You never know who's looking down on you. I was looking out my window this afternoon when I saw a slight glint of reflected sun coming from between the trees. It was the massive web these two had spun. They are about 30 feet in the air and the trees are about 20 feet apart. The web is not visible here because of the camera angle and the overcast. I think they are Argiope spiders. I watched one here one summer some years ago. I named her Charlotte. She spun a web from the bottom of the garden on the side of the garage all the way up to the roof about 18 feet in the air. It broke my heart to see butterflies and dragonflies trapped in her web but I didn't mind seeing the roaches, June bugs, and love bugs in there.
If you want to live in the country, you will simply have to come to terms with spiders. There are entirely too many of them, they get in places you can't get to, and they are more determined than you.
That's why we city-folk stay here in the city!! I don't do spiders, although I don't think I carry on like some of my sisters do when a bug is present.
Years ago, before we were a married couple, Michael and I had just started out onto a nature trail on the WestBank. I saw a cute little rabbit jump across the walk. It was an idyllic walk UNTIL I WALKED INTO A SPIDER WEB LIKE THAT. I threw down my purse (a purse on a nature walk?), and rolled around on the ground like I was on fire. I am pretty sure my heart rate was elevated. Michael, THE MAN, watched helplessly as he was doubled over laughing. I still married him.
I don't think I am squeamish about crawly things either, Angela.
I am cracking up laughing at just the retelling of that story, Janine. I feel certain that had I been there, I would have been with Michael doubled over in laughter. Something about someone else going through that that is just irresistably funny!
I would never have laughed at you, Janine. And I would have gone after Michael and Christina for their laughter. For shame. I don't know why Daddy would tell people to "never fall down in front of Ginnie because she will laugh her head off about it," because it's not my nature to laugh at someone's misfortune. I might have laughed one time when he was being dive-bombed by a wasp he was spraying and ended up on his back, flat on my kitchen floor, wildly spraying the world. Well, wouldn't you?
I can assure you, I would not have laughed if I had been with you. I would have been too busy worrying whether or not all that flailing you were doing might have caused the spider to spring away, thereby attaching itself to me!
Spiders don't bother me...........I do know how to get rid of them! Put some hedgeballs ( a non-edible vegetable) where spiders are seen and very shortly no spiders! Try it!
Just a note...I don't doubt that my mother would sacrifice her own child's life if there was a spider anywhere around her.
Brianne -- There was a funny story your mom told about life in England, where the spiders are plentiful and large. She said she pitched your dad's boot across the room at a gigantic fellow as it came toward her. She made a direct hit, and then she SWEARS the boot started moving again, in the same direction, coming straight for her!!
And yes, I think you're probably right that she would wave bye-bye to you if she had to leave you to the death and destruction of a flying insect or a creeping one.
She commiserated with Aunt Elizabeth one time when she was telling her about having to leave baby Jim on her bed because a wasp had made its way into the room. She tracked the baby and the wasp through a crack in the door, hoping that Jimmy would be still and not roll off, because there was no way she was entering the room while the killer was at large. And your Mom said, and I quote, "Of course, that was all you could do."
But I do love my girls, even so.
I had to laugh at some of the stories! I am the spider slayer in our house. Though they don't thrill me they don't scare me. Nicole has a severe spider phobia, which can get tiresome on the boat as where there is water there are spiders. Beth, I may have to try your method. As for the wasp (or any bee) just spray with hair spray and their wings stick and they can't fly then you can kill them easily without getting stung. Carol
In my family I'm a bit of a novelty. Spiders, insects, and snakes, don't really bother me. I don't need to be touched by any of the above however, but I don't go into panic mode usually. But I also have a baby story I'm not entirely proud of. I had 1 year old Amy strapped in her bike seat and I was walking the bike up to the front yard from the back when I walked into a spider web. I let go of the handle bars. I had always had boy bikes before, but of course this one was a girl bike, so there was no bar to be caught by my hip while I dealt with the spider web and down poor Amy went! Luckily she wasn't hurt!
i've always heard about my aunts being afraid of insects and their funny little stories, even when it was, lets say, a pack of geese! but NEVER have i heard the story of MY MOTHER freaking out (or dropping me) because of an insect or it's home! i have heard the story about aunt elizabeth, jimmy, and the wasp! also, the one where aunt elizabeth left me strapped into my stroller as geese chased us looking for bread!!!
For the record, I am not bothered by spiders overly much. We moved into this house 4 years ago and it was over run with spiders.......very large, often egg-carrying spiders. Thank God, they are not the furry kind--which are usually larger and "jucier". Ick!!! I have killed hundreds......usually screaming....as it does gross me out a little.
I don't do any other bug nearly so well.
Amy, I don't recall leaving you in your stroller while the geese were chasing...just where was YOUR mother?? I am not exactly denying it.......but I am sure that there must have been extenuating circumstances.