Itzy Bitzy Spider

There's a new resident at Patio Paradise. A garden spider appeared overnight, building it's titanium web on the outside of my railing, stretching out into the ether. I can only assume the web ends at the scraggly tree which is so many feet out. I discovered it one morning and wondered out loud how this monstrosity of a web  came about so quickly. As it was technically on the outside of my Paradise, I allowed him to stay.

(Here is where I thought I would take a picture of above mentioned spider, but then I thought if I was reading a blog, I would definitely not want to encounter a picture of a spider, no matter how garden-friendly he was.)

(And here is where I was going to put a picture of a cartoon spider, but then I realized to have a picture of a cartoon spider would require me to search "spider" in google images. And I certainly did not want to do that.)

Here is my confession, I am terrified of spiders. Besides zombies, there is nothing else in the world can make me cower in fear (and jump around like I was on fire) like spiders. Even the itzy bitzy miniscule ones. And when they are in my house, I have no problem "dealing with them". Correction, I have no problem fetching Alex to kill the spider that is most certainly out to get me. Most times, Alex laughs at my spider hysterics but he will always handle that messy business of disposing of them for me.

It has taken much determination and years of therapy to get to a place where I could respect the spider's involvement in the circle of life. I have no desire to mess with the spiders when they are living their happy, little ecological lives outside. I understand why they're there. I get it. Not everything in life is pretty, but there's purpose to it all. (I smell a metaphor...)

So, I respect that spider outside, and all of his work he does. He keeps the "bad" bugs away and I guess that's worth a free place to live. As long as he stays on the other side of that railing...

In other news, my miniature cucumber I planted about a month and a half ago is growing like a weed. Reaching the top of the railing, this plant has lots and lots of flowers as well as tiny immature fruits. Now, that is a picture I would like to come across on a blog post. Would you, please, excuse me for a moment? 

Ok, I'm back. I've been so surprised how well the cuke is doing out there in Patio Paradise without much effort on my part. This would be an ideal plant for someone who didn't have a lot of time for gardening. There's not much to it besides the 10 seconds it takes to put the seed in the soil. And even if it doesn't have a lot of fruit, it is a fast-growing, flowering plant that'll beautify any patio or balcony. 

Though the weathermen are predicting hot days for the rest of August, I can't help but feel like Autumn has arrived. Maybe it's the morning chill that has tipped me off, or the tiny splotches of fall-colored leaves I saw yesterday on my walk. Either way, this is my favorite time of year. I begin to think of soup and fireplaces. And most especially, hot tea in the mornings. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing this morning, I hope you can take a moment to feel the changing seasons in the air. It's a moment to give thanks for the fruitful Summer and to look ahead to the dawning Autumn. It's a moment to stand still in this ever-changing world.