New House Blog: Episode IIII - Water, Weeds, And Widows

Yes, I know that some people who read this will think me daft, or daffy, for using IIII instead of IV, but I learned long ago that IIII is a proper and valid notation for 4.  There are even some clocks and watches that use IIII instead of IV.

Enough of that - back to the House Blog.  Today we're going to talk about water, weeds, and widows - black widows, to be specific.  Some people may be grossed out already by the mere mention of black widows, and I fully understand that.  If you are one of those people, fear not, for the thrilling tale of my battle with a latrodectus mactans will be presented last, so you may read on in comfort, knowing that when you get to the title of the thrilling tale you can simply stop reading and do something else while you wait with eager anticipation for the next episode.  Onward!

Water

This section isn't really about water, per se; it's about hoses, but "hoses" doesn't start with W, and I wanted a W word, and hoses typically conduct water (which does start with W), so it all fits together and works out somehow.  We have two brand new, green hoses attached to our house's water supply - a 75-footer in front and a 100-footer in the back.  The packaging claims that they are "kink-free," but I discovered that these hoses do indeed kink up if not handled properly.  We also have a shiny new multi-function nozzle attached to each hose.  I had to add a rubber washer to the hose in back so that it would not leak.  Here are the pictures.

The back hose hookup.  Yes, we have two spigots in back.

Look at that nice coiling of the front hose.

The front hose hookup does appear to be a bit complicated, and we haven't figured out what all of the knobs and valves do, yet.
















Weeds

Well, not so much weeds, as weed-killing.  Our house has a lot of weeds, many of which are in places where we would prefer they not be.  To kill them with a minimum of labor we decided to use Roundup weed killer.  It looks good in the TV commercials, and it comes in a cool spray/pump thingy so that you can look like a professional when spraying it.  The pump works really well, and we've had some good results so far.  Below are a few before-and-after pictures.  Can you tell which is which?

Before

After

After

Before

Some of the people who read this will chide us for using Roundup on a plant that is not a weed, but we would remind those people that a weed is what you define it to be.  To us this plant is in the way and is a 
nuisance and is therefore a weed.  

























Widows

Warning: those who do not wish to read about black widows or ferocious battles with same should stop reading here and move on to more productive activities while awaiting the next exciting blog posting.

Warning #2: We did not get any pictures of any black widows.  We were more intent on killing them than on recording them for posterity.

Black widows.  The words alone can be enough to make one shudder and weep.  And it is understandable, as the lactrodectus mactans is one of the more venomous of spiders, and one of the few in North America that can bite a human and make him sick, or worse.  They are quite ugly and creepy, too, and they like to hide in dark, out-of-the-way places, such as wood piles or debris piles or garage corners.  It was in such a garage corner that we encountered the first 'widow.  She was sitting calmly in her web, unafraid to be seen in the open.  Possibly this was because the garage had been closed and deserted for so long before we bought the house and opened the garage door.  There we were, the three of us - Becky, me, and the spider.  I was armed with my trusty long-handled spade (known as a shovel to some of you) and I quickly dispatched the fiend.  But it was not yet over, for we spotted another of the foul beasts calmly sitting in her web along another wall.  She did not know what hit her, so swift was my blade.  There were no further sightings that day.  On the day that we discovered the recycling bin full of bricks (see this post for pictures and info) we encountered one more of the fiendish fouls and one probable foulish fiend (couldn't be 100% sure if one of them was a 'widow or just another spider).  Next to the immovable recycling bin we found the trash bin - covered in webs and looking like a good place for a spider ambush.  I was alone that day, but not alone, for I had with me my trusty RAID and Hotshot (anti-spider spray).  Carefully I opened the lid of the garbage container, I saw that it was full of yard trimmings and dirt, and I spotted the probable fiend.  Immediately, I went into action - first with the Hotshot, then (when it did not seem to affect the spider that much) with the RAID.  One less spider to deal with.  The next fiend came scurrying up to the top of the garbage container.  She spotted me and started to scurry away.  Once again my two friends went into action and once again the 'widow world was deprived of one of their own.  Spiders 0, Bish 4.  So far so good, but we had no idea of the terror that awaited us the next day.

Once again I was alone at the house, and I was starting to clear out the pile of debris we had found (again, see this post for info and pictures) - prime hiding spot for all kinds of creepy-crawly things and certainly home to some l. mactans.  The debris-clearing started out smoothly enough - some random pipes, some PVC, some small pieces of wood - and I was moving on to the deeper, more-embedded planks of wood.  Using my trusty long-spade I carefully started moving some of the planks from atop each other.  Suddenly there burst forth one of the fiendish ghouls and my spade went into action, but I could not be 100% sure of my victory.  The beast disappeared from view and I believe I impaled her, drove her body into the dirt, and clove her in two with my blade, but I didn't see the body.  After that I decided to unleash my two friends (remember RAID and Hotshot?) on the remaining debris (along with some Roundup to kill the overgrown weeds) and I called it a day.  I thought the danger had passed and that the fight was won, but I was wrong, dangerously wrong.

I entered the garage.  The garage door was open and the sunlight was nicely illuminating the scene.  As I was removing my work gloves to put them back on their shelf I felt something moving on my neck.  Instinctively I brushed at my neck with my right hand and what fell to the ground was the biggest, baddest black widow I have ever seen.  It must have been at least 3" across (including legs).  She landed on her feet, like a cat, and she was poised and ready for action.  Oh no!  My trusty blade was nowhere in sight!  I had left it on the back porch, as was my habit, and my two friends were already upon their shelf!  I had to think fast.  Down came my right foot, and in an instant the queen of the evil ones was nothing but a smear on the floor.  How had she gotten onto my neck?  We may never know.

The total, so far, is 4 confirmed and two probable.

You've been warned, spiders - no more Mr. Nice
  bIsh