Four Legged Beastie?

  At some point you really have to face fears and just get over them.  For the longest time, spiders were the bane of my existence.  I hated them because I truly feared them.  This all stems from a fear that developed when I was a kid.  Mom had hung an old rug out in the yard to be beaten clean.  The thing draped down to the ground like some huge tent so what else was a five year old to do but...pretend it was a tent. I played under the rug for several days and eventually was bitten by some sort of spider.  Other than hurting, itching and swelling, the bite did not scare me.  What caused the fear was a trip to the doctor to get the bite checked.  Nope.  I did not like spiders from that point forward.  Spider bites meant doctor's visits and THAT scared me!  The only other time I was aware of someone going to the doctor was my grandmother and she wound up in the hospital for weeks.  Having Grandmother away from me scared me.  In my eyes, the doctor took her so doctors scared me.  I had to go to the doctor because of a spider bite so spiders scared me.  It was a weird way of looking at things but in a five year old's mind, it made perfect sense.  My greatest fear was being bit by a spider.

  Then fast forward to about fifteen years ago and another spider bite.  This time, a black widow bit me but I did not go to the doctor.  The bite healed and all was well.  In fact, that bite cured me of the fear of spiders.  I figured that being bitten by a venomous spider and healing with no long lasting effects meant that the critters were not as bad as they are hyped up to be.  I still respect them but I do not fear them

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  Today, Son was out by the front arbor when he noticed a spider.  "Whoa!  A spider with four legs?"  I merely handed him the camera and continued designing the artificial "creek" better known as a drain.  At closer inspection, he informed me that the spider did have the customary eight legs but was just sitting funny.  He took a few photos and let it go at that.  Looking at the photos this evening, I have no idea what type spider is living near the front door.  It is a pretty, little thing and the way it holds its legs does, indeed, make it look like a four-legged beastie.  Am I worried about the critter being so near where I work every day?  Nope.  As Pop used to say "Let the critter look out for itself."  In other words, leave it be.  Chances are far greater that you will be bitten by trying to remove the creature.  Unless, you are playing in a make-believe tent/rug that has been left outside for several days and accidentally squish said creature because you are a clumsy toddler, you really have no worries!  Our friendly spider shall continue to live where it may.