Hello, everybody!

Well, tomorrow is the big day, All Hallow's Eve, and I know that all are prepared for the big day, as I am.  Yeah, everybody will be going to school and to work all decked out in their Halloween finest.  I, for one, will be going as a black widow spider.  Nothing fancy.  Just a black leotard and tights and gloves and black ballet slippers with a red hour glass sewed on the front and four fake legs sewed on the sides.  My friend, Danny Mae, will be going as my cousin, the brown widow spider.  She will be wearing the exact same things, only they're brown, with white stripes, and an orange hour glass, just like the creepy original.  A fine choice of costume since I'm deathly afraid of spiders.

Since this is the season of the creepy, I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about the black widow's kin, who is a relative newcomer to the Southland.  Originally a native of Africa, the brown widow was first seen in this country in Florida in 1935, and, like a lot of those from the South, immigrated west to Torrance, California, in 2003.  Like her more notorious cousin, she prefers not to be seen by human eyes, choosing to spend her time in dark places like underneath patio furniture and inside barbecue pits, the lips of flower pots, and the underside of mailboxes (so be very careful when getting your mail!), and, like her cousin, she is venomous, and it's more potent than the black widow's, whose own venom already packs quite a pain-inducing wallop, but she is also more timid, and her bite seems to carry a smaller dose of venom.  However, it's a very good idea to avoid the both of them, if you can.  Since a lot of us are arachnophobic, we take this particular time of year to pay homage to the one thing that gives all of us the creeps.  Black widows, and tarantulas, grace all of our Halloween decorations. Looks like the brown widow will soon join them.

Well, that's all the time we have for this week.  Until next time, be well, stay well, and remember to help the disaster survivors!

Sincerely,




Marley Sue