4:20 p.m. - 2002-02-28
Mrs. B. Widow
Oh, and the third excitement of this week is that one of Bruce's students gave him an enormous and evil looking female black widow spider. He is ecstatic about it and has it in a jar on his desk. I had seen a male last year, much smaller, but still a formidable presence. This female is truly frightening to me though - she is a shiny jet black, with the classic orange hourglass on her stomach, and she just reeks of being a creature that could cause you severe bodily injury.
This is something I can't seem to get used to - the fact that Alabama has creatures which could do me serious harm should I innocently wander across them in the woods or even on my front porch. The male black widow I found was in one of my plant pots that I had packed away for winter, and last year,also in a plant pot I found a brown recluse. They are pretty creepy as well- they have sort of glowing greenish brown stomach and they continually move their legs like someone drumming their fingers on a table. I think Bruce told me they breathe or smell through their legs, and that is why they are constantly moving them.
Since we've been househunting one of my big questions has become: "Are there poisonous spiders in the garage?" It seems to strike folks funny - they take thee things for granted I guess.
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