Creepy and Yet... Miraculous

Last week I stepped out the front door to clear away the spider webs for Rebecca before her journey to the bus stop (chivalry is not dead!). We have some massive shrubs that grow opposite our front steps, and the little buggers love to build these high tension lines from bush to railing. They faithfully appear each morning to try and keep her from her daily duty, but like Frodo and Sam armed with the fiery blade of Sting, we make our way through their silken cords! Ah Elbereth gilthoniel!

But one morning last week, there was a clear path. No webs. Hmmm, curious. What are they up to? So off she went to the bus and I headed out the back door to our car to make the scenic route through to Chester County and historic Malvern Prep. But lo! Stretching and glistening in the early morning light, covering half of the entrance to the garage and completely covering my access to the car door was a MASSIVE web. I'm talking Shelob web here. And perched right in the middle of the web, like a ruby set in stone, was Gigantor the Spider, Spawn of the Shadows, the Ungoliant of Backyard Undergrowth.

After I got over the initial shock and awe, I was mesmerized. I watched as she stepped out and continued spinning her dark dreams, but as I entered into the beauty of this little bugger I saw them now more as cords of light, intricate patterns that were like tiny geometric miracles, engineering enigmas! Wow. It was with mixed emotions that I axed the web with a newspaper. Hey, I gotta get to work here!

The next morning.... there she was again, with her cathedral of silken beauty, built in a day.

I thought of us, toiling and spinning our little dreams in our little lives. I don't know about you, but when the newspaper of life sweeps my plans away, I'm not always up and early the next morning working on a new project. So here's to spiders! To their enterprise, their industry, their perseverance. and their patience!

I wish I had half their guts.... or abdomens.... I guess...