Tarantula

So this morning I went out to the garage to throw an orange juice container in the recycle bin when I spied something out of the corner of my eye. Something big. Something brown and hairy and spider-like. I turned my head and found myself face to face with a tarantula! Ewwww!

We have had tarantulas in our yard before, but that was six years ago when we had just built our house. Six years of tarantula-free living had caused me to forget about them. Today brought me back to reality. Man, are they creepy!

I then did what any good parent would do and called my kids to come look and then took an obligatory picture so I could post it on Facebook. Then I formulated a plan to rid our garage of his presence.

First, I opened the garage door, grabbed a broom and swept him out to the driveway. Right away, Mr. Tarantula was not happy with me. He reared up and showed me his fangs, and I screamed like a preteen at a Justin Bieber concert. Next, I grabbed a shovel and after three failed attempts, I finally scooped him up. Quickly, I walked him over to the drainage ditch near the side of our house and dumped him in. He immediately skittered up the other side and then sat frozen by our neighbor's fence. 

Many have asked why I didn't kill him, and believe me I thought about it for a second, but I know he wasn't purposefully trying to harm us. Actually, tarantulas are really pretty docile and also helpful by eating pesky mosquitoes and other bugs. I am not saying I want one as a pet, but I don't want his guts all over my garage floor either. 

Just another exciting summer day at the Galloway house!