A black and yellow garden spider has set up shop in the turks cap beneath the Mexican plum in the little garden at the west end of the south porch in the tifway yard. Her comings and going were quite the attraction for two young grandchildren this weekend. First, of all there was simply the size of the spider, which is large. Then there was its proximity to game, which is a lot because butterflies like the greggs mist flower and its purple blooms, while grasshoppers favor the leaves of the turks caps.

During a Sunday morning observation, they even got to watch the spider at work as it snared a grasshopper. There was biting and wrapping in silk until the meal was secured, and young minds were running around trying to take it all in. Their mother, the teacher, took the opportunity to give a brief science lesson and talk about the cycle of life, which was fitting because they were in town for a remembrance of the one-year anniversary of the grandmother’s death. After the spider lesson, we dolled ourselves up and went for a swim to bath ourselves in cool water.

All in all, the weekend was a real success. Cousins came, children came, a brother came, friends came. We had a small ceremony at the cemetery, cried a bit then we went to the house and ate and talked. On Saturday evening we went to hear a band that features the youngest son, middle child on steel guitar. They let him sing a song, The Fireman, and he was smoldering hot and we whistled and clapped. Now, they’re all gone, I’m here with the steel guitar player, and we’re gonna see what we can do to keep making it on down the road.