As the alpha male (well, only male, outside of the cat) in our household, it is my duty to kill spiders. This was made clear to me last night when Pepper Mill pointed out a very small spider on the ceiling, which she had watched as it crossed the ceiling to a spot almost directly overhead. I squished it with a tissue and disposed of the remains. It was so small that, if it had actually walked on her, she might not have noticed. But the thought of it dropping on her head was just too much.
I had to kill a spider in MilliCal’s bedroom last week.
I couldn’t help but think of those incidents when I saw this story today:
I can sympathize. I’ve never set my car on fire over them, but I did freak out when an itsy-bitsy spider was on the interior windshield of the rental car I was driving. My rider (a work colleague), finally had me pull over so she could deal with it. She still occassionally reminds me of it.
Spider by itself in a title would only send me scurrying (ha ha), but when you put flame, spider, fuel and fire together, I anticipate some spidey-fryin’ and come running. It really is all in the semantics.
That clarified, I heard this story on the news this morning and once again thanked God I’d been gifted with at least average intelligence, since I very much share this individual’s fear of spiders.
But the spider wasn’t the news. almost burning (fire) himself, the gas pump and his car is the news. People see spiders every day. They rarely light their car on fire to deal with it.
I’d like to think I am not so arachnophobic as to attempt to set one on fire at a gas station. However I almost drove my dad’s pickup into a ditch because a spider dropped down from the rear view mirror while I was driving and I pulled over to the side of the road and jumped out. I didn’t go into the ditch but I wouldn’t drive it again. He yelled at me for freaking out and almost ditching the truck but I told him it was his fault for having spiders in his vehicle.
I call BS on him being an actual arachnophobe because most of them would just have run away screaming at the sight of a spider and not taken the time to pull out a lighter or any sort of weapon (no matter how stupid). So I say he’s just an idiot.
A few months ago my wife and I where being giving a tour of our friends new house. Very nice place. We where chatting when she pointed and SCREEEEEMEED. It was a spider. She damn near gave me a heart attack. I was thinking axe murderer hiding in the closet.
As I have gotten older, I do have more of a fear of heights. Stuff with out a railing that is high enough to kill me. I don’t rock climb anymore. I’m not as sure footed as I used to be.
It really is all in the semantics.