The Front Porch Spider and Her Kid

I was coming in from getting the mail when I noticed that Sue had left up a portion of last year’s Halloween decorations; which ticked me off on two counts. First of all; I like Halloween, but don’t go in much for all the decorations. Secondly; I was mad at myself for not having noticed sooner than 10 months, making us look like the hillbillies of the block. Hell, why not leave the Christmas lights up this year? Then it moved.

Looking at the thing more closely revealed a real spider web; perfect in construction; with a long thick and curly strand running through it from top to bottom. And, to my surprise, in the center there was a baby spider; or spiderette as I suppose you’d call it; and it was hanging out with Mom and doing what baby spiders do best, which is very unclear to me.

At any rate, this discovery poses an ethical question for me; what do I do about this behemoth of an eight legged, land locked octopus and her kid? One quick swipe with a broom and they’d be gone, but what for? They don’t pose any danger to me, and I don’t have a fear of them unless it’s in a plane which suddenly becomes filled with them crawling out of every crevice. They made a movie like that; I didn't see it.

Well, I suppose for now I’ll just keep my eye on the situation. Who knows, she may just decide to hang around until Halloween when she’ll be in style. It's one less window to decorate...

Now, here's the Rolling Stones  performing "The Spider and the Fly" in the studio. Best version ever.

Cold Blooded Encounters - Monroe, N.C.

Sue and I went to the Reptile Zoo yesterday; it’s located in Monroe, North Carolina, which is about 45 minutes from our home in Concord. Admission is $6 dollars, and you really do get your money’s worth out of the visit. These two friendly lizards are a good example of the activity displayed by many of the reptiles. Of course, some were docile and immobile; as is their nature; while others were quite excited to have visitors.

This corn snake was very active; I even took some video of him as he slithered quickly about his cage. Sue and I had a couple of these fine reptiles in a house we lived in a few years back. We buried them by the footers to root out a nest of mites that were driving us mad. They are harmless to humans, but deadly to rodents and small insects.

An abundance of turtles rounded out the visit, along with a variety of spiders, frogs and toads. All of the reptiles were kept in natural settings, with appropriate lighting and well cared for. The exhibit is small, housed in a unit of a strip mall. With time, this museum will grow larger and become a major attraction. The love and care of the owner for his hobby definitely makes this museum a delightful experience. The contact info is located on the business card below.Be sure to visit the web site at coldbloodedencounters.com for more information on this unusual and educational exhibit.