A Spider Wove
A marveling at her lessons
Hello all and sundry,
I am glad to see you here! And, that you are brave enough to come visit with a photo of a spider greeting you! I should have posted this nearer to Halloween, but just came across this one in a random file on a jump drive! I do love surprise finds!
The spider in these photos, the Argiope aurantia or Yellow Garden Spider, was one who was making home on our front porch this year. She was quite wonderful to watch! We let her hang out for as long as she needed. I was a whole lot disappointed when I came out one day and she was gone; I had plans to take better photos of her and her very large web, with this super cool zigzag zipping up the center. That will teach me to procrastinate!
The spider the poem was written about is the Araneus illaudatus or Texas Orb-weaver. Her webs were absolutely spectacular! That spider could weave a web! She was also making a home near a flood light at the edge of our front porch; I imagine the bug catching there was superb. I happened to, in my mind, create a connection with her as I would often sit out on the front porch in the evenings, with lights giving a spotlight to her stage and watch her tenaciously web weaving and wrapping up the, unfortunate for them, stuck prey. This was during my smoking days, so I was out there bonding with her every night, sometimes more than one visit. Stopped doing that in 2012, which was great for my health, yet not so great, as I no longer witness such miracles of nature, at least not the nighttime web weaving type of miracle. I, sadly, have not witnessed a Texas Orb-weaver around since.
Quite sweetly, I think my unlikely affinity for these crawly creatures is solely due to the love of Charlotte’s Web. Reading that book, as many times as I did as a kid, had me seeing these creepy arachnids in a much more appreciative, and loving, light.
Maybe perspective IS everything. Right?!
Thanks for coming and I do hope you enjoy the poem, and hopefully, you will now, if not already, gain a gracious reverence for them as well.
Many blessings and MUCH LOVE,
~Wendy 💜
Great video of a Texas Orb-Weaver!
Love that this video was made by Gourmet Pens…what writer doesn’t love PENS! Be sure to like their video and, maybe, Subscribe!
A Spider Wove
A spider wove her web of life, From an eave, By a light; Where bugs were best. I marveled at her design, Or rather, At the lessons I learned while watching… With each translucent line she secured, One connecting to the other, I Saw: —She began with what she had, and Used every last bit. —Foundation is most important; With it, take care. —Do it right, the first time, Or you may never rest. —Size doesn’t matter; Your meal may be big or small…be thankful just the same. —If you have the chance, take it; Seconds count, and sometimes you’ll miss. —Save lots of things for later; For in those later moments, we often enjoy them the most. —Fix things, no matter how monotonous the task, Make them last. —If something unforeseen takes everything, Be brave enough to start again. —Learn from past mistakes… And you’ll become a master of your craft. A spider wove her web of life, From an eave, By a light; I marveled At the lessons. W. Gray 2010
Here is a fun video about the Yellow Garden Spider!
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I don’t know why it ate my words. I was just trying to say there’s a lot to learn from spiders.
Words for me to live by today and tomorrow. There aren’t too many. But I have a lot to learn from spiders.