creepy crawlies

Let me say first that I really love living here in West Coast University Town. I do. The weather is much nicer than my hometown in the Northeast.

I am getting really tired of the arachnids however. I swear, this place has spiders everywhere. The only place I don't remember being so bad was the very nice new house I lived in when I first moved here. The 100+ year-old house I lived in next? 8 legged wonders in nearly every corner. Even the bathroom. What do they eat in the bathroom?? These are not "cute" little squish-em-with-a-tissue spiders either. These are big leggy long beasties. Cellar spiders or something? I looked it up once. Blargh. Usually I don't mind them because I hate bugs more, but when you see them every day, all over? Ick.

The worst ones are those that seem to be having their prime adult phase outdoors right now. They are not leggy and skinny. They are thick, squat sumo-wrestler buggers. And they make webs like steel thread. They also like to stretch webs across doorways. Ask Mr. Bee. He walked right into one on his way to work on Monday out our front door. He is terrified of spiders. Not a good day. We now find ourselves on Spider Watch 2006 whenever we leave. Sumo spiders like to make webs on the streetlamps nearby, as well as from the front eaves of our row of townhouses to the bushes in front. Nice little row of spiderwebs out front these days. *shudder*

I usually don't bother killing them, because there's always another one to take it's place. I guess I should be happy they aren't black widows, though I've seen two of them in rather close quarters. Well, time to head to the lab. Hopefully I won't get snared on my way out.