life, thoughts

Miss Muffet

Lori

Little_Miss_Muffet_1940_poster (762x800)A friend of mine suggested a good Halloween costume for me this year would have been Little Miss Muffet.

She’s right. If I had a costume party to attend, I would’ve dressed as her.

Why Little Miss Muffet?

It seems the Universe has decided it’s time to make me face my fear of spiders. I’ve been battling them since we moved back north from Florida.

I don’t know if it’s just this house we’re renting, or if this is normal. One of my husband’s coworkers said he read an article about how the spiders have been much more populated this year than most. Not sure where he read it, but maybe that’s the reason.

There isn’t a place in our townhouse rental that I haven’t found one. From the tip-top of the eighteen-foot cathedral ceilings, to inside my dog’s bowl, to each bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room and den.

Once I sat down on the sofa and one literally strung down beside me, hanging there near my head. Worse yet, one crawled across my face, yes my FACE in the middle of the night and woke me.

I searched the internet for cures to be rid of these supernatural invaders. I found several, but the two I found consistently were to use eucalyptus or peppermint oil in water and spray around. I did this too. It seemed to work at first, but then those alien intruders must’ve adapted like the damn Borg (from Star Trek).

When the weather started cooling, I still found them every other day, which was a bit better than three or four a day. Even now, after we’ve had a foot of snow, I still find one or two a week. If there was ever a reason to be thankful for cold weather, it’s to kill the spider Borg. But, why won’t they stop popping up altogether?

On Halloween, spiders are used for haunted houses and scary decorations, so I must not be the only one who feels this way. It’s just that most handle their creepiness much better than I.

I don’t believe in the tactic of facing one’s fear to make it go away. It does, however, make me more prepared, as I carry a spray bottle with peppermint oil around my house.

I’m going to switch gears here and end this post with something completely off the topic.

With all the serious issues going on in the world, and the shadow of a possible WWIII, it feels trivial to post the drafts from my queue. On the other hand, sometimes it’s nice to read for an escape from the seriousness. I’m torn as to whether or not to continue posting. So, I’m going to play it by ear and see how I feel on post days. Maybe I’ll repeat a holiday recipe or two.

Has the Universe ever forced you to face a fear? Do you think that facing a fear works to be rid it? Do you like to escape from tensions into lighter reading material?

 

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Published by Lori

Observer, thinker, learner, analyzer, and author. Love dogs. Enjoy cooking, laughing and spiritual centering.

26 thoughts on “Miss Muffet”

  1. You’re lucky you don’t have pine spiders down your way. *grin* I’ll never forget finding one as big as a golf ball under our couch…where my hand dangled when pregnant with Baby #2. Yikes!

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  2. We’re so bombarded with bad news, I have to remember to consciously avoid news sometimes. So I definitely welcome some light reading, something to remind me that life can be normal and simple sometimes.

    I hate spiders too. Even though I think it’s normal for spiders to become more visible indoors when the weather gets colder, it sure sounds like you’ve got an overabundance. Would an exterminator help?

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    1. Hi Tee. You know, I wrote this post after the Paris attacks and two days before San Bernadino. It seems there’s always something, and it drags me down from wanting to write nonrelated things on the blog. But, I have some already drafted material to use.

      Exterminators were a necessity in Florida, because roaches were common there. In Florida they told me that the sprays don’t work as well on spiders. They have to be sprayed directly, which I’ve done a lot of when I see them. There are fewer now, but still finding at least one a week.

      Hope you are doing well and having a nice weekend.

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  3. I consider spiders as friends. I even save them when I see them inside (I pick them up in a tissue and put them outside). No fear here! Worms, however, UGH! Major phobia! In this moist climate, we have HUGE slugs that populate the sidewalks. They are terrifying–some are as big as cigars! I am careful not to step on them for fear of feeling and hearing them squish. ACK!

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    1. We used to have slugs come in our screened porch in Florida. We called them slimers, cause they left a slimy trail. All bugs give me the creeps, but I have no fear of any like I do of spiders. Eeek! Thanks for sharing your phobia on this “phobia page,” Lorna. 😀

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  4. Agree on the roaches, because even though some spiders are poisonous and I’m not fond of them, roaches in the south are a nightmare. Good to hear that at least you don’t have to deal with the latter as much up north.

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    1. I’m super glad to be rid of roaches up here, Joy. But, I didn’t think I’d be dealing with my most dreaded nemesis instead. Ack! Thanks for reading about my arachanophobe problem. 😛

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  5. Oh that is not fun. My mom screams whenever she sees a spider. I don’t like crawly things, but I am more afraid of bees because an allergy runs in the family. I was once trapped on a bus with one in Austria. It was a scary experience.

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    1. Ha, I’m like you’re mom. I screamed every time I saw one of those spiders in our house. Oh no, I certainly wouldn’t want to be trapped with a bee, that’s for sure. I hope you got out without a sting. Thanks for sharing, K.

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  6. I’m ok with spiders… who know their place and are well behaved! But if we had that many spiders I’d be calling in the pest guy. Maybe check with the real estate agent when the house was last treated, or if it’s ever been.
    I think there’s a place for everything, we need light & hope as well.

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    1. Hi EllaDee. The landlord who is renting us this house had the home renovated just before we moved in. I think he may have stirred up a “hornets nest,” or in this case, spiders webs. The problem with the pest-guy is that their bug spray doesn’t get rid of spiders. I learned this in Florida, since there are tons of pesky critters there. The exterminator there said that spiders are resistant to their sprays unless sprayed directly. So, I also keep regular bug spray around, and I’ve shot them directly before too. And, our landlord is pretty bad. He won’t fix anything. He wouldn’t fix our broken a/c over the summer. He’s really a piece of work.

      Thanks for your input. I do like going deep into human behavior, but also trying to have fun with it as well. Blessings to you, D.

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        1. Our Florida pest-guy told us that bugs walk into their spray and then lick themselves, and that’s what kills them. According to him, spiders don’t lick themselves, and the spray won’t kill them if they just walk into it. At least that was his take. Who knows, but we did try spraying with store bought pest control sprays and it didn’t work. 😛

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  7. Ugh. That’s miserable. Maybe you could call an exterminator? I’m sure that’s not cheap though.

    I always enjoy a lighter read from time to time. We need that or else our hearts grow too heavy.

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    1. Hi Carrie. We did spray the house with regular bug spray, too. The problem with any kind of bug spray, even the exterminator kind, is that it doesn’t keep away spiders. They have to be sprayed directly.

      I appreciate that you like a lighter read once in a while. Sometimes I dive into the psychology of human behavior, but not the seriousness of what’s happening around the world. I feel tensions building and it’s difficult to write carefree stuff. But, since I have several in my queue, I can continue to post them.

      Thank you for your welcome input. Blessings to you, my friend.

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  8. I’ve heard that putting horse chestnuts near the places spiders might come in keeps them away, but I’d have a hard time finding a chestnut in these parts and especially this time of year (unless I use the expensive edible ones). I’d say you’ve already “faced” your spider! Good luck with the rest of them. I think I’d be resorting to something like Raid, even though I generally try to avoid poisons. And please, don’t stop posting because of the world situation. This is a time when, more than ever, we need to continue doing what makes us happy. And reading your posts makes me happy.

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    1. Hi Anneli. Thanks for the tip on chestnuts. I have also used regular bug spray, but it doesn’t work to keep them away, only if you spray them directly (which I’ve also done).

      Thank you so much for your kind words about my posts. Sometimes I touch on touchy subjects, but I don’t dive too deep. I do like to go deep into the psychology of the mind on occasion, but that’s fascinating, at least to me.

      I’m grateful that you enjoy reading here. Blessings to you.

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        1. Opinions hurt people sometimes even when they aren’t meant to, so it can be a risky business. On the other hand, we should be free to speak our truths, but I should keep with the theme of this blog regardless. 😉

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    1. Oh boy, Jill, roaches were common in Florida. Thankfully, they are NOT common here in the north. Thank you for validating that being forced to face a fear doesn’t get one over it. I can understand your fear of escalators in that I’m afraid of elevators due to claustrophobia. Guess many of us have something that tweaks our fear button.

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