Pamela Has Crabs

So, yes, apparently I have crabs. Get your mind out of the gutter, not those kind of crabs!

Let me start at the beginning, or at least to explain a few of the whys before we get to the crab. Our Boston Whaler, as most of our readers know, has been on the blink since we have owned the boat. The mechanic here in Isle of Hope has been working on it, will say it's all fixed, give it back to us, we take it out for a ride and end up being towed back. This has happened three times. Well, the second time this happened, we were just off the marsh island called Burnt Pot so both dogs jumped off the
Whaler and went swimming. We let them splash about while waiting for marina to tow us back. I was wearing my Merrel hiking shoes which of course got soaked in water and muck. When we returned to the big boat, I took them off and left them on the dock to dry. I wasn't worried about them getting rained on since we haven't had any rain for quite sometime.

I have been looking for some kind of work, something fun or maybe another veterinary technician job. The other morning, I had called a local farm that was looking for trail ride guides and general barn work. I called and made an appointment to go out to the farm to fill out an application.. Hmmm... ok, going to a farm. They say you should dress as you would for the job when going to an interview so that meant I need jeans, tee-shirt and boots. I don't have any riding boots onboard...oh wait! I can wear my Merrrel hiking shoes! When I went out to the dock to get them, now mind you they were out there for a few days, they were soaked. Hmmm, it must've rained a gentle rain the night before. Yuck, I now have to wear wet shoes. I finished getting ready and go out to the dock to get my shoes. I peek inside and see there is still some, now wet again,  gray muck-mud in there. I proceed to bang my shoe on the dock to loosen it and get some out..... to my surprise, it isn't mud that comes out but a crab about the size of a half dollar!  EEK! I do a little girl screech and then I start to laugh and yell for David to come see. Oh and bring the camera!

Poor crab. I could have squished him if I didn't give my shoe a good knock. So I did the same to the other shoe even peeking in there to be sure there are no more crabs in either shoe.

Sliding my feet in my shoes (gross, wet squishy shoes) I headed to the office to get the keys to the loaner car I had signed out. As I was walking up the dock, my left foot felt funny. I am not used to wearing shoes since I am generally barefoot or have flipflops on,  so I thought it must be the seam by the tongue irritating my toe. I keep going.... gosh my left shoe just feels off. I get to the office and Patti tells me the van isn't back yet. I sit and start to tell her the funny story about the crab in my shoe. As I'm regaling her with the silly story, I decide to take off my left shoe and see why the seam is bothering my toe. I pull my shoe off and peek inside. HOLY CRAP!! another crab and the poor thing is peeking back at me! I threw my shoe and screeched my classic little girl screech. Patti laughed as I said OMG, there's another one! I picked up my shoe and carried the little crab outside where I promptly evicted him, explaining to him this was not his new condo go squat someplace else.

Funny how, when you don't have crabs in your shoes they don't feel so weird on your feet. Dry would've been better, though.