[thechat] my entry for 'Scar Like a Pirate' Day

[Joel D Canfield]

> is there any way to avoid brown recluse spider bites?  they seem like 
> such an innocuous-looking spider...

don't let them crawl on you

honestly, if you keep shrubbery and debris to a minimum, and don't do
jungle-yard cleanup for a living, your chances of being bitten are
pretty small. my friend who was bitten was wading into grass and
shrubbery 10 feet tall with a machete in the early stages of some
cleanup. he should have been wearing protective gear, but that's not his
style (thus the dangerous and possibly life-threatening incident.)

I lived in SoCal on and off for 30 years, where they're fairly common,
and have only known two people who ever got bit, both in fairly
avoidable circumstances.

joel