Web of Superstition

There is a rather strange tradition in our family concerning wolf spiders and money. This peculiar tradition began several years ago when I found a wolf spider in the porch room as I was leaving one day to check the mail. I decided not to kill the spider for two reasons. I happened to be in a laid back, environmentally friendly mood that morning, and decided that rather than kill the spider I would capture him and put him outside unharmed. He could eat the bugs in my herb garden, thus cutting down my use of pesticides. I also decided that since this spider was as large as it was, perhaps half the size of a tarantula, I didn't want to clean up the mess that it would leave if I splatted it. After carefully capturing the spider and gently tossing him into my herb garden I left. When I collected the mail at the post office I discovered an unexpected check. On the way home I pondered any possible connection between that wolf spider incident and this little bit of good fortune. About halfway home I remembered reading somewhere that some cultures consider spiders omens of good fortune and money.

The next wolf spider I found in house was the size of a tarantula. I sure as heck didn't want to clean up the spider splat this guy would leave so once again I carefully caught him and released him unharmed back to the wild. I have to admit that even though I chided myself for being superstitious I did wonder what kind of good fortune a spider this big would bring. For the next week we seemed to have uncommonly good luck. Larry won on a couple of football pools and we won a little money playing the lottery. At this point I declared a new rule in the Deck household. The rule stated that there would be no killing of wolf spiders. Any wolf spider found in the house was to be carefully caught and released outside.

At one point our luck was so rotten that I decided that even the wolf spiders had deserted us. But then Larry found one in the bathroom. He was intent on killing it but I talked him out of it, and he caught the spider and tossed him outside. The next morning he won a gift certificate at a safety meeting. Then a couple of days later he won a little money on a football pool. Say what you like, but the rule about not killing wolf spiders is once more in full force at the Deck household.

Now we are wondering how big of spider we need to find before we hit all six numbers on the lotto. Larry says it will probably have to be as big as the house for that. I think one the size of big dog ought to do it though. Of course capturing one that big might be a bit of a problem. I've made up my mind though. And laugh all you want, but if I find a really big wolf spider in the house I am catching it and releasing it unharmed. I don't care if I have to use a lion cage to trap it.