I was Attacked!

[Graehstone]

I wrote this a while ago when we were still living in our apartment of nine years and just wanted to share in the hopes that you too will be warned of the evil intentions of handrail spiders.

The wife is at work and I was doing the dishes as the last of the chores for the day with the birds all on their respective playgrounds being good when something caught my eye outside the window on the railing.
I paused mid swish while still holding the frying pan that still needed cleaning and squinted my eyes a little more to get a better look at what was crawling its way along the side of the railing then on top of the railing and then the bottom of the railing and … so I dropped my pan which promptly fell into the sink with all the icky dish water still in it making a big splash sending it all over my new t-shirt that I had put on clean this morning.
Ignoring all that and trying not to break my neck on the now slippery floor as I rushed to get my camera I hurried out the door in the hopes I could get a good shot of the little interloper that had caused such a stir in my household by simply flabbergasting me with his presence right outside my kitchen window.
I had seen this particular critter here before but was never fast enough, or fleet of foot for that matter, to get any good pictures. But this time, ahhh yes this time, this time I got the little sucker … and he almost got me back too, putting a serious dent in my perceived manliness and drastic lowering of testosterone as the fear response kicked in flooding my system with adrenaline and making me (almost) scream like a little girl.
I didn’t of course (honestly) I just … just … tripped, yes that’s it I tripped just at that moment.
Well anyhow here are some of the pictures of my visitor from outside my kitchen window.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/Graehstone/Graehstone/Spider/Spider0002.jpg
And here is his flashy tushy:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/Graehstone/Graehstone/Spider/Spider0006.jpg
So I have been trying to get a good picture of this fellow forever and now that I had him "cornered" so to speak I was going to take full advantage of the situation and take some close ups ... Big mistake.
Ok so here we go, Macro on ... all the right settings set to where they are suppossed to sit ... punchbowl full ... dance ticket... wait ... that's something else... Ok, anyhow ...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/Graehstone/Graehstone/Spider/Spider0009.jpg
See now that's not so bad ... just a tad closer and ...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/Graehstone/Graehstone/Spider/Spider0011.jpg

[Graehstone]

Getting a little interested in the goings on on the railing and wanting to check it out ...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/Graehstone/Graehstone/Spider/Spider0012.jpg
"Ok Buddy, too close, too close" I hear him think at me in a raspy little voice as those hairy little legs start to reach for me and I see fangs dripping with venom ready to tear my jugular right out and jump rope with it ...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/Graehstone/Graehstone/Spider/Spider0013.jpg

When right out of nowhere I hear that Tarzan yell in my head and the little bugger launches himself at me ... causing me to trip of course, because I wanted to get closer and there was this crack in the concrete ... anyhow.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/Graehstone/Graehstone/Spider/Spider0014.jpg
After regaining my composure a bit (and picking up the camera again) I looked to see where he might have landed so as not to step on him when there he was, right where I had left him staring me right in the eyes as if to say "I warned you buddy!"
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/Graehstone/Graehstone/Spider/Spider0017.jpg

I would have loved to stay and play some more but ... ah ... um, I still had the frying pan to clean. Sigh, a househusbands work is never done.

[LIBRA]

Oh wow I would have freaked out, im so scared of spiders. I just recently started "trying" go coexist with them, nothing like that hairy monster. AHHHH that makes my skin crawl.......heebeegeebees:efrog

great story though!!!!

What kind of monster is that anyway? Sweet close ups too, I would have never dared, I would have uhh tripped at first site!!!

I may just have nightmares tonight,lol

[Hippie Staff]

UGH!! That spider has too many eyes .


That macro setting makes him look like he was 5 feet wide. lol

[hedgewitch]

That's so cool!
He's a handsome fella.
Any idea what kind of arachnid he is - he looks like a he anyway but in all probability it could be a she.

I have a photo somewhere on my PC of a frequent visitor to my garden - I'll find it and post.

[hedgewitch]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y243/hedge666/Picture032.jpg

[LIBRA]

Whoa!!! Im pretty sure that if I saw a spider that big I may pass out on the spot!!!!! What kind of spider is that anyway??

Its HUGE, looks like a tree branch, is it a biter?? Ahhhhh!!!!

[Graehstone]

Absolutely gorgeous, lol ... Now That's a Spider! They are actually very beneficial to your household should you have them in your garden or even house as they eat the other icky critters.
But I think that I would prefer that particular one on the outside of my living spaces, lol.
:hippie:

[LIBRA]

Ive been trying to coexist with them for awhie now. I havent smooshed one in a long time. There was one on my kitchen window sill, she lived there a long time, I found her dead. And I was happy to say that it had nothing to do with me. I even left her webs alone and would watch her while I did dishes. I was sad to see her go. BUT the spiders you two have posted, now I dunno if I could hang with that,lol

[Hippie Staff]

Did you know that no matter where you are,there is at least one spider within an 8 foot radius (all directions) from you at all times.

I saw that on the Discovery channel. Sum'tin to think about isn't it..lol

[NCW_Woodnymph]

We had a pet spider for a while. My son named him Jumper after he endeared himself to us by catching one of the flys in mid air that plague our house during the summer. I don't mind spiders as long as I know they're not poisonous and I see them before I'm on top of them (or vice versa :)).

:hippie:

[oceanchild78307]

Back when I was in Jr. High my parents got a pet turantula (sp?) and kept it in mine and my sisters room. We had it for quite a while and then oneday when my dad opened the container to feed it the thing jumped from the back of the container completely out and was loose in my room. When my dad caught it he decided it belonged back outside where he had picked it up from

[hedgewitch]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y243/hedge666/tarantula.jpg


Yes that's a tarantula. Yes that's my boyfriend's hand. Yes he's a raving loony!

:D

[hedgewitch]

It seems spider's are determined to play an important role in my life. There are two of these in my garden facing each other. I have no idea what they are or if they can do any damage.


Belly view

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y243/hedge666/DSCF0014-4.jpg

Top view

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y243/hedge666/DSCF0016-3.jpg

[Graehstone]

It seems spider's are determined to play an important role in my life. There are two of these in my garden facing each other. I have no idea what they are or if they can do any damage.


It's an Orb Weaver Spider; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araneidae
:hippie:

[hedgewitch]

Nuhuh..it is officially a wasp spider

more images (http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=wasp+spider&gbv=2&ie=UTF-8&um=1&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=1&ct=title)

They can bite but they are not poisonous.
Reassuring to know?


The orb spider looks nice as well though - don't want him to feel left out!
Do they bite and do damage?

[LIBRA]

I will have to say no thank you to both of those HUGE scary ass spiders.

Spiders give me the willies.

[hedgewitch]

Spiders give me the willies.

Oh stop bragging!

;)

[SweetJaine]

I've been using Animal Medicine cards for awhile now...and I always love when I get Spider...her message is CREATE! :)

Grandmother Spider, it is told, wove all of Creation...

"In the beginning, there was the dark purple light at the dawn of being. Spider Woman spun a line to form the east, west, north, and south. Breath entered man at the time of the yellow light. At the time of the red light, man proudly faced his creator. Spider Woman used the clay of the earth, red, yellow, white, and black, to create people. To each she attached a thread of her web which came from the doorway at the top of her head. This thread was the gift of creative wisdom. Three times she sent a great flood to destroy those who had forgotten the gift of her thread. Those who remembered floated to the new world and climbed to safety through the Sipapu Pole the womb of Mother Earth."

A lovely myth, I think...it reminds me that everything in life is connected through the invisible bond of energy and spirit....and a spiders' body is in the shape of an "8" or the symbol for infinity....showing us the unlimited possibilities of our creative powers...and to be responsible for our own creations, whatever they may be....

[PEACE FROG]

I drank out of a cup and noticed it had a spider in it after I'd already drank...I'm waiting for super powers to come on line any time now.

[LIBRA]

Oh stop bragging!

;)


hey a girls gotta get her willies anyway she can LOL

SweetJaine, that myth is so beautiful!!! BUT if I were to stumble upon those huge spiders I would run fast scream like a lil girl and maybe pee my pants a lil, not real sure. I do try and coexist with them, I dont kill them. I even had one living on my kitchen windowsill, I let her stay there all winter, then she died now one of her kids lives there,lol tucked away behind some knick knacks and a rock.

Ed, you already have super powers silly. You are the super barefoot tile man!!! D

[SweetJaine]

BUT if I were to stumble upon those huge spiders I would run fast scream like a lil girl and maybe pee my pants a lil, not real sure

LOL I feel the same way about potato bugs...

BLECK

[Unkle_John]

I drank out of a cup and noticed it had a spider in it after I'd already drank...I'm waiting for super powers to come on line any time now.

There was an old barefoot who swallowed a spider,
That wriggled and jiggled and wiggled inside him.
He swallowed the spider to catch the fly.
But I dunno why he swallowed that fly -
Perhaps he'll die.

[forrest]

That's so cool!
He's a handsome fella.
Any idea what kind of arachnid he is - he looks like a he anyway but in all probability it could be a she.

I have a photo somewhere on my PC of a frequent visitor to my garden - I'll find it and post.

The female black widow kills the male after sex!

An escape mechanism used by the male involving possible spacial disorientation of the female in her web during courtship and mating is described.
http://www.jstor.org/pss/3705317