hen Muhammad (SAAS) left Mecca for Medina, the heat was on him around town. His enemies had decided to kill him before he could spread Islam any further. On the night the hijra began, he gave Ali (RAAS) his cloak and told him to sleep underneath it in his bed so his enemies would think he was there. (Despite the inherent danger in slumbering in a wanted man's place, the faithful Ali apparently had no trouble catching some z's.) Meanwhile Muhammad fled with Abu Bakr to a cave outside of town.

His enemies figured out what was going on soon enough and were hot on the trail. But a spider had spun an intricate web across the entrance, so they passed on by, thinking no one could have been inside for years. For this and other reasons, we are a spider-friendly household.

It's a good thing, too, because the number and variety of spiders around here is astonishing. On the deck outside our bedroom, a huge web stretches from the railing to the roof, with a giant fat spider making himself at home. We don't plan on disturbing him.

The other night I was bitten as I slept three times on my head and neck. One of the bites swelled into a painful lump behind my ear. I'm hoping it will help innoculate me for the future, because with houses and nature, I think there should be some compromise.