Bottom Floor Dwellers

I helped out at the animal shelter's yard sale on Friday and Saturday. Lovely weather for the sale yesterday, but there was one grey cloud:

A boxed designer men's watch had been donated -- quite nice. We put it with a few other items that appeared to be worth something more than a buck or two. Do you know what happened? Someone attending the sale stole the darn thing. They did leave the box (I suppose strapping the watch and box on one's arm might be conspicuous).

Being a thief is bad enough, but you'd have to take the elevator a long way down to reach the level of someone who steals from a charity.

Thanks, I feel better now that I've gotten that off my chest.

Fledglings

Spring -- a good time to talk about those little feather dusters that you might see hopping around your yard. For the first few days after leaving the nest, fledglings are just learning to fly and may take their chances on the ground. If you're concerned the young bird might be in harm's way, place it in a shrub then leave it alone -- the parents are probably freaking out nearby. Check out this link for more information.

Meeko's a Couch Potato

My cat, Meeko, never really bothered with our old t.v. Every once in awhile, some movement on the screen might catch her eye, but she pretty much ignored it. That's all changed -- ever since we bought a plasma, Meeko's become addicted. I mean, we're wrestling her for the remote. She can become so wrapped up in a program, I'm almost afraid to change the channel. I feel guilty. Shouldn't I be encouraging her to go out and play ball hockey or something?

Spider Sense

Last summer, I noticed a very large spider lurking outside our house. Its tunnel-like web intrigued me, though not enough to make me get too close. I always checked for him whenever I went out to dump the compost because ... well, I always felt better if I knew where he was. You'll have to click on the photo in order to get a better view.

I looked online to see if I could find out what kind of spider he was, and found this:

The Funnel Web spider is a robust, hairy spider with long legs and a body length of 12 mm. It nests in the corner of garages, basements and other ground level areas. Its web is a flat funnel that leads to a short tunnel. It can deliver a painful bite but is not poisonous except to those who may be sensitive and are allergic to spider venom.

Spiders kind of freak me out. I don't mind them, as long as they stay away from me. One night in bed, I awoke when something tickled my lip. I thought it was my hair, so I brushed it away. Then I felt the tickle on my neck, and knew immediately that it wasn't just a stray strand of locks. I clutched the tickler in my fist, and threw it on the sheets. I fumbled for the switch on my bedside lamp, then frantically searched the bedding beside me. The spider's legs were all curled up, and it was now most definitely dead. I looked at the ceiling and walls for more of them, but realized that spiders don't hang out in herds, so I was probably safe.

Did you know that you'll eat about six spiders in your lifetime? For months after that night, I fell asleep with the corner of the pillow case over my mouth. I still get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it.