Just Your Neighborhood Spider Colony!

   Son and I have been doing some carpentry work inside the house since we are still seeing the lingering rains from Tropical Storm Claudette.  Apparently, this is the "storm that never ends" as it keeps dumping rain on us.  While doing the work, it is sometimes necessary to trot to the shed for tools.  This is easy enough to do since the laundry room door is just about 15 ft from the shed door.  It is almost just a matter of going out one door and stepping into another with just a small back deck in between the two.  Easy peasy except for the fact that you have to dodge numerous spiders on the way.  It seems that every last egg that the orb weaver had in that lovely egg sac has hatched and nary a one of the "children" wanted to move far from their childhood home.  Now, the back deck, the doors, the pathway to the shed and everything in between is one huge spiderweb dotted with the soon to be 4 inch spiders.  I feel so guilty when I inadvertently break one of the long anchor threads and the web starts to dangle.  

  One of the spiders insists on draping her web across the back door.  The screen door has several of the long anchor threads leading from it to the pear tree.  With Son and I trying to work, we have to use that door often. He and I have taken to "unhooking" the web strands from the door and wrapping them on the deck railing in hopes that the spider will take a hint.  Nope.  She patiently rebuilds the web to the screen door.  It seems she never learns!

  While most folks would be a bit squeamish about having so many spiders so close to the doors, I appreciate them.  The wet weather has created perfect breeding spots for mosquitoes.  The spiders are great about catching multitudes of those pesky, blood-thirsty mosquitoes each night.  Personally, I would rather have the spiders than the mosquitoes any day!  Carry on, Mrs. Spider.  We are happy to have your whole family as neighbors!

Mrs. Spider

  Yesterday was a work day.  More raised garden beds were made, seeds planted and a lot of weed trimming took up the entire morning.  During one break, I headed to the Little Bayou House to fetch a cooling glass of water.  When I reached for the screen door handle, I was startled by what greeted me.  There, not inches away, was a huge spider!  Well, now!  I had been in and out that door probably ten times already, had sat leaning against the screen door just below the spider while I drank my morning coffee and had swept those steps but did not notice my friend.  

  I called to Son, "Hey, do you recognize this spider?"  He peered at the creature, shrugged his shoulders and muttered "Not personally."  My "man of few words" had done it again.  Ugh!  Well, Mrs. Spider, you really cannot spend the day on the door handle!  She was going to have to vacate her post and be relocated.  Not sure of what type she is, I picked up a small piece of driftwood and slowly moved it toward her.   Mrs. Spider inched over a bit.  The driftwood was moved closer in hopes that she would climb aboard.  Nope.  She sidled to one side. "Oh, come on!  Get on the stick!" I mumbled to the spider.  With that, she did!  Mrs. Spider stepped on the stick and settled down.  Whew!  Now, what was I going to do with her?

  I am happy to say that Mrs. Spider now resides (temporarily, at least) in the hanging fern.  She is only a few feet from her original spot so should not be too upset.  I admit to being a bit squeamish when spiders are crawling on me but have no qualms of sharing my porch with them. They do their part of keeping the place bug-free! Just so you will get the idea of how big she is, that is 1/2 inch square mesh hardware cloth behind the screening. Happy hunting, Mrs. Spider!  Glad we came to an understanding here!

The Shadowy Door

  Ever since I was a child, I had an interest in shadows.  For some reason, I was drawn toward what others found unsettling.  Whether it be the shadowy path in the woods or hand shadows cast on a blank wall, they appealed to me.  I wanted to know more about these fleeting bits of beauty.  What caused them?  How did the shapes change so rapidly?  Why were others so frightened of being in a shadowy area?  The allure did not fade as I aged.  In fact, I became more obsessed with the idea of shadows being cast for my enjoyment and for no other reason.  I will often stop whatever I am doing to watch shadows as they constantly weave a story as the sun moves across the sky.

  This afternoon, I flung open the french doors to let the warmth fill the living room.  Son has "winterized" our window screens and that included the two screen doors on the south side of the house.  A mirage of shadows astounded me.  Hundreds of leaf shadows were cast on the back side of the screen door panels.  This was odd because there are no trees nearby except for one on the far side of the doors.  These shadows were being cast from trees far from the house!  With a stiff northerly breeze shaking the treetops, the shadows danced across the screen doors with wild abandon.  What a beautiful sight to behold!

  Shadows are often used in reference to an ominous presence.  Some feel that shadows are the harbingers of something evil due to the fact that they are the absence of light.  To me, the shadow pictures bring peace.  There is nothing more calming than watching the ever-changing ballet of darkness and light.  It can be mesemerizing! Yeah...probably just me.

The Importance of a Screen Door

  While most folks understand the utilitarian function of a good screen door, not many can grasp the full importance of the piece.  A good screen door is just about the most important feature of a home other than a front porch.  (Which by the way, is fully being reconsidered as a feature of the Little Bayou House!  Yes, please!  I miss my porch.)  But back to that screen door.  In the Deep South, screen doors a sort of a status symbol.  It is an unwritten code that signifies that you are truly from the South and not some wannabe southerner.  We know you by your door.  

  First, down here, most screen doors are painted one color...black.  All of the new-fangled colors are not something we prefer.  The screen door should match the window screens that serve the same utilitarian purpose as the screen on the door...they all keep out the bugs.  Anybody that has lived here a while knows that a black screen door does not attract deer flies.  Those pesky, biting flies (along with most other flying, biting insects) swarm light colors so, black is the color of choice.  As soon as the weather warms to about 60 degrees, all of the windows and doors are flung open to "freshen up the place".  The winter doldrums are wafted out on the breeze but who wants biting critters inside the house??

  Another thing that tells us that you are from the area is how you use the door.  The decorative doodads that embellish the door are not a way to open the door.  Also, true southerners NEVER push on the screen!  That is a big no-no!  The screen is hard to replace!  To open and close the door, there are handles...all screen doors have them.  They are neat little things.  We cannot have torn screens or busted doodads.  That just does not set well with us.  Don't mess with a southerner's screen door or there may be trouble brewing.

  Then there is one last thing (and probably the most important thing) that distinguishes the wannabes from the honest to goodness southerners.  When someone comes calling, and this is important, the door is an integral indication as to whether the guest is welcome.  Welcome guests are met with the door being flung open and a "Come on in!" while those that are not as happily received are met with conversation through the screen door.  It is not opened.  In fact, more oft than not, the home owner's hand will casually reach up and throw the latch on the door especially if the caller is a stranger.  This is reason enough for the caller to make a hasty retreat.  It is a sign that, although pleasantries are being made through the screen, you are not going to come in for a glass of sweet tea.  

  So, aside from keeping out bugs, the screen door can identify a true southerner merely by being there, being painted black and by how it is used.  New homes seem sorely lacking in this essential feature.  Future generations will never understand the importance of the screen door.