I recommend looking in the mailbox before getting the mail. I didn't. This is what I saw - after - pulling out the mail. (What you can't see is the red hourglass on its underside)

If you are saying, "But she must like spiders, her name's Arachne after all," you're partially right. I have no problem with daddy-long-legs and little jumping spiders, but the poisonous ones freak me out. I guess I picked the name because it scared me.

I've gotta go wash my hands again. Can't get rid of that creepy feeling.

That would have most likely given me a heart attack.

I would have screamed so loud that all of Canada would have heard me. You know, if those kinds of spiders actually lived up here. Yet another reason to live in the great north. And in the penthouse suite. ;)

The college I work at was built on and around completely undeveloped land. We've been there 10 years and the area is growing but still come across Black Widows almost every week. (I'm grounds manager, 170 acres.) Some of the biggest I've ever seen.

Luckily they are pretty rare where I am (Seattle), got loads of other kinds around though.

I am lucky enough to live in one of the very rare areas of the United States that can consider both Black Widows and Brown Recluses native.

If any of you have EVER wondered why I am a crippling arachnophobe, this is one of (the many) reasons.

I would of screamed like a little 10 year old girl!!! :eek:

I would of screamed like a little 10 year old girl!!! :eek:

same! I would have ran away. F the mail.

I would of screamed like a little 10 year old girl!!! :eek:

Ditto!

The only black widows around here are in the Museum of Nature.

I don't see what the big deal is. Oh sure, it could have bitten you...but what if it was radioactive? Then it may have certain...benefits.

True, but with great power comes great responsibility.

True, but with great power comes great responsibility.

And Kirsten Dundst.

Wabo if we ever move we must not move where these things are or any other things that can kill me with a bite.... I have a habit of catching and playing with critters.....

Spider,

Send Hom out to go look in the handles of your recycling container; you will probably find another one or two widows. Just look for ugly random messes of webs and if you see pea-sized white or beige little balls (sometimes spikey) you will find them. Tallahassee is rife with them and about every other nasty crawling thing on the face of the earth, some humans included. Ain't it great living here? Howbeit as you are a short-timer; you dont count. :p

I am so glad I didn't know those things were there before I was stuck in Tallahassee for a month last year.

I wouldn't have gone outside at all.

Having lived here for 10yrs, I am hardly a short-timer :) Plus, my father grew up here. He had his own encounter with a black widow in the 60's. It's only the second BW i've ever seen here, although I have seen a couple brown recluses as well.

He was bitten on the hand while moving concrete blocks around. Nothing happened, so the doctor told him to "wait and see"... He went out on a date, but while driving to the movies his hand started to get stiff. By the time they arrived he couldn't let go of the steering wheel. His GF freaked and ran to the box office to call for help, but waited in line. Some passerbys saw him, noticed that he was by that time completely paralyzed, and called an ambulance from a pay phone. The hospital gave him alternating shots of adrenaline and a muscle relaxer for the rest of the night to keep his heart going and keep him out of shock. Needless to say, he dumped the GF and started wearing gloves.

Tallahassee isn't the best place if you don't like creepy crawlies: spiders, rattlesnakes, water moccasins, roaches, frogs, bats, etc. In my mind, the canopy roads and nice people make up for it. We don't have scorpions or anything that kills you in seconds.

By "short-timer" I was referring to your imminent departure to greener pastures in Kansas.

Trust me, I would not consider living in Tallahassee for a long term as any sort of boon; rather more of a purgatorial existence.

Having just recovered from an encounter with a Brown Recluse, I know what you aracnaphobes are talking about. I shall be a lot more carefull around here... and the house is getting fumigated next week. Luckily, my groundskeeper recognized what the bite was, and I went straight to ER for heavy doses of Keflex.. it worked and I didn't have to have any meat cut out of my leg, but it was a close run thing....

On a happier note, the parts for rebuilding my WoW box shipped today, I should be back in the game in a few days.
PS, we need a spell checker in the forums....<grin>

PS, we need a spell checker in the forums....<grin>

I nominate Stranger.

We don't have scorpions or anything that kills you in seconds.

Check that--we have scorpions too... I've seen a couple since I've been here.

As for killing you in seconds, we have Gators... and if you drive about 45 minutes south, we have sharks... hmm...

As for killing you in seconds, we have Gators... and if you drive about 45 minutes south, we have sharks... hmm...

And many many armed to the teeth rednecks...

And many many armed to the teeth rednecks...

Definitely the deadliest of all...

Wow Slow, good thing you took action fast. I've seen some horrific results of brown recluse bites.

Homreker, I've seen gators in the wild......very freaking scary.

BTW, I'm a redneck, armed to the teeth!!!

BTW, I'm a redneck, armed to the teeth!!!

Ahhh yes Amon, but species Redneckus Floridus will not touch a computer, let alone play WoW as it is the Devil's dominion. So you could not possibly be the Redneck in which I was documenting.

Homreker, I've seen gators in the wild......very freaking scary.


I've seen lots of gators in the "wild" growing up in Florida.

Including:
At the side of the road while driving Alligator Ally in South Florida.
In a canal about a block from my dad's house growing up.
In the pond next to the Benigan's restraunt by my mom's house.
And craziest of all:
In the hotel pool in Gainesville... I had a great view from my hotel room of the 10 footer swimming around and sunning itself poolside. This was different from when I saw the 5'4" 34C blond Gator sunning herself next to a different poolside in Gainesville... I also had a great view of this from my hotel room...
;)