Wacky Weather in WNY-and spider frenzy...

I'm afraid I might be dreaming that I'm back home in NWA.  Because it's only March 21st, and the weather we are having is definitely very abnormal for WNY.  I mean, two days in a row it's been either 80 or almost 80.  That's 30-40 degrees ABOVE NORMAL!  Not to mention the fact that we got nearly zilch in the snow department.  I mean, seriously, if you want there to be less snow where you live, than spend a ton of money on cross country snow skis, and have Santa and a few other relatives get your kids some really cool sleds and "voila," no snow.

Ok, no snow is pushing it, but seriously, only 30 inches here?  And it's not like it snowed 5-10 inches at a time like it has the last two winters we've been here, no, it was more like, 2 inches here, 2 inches there... I didn't even have to shovel but maybe once?  Ricky might have used the snow blower once? 

So now it's 80 degrees and last night I pulled the picnic table out of the shed and we had dinner on the patio.  It was simply gorgeous.   Just crystal clear blue skies...

But I'm feeling rather ominous right now.  I don't even know if a person can feel ominous, but I do.  It's a gut feeling.  Something unsettling.  As I swat at a mosquito in my office while I type this...  Lake Erie never froze this year, which I'm pretty sure has either NEVER happened before, or only happened one other time.  We've had ridiculously warm weather the past 2-3 weeks (heck, the entire winter was strangely warm for WNY), so I'm kind of concerned.

I've lived in the center of the earth, I mean, the hottest place on the planet, ok, I'm exaggerating, but Little Rock, Arkansas is pretty darn hot and humid and we were there for some of the warmest summers on record.  It was gross.  Even going to the pool made me sweat and I stayed in our apartment with my dog while we perspired(cause girls don't sweat) with the air conditioning...

Bugs are nasty in places that don't have good, solid winters. 

I'm afraid the bugs are going to be bad this year.  I've already seen some mosquitos, bees, wasps, and my most frightening creature-spiders... blehhhhh.  I have to tell you a secret-I hate spiders and have lived in fear of them for most of my life until we moved up here.  You see, they don't have gigantic spiders up here...  AT ALL.  I mean seriously.  I lived in 4 houses and one apartment.  My house up here?  I have NEVER seen one giant spider YET.  It's been pure bliss.  Let me tell you.  My sister will tell you that neither one of us can handle dealing with spiders...my skin hurts just talking about it.  We have shared many horror stories concerning our "run ins" with spiders.  Like the time in the woods when she heard the spiders legs creaking?  Scarred me for life.  I'll have to post a picture of some of the spiders we have found in and around my many houses.  I promise, the pictures might have come from the Internet, but it's only because it really didn't cross my mind to tell the spider to "hold still while I grab my camera."

wood spider - found in my house

black widow-found under crawl space and outside my house

very bad-brown recluse.  Found in my girlfriends coat closet.  They like dark, damp, cool places like attics, linen closets, coats... blehhhh...

Baby tarantula-yes, my hubby could tell you stories of watching the adult versions crossing the road during mating season.  He was afraid to run over them with the car because they were so large.

OK, this is creepy-I SWEAR this exact spider was on my back porch in NWA.  It's called a Carolina Wolf Spider-but he was in Northwest Arkansas.  I promise.

Wolf spider-yea, not my hand. Found outside my house.











See why I'm glad I moved up north???