Unwelcome night visitor
Posted by Ronna vonKnorring on Mar 22nd, 2007
Living in Costa Rica has provided me with multiple firsts in my life that I try to keep a record of, like the first time I rode a zip line through the forest canopy and my first visit to an indigenous village. I also keep track of when I ate new (and sometimes strange) foods and when I met new people from all parts of the world. I have seen many new sights and have had adventures never embarked upon while living in Kansas. Most of these firsts I'm thrilled that they happened to me. Some, however, I could have lived quite happily without the experience.
One such first I'd like to take back, was when I ate some cow-gut soup after a tico (local) convinced me how good it was for me. It might have been good FOR me but it wasn't good TO me.
Another not-so-favorite first happened just the other night.
Before we go to bed each evening in our second-floor bedroom, we have to complete several tasks downstairs. We turn off the computer, pull down our metal gates, put the dog in her crate, make sure all food is put away, dishes are cleaned, and all lights are out.
After having gone through our evening ritual one evening, I was upstairs relaxing in bed. While watching TV, the thought of a bowl of popcorn to munch on sounded really good. I grabbed a flashlight and headed downstairs to the darkened kitchen.
From the bottom of our staircase the nearest light switch is about 12 feet away. I HATE taking that journey in the dark since I never know what might cross my path. Without a flashlight I will normally LEAP across the room or STOMP to be sure to disable any unseen critter before it can get to me. No matter how I get there, jumping, stomping, with light or without ...I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, have on flip-flops. I do NOT walk barefoot in the dark. EVER. Step on a scorpion or in a pile of bat guano one time and you won't go barefoot either!
Side note: I was told to add that KEN never, ever, ever, puts anything on his feet when walking around in the house by day or by night. He has never stepped in or on anything "worse" then toad turds, and he described THAT as kind of a squishy warm feeling, between his toes and that it wasn't all that unpleasant. He's a braver soul than I.
Back to the story.
On this night I made it to the light switch, and just as the kitchen again was illuminated, something caught my attention. It was big, hairy, and not supposed to be IN MY HOUSE!
Our home is fairly "open" having three-quarter concrete walls, leaving the top fourth open to the outdoors. That top portion has only bamboo-covered rebar poles to keep out the largest of critters and thieving ticos. Many things can and have gotten into our home including mice, snakes, toads, birds, bats and recently, another first in my life ... POSSUM!
What caught my eye this dark night was not a furry mammal, rather a very large and very hairy TARANTULA on the wall. I aimed my flashlight on it and we both froze. I saw that from where it was, it could very easily move into an area behind my shelves where I would NOT be able to trap it! Keeping the light and my eyes directly on it I yelled upstairs to Ken through the ceiling above me.
"KKKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!" I screamed.
"WHHHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTTT?" He hollered back through the floorboards.
I replied loudly and clearly so he'd make no mistake, "There ... is ... a ... TARANTULA ... in ... the ... kitchen!!!! HURRY!!!"
I heard him mumble sarcastically through the floor, not knowing I could hear him, "Yeah, right. I'm sure it's NOT a tarantula." Then a little louder, so I could hear him ... "I'LL BE RIGHT THERE."
I listened as Ken made his way down the stairs and over to where I was locked onto the beast. When Ken's eyes adjusted to the lit kitchen he proclaimed, "Wow, I think that IS a tarantula." Why does he never believe me?
Ken made sure I knew that he didn't want me to kill it. He's much more tolerant with home invaders than I am, so I told him, "that's fine with me, just please get it out of the house!"
With a broom, he tried to get it to hop onto the brush end when it indeed crawled into the small, confined space between the shelves and the wall as I had predicted. Thinking quickly, I grabbed a nearby weenie-roasting stick and offered it to Ken. He looked at me, confused as to why I was handing him this apparatus, and said, "I don't want to roast it."
I explained how he could use the long thin stick to simply maneuver the creature back out to where we can see it again from its dark hole. Ken did as I had suggested, and the spider was back into view again.
We attempted again to give it a ride outside on the end of the broom, but it decided to try an escape onto the floor. I jumped around the room and onto the safety of a nearby barstool, not wanting any physical contact with it. Ken moved the broom to just the right place, and the tarantula climbed back on. Now I was worried it would scamper up the handle and right up Ken's arm. I told him to quickly take the broom and its passenger outdoors!
Just beyond the doorway of our home, the spider leaped off the broom and onto the ground. There it was nicely camouflaged against our graveled lawn so we didn't even see it at first. It was a VERY TENSE MOMENT, as I thought it could be nearing my feet to quickly crawl up my leg! Luckily, though Ken and I both have aging eyes, we soon spotted it. Still holding onto the broom, Ken used it to try to gently sweep the hairy beast further away from the house. This action caused the tarantula to rear back and strikes at the broom several times.
FIERCE!
In attack mode and seemingly wanting revenge, it climbed back onto the broom and was making its way up the source of its harassment.
Thinking quickly I told Ken to use a swooping motion and send it flying over the hedge that borders our property. I thought surely it would be happier in a nice place among the rocks than in our home. I know that I would be happier with that arrangement.
With the broom, Ken performed a nice arc toward the stars above, and we witnessed the eight-legged mini-monster do a lovely swan dive off the broom and into the night sky.
Once I have an encounter like this I am jumpy for several days and overly sensitive to strange sounds and movements in the shadows. It causes me to be even more anxious and antsy then usual and I've always been an anxious, antsy and somewhat excitable person by nature. So, I find myself often shrieking out about unknown things. This action causes Ken to rush to my rescue only to be told ... "oh, it was nothing" (but I sure THOUGHT it was for a moment). Hmmm ... maybe THIS is why Ken doesn't always believe me at first. Guess I need to add that to my "things I need to work on" list.
There is one good thing that came out of this horrifying wildlife encounter with the tarantula; it has become a helpful way to keep my weight down. No more snacks after dark for ME.
It's a Jungle Down Here!
at 2:37 p.m.
WOW! What an adventurous life you have!! Even though it sounds a bit scary at times it sure keeps your heart beating wildly!
at 6:28 p.m.
Since your big move has been from trailer park Kansas to third world country, I would think this would be a normal event for you.
at 3:47 p.m.
Hey Trixie! Back off of the "Trailer Park" Kansas stuff! I bet your from hmmm....Ghetto....??? Ronna, I can't imagine the pest control you use there. :)
rvonknorring
at 8 p.m.
Trixie, the encounters I have daily DO keep the blood pumping through my veins to be sure! The adventures just never seem to cease! Keeps things interesting though, so I'm not complaining...too much!
rvonknorring
at 8:10 p.m.
Frida, I was lucky enough to never have had an encounter with a tarantula while living anywhere in Kansas. I don't know how much you know about third world countries but it is nothing like Kansas, or anywhere else in the USA.
But it is certainly fun and exciting to see how others live and to be able to succeed at adapting my whole life to other's customs and lifestyles. I feel so blessed.
at 6:30 p.m.
Nice to meet you, Ronna! Your first post about your first trip was so touching. I know the feeling. I'm a Target girl myself. We're in Escazú, I'm a blogger at www.abroadincostarica.com. We have not been to your part of Costa Rica but planning to come May or June - can you recommend a place we can stay? Needs ac and a bed... Thank you! Is there a way to subscribe to your blog so I can get your new posts?