The itsy bitsy spider

Um, this spider wasn't so itsy bitsy.  In fact, the way I remember it now that I'm sitting in my safe, cozy house, it was the size of a small reptile!!  ICK! 

Let's back up a bit.  Last week while watering my strawberries who were flourishing in their little raised wooden bed, I saw what looked like a huge black claw sticking out of one corner of the bed where there was a little hole in the dirt.  The "claw" was tending to a dime size white sack to which I blasted with water and RAN! 

A few days later I went back to my strawberries thinking that spider must be long gone.  I stuck my hand in to admire a few berries that were just about ready to be plucked and about an inch away from my hand was a long string of web with about 50 tiny spiders on it.  Needless to say-I ran again.

Tonight was the icing on the cake.  While watering the rest of my plants I decide that I'll water my strawberries after abandoning them for almost a week, thinking that I could possibly flush away any of the smaller spiders, and there she was.  The mother of all spiders.



Yes!!  A black widow!!  OMG.  I may sound like a real "girl" right now but me and spiders are not friends.  In fact, I think she and I have a date with Raid tomorrow.  I've already said my goodbye's to the strawberries.  There's just no possible way my hand with ever go back into that bed again.   Bleh.