Gratefulness.

So, I have started a little thing where I try and list 10 things I am grateful for each day. 

Oddly, I remember it starting because I read something to the effect that you should be grateful for so many things, what if they weren't there, because you weren't grateful for them?  Sort of way out there, philosophically... But I figure, yes, you can be happy for the big stuff, but how many daily things can I be happy for?  Little stuff.

Wow, it was... Not hard, exactly, but coming up with ten items can be sort of taxing.  Especially when you are trying to put NEW things in, not re-hashing the same items each day.  Not that it's a bad thing, I just figure, there is a lot to be thankful for, let's try and 'broaden the horizons'.

It started out with the biggies, I suppose, just to get started, good Husband, good family, good house, lovable pets, you know, the big things.  Then I started with, I am happy I am healthy.  Hmm.

That's general.  I am happy that... I can blink.  Geez, that's silly. 

Then I remembered something I'd seen on a show about Leprosy.  People lose the ability to blink, and then lose sight, because they eyeball dries out, so they have to be reminded, actually TAUGHT, to blink again. 

Ok, maybe not so silly. 

I am glad for... pillows.  Gah. 

But, wait, no, that's fair.  I have a chair that I love, but if I don't use a pillow, my legs fall asleep.  And it is NOT fun doing a near face plant into the table when you stand!

Blackberry bushes.  Invasive little nasty thorn covered things!

BUT... The berries.  After picking in the early morning, crushing, and then making jelly?  Yeah, that qualifies.

I am glad for spiders, NO I AM NOT. 

Sigh, well, the spiders in the garden have been really helpful, they have kept the nasty plant eating bugs down... Ok, yeah, I guess.  Begrudgingly...

Music, walking, seeing the neighbors go by, smell, colors, even just the fact the cats have whiskers... Really, they can be entertaining, just watching the twitches and wiggles... I suppose the cats would consider whiskers a bit more important than "twitches and wiggles", but it's my list.  And so on, and on, and on. 

I have learned, the little things can add up, too!

Meet Carl.

Anyone who has read my blog knows I am not a fan of spiders.  Ask Husband, and you will probably know find out that he had to put screens in every vent of the house, as the little monsters were getting in, and freaking me out unmercifully.  I have screamed my head off when I am... ensconced... in the bathroom, and one is near me, so he can rescue me.  

No, I am not fond of them. 

So, you will know why the following is not my normal reaction.  I just planted my window boxes for the season, I have geraniums, zinnias, and a couple colors of wave type petunias.  I put them up, and saw that there were little bugs on the geraniums.  

Greaaaaat.

I was kind of tired at that point, and figured I would deal with it later.  

The next day, I noticed a small spider.  Fortune smiled, it was on the OUTSIDE of the window.  Industriously making a web.  Right on the geranium.  Meh, wash the spider AND the bugs off later.

I came back to the window a few hours later, and the spider was busily catching the bugs, and disposing of them.  I was also noticing, oddly, that he (No, I don't know spider biology, it was just a convenience to say he) was sort of neat looking, for a spider, sort of stained glass like.  I watched, the sun actually sort of made his tiny legs glow as he moved, like some sort of tiny jellyfish spider, to mix a metaphor.  

I decided to wait on the arachnid/bug removal.  I started watching the little guy.  He built up his web, which, while not in a great spot for me, did allow me to see he was busily downing little bugs with alacrity.  

We had wind come up, and it was pretty bad for the little guy, I saw him 'run' under the leaves, and hang on for dear life.  Finally let up, only to have a passing rainstorm splat him, knocked him off the web a couple times, and I thought he'd maybe be drowned.  Nope, just hung on.

I decided if I was going to be nice to this little critter, he ought to have a name.  I thought about Boris the Spider, but he wasn't like the song, and Boris seemed a little over the top.  Charlotte crossed my mind, but I had thought of him as a he... 

Carl.  

So, here is Carl, helping with garden maintenance.  I am less freaked out, he is getting dinner, and we are both okay with it.  

 I still am a bit unnerved, but we shall see what happens as time progresses.

A Halloween Story, in 4 parts... Ok, maybe 5...

This little fly, he was number one.  He cried, "Oh, no!  What have I done?" 

This little fly, he was number two.  He looked at the web, and into it he flew. (He wasn't real bright...)

"Oh, me, oh, my, what shall I do?"

Fly number three, flew away, with a scream!  She flew off into the sky, yelling, "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

Then the flies looked with terror at a big old fat spider, (Number 2 thought, oh, crap, we're dead... Maybe we can hide... Er...)  

Then the spider smiled, a questionable feat, then said, Hi, I'm Boris, Wanna trick or treat?  

The flies were scared, but they couldn't say no, but Boris was a charmer.

He let them go.  He smiled, and handed them packages to get candy,

And they all went Trick or Treating, it was really quite dandy.

(Until Boris got hungry.  Then he ate them, 'cuz spiders don't eat candy. 

 They didn't really think too much of that...)

Gotcha!

This is the set up out front.

Happy Halloween, folks!

(Extra points if anyone catches the rock reference in my poem!)