Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!

Anyone who knows me, or who reads my work, knows that I’m an animal lover.  That love does not include all living things, though--particularly not insects.

Maybe that’s why some random, unseen spider apparently decided to bite my arm the other day. 


Now, I didn’t feel it.  I didn’t see the culprit.  But I did see the results on my arm: a discolored, irregular patch that mysteriously appeared out of nowhere.


I’m not particularly a hypochondriac or worrywart when it comes to physical things, but the spot looked to me like it could be skin cancer.  I didn’t change that opinion even when I went online to check out what skin cancer can look like. 


Because of how it had appeared, I doubted it could be that serious, but even so I decided to act responsibly and safely, so I hied my way to my doctor.  He reassured me it wasn’t cancer and said that the most likely cause was a spider bite.


Ugh.


I haven’t seen any spiders, or even spider webs, in or around my home for ages.  Right now, though, I’m on alert. 


I’ve disliked insects of varying sorts for a long time--at least since the time in my childhood when my brother stepped on a bees’ nest and was covered by the dratted things.  Fortunately, he wasn’t allergic to their stings.  He was taken to the hospital, and so was I since a few of them reached me, too.  And so was our kind neighbor who knocked as many as he could off my brother. 


Since then, I’ve always attempted to just sweep insects that happen to find their way into our house outside--so I don’t have to deal with squashing, then removing, them.  I’ve had standing battles with fleas, who seem to love me even more than my dogs if they find a way into our house.

I tend not to write about insects of any sort, even when I’m deep into my stories involving dogs, cats, or even werewolves.  I’d rather not think about them.


But at the moment, it’s hard to think of anything but.


 Despite how much I don’t like insects, I have to say I’m amused by the TV ads about a bee who’s helping to advertise Honey Nut Cheerios--and apparently winds up in the office of an entomologist with mounted samples on her wall!


Do you like insects?  If so, why???

8 comments:

Michelle said...

I have a love/hate relationship with my husband's bees. If they're at their own end of the yard, doing their own thing, they're fine. When one is flying up my skirt (although that was apparently a yellowjacket, not a bee, which is why I got stung more than once) I hate everything with yellow stripes and wings!

I've got a love/hate relationship with the spiders, too. If they're outside, eating other bugs, I'm happy about them. If they're in the house and not obviously poisonous, I can deal.

Linda O. Johnston said...

Yikes! I don't envy you those stings, Michelle. Sounds as if you're much more tolerant of insects than I am. I know they have their place in life, but I'd much rather they leave me, and my family--including the dogs--alone while they do what they do!

Betty Hechtman said...

I have had a good feeling about spiders ever since reading Charlotte's Web. Sorry about your bite. It sounds nasty.

Monica Ferris said...

I love honey, though I have to be very sparing of indulging that love on my low-carb diet. I dislike flies and have two fly swatters in our small apartment. I have been kept awake many a summer night by the high-pitched whine of a mosquito, waiting for sudden silence to mean it has landed on me. Michelle, think what a hoot it would be to address a werewolf problem with fleas! Or mange!

Linda O. Johnston said...

That's true, Betty. I'll just think about Charlotte's Web and smile each time I glance at my bite!

Linda O. Johnston said...

My husband has a battery-operated insect swatter, Monica. It electrocutes them, which I'm not thrilled about but at least it stops them from buzzing or biting. Interesting thought about werewolves and fleas or mange!

Jane Emaus said...

I don't like spiders, but I'm not afraid of them. And I'd rather not kill them, if I don't have to.

Linda O. Johnston said...

Don't know that I'm afraid of spiders, Janie, but I don't like them. If they stay outside and leave me and my family alone, that's fine with me!