August is spider-month

Bouncin’ off the walls last night with Full Moon energy, I tackled some dreaded tasks that had been taunting me on my to-do list. Following a trip to Home Depot for some replacement sprinkler heads, I worked on replacing some, extending others, and figuring out the more arduous task of the box used to program our sprinkler system. I swear, whoever invented those things must be the same person who invented the VCR. Adults cannot figure them out, and I don’t like kids enough to have an eight year old come over and set it for me. (Yes, I believe I will make a GREAT crotchety old man some day. Just give me a porch, a rocking chair, and a cane!)

 

In the last remaining minutes of daylight, I faced my biggest current project-of-dread – the garden shed. The garden shed has been just a mess. The door would no longer shut, as it had swelled to a larger size with outdoor moisture, thus requiring some intense plaining to the top and the side to get it back down to the right dimension. Also, I discovered to my horror earlier in the year that the shed had become infested with rats. ICK! Knock-on-wood, I think the rats have moved on. (Gods only know, we have three cats that had BETTER be earning their keep!), but the shed itself was quite a mess from them making it their home. 

 

Tackling the door first, I found the plain in the garage, and managed to get a good workout while creating a mound of curly-kews by my feet. Exhaustive as it was, I got it to work. And with some blood, sweat, and tears, the door was once again able to close. So, with gloves on, I opened the door fully to tackle the rats’ nest. Pulling everything out, and trying not to focus on the disgust around me, I completely emptied the shed, threw out items that had been destroyed, and swept everything else. Oh, add on one more change – a board attached to the open side-wall, closing the shed off to the only entrance/exit to the basement. Take THAT you disgusting vermin!

 

Reloaded, cleaned, organized, and happy again, the only remaining task involved painting the top and side of the door again to match the happy colors of the house. Note to self – saving a remaining gallon of paint in the house colors for touch-ups pays off! Yeah forethought!

 

Happy with the combined feelings of exhaustion and job-well-done, I looked around at the backyard, now framed by the surreal colors of a mostly set sun, and the creeping in of night. Lit by the combined light of fleeting day and artificial lights, the backyard took on a serene austerity, with different angles of light emphasizing new things. It was then, caught by the odd light, that I noticed the signs of August, with every intricate web. Suspended between tree limbs and the garage, the delicate lacework of spider-webs caught the light with a serene glow. Spiders truly just fascinate me. I try my best to simply avoid webs, rather than disturb them, so as to allow nature’s temporary beauty to exist and grace my little temple to nature as long as possible. 

 

I can only imagine how fascinated man must have been when he first saw a spider’s web. Did its intricacy inspire man to create things such as fishing nets? Did they inspire fear? Dread? Uncertainty? It is no wonder that spiders took on a role in pagan mythos as being the weavers and the portents of fate. Designed as both a home and a means to a meal, the webs capture prey and also our imaginations.

 

Groggy in my semi-consciousness this morning, I made a point as I strolled around in the backyard watering the plants to turn to the mister setting of the hose as I walked forward along my journey. Sure enough, the mist revealed an otherwise hidden web here and there. As each misty drop clung on to the lacelike strands, I smiled. “Must be August,” I thought to myself, ducking to avoid ruining nature’s sculpture, provided perhaps only for today, giving me a brief reason to crack a morning smile.