I possess a little spirit of vengeance » « Pray for the Preznit

It’s going to be a good day, I hope

I am no longer quarantined, so I have big plans for today.

  • I fed all the adult spiders yesterday. They missed me, I could tell, and were pleased to see dinner.
  • I’m going into the lab this morning to feed all the hundreds of babies. I’m more worried about them; the gap in their feeding schedule is more likely to have consequences on their rate of growth.
  • More egg sacs hatched while I was away! I have to sort out more spiderlings.
  • More egg sacs were made! It seems to be a common response at a certain age to start desperately producing a new generation.
  • I’m going to get a flu shot. Vaccines are good.
  • Late this afternoon, Mary and I are driving to Eau Claire, Wisconsin where my daughter and her family have moved. A 4-hour drive is manageable, and probably worth it to see our granddaughter (our grandson is 21 hours away, not a casual drive). I’ll be coming back on Sunday, but once again, my wife is leaving me for a few weeks because I guess she prefers Iliana’s company.

That’s it! That’s my day! Spiders and grandchildren, always a good plan.

I possess a little spirit of vengeance » « Pray for the Preznit

Comments

  1. garnetstar says

    How nice your daughter is closer now! But I remember that at the beginning of lockdown they were in Colorado, so they must have moved during the pandemic with a young child! Wow, that’s quite an accomplishment. I’d rather burn everything I own that move it, and while restrictions are on and with a baby has got to be difficult. Glad they got it done.

  2. davidc1 says

    Spiders and Grandchildren ,spiders and grandchildren ,interesting in what order you listed them .
    Very ,very interesting .

  3. Akira MacKenzie says

    I’m having a not-bad start to my day as well.

    Dad is going to be out of the house for most of the weekend, so that’s a lot of stress off my shoulders.

    I figured out why some models were failing to print on my resin printer. Evidently, the creator didn’t properly “finish” the files before posting them. I just needed to run them through another program to “fix” them.

    I’m my off time, I’ve been cleaning up my basement work area and I’ve made significant headway the last couple of days. By the end of the week, it should be habitable.

  4. PaulBC says

    It’s another day of crappy air quality in the Bay Area. I suppose I should be happy not to live anywhere that is really on fire. Still kind of wondering when that’s going to end.

  5. Dr. Pablito says

    Glad PZ is out of quarantine and feeling better from whatever it was.
    @4, PaulBC: when the Skywater returns.

  6. says

    To add a bit of Schadenfreude to your good day*: the First Cheeto has tested +ve to COVID and Biden -ve!
     

    Conflicted whether this is really to be enjoyed or not. I mean he was asking for it, but…..

  7. mcfrank0 says

    PZ: a quick question — have the spiders learned/been conditioned to recognize you a food source? Or are they just as shy when the immense lumbering giant opens their habitats?

  8. davidc1 says

    First spider ,
    “Christ on a bike ,it’s that bearded hippie again”
    Second spider
    Bugger ,wots he want now ,more bloody flies i bet ”
    First spider
    “Bloody hell ,doesn’t he know we are all vegan ?
    Why doesn’t he surprise us with a nice fruit plater now and again?”

  9. beholder says

    I have gained a greater appreciation of spiders because of your advocacy for them on this blog; at the very least, I notice them all around me far more often.

    Hope you have fun visiting family, PZ. You’re fortunate to have some of them so close by.

  13. PaulBC says

    @11

    Sometimes, they cannibalize conspecifics, especially during the dry season.

    “You said you were a vegetarian!”
    “Sorry, it’s the dry season.”

  14. Pierce R. Butler says

    … once again, my wife is leaving me …

    Damnit, the last time she did that the whole country closed down.

  17. davidc1 says

    @15 Read the whole article ,and didn’t flinch once .
    ” Males are smaller than the females. They reach adulthood when 8 to 12 years old, when they mate. The males will usually die within a year of adulthood and shortly after mating; females can live up to 25 years, according to SaveNature.org.”
    That seems a bit rough on the males .

    I visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in August 2012 ,in the entrance a woman had a tarantula in a Tupperware container .
    Managed to summon up enough courage to take some photos of it .
    Another visitor told the woman that they find dead spiders in their swimming pool .