September 1, 2008

Spider bites

Sundance had a large "mosquito" bite on his leg this week. I was somewhat alarmed because this very large "mosquito" bite created a very large welt that was red and hot. He insisted that it itched and hurt. I inspected the bite, hoping not to see a bulls eye pattern or the beginnings of flesh deterioration. However, if the words "spider" bite had escaped my lips, I am not sure if Sundance would ever go back outside. So, I monitored the bite, cleansed it and applied triple antibiotic like nobody's business. Thankfully, this insect bite is starting to clear up and no longer itches and hurts. Tim, our brother-in-law inspected the bite and declared it to probably be a hobo spider bite - noting that a black widow or recluse bite would be well on its way to putrescence. Ewe.
So, my next question was, where did the spider come from and are there more. So, a brilliant idea pops into my head on the way home from grandma's house. I told Sundance that he was bitten by a spider while he was either sleeping or playing. In order for spiders to not sleep with us in our beds, we need to make sure that our beds are made and free of wrinkles where the spiders can hide. Clothes also need to be put back in drawers, away from spiders so we don't end up wearing them. He listened closely and tonight he made sure there were no wrinkles in his bed.
I hope I did not scare him too much and I am looking forward to a more tidy room and made bed. This experience reminded me of something a sweet Taiwanese sister missionary told me when I first arrive to my apartment in Hawaii as a greenie. She told me to make sure that when I made my bed to tuck the sheets in all the way around. She said this way, the 7 inch long centipedes wouldn't crawl into bed with me. I always tucked...still do.