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June 17th, 2004 - thursday

So I have this neighbor that lives next to my car. It's a very large Black Widow spider. The biggest I think I've ever seen. Every night, it comes out of its little corner and sets up shop just under a storage unit about 3 feet in front of my car. It's really a nice spot for a spider to make its home. Plenty of room, a light nearby that attracts a number of flies in the night, and the warmth of the parked car's engine nearby. When I first spotted the spider, I immediately thought to smash it, but seeing how fast it moved and how impressively large it was, I thought a better game plan was in order. It must have sensed my intent to smash it when I went up to my apartment, since after I returned with a large cardboard poster tube in hand, it was gone. Since then, I just decided to leave it be.

Every night, it would come out of the little corner at about sundown and set up shop in the middle of that space. I would watch for about a minute, wondering if I should just go ahead and crush it, but I always end up admiring it. Ever seen a Black Widow? Unlike many of its nasty little cousins, the Black Widow is an elegant creature. It's also fun to throw stuff into its web and watch as it carefully inspects the debris and tosses it out.

It's been nearly a month now, and the spider is enormous. It must be catching plenty of the fruitflies that hang out by the nearby avocado tree. So, I ask you guys, what do you think I should do? Should I leave it be to live its life or should I end it and sleep a little better? Of course, I might miss watching its progress as it grows and spawns a small army of poisonous spiders next to my car. I'm at a crossroads here. Should I smash it, spray it, or leave it be? Let me know what you think...

By the way, I can't get The Wrens or Iron and Wine out of my head. Their music's buried in there now. I love it.