Devils in Disguise

I just stepped on another &%$#%& one! The little demons, which most people call goatheads, have reached the top of my list as the most sinister creation on earth. They have been a menace since we were in southern Utah. These stealthy, tan seed pods look like tiny medieval maces or horned goat heads, and lurk anywhere and everywhere on the ground. The plant itself, Triulus terrestris, looks innocent enough with its dark green, fuzzy leaves and yellow flowers, but its tiny balls of pain have me never wanting to see one again. Our shoes have been torn to shreds where they pierce into the soles. One place we stopped, there had to be a hundred of them stuck to the bottom of my shoes. They cling to Suki’s fur and fall off once she is inside, where they lay in wait to wreck havoc on any unsuspecting person who steps on them. These thorny horns can pierce the toughest skin, making us leery of going barefoot in our motorhome. Stepping on them has dropped us to our knees, and in one instance, almost tumbled down the steps and headbutting the door. Our fingers have suffered too, being punctured trying to take them out of our shoes or feet. Poor Suki has had to have them plucked from her paws. We found out that the woody spikes are tough enough to pop bicycle tires. Come to think about it, they would work great for piercing your ears or other body parts. They are that sharp. There are several things that should be banished from this earth, and I would put these devils near the top of the list.

We took advantage of the moderate temperatures and and went out exploring some of the ghost towns and a shrine near here.

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