“Then God looked
over all he had made, and he saw that it was good!” Genesis 1:31
I’ve been watching a
micro-drama unfold amongst the blooms of the Black Eyed Susan patch beside the
back door. It involves a pair of one of the most feared creatures on God’s
earth. Yup. Spiders. One measures around
two inches from leg tip to leg tip. She is a Yellow Garden Spider or to be
scientific, an Agriope aurantia. The other is a tiny White Cross Spider,
Araneus diadematus, barely bigger than my pinky fingernail. She’s too small to
get a decent photo.
It would appear the larger
garden spider is rather possessive of the prime territory afforded by the
flowers. During the last two nights, she has moved her web twice to the spot in
the flowers where the smaller spider had spun hers, forcing the smaller one to
move. I suppose it is move or be eaten.
While I don’t particularly
like spiders, my son’s passion for
the creepy creatures has given me an appreciation for their other worldly
beauty. I do like the fact they are mosquito eating machines. They are also
non-poisonous.
I can also freely
admit I like them as long as they don’t sneak up on me. (Smile.)
A young frog has moved into the pond as well;
another welcome addition to the anti-mosquito movement. Before going away I had
been watching for them to appear because every summer at least one or two take
up residence amongst the lily pads. They vanish when the cold weather rolls in.
I’ve also seen a
couple of wood frogs in the flower beds. I’d recently learned they freeze solid
in the winter unlike their watery cousins. Their heart stops but there is some
sort of natural antifreeze in their blood that prevents it from freezing. Come
spring, as the ice withdraws, they thaw out and begin living their froggy lives
as though winter never happened.
Scientists are
investigating these abilities in a quest for new heart medicines.
My home is in a valley.
No matter what direction I am heading, there are high places on the road where
the view is magnificent, overlooking the entire valley. The view is a patchwork
of farm fields scattered with clusters of trees. The dead straight road soars
into heaven at either end, vanishing into the sky. Toss in a sunset when I am
heading north, when mauve shadows reach across the earth, it is so beautiful it
takes my breath away.
Lord, thank You for
all You have made. Thank You for giving me the eyes to see and the heart to
rejoice in all Your wonders, big and small. AMEN!
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