Spider Season

We're having a particularly dry and cold winter here in Marin this year. It's cold enough that I expect to see snow flurries every now and then. But, as I said, it's also dry.

One of the best parts of a cold winter - and yes, I'm fully aware there are much colder places, but this is not one of them - is that the spiders hide away. I like being relaxed and knowing a spider is not going to jump out at me at anytime. I can let my guard down at this time of year.

Except that I've seen three spiders in the last two-days. My husband and I were in bed either about to sleep or having just woken up and I saw a spider dangling inches from his head. Inches! What was that critter thinking it was going to do? (Besides getting smashed as soon as I saw it and panicked.)

Then, I was wrapping presents on the floor of my bedroom and I saw another spider hanging out on the floorboard, trying to invisible, I'm sure. I almost let that one be, except I thought it might take advantage of me and grow large and startling.

Last night, I was printing some stuff and I was looking at the blank paper when I saw a spider crawl towards me. Just then, the printer sucked up another page and the spider got sucked in along with it. I didn't see it again.

Does this mean we've begun Spider Season? I hope not, but all signs point in that direction.