How to be motivated to re-arrange your furniture.

I arrange my bedroom probably once a year or whenever I move back home from someplace. I get bored, alright? So this June when I moved back from the Grand Canyon the room obviously needed a face lift. I was hesitant to put my bed against the window.. meaning, the headboard against the window. See, I live in the basement. I know that lots of creepy-crawly things make their home in my window well. But after reassuring myself that creepies can't crawl through glass, I made the move.
Well.
This was Tuesday morning: That, my friends, is a black widow. Click on the picture to see it in detail.. if you dare. I've never seen one until now, but let me tell you I knew right away that a spider that big with that much bulb was not a normal spider. I basically had a sleep over with the widow! Okay mom is probably right-- I am being dramatic. But hello! They kill people! And to make this even better, (or worse) my window was open.
Needless to say, a re-arrange was in order.
I also sprayed (or rather, had dad spray) the entire window well and surrounding area inside and out with bug killer and then proceeded to clean the whole window area (found some nasty webs too) and securely closed it (never to be opened again- fresh air is overrated) and you'll notice my bed is not against the window.


And for learnings sake:

Black Widow FAQ's
Courtesy of http://cecalaveras.ucdavis.edu/bwidow.htm

How do black widow spiders get their name? Females black widow spiders are shiny black when full grown. Since the females commonly eat their mate after mating (as do many other spiders) they often are widows.

What do the eggs of widow spiders look like? Eggs of widow spiders are laid in an egg sack, attached to the web of the mother. The sack is pear shaped, and creamy yellow, light gray, or light brown in color. About 200 eggs may be laid in an egg sack and females may produce several egg sacks if conditions are favorable.

Where do you find black widows? Widow spiders prefer to nest near the ground, in dark, undisturbed areas. Nest sites often are near holes produced by small animals, or around construction openings and wood piles. Low shrubs also are common sites for widows to occur. Indoors, widows similarly occur in dark, undisturbed sites such as behind furniture or under desks. Undisturbed basement areas and crawl spaces of homes are also used by nesting widow spiders.

When do bites occur? Widow spiders are not aggressive and bites can be infrequent even when large numbers occur. The adult female spiders usually remain in their webs unless forced by adverse temperatures or destruction of their web. They do not forage for food and the insects they eat are caught in the webs and eaten at the site. Human bites mostly occur as the spider defends her web if it is brushed against or accidentally pinched. Occasionally, bites occur from hungry widow spiders when a hand or foot is dangled in front of the nest. Before indoor plumbing, bites were fairly frequent in outhouses, particularly on male genitals.

What are the symptoms of poisoning by widow spiders? Widow spiders inject a toxin that affects the nervous system (neurotoxin). Muscle and chest pain or tightness are some of the most common reactions to the widow toxin. The pain also may spread to the abdomen, producing cramping and nausea. Other general symptoms include: restlessness, anxiety, breathing and speech difficulty, and sweating. Swelling may be noticed in extremities and eyelids but rarely at the bite site. Often there is a general sense of discomfort shortly after the bite, and acute symptoms increase in severity during the firs day after a bite. Symptoms usually decline after two to three days but some mild symptoms may continue for several weeks after recovery.