The Amazing Wall-climbing Alaskan Worm
I have mentioned several times here at the Vermicomposting forum that a prime motivator for my interest in vermiculture was observing thousands (and, yes, I mean more than nine-hundred and ninety-nine) of the things climbing the exterior walls of a friend of mine's garage. They were attracted for some reason to twenty some-odd bags of fermenting birch tree leaves that had been set against his garage wall awaiting delivery to the local dump.
For several reasons, It never occurred to me that someone would doubt the veracity of that anecdotal 'report', but apparently my naivete was once again no match for cynicism. It is difficult for me to imagine someone making up such a story solely for the purpose of explaining why they "got into" worming, but apparently that is precisely what some here think.
My friend whose bags of leaves these were and upon whose garage wall these unbeliveable worms trespassed is a fastidious fellow. (He's the minister of a local church. He is also the one I told you I corralled into helping me pick up moose poop in my yard for my worms, and was so interested in the concept that he picked up a 5-gal bucket's worth from his own yard and gave it to me for the worms!) Anyway, I thought I remembered him telling me that he had spent hours cleaning the dried carcasses off of said garage, but I wasn't sure. So I called him and asked if he had in fact 'erased the evidence'.
I was a bit surprised at his bristling at the suggestion that said event was a fabrication even though it was I, not him that was being accused, but unfortunately, he verified that he had indeed pressure-washed and hand-scrubbed all the dead bodies from the walls of his garage. At that I asked if there wasn't at least one tell-tale carcass left that he had missed. (If you knew Jim, you would appreciate how much that question was 'clutching at straws'.) As he was quite incensed at all of this, he went outside to look for some semblance of evidence.
Lo and behold, he was able to find not just the "sign" of a worm, but an actual DEAD BODY! It had escaped the fury of the pressure washer by hiding behind a gutter downspout. Here's the picture he sent, (he measured it at 47" above ground level):
Some humor should be inserted here. :)
There are several assertions that I have made that this picture completely fails to corroborate. First this is about one thousandth of the number of worms I claimed scaled the wall. Second, I have stated that they were upwards of 10 feet above the ground. This falls short of even 4 feet.
Alas, I am fated to suffer the scorn, derision and sarcasm directed at those that observe something an animal has done, (even with another witness), that others to whom the story is related cannot fathom could have actually happened based on their personal experience with said animals. Such is fate. But...
I think most here can appreciate the humor in the idea that someone (me) would make up such a story, not for 'fame and glory', but simply to offer explanation for "why" they decided to "get into" worming. For those folks, I offer
The Amazing Wall-climbing Alaskan Worm
in 'evidence' of my veracity. (Please note the use of the singular "worm". :( )
:)
Paul
PS - By the way, when I called, he had been out in his yard mowing his dead grass, and wanted to know if I wanted the 5 bags of grass that had resulted. I thanked him and said "No". NO ONE would believe anyone was mowing their law in April in Alaska!
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