Ew!!!! You licked a what?

A Slug!!!! We were at the Knouse Family Reunion last weekend and Eliza came running up to me so excited saying, "Dad, Dad, Look I found a slug!!" On a whim and partially as a joke I said, "I will give you a quarter if you lick it." which was followed immediately, without thought, with a, "No way daddy!" Phew! Sometimes I just slip into my scout leader mentality and start kicking out dares without really thinking. Well, a couple minutes later Eliza brought me the slug plate and said, "Dad, I washed the slug. Will I still get a quarter if I lick it?" I thought I had dodged that bullet but I was wrong. Eliza got the quarter.

The thing I forgot was that she still remembered the banana slug incident in the Redwood Forest in California. You see a few years ago we went to San Jose to visit my brother-in-law Joe. As we drove to the redwood forest Joe told me that if I licked a banana slug my tongue would go numb. Hmmmmm!! Sounded interesting. Always up for a new experience I promptly found one and bent down to test the tongue numbing properties of the yellow creature. Eliza started crying and screaming, "Daddy, no, what if it gets stuck in your throat?" She thought I was going to eat the banana slug. After a considerable amount of explanation she was calmed down and I tested Joe's promise! You know, you should all thank me! None of you need to lick a slug! Eliza and I already tried it! Your tongue doesn't go numb!

Oh yeah, and by the way, Eliza and Savana both held a snake that I caught while we were up there. It was a great weekend!!!