The "Boat Ride"

   Last week, we had several days where the rain was nonstop.  These heavy downpours filled the little skiff so Son and I made several trips down the pier to bail the boat.  Thankfully, he does not mind as I am getting a bit too old to do much bailing.  I tag along to keep him company.  

  During one break of the rains, we scurried down, he climbed into the boat and grabbed the 5 gallon bucket to start sloshing the water back into the Bay.  I stood on the pier snapping photographs of the marsh birds and Bat, the cat, who joined us.  Suddenly, Son stopped bailing and said "I've got a visitor."  Looking over, I scanned the water thinking the alligator was nearing or that perhaps one of the snapping turtles had popped up from the depths.  Nothing....I could see nothing.  He pointed to the edge of the skiff.  There was one of the largest spiders that I have seen in a while!  The thing was a good 3 inches across and the palest sandy-grey.  Hmmm?  "Where did that come from?" I asked.  Son shrugged his shoulders and mentioned that he just noticed the spider then said "I guess he was just going for a boat ride."  We watched for a moment but the spider made no effort to move.  Son started bailing again with the bucket and water being heaved just inches above the giant.

  While I have found several spiders that look similar to our friend, none were as pale in color as this one.  I am still quite undecided as of the type.  Happily, the spider stayed put in the same spot until the skiff was emptied.  Both Son and I decided that the poor thing was probably seeking shelter from the rain in the boat and we disturbed its peace.  I am sure once we left, the spider hid away in the skiff once again as torrential rains pounded again.  

Just A Friendly Spider!

   Oh, the things we find!  Son has been doing a huge cleanup of the yard this past week.  With most of the termite-damage reconstruction of the Little Bayou House completed, it was time to regain the yard.  This has gone on for too long.  I had started the cleanup and relandscaping back before falling ill but that all came to a standstill during my recuperation period.  When he finished rebuilding the pier, Son took over the cleanup.  He has done most of the "heavy" work but has no clue how I want to "pretty" up the place.  His idea of the perfect yard would have no gardens, no ponds, no fences and definitely no decorations of any kind.  A clean, clear lawn would suit him fine.  Me?  I need the mystery that outdoor "rooms" create.  Winding pathways, dark, shady nooks, babbling water features (snakes and frogs included) and funky gates.  All of those things are up to me.  He does, however, call me whenever he finds some odd critter during his work.  Today, a spider put a halt to the chores.

  Son called me as he was clearing a pile of lumber.  "Hey, there is a bug."  I knew to grab the camera because it had to be something out of the ordinary if he brought attention to it.  Sure enough, it was an odd looking critter.  When I told him it was a Long-jawed Spider, he shrugged and muttered something about it had long legs not a long jaw.  Well, he had a point but the spider's name would have to stay.

  Long-jawed Spiders are pretty neat critters.  They have figured out that nighttime provides for the best hunting and so they while away the daytime hours in hiding (like this one).  In the evening, the spider will crawl out of its nook and spin a large web usually over water.  They depend on the morphing of water bound larvae to adults as a food source.  Mosquitoes, mayflies and midges all lay eggs in water. When the larvae develop into adults and leave the water, they become ensnared in the spider's web.  Spider is happy....I am happy....a lot less bugs.  

  Since Son wanted to complete his chore, I gently moved our friendly spider to a spot closer to the little Puddle Pond.  She can have lots of hiding places and will be able to catch any flying critters tonight.  Happy hunting, Long-jawed Spider!  You are welcome to stay here!

Folklore...Brooms, Sweeping and Spiders!

  Throughout the years, I have be admonished by countless older folks for my sweeping habits.  I admit that I do not keep the tidiest of houses but, in all fairness, the scoldings were never about cleanliness.  I was reprimanded because of a bunch of old wives' tales that, somehow, have stuck around through the ages.  Not that any of it mattered as I find the beliefs amusing, at best.  

  1.  "Do not sweep dirt out the front door after dark!  You will be sweeping away a friendship!"

  2.  "Never sweep after dusk or you will have a stranger knocking at your door within the hour!"

   3.  "Always sweep dirt OUT the back door but use a dustpan to sweep the dirt toward the inside at the front door.  If you do it the opposite direction, you will be "sweeping" away any money that you made during the day!"

  4.  "Never step over a fallen broom as it will bring bad luck!  To bring good luck, pick up the broom and stand it upside-down!"

  5.  "Stand a broom upside-down and you will be married before the year is out!"

  6.  "If you are sweeping and someone tracks in more dirt, never beat them with your broom or you will be in jail before the week is done!"

  Ok, so several of these are more broom-related than the actual sweeping but you get the idea that I have heard a lot about my housekeeping skills.  I won't even go into the comments about dog and cat hair on the furniture.  (Hey, I have critters.  Don't like it...go home.)  

  This evening, when I was sweeping out the entry way (yes, after dark and sweeping outward not inward), I noticed a slight movement near the doormat.  This was an indoor mat so I was curious as to what was creepy-crawling inside my house. Dropping to my knees, a spider stopped to say hello!  A cute, albeit large (for this type) jumping spider greeted me and convinced me to stop my cleaning.  My very own idea says to leave spiders in the house and never squish them!  There are only a few spiders that I will actually kill.  Brown recluses and those of the widows are on that list.  I deem all others as friends that keep the pests at bay.  With all of the folklore attached to brooms and sweeping, I had to giggle that a jumping spider may have just saved me from being cursed!

  As for the aforementioned admonishments...1.  I sweep any time dirt is on the floor.  2.  Strangers (and most others) are afraid to come to the Bayou after dark.  3.  Money is not of too much importance to me.  4.  Commonsense..Stepping over a fallen broom is asking for an accident...pick it up, for goodness sake!  5.  I am already married so right side up or upside down does not matter.  6.  Beating someone with a broom is never a good idea.  Just don't do it no matter how tempted you are!

  Now a bit of folklore about spiders!  If a spider is in your house, you should never, EVER kill it!  Spiders are associated with wealth and killing it will negate the promise of good fortune.  If it is an absolute must to kill the spider, then you must beg its forgiveness prior to smashing the critter.  So forget about smacking that spider with your broom!  In fact, NEVER sweep that spider out the front door after dark with a fallen broom that you have stepped over in the process of running away from said spider!  Leave it be as it may bring untold wealth!

The Kitchen Spider!

  Some folks have this phobia about spiders.   At one time, I did.  I was terrified of the critters.  To this day, I am not certain what frightened me so.  After being bitten by a black widow, a jumping spider, a writing spider, dozens of house spiders and twenty or thirty wolf spiders over the past twenty years or so, the fear has subsided into the realization that all of the aforementioned bites were my fault.  My hands, feet, legs and arms were all in the wrong place at the wrong time.  I was begging to be bitten, or so it seems.  Clumsy me!  I just seem to have a knack for grabbing spiders!

  This morning while I was scrubbing down the kitchen table, a small jumping spider eyed me curiously.  It was sitting next to a jar of olive oil about two feet from me when suddenly it darted out and....nope, not me this time...caught an ant!  A tiny ant was crawling on the back of a kitchen chair when the spider jumped from the counter onto the chair and back.  You go, Spider!!!  Suddenly, the spider was now my best friend!  Yep, if something wishes to live in my kitchen and eat critters, I am all for it!  (And I do realize a spider is a critter but, at least, it is not there to muss up the kitchen.)  

  The tiny jumping spider can jump up to fifty times its length!  It does this by using its segmented legs and regulating the blood (or the spider equivalent of blood) flow in its legs.  It usually does not use a web to capture its food.  The spider just pounces on it. (After all, it is not called a jumping spider for nothing.)  Also, like all spiders, the jumping spider does have venom and fangs but not strong enough venom to do much damage to big, ole humans!  No spider goes out of its way to bite us.  We just get in its way, threaten it or squeeze it.  

  So, that said, the little jumping spider can live in its corner of the kitchen behind the olive oil.  It can feast upon any critter it can overpower.  If it so wants, it can creepy crawl or bounce in the fruit bowl, behind the fridge, up the walls, on the ceiling, on the curtains or in the grocery cabinet. (It should steer clear of the stove, however!)  My new found friend is a kitchen spider and everyone needs one!