Ick!

I lived in Nebraska and Iowa. Except for one summer in Washington State that was where I would be.

I love this part of the country. In small towns and on farms you can look up at the night sky and see the stars. 

We often were outside on the porch at night. It was the way families relaxed after a long day.

Parents would talk about the things important to them. The family pet (usually a dog) just laid there enjoying the peace. Children would play little games, sometimes get into little scuffles, and best of all wind down before time to go to bed.

When my children and I were living in Tennessee we also spent evenings on the porch. We would play board games if there was enough light.

Our porch was a simple concrete rectangle up a couple of steps from the yard. I sat on that concrete with the children as we played.

Then came the evening that I leaned back a bit using my arm for support. As I put my hand on the concrete of the porch I felt something soggy. 

I brushed it off the porch thinking it was something one of the children dropped after partially chewing it. Then I saw behind the children that the porch was covered with little creatures.

Because it was getting dark the slugs had come out. Eeewww.

I did not even know what they were. I asked a neighbor the next morning. She told me about them and how they come out at night. They were such a nuisance.