Spider Sightings

I will interrupt scripture study if I see anything suspicious on the wall:

“What’s that?!”

“Look out!”

“Don’t lean back!”

I don’t care if my husband (or whoever) is in the middle of a gripping point:

“Wait! I see something!”

“I can’t concentrate—get rid of it!!”

For the past two weeks it seems like there’s been a spider sighting every day!! (I’m sick of spiders.) If it’s not in the early morning during scripture study, it’s when I get into bed at night, and I have to call out to my husband to save me:

“Come look at the ceiling—I think it's a spider--it's going to drop on my head—I know it is!”

My husband is usually very gracious about all this nonsense, stops whatever he’s doing—and kills the spider. Yes, it must be killed. If it’s in the house, it must die. But there’s still the frightful anticipation that the appointed hero will miss the spider –the spider will run crazily—or worse—jump at the attacker (I mean hero). And we all shiver until the end-- until the Kleenex with all of the attending body parts is thrown away, and the hero returns.

I remember when I was young, my dad would never kill the spider—NOOO—he had to get a tissue and gently enfold the arachnid into the tissue’s warm embrace, so that he could carry it outside. But, dad had the habit of checking to make sure he had the spider. He would open the tissue (Ahhh! No! Don't do it!), the spider would run away—or, just as terrible, it was never in the tissue because he had knocked it to the floor (Every time!!!) trying to be gentle, and the darned spider would be on the loose still!

Well, this is nothing—these spiders the size of nickels. Mom met an old friend of the family the other day. The friend told the story of her sister, who had to live in Central America for a number of months recently because of her husband’s work. One day she went to check on the baby, and a spider the size of a large dinner plate (!!!!) was heading straight for it!!!! The husband grabbed the spider (ugghhhh!!!!) and tried to drown it—but it kept struggling and coming up for air (gross gross gross aaahhhhhh!!!!!!!) (Grab the spider??? ) (Hold it while you drown it???!!!!)