Do Not Inivte a Hobo To Breakfast

The kids have today off school, we are all hanging out, it's cozy inside and the first rainy day in awhile outside. I've defrosted blueberry pancakes (extras from last weekend's cooking) and made cheesey scrambled eggies, fresh mug of coffee. Everyone sits down to eat....mmmm.... I pop the rubber band off the newspaper and screeeeeaaaaaaaammmmm. Eeeeah! A large male hobo spider has been dumped out from the rolled paper and is standing on the table. Huge and harry and poisonous. I am a total spider wimp. I vacuum him up, and have to scream some more because he's running his large body across my dining room table as I chase with running vacuum. Do not invite a hobo to breakfast.

Still shaking I sit down and try to find that inner bliss I was enjoying moments before, only to find the paper is missing the comics section. Reading about Palin is also not a nice accompaniment to my breakfast........


FYI if you life in HObo country, this is what the male looks like. The female has larger abdomen. If she's got stripy legs, then she's a "false hobo" like the large girl I host in my art studio. She's got a lovely big web and I enjoy her company as long as she stays put near the far window.

This time of year, male hobo spiders are coming inside looking for females. See those big black things in front? Fangs? Nope. Genitalia. They make funnel webs, don't see well and have to attack prey to eat, so......... yuck. OK. Just yuck. See? I've lost my ability to be rational and scientific. They are huge and hairy and gross me out. The bite is bad. I hear.

Ok, deep breathing.

I DO NOT ADVOCATE THE KILLING of non poisonous spiders. I carry them outside nicely in a jar. I love spiders really just not anywhere near me. I appreciate them. They have an important job to do. Nuff said.