Spiders

If you are an arachnophobe, let me tell you right now that Japan would be hell for you.  I've never seen so many spiders in my life.  When I say "so many spiders" I mean both number and variety.  Bleh, it gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.

Our little porch has a rail around it.  On that rail there is a spider web every four feet.  There are spiderwebs in our plants outside.  Under our porch light, on the eaves over our entry way and on the posts holding up the floor above, spiders can be seen dangling.  The spiders on our railway are all tiny, almost cute little guys.  They appear to be the same species, maybe from the same brood.  Unfortunately spiders are about as friendly with each other as the Hatfields and McCoys.  Kelli moved a spider back onto what she thought was its web.  It didn't end end well for that little arachnid.

If only all spiders were so benign on the gross-out scale.  Some spiders are BIG.  When you see cobwebs spanning more than six horizontal feet, you know you don't want to see who calls it home.

Take this guy for example.  the red on the left edge is part of a political campaign poster.  The other end of the web was attached to the rail beside the sidewalk, over eight feet away.  That was a big nasty spider, but we saw one that was even bigger.  Fortunately for you, we always forget our camera, so we didn't get a picture of it.  I'm not a fan of spiders.  I don't want to see spiders that are two and a half inches long repelling off of sheds.  What are you supposed to do with spiders that big?  When they are that massive you can't mercilessly step on them.  You always pause first, wondering which is grosser,  the spider or spider guts all over your shoe.

So far we haven't found any in the house.  When I mentioned the spiders in passing to my neighbor she said, "Just wait until the fall!"  Oh boy!  I can't wait....