So I may have met the smartest spider alive today.
For the last four days, the weather down here has been simply smashing. And, with summer on it's way, with such fine weather, it's time to get started on my tan. Where best do this? At Peka Peka, the nude beach. Sure, the breeze is still a tad chilly, but once you get back in the dunes in a little sheltered nook, the breeze becomes a touch of refreshment while baking in that sun. So Alan and I went to the beach to get naked for a couple hours this afternoon.
Naked, which means we simply weren't wearing any clothes, as opposed to nekkid, where we're undressed and up to something. (Not that we haven't thought about such things, but, uh, while I may be the kind of girl people want visiting nude beaches, the dudes at this nude beach are predominantly gay, so it's not me they'd be wanting to see nekkid, y'know?) So, sitting on a blanket in the dunes, soaking up some sun, reading a novel... Mary Higgins Clark, "Where are you now" okay but nothing fancy... and this spider crawls on to the blanket.
It was only little, it's body was probably the size of a pea? But black and glossy and kinda creepy. And I couldn't help but remember Joe finding the Katipo spider one time we came up to grab some driftwood for firewood. For those of you who aren't native to New Zealand, the Katipo spider is New Zealand's most poisonous spider, and a relative of the Aussie Red Back/Black Widow. But where they are actually quite nasty and poisonous, the Katipo is like... the Diet Coke of poisonous spiders. Sure, the bite is nasty, but it won't kill you or nothing. But I'm pretty sure they're endangered or protected. So anyway, I can't quite see if this wee black spider is in fact a Katipo. All I know is the little bugger is crawling towards me.
Did I mention I was naked?
I had the book, though. And it wasn't a special book or a fancy book, so totally usable in spider killin' if it came to that. I killed a spider with my 3 ring binder once. I was like, 16, and it crawled out from under my step-dad's recliner, so I threw the binder at it from my recliner where I was doing my homework. I missed. The binder hit the ground about an inch or so in front of the spider, but the shock wave or the fright or something sent that spider into an immediate ball of death. So I wasn't unarmed as this spider approached me, just naked.
And then, when it was about a foot away from me, I yelled at the spider, "Stop crawling towards me!"
The spider stopped.
The spider turned to its left, crawled a couple inches, then turned left again. Then it headed back the way it came, off the blanket and into the grass. I didn't even have to brandish the book threateningly. Or squeal at Alan to save me. The spider simply did as I told it to.
Smartest spider ever.
Fin.
For the last four days, the weather down here has been simply smashing. And, with summer on it's way, with such fine weather, it's time to get started on my tan. Where best do this? At Peka Peka, the nude beach. Sure, the breeze is still a tad chilly, but once you get back in the dunes in a little sheltered nook, the breeze becomes a touch of refreshment while baking in that sun. So Alan and I went to the beach to get naked for a couple hours this afternoon.
Naked, which means we simply weren't wearing any clothes, as opposed to nekkid, where we're undressed and up to something. (Not that we haven't thought about such things, but, uh, while I may be the kind of girl people want visiting nude beaches, the dudes at this nude beach are predominantly gay, so it's not me they'd be wanting to see nekkid, y'know?) So, sitting on a blanket in the dunes, soaking up some sun, reading a novel... Mary Higgins Clark, "Where are you now" okay but nothing fancy... and this spider crawls on to the blanket.
It was only little, it's body was probably the size of a pea? But black and glossy and kinda creepy. And I couldn't help but remember Joe finding the Katipo spider one time we came up to grab some driftwood for firewood. For those of you who aren't native to New Zealand, the Katipo spider is New Zealand's most poisonous spider, and a relative of the Aussie Red Back/Black Widow. But where they are actually quite nasty and poisonous, the Katipo is like... the Diet Coke of poisonous spiders. Sure, the bite is nasty, but it won't kill you or nothing. But I'm pretty sure they're endangered or protected. So anyway, I can't quite see if this wee black spider is in fact a Katipo. All I know is the little bugger is crawling towards me.
Did I mention I was naked?
I had the book, though. And it wasn't a special book or a fancy book, so totally usable in spider killin' if it came to that. I killed a spider with my 3 ring binder once. I was like, 16, and it crawled out from under my step-dad's recliner, so I threw the binder at it from my recliner where I was doing my homework. I missed. The binder hit the ground about an inch or so in front of the spider, but the shock wave or the fright or something sent that spider into an immediate ball of death. So I wasn't unarmed as this spider approached me, just naked.
And then, when it was about a foot away from me, I yelled at the spider, "Stop crawling towards me!"
The spider stopped.
The spider turned to its left, crawled a couple inches, then turned left again. Then it headed back the way it came, off the blanket and into the grass. I didn't even have to brandish the book threateningly. Or squeal at Alan to save me. The spider simply did as I told it to.
Smartest spider ever.
Fin.
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