Dangers Just out of View
Do not pursue the missing sock,
The partner to your single shoe;
Though losing either one may rock
Your sense of balance, don’t pursue,
Unduly, missing treasures: wide
Their unwed wanderings may flee,
And you might quite unsettled be
To see on capture what’s inside.
Remember as you, hunting, run,
That warmth and dark like boot or sock
Is favored as a sun-baked rock
By spider, snake or scorpion.
Art-Colored Glasses 
I love the boots…don’t know if I would like the critters that sometimes visit 😉
I am *ever* so glad to say no such critters have yet invaded *my* personal space. I much prefer enjoying them from a safe distance. 🙂
You should have seen me during my camping days. (“Camping” being of the outdoor w/ tent variety.) The shaking and rattling that my shoes withstood every morning before being worn was surpassed only by the duress my sleeping bag endured the night before. This despite all having been kept in the trunk of my car when not in use. Arachnophobia is nothing to toy with.
After all, arachnids are nothing to toy with either!!!
Oh yes! Several years ago a coworker in West Texas put on a pair of boots that had sat idle for a long time….a Brown Recluse spider made a home deep in the dark confines of one boot. The resulting bite on his big toe turned ugly. He was diabetic and due to that factor and the fact that the toxin is a vaso-constrictor, he wound up losing his toe. Always shake out your boots…it is common to find scorpions but that Brown Recluse can be a more damaging critter.
I am actually slightly disappointed that I have never seen a scorpion (live, anyway), tarantula or any snake other than a few little garden babies since moving to Texas. But I’m a dilettante, of course, only wishing to *see* them, never come into nervous-making proximity to them in reality. So I guess I should be happy to have my safe distance and enjoy looking at pictures of all the critters who *might* be right here. Richard’s brother and his family bought their house in Memphis a few years ago only to discover that it was infested with hordes of Brown Recluses. Needless to say, there was extensive and expensive treatment to house and yard, including the removal of mass plantings that had probably lured the spiders up too close to the house in the first place. To our great relief, the treatments appear to have been completely effective, but you can imagine there was a tense time while the verdict was still out on it! I’m glad to guess from your comment that your friend who lost his toe didn’t lose his life as well, but it must have been horrific all the same. Best to show plenty of respect for nature’s predators of *all* sizes and shapes.
Stuff those cowboy boots with paper real tight. Critters lurk day or night…
Happily, we rarely encounter the slightest sign of critters in our house–I think the greenbelt behind our place is more appealing to them all! But believe me, I still check shoes and (especially) my garden boots!