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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 2017)
Wednesday, November 29, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Tales from a Sisters Naturalist by Jim Anderson Spiders forever! Yes, I admit, I’ve done it to every one of my six chil- dren and 13 grandchildren: I’ve exposed them to the beauty and the role of spi- ders in our lives. It was so beautiful in my house when my kids were growing up. Never once did I hear a scream and the shrill cry of alarm, “It’s a spi- der!” Instead it was usually, “Hey Dad, here’s one I’ll bet you’ve never seen before.” I knew who the “one” was: an eight-legged mem- ber of the arachnid family. Then the fun would begin. “How many eyes does it have, and, male or female?” The answer would come back, “Looks like eight, yep, it’s a male, and it’s here on the seat of my bicycle… or, as the kids got older, “on the steering wheel of my car.” It was the same way with insects, birds, snakes and other animals we share this grand old earth with. When Sue and I were help- ing Rick and Connie Hewitt run the “Hummingbird Capital of the World,” The N a t u r e C o n s e r v a n c y ’s Ramsey Canyon Preserve in Southeast Arizona, it was the COLD LASER THERAPY Helps accelerate healing and eliminate pain. We welcome all patients, Workman’s comp., and auto accidents too. Three Sisters Chiropractic & Pain Management Dr. Inice Gough, DC, CCT, CCST 541.549.3583 same way with snakes and spiders. My oldest son, Dean was going to high school just down the canyon in the city of Sierra Vista and had a blast. His responsibility at the preserve was to keep all the hummingbird feed- ers full. On his route he’d often run into those huge orb web spiders’ webs between feeders and watch the BIG Sonoran wolf spiders scam- pering about under his feet. I always thought all those beautiful “Charlottes” were on speaking terms with the pig-like javelinas who occupied “Wilbur’s” niche. How lucky can you get! I just can’t imagine what Dean had to go through on his tour of duty when he and his F-16 were flying combat in Iraq; all that new wildlife! There’s a huge, platter- sized cousin of spiders living over there which is closely related to what people in Arizona know as the “Sun Spider,” which is actually a solpugid. It has eight legs, but no venom. However, in the Iraq countryside it’s an enormous, platter-sized solpugid the natives have named the “camel spider,” and believe you me, it’s a very cranky-looking beast. You, my wonderful read- ers, have never complained about the many pieces I’ve written in my column on the wonders of spiders, so imag- ine my wonder and delight last week when I walked into The Nugget office to resupply my butterscotch candy and pass the time of day with Teresa (who’s the keeper of the candy among other duties) and was greeted by Karen Keady who said, “Oh, Jim, I can’t thank you enough for the kind words you’ve shared with every- one about spiders.” Needless to say, I was glowing. It isn’t every day you have someone thank you for writing some- thing nice about spiders. My poor wife, Sue has been putting up with me and spiders for 40 years, and the only time she loses patience with me (about spiders at least) is when she catches me putting the bathtub spi- ders in the closet. “Outside!” she’ll shout, repeating, “not in the closet!” over and over. But in spite of her orders, I man- age to get many of them in the clothes closet to feed on clothes moths and other cotton-eaters. Now, here’s some news if you don’t want those Charlotte orb webs on your back porch or by the garage door. Personally, when I see the moths and flies trapped in orb webs and eaten by the Charlottes, I shout for joy! It will never be necessary to spread chemicals around if you have a Charlotte or two in your backyard. But if you’re feeding the numbers of nuthatches and chickadees — as I’m doing — there’s a good chance you won’t have any orb-weavers or sheet web spiders I once had. Watching those two bird species working the eaves and tiny crooks and crannies of my house really impresses me. They are working over those spider niches like nobody’s busi- ness, and I’m sure not a spi- der can survive such intense searches. And, speaking of birds TIME TO PUT ON WINTER TIRES Call and make your appointment now for NO-WAIT SERVICE 541-549-1026 DAVIS TIRE Serving Sisters Since 1962 188 W. Sisters Park Dr. In Sisters Industrial Park across from SnoCap Mini Storage 9 PHOTO BY SUE ANDERSON Grandsons Daxon and Graham, brainwashed by their grandfather to think of spiders as friends, not enemies. and spiders, Jess Draper at The Nugget has an 11-year- old daughter, Daisy, who is a Junior Naturalist of consid- erable skills. This is a note Jess sent me: “The other day, Daisy asked me to come get ‘Fred’ — one of the gigantic red- dish brown spiders that often show up in my basement — from her room because he’s is just too large for comfort. So I go get him in a con- tainer and set him on the kitchen table while we have breakfast. “Everybody has a good laugh over how big Fred is, and Daisy is talking about him like he’s an old pet. After we eat, Daisy takes the container out front and let Fred go in the grass… Immediately a bird swoops down and carries Fred off right in front of her. “Now she wants any future spiders released out- side after dark.” FINEFURNITURE SISTERS ES ABL GT 549-9388 IN DIN Adam Bronstein, Cra sman By Commission Caribbean Blue Apatite & Diamond 541-410-1309 SpringCreekWoodworking.com Enjoy the Holiday Season at THE GALLERY R E S TA U R A N T A N D B A R — Book Your — Holiday Party! Hope for a child. Change for a nation. $37 a month. All the difference in the world. Sponsor a child with a local organization at HopeAfricaKids.com Ad sponsored by The Nugget Newspaper. We book parties of p 6 to 60! Order off the menu Ord or check out our o buffet options at bu sisterssaloon.net/ sis catering 541-549-RIBS 541 5499 R I B S SistersSaloon.net 190 E. Cascade Ave. Atlas Cider on Tap SOUP OF THE DAY Nov. 29th - Dec. 5th Sat...............Chicken Tortellini Wed .......................Beef Barley Sun ................... Potato Cheese Thurs ........Split Pea with Ham Mon ............ Cream of Broccoli Fri Clam Chowder & Vegetable Tues ............... Jalapeño Potato Breakfast & lunch 6:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Full-service dining in the bar nightly until 10 p.m. (21 & over) 171 W. Cascade Ave., Sisters • 541-549-2631
