I am over the cockatoos!! |
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zztop11
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,539
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Post by zztop11 on Mar 10, 2023 1:04:13 GMT
Rake the snow off the roof. (I live in Minneapolis)
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Post by magenta on Mar 10, 2023 1:17:14 GMT
I’ve watched too many horror series and sometimes stop and look out for vampires and zombies when I have to take out the garbage at night.
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Post by AussieMeg on Mar 10, 2023 1:53:12 GMT
The Birdhouse Lady one time a friend of mine was holidaying at the beach with her family and another family. The men had gone out fishing for the day, and I was driving nearly 2 hours to hang out with them for the day. I got there a bit later than I had planned, and when I arrived my friend ran out to my car saying "Where have you been?!" There was a huntsman in the bathroom so none of them would go in there, and they were sitting outside, busting for a wee, waiting for me to get there so I could take the spider outside.
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Post by buddysmom on Mar 10, 2023 2:00:30 GMT
I'm on the lookout for bears when I walk my dog at night.
We have a ton of deer and they are just beautiful to watch.
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Post by pjaye on Mar 10, 2023 2:01:46 GMT
I carry a big stick that I wave around my head like a lunatic, to ward off the swooping mapgies You know that's counter productive right? You need to stop threatening them with sticks and be nicer to them. I've never been swooped...I'm not on any magpie hit lists. |
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Post by monklady123 on Mar 10, 2023 2:47:50 GMT
What are those huge spiders that get into your house and a lot of people just let them be because they eat other bugs? Huntsmen spiders. I always leave them, even if they are in my bedroom. The only time we have to relocate them is if they are in my son's room. He's a wuss!   You go to sleep and leave something like that just WALKING AROUND YOUR ROOM? ? ? ? With you sound asleep so that you DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS? ? ? ? ? O.M.G. |
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Post by 950nancy on Mar 10, 2023 3:34:17 GMT
When I let my pups out the front door (on a leash) I always check for bobcats and mountain lions that could be lurking beside the house. Last summer my son and I ran into a bear there. All three of us Scooby Doo'd out of there. Thankfully the bear went the other direction.
I love spiders. All of them. We just don't have many. We do think my female corgi tussled with one because last year her neck swelled up like crazy and we made a quick trip to the vet. It would be like her to play with one and then roll over it.
Yesterday we had a line of about 5 vehicles lined up as we waited for several momma deer and their babies to cross the street. They were truly the description of deer in headlight as they crossed and the last one just stood in the road and refused to move and just stared. You could see that moms look pregnant again. I know people have deer everywhere, but ours just seem like family.
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