The sights and sounds of my birthday included (please note that this list can be sung to the tune of the 12 Days of Christmas if you try): Phone calls from loved ones - Korean food for lunch - "Happy Birthday" on the saxophone - a 2 1/2 pound flourless chocolate cake - gifts from friends - and a homemade spider rifle!!!
But the highlight of the day was the spider rifle. Daniel had been quite excited about the gift he and Dale had been making for me out in the garage. They brought it in - wrapped in the traditional birthday wrapping - the afghan named "The Wobie." I unwrapped it carefully and could not have guessed the useful treasure that lay within. In the attached picture you can
see me holding my very own handy, dandy, spider removal tool. Should I see a spider on the wall or even on the ceiling, I need only to raise the barrel of the spider rifle and pull the trigger. It instantly sucks the offending arachnid into a waiting cup at the bottom of the handle. I can then remove the cup and dispose of the spider humanely outside or less humanely in the toilet! How great is that?!?!? And really, how many other women got such a gift from their sons recently??? I love my creative family, and I thank them for the creative gift!Speaking of creativity, my other birthday gifts included a set of very nice colored pencils from my good friend Lisa and a book called Creative License from Dale and Cheyenne. Somehow the universe is trying to tell me I must reach in and find the creative soul within. Maybe by this time next year, I'll be drawing my blog -----Stay Tuned!
4 comments:
How does the spider rifle work? I mean, how does it suck spiders in (using canned air, it seems)? But an even bigger puzzler for me, how do you get the spider back out? And how much counseling would a spider need after enduring this experience (assuming it survives). Remember, spiders are friends--as long as they stay outside and aren't black widows.
It's intended to be humane as it catches the spider in a aerated cup at the end of the handle. In our one experience so far, we found that the landing must be a little rough 'cause the spider didn't do so well! As for the suction, the canned air is forced down the handle at a high enough speed that it creates suction down the barrel. The spider is pulled through the barrel, down the handle into the cup. Then you pull the cup off and dump the spider outside (or in the toilet if the landing was too rough).
Yeah, I think the "humane" feature needs a little work. The "cup" bottom is drilled with dozens of small holes that allow air to pass through but keep bugs inside. It's a screen. However, as Cheryl mentioned, the first live spider we sucked up was slammed against the screen so hard by the compressed air that it was barely twitching when we dumped it into the flushable watery grave. I have an idea that might improve survivability, but what's the point? If we didn't have a spider rifle then I'd grab the little critter with a tissue and squish it between my fingers.
I think you should try out the video blogger feature and give everyone a demo of the spider-rifle.
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