Friday Feast Number One Hundred Seventy Five

Appetizer
What is your middle name? Would you change any of your names if you could? If so, what would you like to be called?

My official middle name is Marie. My father and his entire family say Maria. Actually, I like both names and I wouldn't change them. My Spanish teacher would always, always call me by my first, middle and last name because they rhyme. It was mortifying in high school, but funny today.

Soup
If you were a fashion designer, which fabrics, colors, and styles would you probably use the most?

Well, thank goodness that is NOT my profession, because people would get bored very quickly! I love black pants. I love black shirts. I love shirts that do not reflect or outline post baby anything. It's pretty sad that that is really all I care about fashion-wise. Wait-I do love comfy black shoes (like Born and Clarks) AND I would love to make a bra that actually fits-no slippy straps that is really pretty (probably black) but comfy like a sports bra.

Salad
What is your least favorite chore, and why?

Taking out the garbage. I also hate pulling it in through the RV gate, which is impossible to open and close. (hint, hint)

Main Course
What is something that really frightens you, and can you trace it back to an event in your life?

Oh yes. I have an unhealthy and paranoid fear of spiders. When I was young, maybe 7 or 8-I don't recall; my mom was taking me to church. She went out to start the car and so I decided to grab a banana before I walked outside. As I was doing that, I felt something itchy on my head, so I scratched quick and looked for the banana. As I was reaching for the banana, I saw, walking down my forehead, enormous hairy legs. I screamed horrendously and since I had a purse in my hand, started beating myself with the purse. This gargantuan-sized spider dropped off of my head and scurried off. My mom came running in, thinking that someone was in the house hurting me-she could hear me from the car and I told her it was a spider. She was not amused and turned to leave. I wanted her to find and kill the spider and she looked half-heartedly and walked back to the car.

After returning from church, I refused to go into the house until she looked for the spider. I am fairly certain she did NOT seriously look for the spider. She made me go inside, where I remained glued to her side for the afternoon, which also didn't impress her. Finally, I had to pee, so I went into the bathroom and, lo and behold.....the spider is lurking behind the door, tucked by the bathtub. Again, I became screaming and my mother came in and saw the spider. She looked at me and said, "That is one huge spider." I have no idea how she got rid of the spider, but she did. I couldn't watch, it was one of those gigantic wolf spiders.

Ever since then and probably before then, I cannot deal with spiders. It borders on the ridiculous. In fact, this summer, I was working for a woman and her family for a music festival and staying at her home for a few days. I was working on the floor on my laptop, when a huge spider walked across the wall. I leaped up, threw the laptop across the computer and went to find her. I said, "There's a really big spider in the room." She laughed and said, "Yeah, was it a tarantula?" Seriously, I was visibly shaking when she said that. She was folding laundry and she said, "Oh, we get spiders all the time. " Kept folding laundry. Not the appropriately concerned response I was seeking. So, I said again, "There is a really huge spider in that room and I am not going to sleep. If it is a tarantula, I am leaving." So, she said, "You are afraid of spiders? Really?" I got the spiel on how spiders are good for eating other bugs and so on. By this time, I was next to tears and I really could care less about their importance to anything. She then went in with a broom and looked for it. She found it behind the dresser and lost him. So, she turned to go and said, " That is a big spider! Well, we'll find him in the morning." I told her that I would not sleep in that room. She got blankets and a pillow and I slept on the couch, with a headlamp on so I could look for that spider and I did NOT sleep at all that night. She said the next morning, "Well, you know, this is spider country up here." Nothing scares me more than that. I left the next day.

Also, my husband pretended to kill spiders and bugs for awhile, when he really couldn't find where they disappeared to. It is probably much easier to just kill the stupid spider than deal with me.

Dessert
Where are you sitting right now? Name 3 things you can see at this moment.

I am sitting in the living room, in my baby glider/rocker with my feet up on the footstool. I see my crochet tote, which I am certain is gathering dust. I see my boys bookcase filled with great books, which makes me very happy. I see Ian's shoe that Connor was wearing around the house tonight.