Yesterday a couple of
friends were coming for lunch and I was so well organized I hardly recognized
myself. All the food was ready in serving bowls, a fresh loaf of whole-wheat
sourdough on the cutting board, the table set, and butter softening in the butter
dish. Having a little extra time, I got out dessert plates and seldom-used cups
for tea to serve with carrot-zucchini cake.
Much to my surprise the cup
from farthest back in the cupboard was home to a fine specimen of brown recluse
spider. I recognized it immediately by the violin-shaped dark area behind its head.
The brown recluse spider’s
bite can cause necrosis – death of cells. My cousin Leslie was bitten by a
brown recluse a year or so ago. The bite caused necrosis in an area the size of
a hand and Leslie spent months in the care of a wound center. Not all brown recluse
bites have such drastic effects, though. Dennis was bitten about 40 years ago
and had just a small sore that healed but continued to itch for several years.
Most of us who live in
Kansas also live with brown recluse spiders, although we seldom see them. The
recluse is aptly named, because it hangs out in undisturbed places. That just
goes to show you how long it’s been since I used those coffee cups.
Copyright
2014 by Shirley Domer
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