Here's the thing. Your phobia is irrational, as are ALL phobias. You know that. I don't see how you can expect others to support you in your irrational fear of a harmless spider. Sympathize....absolutely! But to gather all others around you to enable you in this debilitating fear just isn't right. I'm a reformed (recovering?) arachnophobe, myself. Because my profession AND avocation keeps me outside most of the time, I had to get over it, you might say. I had moved to the south, where you can't even image the numbers, kinds, and sizes of the spiders. I simply educated myself out of my fear. The more you know about the 'enemy' the less you will fear it. Losing the fear was like an enormous weight being lifted from my shoulders. Anyway...my story isn't going to help you. You could completely give up the outdoor activities that might bring you into range of one of these spiders. You could force your husband to go out into the garden areas and around the house with a broom a few times a day to do a 'sweep'. Certainly he can do that prior to whenever you wish to step into the yard. Luckily (for the rest of us) there really are no chemical repellents for spiders. No one is going to recommend chemical pesticides....though there might be some spider killer on the market. It hurts me to think about it. The ironic thing is that the beautiful Black and Yellow Argiope is one of the most benign of all spiders. They won't attack you. They won't jump out and surprise you. They never leave their web in order to get a closer look at you. They are one of the most predictable spiders around, and once you understand and believe that....you could make yourself become comfortable with them. Have you researched desensitization techniques on the internet? For the most part, phobias are one of the easiest of mental issues to overcome. We don't think so when in the clutches of a disabling fear, but it's true. Good luck with your problem. Let me know if I can help.

I too have a similar problem, but possibly a little more complicated. Rats can be heard knawing in the ceiling/floor between the first floor and basement. There is no obvious entry from outside, except for a dryer vent, which I covered with hardware cloth. The only visible sign of any activity occurred under a bathroom sink in the basement, where bags of bar soap were decimated. This cabinet is a good distance from where they can be heard, meaning they somehow have the run of the walls. I tried glue traps, and the ROUS proudly left a beautiful two footed print with tail, just to add fuel to the fire. It was definitely a Norway rat, huge, and unphased by my trap. I called two exterminators, one was a friend who said the drier vent was the only apparent access, the other said he couldn't do any thing that I couldn't do cheaper and offered no additional insight into possible entry points (didn't charge me either for 1.5 hours spent looking around). The friend put out some bait which lead me to believe we had won, when no more activity was heard for about six months or so, with a smell two weeks after, and finally, a swarm of flies, (no kidding) by the tens of thousands. I continue to feed them pb under the sink in spring traps that no matter how I arrange or set, they are always triggered and eaten. I now included additional poison under the sink, but it hasn't been touched, nor the spring traps since adding the poison station (I guess it is scarey and new). I still here them/it under my bed in the floor knawing most mornings, but I'm helpless to counterstrike. Except for perhaps unknown underground tunnels leading through the brick walls (not likely), neither I nor anyone else can find how access is gained. I was told that this type of rat wouldn't be able to gain access from the roof, hmmm? There would likely be other locations accessible throughout the house if this were the case, and there would be evidence. I have thought about loading a shotgun with squirrel or rabbit shot and firing off a few rounds into the ceiling from below when I here activity, but then the repair work would probably be as much as just tearing out the ceiling to investigate in the first place. I have never seen any evidence for rats, outside of the bathroom cabinet and constant knawing, but I am beyond aggregated and would appreciate any suggestions available. I'm leaning towards the earlier suggestion to just burn it down.

The plant you have is commonly called Lesser Celandine and the botanical name is Ranunculus ficaria. It has been sold for years as Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris) which it is NOT!! It has been placed on the Invasive Plant List of most states and is a tough plant to get rid of. My recommendation is to spray the plant as soon as it emerges (and usually before anything has, making this job easier) with Roundup at the recommended strength. The roots of this plant are like minature dalhias and each piece you break off makes a new plant so trying to dig it out only makes matters worse. They also spread rapidly via seed. Hope this helps some. Regards, Mark

If that is soilid walnut,it's something should never be disposed of but repourposed or reused for another century. Options you might consider. Not sanding or removing old finish when it become's scratched. Pour a tablespoon of Bioshield on surface then begin scrubing with eztra fine steel wool as if you were washing burnt on food from a baking pan. A slurry will form and you keep adding enough Bio to maintain a slurry. Do a section at a time,occasionally wiping slurry off with rags then moving to another section. When intire surface has been worked,it can be allowed to dry as usual or follow directions on Bio container for multiple wipe on coats. Benefits of this approach. Faster,easier and less cost(sandpaper) than the way done in past. A single section/spot can be done without doing intire top. Large section or intire top can be done in sessions over a few days. And drumroll please,the kids can help! That stain is a different matter. If you can live with a depression in wood where stain is now,try a cabinet scraper on one spot then decide if you want to do all spots. The stain might be paper thin or much deeper in places. If the top is easily removed,a cabinet shop can put it through their planer or belt sander to remove as much wood as necessary to flatten top and remove stain. There's risk here of making spots lighter in color that require a certain touch to restain to match surrounding wood. Lightly scrap oil off surface then use mineral sperits and/or lacquer thiner to take additional oil from wood. Research " Oxalic Acid" and it's use to remove rust stains. ,Now,Klem's advice for daily living. There have been a couple of blowhard liers roaming the country geting people in trouble with things ranging from raising kids to becoming wealthy and beyond. Their names are Tha Sa and I Herd. Beware anytime their names are mentioned in conjunction with advice. Their main M.O. is no specificf instructions on how to accomplish the feat suggested. Generally go's something like this,"I herd if you give kids a spoonful of drain cleaner every night,they do well in school next day". Or one of my faviorites, Tha Sa putting Pinto Beans up your nose improve's love life. Good luck andria and please come back to let us know if you find a suitable solution and share some of your own wisdom.