One Good Turn

I’ve recently become quite the do-gooder…at least towards members of the animal kingdom.

Within the past week, I’ve rescued a snake and a wasp. This afternoon, I added a spider to my list of loyal friends.

Arriving home, I fed the dogs and headed out to cut the grass, since it’s supposed to start raining tomorrow and rain through the weekend. When I pulled the starter cord, the blade sounded like it was scraping something. I realized that I had neglected to clean the damp grass from the undercarriage after the last mowing. The stuff can solidify into something the consistency of bread dough, and it both impedes the blade and adds weight to the machine — a not insignificant factor when an old man like me is pushing the thing around.

So, I turned the mower on its side and began scraping out the gunky grass with my gloved hand. Movement caught my eye, and when I looked closer, I saw a dark fishing spider the size of a small saucer. She had taken up residence in the muck beneath the mower deck, and she had an egg sac the size of a quail egg attached to her abdomen.

I didn’t want to be responsible for the death of up to a thousand baby spiders, so I carefully scooped her up and carried her to the edge of the woods. I found a small stump that looked like a good home for the spider and her progeny, and I deposited her there. I went back to my mower, not a little relieved that she hadn’t decided to scamper up my arm in the direction of my face. l have had some rather unpleasant experiences with spiders in the past, and my little act of benevolence tonight was something of an act of bravery. Laugh all you want, but some fears never completely fade with the passage of years.

At dusk, my dog and I checked the kitchen garden. Two of the tomato plants have blossoms, as does one of the okra plants. The pepper plants are each carrying a large fruit and they seem to have grown since I looked at them this morning. The hummingbirds are in full courtship vibe, and I watched one of the males do his swoop and loop and drop routine while the little….hen?….watched him with a judicious gaze. I hope to someday find a hummingbird nest. I understand the eggs are the size of Tic Tacs. I so wish to see these. Perhaps I will be called upon to rescue a hummingbird someday. Or at least provide an employment reference.

~ S.K. Orr