Mr. Smiley Face

I don't kill spiders unless it's absolutely necessary for the safety of all humankind. I figure there's a reason that spiders exist and it's not for my slaying pleasure. Plus, I can't figure out how I have more of a right to this space than any other living creature. Okay, I do have my limits - mice, as cute as they are, are not welcome here. I CAN figure out why I have more of a right to this space than they do. Anyone and anything that eats holes in my walls and crawls into my food, leaving its pee and poop all over my stuff is out of here.

But this spider who has been building and rebuilding his intricate silken web right outside our screened-in porch... this spider that I can barely stand to look at... he has rights to that part of "my" territory as long as he stays in that part of "my" territory. I have decided that he is NOT a house spider (so I hope that his lifespan doesn't span into the winter when he'll want to find warmer climes).

Are you ready to see Mr. Smiley Face?



If you have arachnophobia, this is your chance to click over to a more palatable site.


Okay, I warned you!

You can probably click to embiggen, if you are so inclined.

I had to take his photo from inside the screen in order to be able to show you his smiling face. He's almost cute. I think, by the look on that face, that he likes it here. What do you think?