Shelter in Place

Spiders we do have. In abundance. There’s a particularly large one that fights me for control of the path back to the shed. Most mornings, I try to walk under the badminton-sized net he’s spun from the Meyer lemon tree, across the path, to the purple hebe (Day 85). When I happen to break it by mistake (or bat it out of the way, if I’m going to be honest), the next morning the spider’s spun a new trap in its place. Forgivness must come easy to a spider.

What I didn’t know until I moved here was the difference between a “spider web” and a “cobweb.” The latter is an old one, abandoned and collecting dust. The railings of our deck look like it’s always Halloween. The lovely and complex succulent (Aeonium "Blushing Beauty”) at the bottom of the stairs is a trap for dust and leaves, and a haven for spiders that never clean up the mess after they’ve moved on. Today is First Day (again) and I’m going to sit in my chair and think about forgiveness.