I’v read a number of articles and watched a few TV specials that documented horror stories and spider bites. It always seemed like the Brown Recluse always got it’s nose in there somewhere. When I lived in IL I did not pay that much attention to them, didn’t seem like they (spiders) were around that much or they were smaller than a dime. Yes I know about Black Widows but I didn’t see those hardly at all.
The articles and shows would comment where spiders like to hang out and shoes seemed to be one of there favorites. Every time I’d read about or see a show where someone was bitten I’d always think twice for a few days and then it would pass. Today that changed.
I keep some shoes in the garage basically if I know they are going to get messed up, you know for mowing and things. Last night I happened to leave my regular shoes in the garage and this morning when I put them on, without socks, my foot was not the only thing in the shoe.
Yes I had company… after pulling my foot out as fast as I could, a brown recluse came scampering out. I paused stunned for a moment trying to realize what could have happened, then squashed it to a pancake. Wow that was close. I don’t mind spiders but if it has the potential to put me in a coma …well I can do without that.
MedlinePlus notes good information about a brown recluse bite. I was lucky and didn’t get a scratch. But from now on a shoe won’t go on the foot without a thorough shaking. I can get lucky once, there doesn’t need to be a second time.
