Friday, July 19, 2013

Spider Tales

Our great nephew Jordan is afraid of spiders. It's not an irrational fear where he runs away screaming at the site of the little eight-legged creatures, but if he sees a web, he moves away and will not be back until the web is removed.
He comes by the fear honestly, because his mom, who we also helped raise, was afraid of spiders too.
This past week he stayed with us when his grandmother, who keeps him during the summer, had a doctor's appointment and asked if he could stay with us a while.
When he arrived, we had breakfast on the screened porch. Every thing was copacetic (his new word), until he spied a spider crawling up the screen. He grabbed his banana and apple juice and headed inside.
When he finally told me that he'd seen a spider, I went through my little routine to explain about spiders and that they too had a place here and a job to do.
I told him that spiders captured moths and stinging bees in their web. I even pulled up a YouTube video that showed a small spider capturing a wasp, but he wasn't buying it.
Finally I had to get the broom and sweep the spider and all the cobwebs off the porch before he'd consider returning.
Jilda cooked tacos tonight and after dinner, I cleaned the kitchen. I had a bowl full of scraps to dump into our compost bucket on the bannister of the deck.
As I stepped outside, I got a face full of spider web. What's worse, I could feel the spider crawling up my forehead.
I spewed out a stream of obscenities that are still reverberating off the hills and hollows of central Alabama.
The spider had set up shop just outside our garden doors this evening. Apparently the living room light filtering through the glass is a magnet for moths.
I normally won't bother any spider except for black widows and brown recluses, but I have to tell you, a spider on my face is a little too close for me.
I thought of Jordan after I'd raked the spider off my head and tossed him into the night. I'm glad he didn't see my little jig, because he's smart enough, even at five, that he might have pulled up the YouTube video on spiders and lectured me about why they are here.

11 comments:

  1. A smile....
    My daughter (31 years old) HATES spiders, webs, and anything related to them. Interesting how one comes to feel that way. I am not bothered by them in the least, but my husband detests them. Do you think it is nature or nurture (or neither) that causes our children to feel that way? Just thinking....

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love to watch them They are so smart.
    They are good to keep in the garden so other insects don't eat your vegetables.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't mind them really - I live in an insectarium here LOL -
    What I cannot stand - go weak in the knees when I see them - are Centipedes - OMG
    I'm petrified by them!!!!!!!
    What a little doll Jordan is!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sweet story! I don't mind most spiders, but jumping spiders push my buttons.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hahaha... oh my... this would have been me Rick... I try not flip out about spiders but if one is on me... I do the crazy dance lol:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Was this a "what goes around comes around" moment? I'm not fond of spiders but I leave the outdoor ones to do their thing. The indoor ones get the "Honey, can you get this spider please?" Jack thinks I only married him because he's tall and can kill bees or spiders on the ceilings!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Karma caught you in its web :)

    I'm scared of spiders, too. All of them.

    Happy Weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous11:49 AM

    Some things are better done when no children are watching!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I heard what you said. It was highly similar to what I said when I got my car stuck in the mud.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I don't mind spiders at all, but I wouldn't want one crawling on my face!

    ReplyDelete

Please consider sharing

Email Signup Form

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required