A new spider species causes a national emergency for me

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merrymuhsman

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Spiders: the final enemy in my mailbox. These are the stories of a Nebraska farmwife terrified of spiders. Her mission is to avoid getting the mail until the second frost. Her mission is to avoid spiders at all cost, seek out new ways to avoid them and to boldly never open the mailbox until winter.

Spider date: 07.2025.1

My dear friend from Colorado heard of my plight with black jumping spider in the mailbox, and she sent me a photo of a new spider discovered in Mexico. Signed it, “I know how much you love spiders.”

We are no longer Facebook friends.

Close-up view of a large spider species discovered in Mexico, approximately the size of a softball.

Photo from the San Diego Natural History Museum) Continue reading about this super-sized spider: https://bit.ly/4nG9rnf

Since these spiders are in Mexico, I decided the best course of action is to light the places in Mexico the spider lives on fire.

However, that might be frowned up on by the Mexican government.

Instead, I could write a letter to our government’s national security and encourage them to burn everyone’s luggage that traveled to Mexico, any part of Mexico, because spiders travel. Even though they haven’t been seen in the US, it’s only a matter of time before some whacko brings it home as pet.

Because this is such a critical issue an email won’t do. I have to write a letter. Type a letter because my handwriting is shaky. This letter is so critical to the safety of the entire nation, and I don’t one any words to be misunderstood. Burn them all, but be clear and to the point.

I will type the letter, and then I’ll have to mail it. There’s a problem. I’d have to open the mailbox, and I’m not doing that. I could go to town and mail it, but it would have to be a town that no one knows me. I don’t want word getting out about my idea. I don’t want hate mail from the Spiders of America society.

Besides, I’m avoiding my local post office and the postmaster. I’m fairly confident that she’s not pleased at my lack of attention to the mailbox.

***

Letter mailed. The world can breathe a sigh of relief. Our government will take care of us.

I heard a locust this evening. Only 90 days until the first frost. The first death day for spiders.

Follow along for more Spider date entries!

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Hello,

I’m Merry

Born and raised in Nebraska, Merry Muhsman is a fantasy writer, a nonfiction writer, and a flash fiction writer. Merry lives on a farm with her husband and son, a dog and lots of cats.

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