Funky Bugs: Tarantula Edition
Here's is another installment of the surprisingly popular Funky Bug Series! Check out the others here: Funky Bugs, Funky Bugs on the Road, and Funky Bugs: Car Trouble.
Funky Bugs: Tarantula Edition
My friend, Lindsay, recently moved to the Dominican Republic with her husband and children. Certainly, they have had some challenges in adjusting to a new culture, climate and way of life. Last week, she caught my attention on her Facebook status when she wrote, "Well, I just killed my first tarantula in the kitchen. That's right, inside our house. I need a sedative." I don’t know about you, but that takes the Funky Bug experience to a whole new level and definitely trumps any of my funky bug stories.
Lindsey’s status received 29 responses that day. Including:
“That would do me in and I’d move back.”
“You’re one brave woman!”
“How do you kill a tarantula?” “
"Did you use a gun?”
“I wonder what your new Dominican Republic neighbors thought?”
“Did it snap, crackle and pop?"
“OK, where do I send the valium?”
Seriously, can you imagine being in your kitchen making some mac and cheese for the kids, humming a Christmas tune when all of a sudden you see out of the corner of your eye a BIG HAIRY TARANTULA! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Lindsey responded to her Facebook friends with, “I am not so brave, I was screaming at the top of my lungs hitting it with a broom, and I didn't go back into the kitchen until my husband got home an hour later. Don't know if it snapped, crackled or popped, couldn't hear it over my screaming!”
A few things I learned that day. First, I now know that I will never move to a foreign land. I mean, I have my funky bug situation pretty much under control and don’t want to take on five pound spiders that can jump! Secondly, some people have tarantulas as pets?! Um, no way. Third, Lindsey is the true heroine and poster goddess of the Funky Bug Club. I salute her!
For those that are interested, I found a Web page on Tarantula facts. Now I half expected to find out that they weren't nearly as scary as I thought, but the facts I found weren't all that comforting! Warning: there is a picture of a big hairy spider at this link: http://courses.ttu.edu/thomas/classpet/1999/tarantula/facts.htm As you'll notice, I conveniently skipped including a real picture on my post, because I don't think I could take typing while it was sitting there staring at me!
