Scott's Web
I finished reading Purple Fried Okra's recommended book, Prodigal Summer. It was a lot racier than I expected, but got me thinking about the whole predator/prey balance. Because of this book, I decided not to kill the lone spider that hangs out above Fat Larry's food bowl. The flung food attracts ants; ants attract spiders. This spider in particular scurries away when I approach to fill or remove Fat Larry's bowl, but creeps back out to watch over the feast. I'm thinking of naming the spider Scott; not every spider should be named Charlotte. I let some less-endearing spiders live outside, too. I swept up a pile of errant mulch and uncovered a swarm of ants and three scurrying spiders. Let them duke it out. My new book-inspired affinity for predatory spiders may have bitten me in the ankle, though, as I now have bites with considerable elevation about the foot and ankle. Pretty nasty, actually. I sprayed spider-killing fumes in the bedroom. My benevolence has limits.
Dinner last night: homemade ravioli with herbed goat cheese filling and tomato-thyme sauce; artichokes
Dinner tonight: crock-pot chicken and rice; buttered peas
Comments
The ravioli sounds like something I should try... tomato-thyme sauce sounds SOOOOO good right about.... now.
Posted by: Red Momo | September 13, 2006 11:23 AM
The tomato-thyme sauce was one of the fresh tomato sauces I made with the 25# box of canning tomatoes I bought at the farmer's market last month. I tried out different recipes and froze them for the winter. Of the four batches I made, only one is left... not going to last me through the winter.
Posted by: blue artichoke | September 13, 2006 02:26 PM
I have a hard time letting spiders live in my house. Too many of them look like the brown recluse, so they all get the tissue of death. The other day I spotted a huge black widow in my flowerbed, right by the front door. I went to step on it, but I missed and it scurried off into the bushes. I felt like she was after me for the rest of the day.
Posted by: Josh | September 24, 2006 10:20 PM
I discovered a smushed huge brown spider in front of the dryer in the basement. Even though his little corpse scares me every time I go in the basement, I'm leaving him there as an example to other spiders. Mess with us and get squashed!
Posted by: blue artichoke | September 25, 2006 11:35 AM