The Spider

My mother asked me to go outside to turn the filter on our swimming pool tonight. Grudgingly, I slipped on my tennis shoes and flipped on the porch light and went out to complete the chore. As I stepped outside, I first looked up to see that the dark sky held only clouds and one low flying helicopter instead of it's usual menagerie of stars. Sighing at the clouds that covered the moon, I bent to my task of turning on the filter.

After fulfilling my mission, I turned to go back into the house when I noticed a movement near the far post of our porch. Curious, I took my hand off the door knob and walked over to investigate.

There, suspended between the white post and the top edge of the roof, was a spider web and the largest garden spider I had seen in a long while. The arachnid seemed oblivious of me, and was in the process of placing the spiraling 'sticky' strands on its web. I stood there and marveled at the spider as it worked: there had to be at least twenty or thirty spirals in this already gaping web. Yet, its craftsman kept up a blistering pace as it 'tip toed' from each of the smooth anchor strands to lay more of the trap.

Intriged, I skipped inside and took a flashlight out to inspect more of this masterpeice. As soon as I shined my light upon the spider, however, I instantly regretted it as it retreated to the middle of the web. Apparently my 'backyard artist' was not willing to allow me to watch its handicraft anymore. Still, I studied the web for a few minutes longer.

I changed my position to look from the opposite side of the web, and view the underside of my spider. Its chelicera and spinnerets flickered in agitation, or so I suppose it was agitation, when my spotlight returned to it. Suddenly, a moth, attracted by my flashlight, flew into the web. In a flash, the spider was upon it and began to try to capture it. It was both strange and familiar to see the fluttering wings of the moth fighting against the long, thin appendages of the garden spider. Unfortunately for the spider, the moth broke free at the last possible moment and flew off. A meal would have to wait.

"Not tonight, my friend." I whispered to the spider and shut off my flashlight.
I took one last long look at the web and went back inside the house.



(This is a randmon note.... but... well... isn't it funny what God has us stop and look at? Such small things have such incredible thought put into them, do they not? Perhaps I am crazy (for I know I am insane..) but sometimes one thinks about things for the sake of admiring our creator's handiwork and how we fit into the scheme of things.)