Spiders

As fair warning this one is probably not going to be something that everyone will want to read (this next section particularly).  Odds are that the people most afraid of spiders skipped this week based on the title alone but if you were just brave enough to get this far and want a cute story about a spider then I suggest you skip the italicized paragraph.  

I have very limited experience with spiders but I like them.  They keep bugs under control and I love seeing the detail and variety in their webs.  I'm fine when I don't need to be near them but if there is even the slightest possibility that they could bite me I get away as quick as possible.

When I was in elementary school I was sitting in class and noticed that my hand was feeling like it was burning in one section and up my arm.  I looked down to find that my skin on the back of my hand was bubbling.  Yes it was as terrifying as it sounds. I got checked over at the doctor's and they found two bite marks on the same arm as my hand.   They diagnosed me as having an allergic reaction to spider bites that I would just have to wait till it went away.  Eventually it did fade but even with being more than 15 years ago the scars are still there.

The happiest story I have about a spider is from when I was working as a school photographer.  I was driving all around the province going for a day or a week to different towns and putting a lot of time in on the road.  I began to notice a spider web that was always in pristine condition on the passenger side rear view mirror of my car.  It was in the perfect position that the wind was broken by the mirror causing the web to sway just slightly in the draft rather than being ripped up.  I assumed that it was catching the odd bug but it never seemed dirty so  I left it in the interest of seeing what it would do over time.  I didn't really think about it all that much for the next couple of trips.

One day I was sitting in my parked car having my lunch and rather large spider came out from behind the side mirror and inspected the webbing.  It wandered about eating what it had caught on the drive down.  I was amused to have a lunch companion.  That evening on the way back to the city I could only assume it was back behind the mirror.  I was hopeful that it hadn't wandered away.  Nothing like stepping out for a walk and your home having driven off.  The next day a fresh new web was ready for the drive out of town.

This continued on for the whole summer. I would come out to find a new web or the spider sitting somewhere on the webbing.  As soon as I turned on my car that little arachnid was behind my mirror and ready to travel.  It was great having a little car companion for all those months and hours on the road.  I find that I actually miss him from time to time when I am driving around.

Spring has come.

I was pleased this year not to be caught off guard by the release from winter's grip. In the past I would be running home after classes, not have the time to observe, with a brain full of stress about deadlines and exams. I'd go out in the evening on occasion and feel like spring would never be seen again as the dark would steal any warmth that had built up from the day. But that's just a symptom of living essentially in a desert. Then it would hit me that the weather was getting better and I'd always wonder how I had missed it.

This year has been special. I've been taking many more walks during the day watching the snow slowly melt with not a care in the world (me, not the snow... then again it probably could be said to not have a care too...). I saw my first lady bug of the season just a day or two ago and realized that I see them as a true indication of spring over any robin song. The world around me is getting a break. Everything can finally stretch out and breathe.

Yesterday we had a Good Friday BBQ out in the park and I was amazed by the perfection of the day. Our whole way of life is coming back, geese breaking through the ice and carving out a place to swim, beavers chewing on trees and not caring at all that a bunch of people are coming by to look at them. Everyone was so happy. The sun was shinning and as I looked around I wanted this feeling to last longer than it possibly could.

Heading home on this beautiful day.

Sarah might have said something profoundly interesting this morning when she came in to wake me but I have no memory of anything before being suddenly aware that I was playing Sudoku. I find that in the morning, as I have no inclination to drink coffee, that a number puzzle wakes me up faster. I sat thinking and letting my brain catch up with the time when I heard the rest of the house singing their morning prayers. It was wonderful and comforting. If I were in anyway a believer this house would be perfect for me to spend a year here as a volunteer. As it is, I feel very welcome whenever I make a visit and am very sad when I've left them.

I packed my bag and loaded my car feeling like I was sneaking out. Thankfully the rest of the house joined me shortly in the kitchen. We shared breakfast and a lot of laughs. I said my goodbyes and headed out on my 6 hour drive home. The only things of interest was my lunch on the side of the road where I ate my sandwich looking at some cows who were over at their fence looking at me. One had its hair up in a sort of mohawk and I was pleased to have them as my company.