It's All in the Game

Who would think under that leather, lamplight and checkmate there would be private industry? 

Spiders (the ones out of sight, that is) deserve our thanks. Sure, their webs are a nuisance, but, don't forget, they place them for their convenience, not ours. A spider knows just where to put his web like a dark roadblock, to catch his prey. You can't help but respect those creatures who are on a mission and very good at it.

It all came to my attention the other day when I almost stepped into a pile of ant carcasses. The carnage! As I looked around, I could see the spider sitting rather smugly in his webbed hammock under the chair. I thought I'd noticed a reduction in ant traffic lately. Will had said something about both their appearance then disappearance here at the rectory. He was the one who couldn't figure out where they were coming from in the first place. He would watch as the big, lumbering wanderers made their way around, thinking the coast was clear. They would then vanish without a trace--until now. 

I never thought about thanking the spider until I heard the appreciation expressed by the housekeeper. She decided since he was doing such a great job, she'd leave him right where he was, clean up the mess and let him go about his business.

I didn't realize there was so much work going on under my very nose! I'll have to go exploring to find out if there are any other nets catching the bad boys, but not now.

The day is beginning at the rectory as the warm morning sun finds me on my cushion in the window. Time for dreams of scurrying, four-legged beasties running for their lives before my menacing hulk (that'll be the day) while a lone spider gets his web ready for company..

   --Tom