Apparently I'm the exterminator

Yesterday morning I saw a tarantula in the garage.

It's legs were moving vaguely and it seemed to be lying on its back.  Then it was still.  I took a picture to text to Emma.  (She hates spiders so of course that's what I did.)

I included my foot in the picture to provide scale.

She texted back, "Yeah, I saw that this morning when I left for work."

Was she tempted to move it?  Tell anyone?  Keep it from climbing into one of my shoes?  (My shoes live in the garage.)

I showed Braeden and he got a pained expression because it appeared dead.  (He will never not ever kill a bug.)

I showed Adam and he said, "Yeah, we need to get rid of that."

Then he got in his car and drove away.  He feels about spiders like Emma does.

I recognized that by we Adam meant me so I got a shovel.  I scooped up the little guy and carried it outside.  I didn't fling it on the hill which seems like the thing to do because I wanted to show Mark.  It's not every day of the week you get a tarantula around here.  I tilted the shovel into the dirt beyond the sidewalk.  The spider righted itself and then ran right at my feet.  Seriously. 

I was too surprised to do anything except beat a hasty retreat back into the garage.

I told Braeden and he said, "That's funny."

I said, "It wasn't funny.  It was coming at me.  Its teeth were bared."

"Teeth?" he asked skeptically.  Then he added, "Don't hurt it."

When Mark got home I said, "Guess what was in the garage today?"

He said, "The tarantula?  Yeah I saw it on my way to school this morning."

What it all comes down to is that I'm on my own when it comes to tarantulas.  If you hear a scream from the Pleasant Grove area, you'll know I slid my foot into my shoe and a tarantula was inside.

(I'm going to check my shoes from now on.)