Frazz by Jef Mallett for December 21, 2012

because, nature is responding to what we do. we pollute the water, air, land.

Most of Florida is very, OK. The exception is Tallahassee-‘armpit’ of the world most(and I stress the ‘most’) of the people are egotistical manics who think just because they work for the state government(capital city), county government(county seat) that they own the world and everyone should bow down before them and not interupt there morning chat with their co-workers, or their afternoon snack of pork rinds. Lived there for 17 yrs, do not want to go back.

Lived in Pensacola. The first place transients head for when traveling from anywhere West. Also major military locale (Naval Air Station & Eglin AFB). A very strange mix. When a British destroyer arrived in port, there were fistfights every night at the bar where I worked. Rednecks, fighter pilots, stoners, Cuban refugees, beach bums, fishermen. Boy, howdy.

There are enough creatures up north that want to kill you without adding to them by going south.

OMG, humidity in Florida and an oven across most of Arizona, no thank you! I will take the eastern sierra in California, with all 4 seasons and the hopeful sightings of a bear or mountain lion any day! I am in nature’s heaven!

Cold-blooded/ectothermic creatures like reptiles and arachnids may thrive better in warmer climates. But you can’t say this about dangerous warm-blooded animals like bears or mountain lions, which can be very far north — it’s just that they may be dormant for winter. It depends what species you have in your area.

Everybody has their “cross to bear”

On a grand, overarching level, no, nature does not want to kill us. On an individual, personal, level, though… A hungry alligator may very well want to kill you.

Currently on a small island on the US/Canada border watching the wind snap trees behind my house, amazed by the fact I still have power and internet.

@kingstonave said,(edited)“Lived in Pensacola, major military locale (Naval Air Station & Eglin AFB). A very strange mix. When a British destroyer arrived in port, there were fistfights every night at the bar where I worked. Rednecks, fighter pilots, stoners, Cuban refugees, beach bums, fishermen. Boy, howdy.” %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Good times, that.. Good times Remember it well >wink<

LOL!!! Did you ever see the billboard on 275 coming into St. Pete from Tampa that said in great big letters, “Welcome to St. Petersburg. Come see our fossils.”? And at the very bottom in small print it said, “St. Petersburg Museum”. The first part certainly was right.

Your question answered the question of why man spent the last 10,000 years getting as war away from nature as possible.

Taken to the logical extreme, you get Australia where almost everything has thorns, poison or a stinger, but almost every day is warm and sunny.

Nobody needs to “fend off” scorpions. They don’t attack people. They just defend themselves to stay alive, like every other living species. As for alligators, the bulk of the 23 deaths in the last four decades have been either children or idiots swimming places they should not have been swimming. Nature isn’t malevolent.

I’ve lived north and south U.S. and in western Europe (8 years). Every place has its beauty. This is the second time I’ve lived in Florida (moved back 1997) and plan to stay. If we all liked the same place/thing/etc., the world would be boring..Ideally, I would own homes in many places or, at least, travel more. I can truthfully say that I have never been to a locale that I disliked, but there are places I like better than others..I think Frazz is saying that it’s all in the attitude.

Scorpions OR alligators.

Moved from Gulf Coast to Seattle for a while. Daughter in first grade was being mocked by other kids because of her southern accent. “Ohh, you come from where people don’t wear shoes, and go the the bathroom in little shacks outdoors, and live with poisonous snakes and alligators!” Teacher heard and tried to start a meaningful discussion: “It’s true that in the south they have poisonous snakes and alligators and we don’t have those here. {daughters name}, do you think you can tell us why?” Daughter: “I think the slugs must eat ’em.”

Come to Texas, the weather and the rest of nature want to kill you