Leaving the library yesterday, I swizzled down the gentle curves of the sidewalk. Noticing a gleam in the wet grass right near the edge of the concrete, I abruptly stopped and gazed down. Something was moving not two inches away from my black-shoed right foot! And I immediately thought "Yow, that's one, big scorpion!"

But he wasn't a scorpion; he was a crawdad (crawpappy? crawfather? crawmom? crawcousin? crawprogenitor? crawncestor?). I knelt down and said hello. He peered up through beady little eyes. I told him that he was quite a ways from the creek bed, and he waved his pincers in agreement. By then it was time for me to take my leave. We both waved goodbye.