1. 1967
They ran out the back door into the field behind the farmhouse. It was summer. The air was warm. The sky was blue. And cousins were everywhere.
The kids ran across the lawn and into the nearby farm field. They ran into the corn rows. And somewhere in there, he encountered a spider web strung between the tall stalks of corn with a huge Corn Spider dangling in between.
He came to a screeching halt with the spider in mid-air inches in front of his face. He was glad he noticed it before running thru. He turned around. And to this day, he has no other recollections of running up and down those corn rows, likely because … he didn’t?
2. 2024
We’ve been out of town a while. The yard has had a chance to wild to itself, and the unusually cool and wet weather has meant that the yard is not the usual brown, crispiness to which we’re accustomed at this point in the summer. (Although starting tomorrow, we’ve got triple digit highs, no rain in the forecast, and certainly crispiness will soon be upon us.)
But for now, there is greenery. There is water in (some of) the birdbaths. There are wild flowers blooming generously. There is grass growing gladly. And there is this suspended in midair on the walkway between the Texas Persimmon and some tall sunflowers.
A Yellow Garden Spider, almost as big as the palm of your hand with its legs stretched out. First one I’ve seen in this yard. Shades of the 1967 corn field.
I’m glad I noticed it before walking thru.