Too Much Fire Power

"Mom, have you seen the spiders in the tree by the side of the house?"  #2 Son came into the kitchen for a snack and a talk.

No, i hadn't, as i avoid that side of the house.  The outdoor covered porch over there is the teen boy "man cave - teen hangout", and it drips with testosterone, so i don't go over there.  All i do is call for a cup/plate/utensil round up once in a while, and demand a bag of trash be removed from the area at least once a week, so it doesn't build up.  Other than that, the men children have that area.

"There are huge spiders over there.  I think I should get rid of them."

How in the world, after reading Be Nice to Spiders to all of my kids and trying to raise them to be as much arachnophiles as me, did i end up with kids who go after the poor creatures?

Upon questioning the need for such savagery unless they were poisonous (that, to me, means only brown recluses, black widows, and brown widows), he said, "These are huge!  Even though they don't usually go after people, they can when they get this big, and if they do, it hurts and it turns the area where they inject the poison to jelly.  One friend of mine was in the hospital because of one.  I really think I should get rid of them."

Are they really that much of a danger to you?

"Mom, one of the webs one of them is making is hanging right over the path to out there.  It could easily drop on me, and I keep running into the web, too."

When asked how he planned to do it, he said, "Flame thrower, of course."

Son,  where will you get a flame thrower?

"I have my ways," he grinned.

Oh, i noted, hair spray and a lighter?

"Mom, really?  That is so lame.  A super soaker water gun with some gasoline in it and a lighter."

Son, you will set the house on fire!

"Mom, really?  I know what I'm doing.  That tree is green and won't burn just from one or two spurts from that, and I wouldn't have to do more than that to get the spiders gone."

Son, the wasp spray should do it, it's by the front door.

"Party pooper," he mumbled as he went for the wasp spray.

Maybe so, but at least i'm not going to have to explain to Sweetie why we are filing an insurance claim for pyromaniac son.


Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Indonesia (Hari Tentara Nasional)

Cohocton Fall Foliage Festival -- Cohocton, NY, US (with the world famous tree-sitting contest; through Sunday)

Columbus Day Festival and Hot Air Balloon Regatta -- Columbus, KS, US (through Sunday)

Come and Take It Festival -- Gonzales, TX, US (celebrating the cry of Texans fighting for independence when the Mexican military demanded a cannon be returned; through Sunday)

Constitution Day -- Vanuatu

Do Something Nice Day -- internet generated; make someone's day brighter, it will brighten your own

Festival of the Five Toes -- Fairy Calendar

Festival of Mania -- Ancient Roman Calendar (held to placate the Manes, on dates when it was believed the doors to the underworld were open and the dead were free to roam)

Hull Fair -- Hull, England (through the 13th, closed Sunday; a fair that dates back over 700 years)

Kentucky Apple Festival -- Paintsville, KY (apples, music, arts and crafts, antique cars, rides, food, and fun; through tomorrow)

Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest -- Kitchener and Waterloo, ON, Canada (through the 13th; second largest Oktoberfest in the world)

Long Walk Day -- David Kunst finished his walk around the world on this day in 1974; go for a long walk in his honor

Most Common Birthday -- US (yes, according to Anybirthday.com, on average, more people are born in the US on this day than any other; wonder if it has anything to do with today being 9 months after New Year's Eve?)

National Apple Betty Day

National Diversity Day -- US (vow tolerance, embrace how differences make the world a better place)

National Storytelling Festival -- Jonesborough, TN, US (a three-day celebration of storytellers, stories, and oral tradition from around the country and around the world, all in Tennessee's oldest town)

Noisy Munching Day -- a fun day for kids, or your own inner child; munch chips, celery, pickles, anything loud, to annoy others

Nubaigai -- Pagan Lithuanian Calendar (harvest festival; can't get independent confirmation that it's always on this day)

Ocean County Columbus Day Parade and Italian Festival -- Seaside Hgts., NJ, US (through Sunday)

Ozark Empire Fair -- Springfield, MO, US (largest agricultural trade show in the Ozarks, and a fun fair, too; through Sunday)

Republic Day -- Portugal

Rockport Seafair -- Rockport, TX, US (fresh-from-the-bay seafood, entertainment, crab races, and more; through Sunday)

Springs Folk Festival -- Springs, PA, US (Amish crafts and food at the height of fall foliage; through tomorrow)

St. Charles Scarecrow Festival -- St. Charles, IL, US (handcrafted scarecrows, music, entertainment, and more; through Sunday)

St. Placid's Day

Swappin' Meetin' -- Cumberland, KY, US (through tomorrow; celebrating the rich heritage of mountain people)

Tennessee Valley Old-Time Fiddlers Convention -- Athens, AL, US (200 contestants, 18 categories, all crammed into three music filled days; if you love old time fiddle music, this is the place for you)

Thesmophoria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (start of a 3 day women's festival of Demeter; date approximate)

Unicorn Questing Season begins -- as established by the late W. T. "Bill" Rabe, get your official license here (http://www.lssu.edu/banished/uh_license.php)

World Smile Day -- do one act of kindness, help one person smile, in honor of Harvey Ball, who created the Smiley face

World Teachers Day -- International


Birthdays Today:

Maya Ying Lin, 1959
Bernie Mac, 1957
Bob Geldof, 1954
Karen Allen, 1951
Glynis Johns, 1923
Donald Pleasence, 1919
Allen Ludden, 1917
Larry Fine, 1902
Chester A. Arthur, 1829
Denis Diderot, 1713
Jonathan Edwards, 1703


Today in History:

Founding of the city of Concepcion, Chile, 1550
The Gregorian calendar is introduced in Italy and other Catholic countries, 1582
March on Versailles by the women of Paris, 1789
Shawnee Chief Tecumseh killed in the battle of the Thames, 1813
Founding of the City of Anaheim, 1857
Destruction of most of Calcutta by cyclone, approximately 60,000 die, 1864
A strong hurricane devastates the Bay of Fundy region of Maritime Canada, 1869
Surrender of Chief Joseph, after the 1,700 mile retreat, marks the end of the Nez Pierce War, 1877
The first individual time trial for racing cyclists is held on a 50-mile course north of London, 1895
Sir Samuel Griffith is appointed the first Chief Justice of Australia and Sir Edmund Barton and Richard O'Connor are appointed as foundation justices, 1903
First appearance of the Little Orphan Annie comic strip in the NYC Daily News, 1924
Suffrage is extended to women in France, 1944
The 1948 Ashgabat earthquake kills 110,000, 1948
The first documented recovery meeting of Narcotics Anonymous is held,
1953Dr. No, the first in the James Bond film series, was released, 1962
The first episode of the famous comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus aired on BBC, 1969
Signature of the European Patent Convention, 1973
Raoul Wallenberg is made an honorary US citizen, 1981
Marc Garneau becomes the first Canadian in space, aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, 1984
The first official version of the Linux kernel, version 0.02, is released, 1991
The Bulldozer Revolution begins in Belgrade, eventually leading to the resignation of Slobodan Milosevic, 2000