creepy crawly

Oooo, little spider. You creep me out. But dang, aren’t you beautiful?

While the milk barn was getting its daily scrub-down yesterday, this spider meowed and stuck out one of its eight legs to say, “Hello, I’m …

Okay,  it didn’t really meow. With eye-like markings and “ears” that protrude from its back, it’s aptly named a “cat-faced spider.”  (That reminds me of a Cher quote. Someone once asked her about cosmetic surgery. She replied, “If I want to put boobs on my back, I will.”)

Okay, “back” to our spider. It sure made a grand ma’am entrance into our routine lives.

Here’s another photo we took that says it all:

Is your heart racing yet? Relax, cat-faced spiders are harmless to humans.

 Of course, Ace and Louise freaked out a couple of our more delicate farmhands (clearly arachnophobic types with names like Carol and Sandi).

But a little farm mischief is a good thing because we’ve been putting in long hours the last couple of days. You’d think that after 11 years of magazine deadlines, we’d know to look at a calendar every now and then. So little time. So much ado about DO NOW. What’s a girl to do? 

Play with a spider. 

“You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what’s a life, anyway? We’re born, we live a little while, we die. A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”
E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web

  1. Terry Steinmetz says:

    Great pictures! And I bet it was LOTS of fun showing off the spider. The quote from Charlotte’s Web was perfect!

  2. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Wow, what a beautiful spider. I can certainly understand getting distracted by it for awhile. Charlotte’s Web is the sweetest book ever. I always cry when I read it! So truthful and honest.

  3. drMolly says:

    Wonderful pictures. Wonderful creatures! I actually love spiders – hey they eat flies don’t they? – and I love Charlotte’s Web – such a wonderful story. I love that quote!

  4. Shery says:

    I can’t say that I like spiders, but I *want* to like them…but the creepy factor gets hold of me. I do like having them around to eat other bothersome bugs. On the subject of bug eaters … I LOVELOVELOVE the photo you posted recently of that beautiful toad. TOADS I LOVE…and I get so tickled when I see one in my garden.

  5. Heather says:

    What a pretty girl. We work with catface spiders, but don’t usually hold them, they tend to be bitey. I’m impressed you’re just playing with her. Maybe we need to reconsider. We generally handle Nephila clavipes, the golden orb weaver. Despite their size, they are really timid ladies, and great with kids.

  6. Terciero says:

    Most people are totally disgusted by anything creepy and crawly (I hear ya!).  However there are a rare breed of weirdos (I say that lovingly, I promise!) who enjoy all things scary, slimy and squiggly.  And sour!  I could never get behind that kinda stuff.  Like those 90 s commercials advertising create-your-own-edible-slime for boys?  GROOOOOOSSSS.  Pass me my Barbie bubblegum maker, please thanks.

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