Black Widows

Thank you, Al Martinez, for your June 5 column on black widow spiders. I, too, live in a canyon, have for 37 years. I haven’t experienced a meeting with a black widow that I know of but, seemingly, every other spider known to man.

In a house with no screens and doors and windows open to the sun and the air (prior to the arrival of a daughter with her two cats), rats have lost their sense of menace. The occasional snakes and skunks, and the frequent howl of the coyotes that have dinner on outdoor pets, even the occasional torrent of rain that sends mud running down the street, are no deterrent.

The deer that visit the hillside across the road, the hummingbirds that we feed, the squirrels, the peace and serenity that surround us, the closeness of friendly neighbors--it’s all worth it. But I will watch for any black monsters.

NADINE LINDNER

Los Angeles