EEK! I need to buy spider spray

This morning I stepped into the shower, all was well until mid shampoo when I noticed a spider. Not any old spider, a HUGE, fast moving spider on the ceiling.

I am fine, actually happy, in the operating room. Put me in a neurology case (looking into a patient’s skull), fine. Put me in a cardiothoracic case (looking into a patient’s cracked chest), fine. No, scratch fine. GREAT! Cause let’s be honest, there’s nothing as cool as anesthesia for cardiothoracic surgery. However, if you put me anywhere near a snake, spider, or anything else creepy and crawly I’m going to be petrified.

Under normal circumstances my husband would have been home and come running if I had screamed out. Unfortunately this morning he had to work for a few hours. I was alone, alone with a HUGE spider. I looked around the bathroom, wondering what I should do. There were no shoes, or better yet, spider spray. I looked out into the bedroom, nothing to use to protect myself, oh wait, the panic button. Fortunately good sense kicked in and I realized that hitting that button thus bringing the Garda (Irish police) to my house to kill a spider was probably not a good use of the system. I momentarily thought about running downstairs to grab the cats, but I was not about to take my eyes off of the HUGE spider, thus risking it would disappear, only to materialize later in my bed. Yikes, it had crawled down and was behind the toilet. I had to take care of this alone. A-ha, hairspray.

I sprayed and sprayed, then sprayed some more. I felt really bad as it curled up and began to die. I know spiders eat bugs and I know we are supposed to think of them as friendly, the good guys in the animal world, but I can’t. To me they are big, scary pests who are out to get me. The spider began to slow down. I felt terrible. Even though it was “just” a spider, it was God’s creature too. Then I thought back to how terrified I was, and the fact that the only critters who had been formally invited into our home were both four-legged, furry, and currently downstairs blissfully unaware of the horrific scene taking place in the bathroom.

Guinness and Bella, please attempt to be more cognizant of unwelcome pests in the house and take care of them before I happen to see them. To all spiders, please stay outside; your well-being, and mine, depend on it.