Thursday, September 1, 2011

Where Does My Dominion End And Hers Begin?


Ole! This mama spider seems to say, her leg jauntily thrown over to the side.
Actually, if you look carefully, she is just missing the opposite appendage and some of her remaining legs have been damaged.
She is a trooper, that one.
BUT, she has spun her golden web right across the entrance to my porch and I have to duck to get under it although Owen can safely make it across the top step without incident.
Really? Mama?

If you click, you may see the spider right in the upper center of the picture.

I have often said that my spiders are more pet than pest and I did actually move her once but she returned to the same place and what am I supposed to do? I already feel sorry for her. That missing leg. The hours and hours of work she's spent, weaving that beautiful, intricate web. Do I just take a broom to it, heartlessly and send her packing? I cannot smash her and that's just the truth of it. If I do take down her web, she will be disabled and homeless.
She ain't got good sense, I'll tell you that.

Here is one of her sister-spiders. She is entire and whole and has chosen to build her web in an out-of-the-way place on the side porch.


I don't know quite what to do. May and I sat on the front porch yesterday and discussed the situation. Mr. Moon joined us. Life here in Lloyd frequently centers around wildlife, as you may know by now.
"Too much nature!" Lily once screamed as a bat flew around her in the bathroom.
I think of that all the time.
Too much nature.
But is there really such a thing?
And is it any less presumptuous of me to take down a spider web or order Mr. Moon to shoot a diseased fox or an invasive toad which turned out not to be, than it is for an oil company to drill in the Gulf?

Would the world be any different if the Bible didn't have that line about Good Old God giving man dominion over the creatures of the earth and skies and would it have made any difference if man had interpreted that to mean we must watch over them and protect them rather than destroy them for our greater good?

And God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps over the earth. (Genesis 1:26)

"Us," God said. "Our" image. "Our" likeness.

What's with the usses and ours? Who else was up there in heaven with him? That has puzzled me since childhood.

Well, it's too early to be discussing theology and I am not qualified, anyway.

I suppose a good Buddhist would simply leave the spider where she is and put up a gentle warning sign to those who wish to enter my house from that particular space. But the truth is- despite a sign I myself am apt to forget she is there and walk blindly through her web one of these days. Which will lead to cursing and using god's name in vain.

Kathleen and I were talking last night about the play and whether or not we really want to be in it. She said, "I'm like a good Baptist girl. If I kiss you, I think I have to marry you."
I said, "I'm like a good Catholic girl. If you get me pregnant, I'll have to marry you."

I am not feeling pregnant.

I am not really a Catholic or a Buddhist or even an old Cracker Woman who would just take the damn broom to that web and then sweep the porch and get on with her day, although I am leaning in that direction.

I do not fool myself about my dominion powers. But as much as I admire that spider and her tenacity, I do not want to walk through her web and find her crawling on my head.

Well, another day in Lloyd and Owen will be here later. He is already practicing his dominion over the beasts and birds.

He made this arrangement yesterday. It pleases me and I have left it up.

Good morning, y'all.

Love...Ms. Moon

15 comments:

  1. Good morning to you and Mama spider. I walk through them all the time and they rebuild. I think that I would leave it there and let randomness prevail--if someone walks through, then so be it. If it stays, so be it. I like talking about nature. Just a few days ago, there were white squirrels running about. Interesting stuff.

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  2. Syd- I know. They do rebuild. This one already has. Twice.
    I've seen albino squirrels. They are a wonder!

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  3. Do you think you could move it elsewhere? Wrap the ends round something and lean it in a corner?

    I#m having conflict about cobwebs in my house - I don't want to hoover up spiders, I don't want to kill them, I don't want to try and catch each individual one and put them outside. I also appreciate their bug catching. The cobweb, though, sheesh, I went away for 8 days to a very spidery cottage, and when I came home, damn, it was everywhere.

    However, if they were that big, I'd just leave and not return.

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  4. Dear Ms Moon,
    what the what? you dream of me and i dream of a spider. with babies, which i had no qualms about "dispatching". my buddhist monk friend would NOT approve. nor would many others, but I digress. we have been "joined". how lovely.
    ps. we would so love to have you visit. even especially the dishwasher!

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  5. That photo of your porch and the spider is flippin' cool. She's perfectly placed in the center. I agree, spiders are like pets and are incredibly interesting to watch.

    I have never seen a white squirrel, but want to now.

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  6. She's missing parts for a reason: poor judgement.

    I left the spider by my back door, because she finally moved to the side and out of my path. I will admit to having a small spider army in my shop vac however; if they ever get out of there...VIVA LA REVOLUCION!

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  7. I second this: She's missing parts for a reason: poor judgement.

    About nature. My therapist lives next to a manmade lake with a sidewalk all around it. She told me one day that she likes it because she loves nature. I laughed at her before I could stop myself. Manmade, landscaped lake as nature? Please.

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  8. She's just beautiful!!!! I'd belong to HER church. It'd be like getting wisdom from Charlotte herself, which would be "terrific", "humble", and "radiant". :)

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  9. I think I would leave her there too and just let whatever happens happen. I used to be terrified of these spiders when I was a kid, but now I love seeing them. I just don't want them on me.

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  10. You spun (spunned? span?) a pretty good web there yourself. I got all tangled up in the metaphore of it...real or imagined. Loved it Sis Moon.

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  11. Am I the only one who is deathly afraid of big ass spiders in my doorway? does this make me a horrible human being? no. i generally don't kill big ass spiders outside. but if they are somewhere that i might walk into, i'd be lying if i said i didn't do that Cracker woman broom move you were referring to.

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  12. I think if you take a stick and swish it all around your spider, you can relocate both spider and stick to a more convenient location. That's how I do it, because I also don't like spider's webs on my face. But I'm guessing you will need a bigger stick.

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  13. Jo- Good idea! But I'm thinking I might just let her sit. I don't know. I'm so wishy-washy these days.

    Ms. Magpie- Ha! Really? My goodness. Magic abounds. I think in my dream, The Dear Dishwasher was a bit put off our sudden arrival. I did my best to assure him we were just stopping by to say hello. Isn't that funny? Even in my dreams, I do not want to intrude.

    Nicol- Well, she does catch and eat a lot of bugs. It's sort of like free screens. White squirrels are awesome.

    Mungam- I used to vacuum fleas. I swear. I did. Oh my. It sort of worked. And she may have poor judgment but she sure knows where the bugs are.

    Stephanie- Haha! Well, one man's runoff pond is another woman's lovely little piece of nature.

    silverfinofhope- She's an official official in the Church of the Batshit Crazy. Maybe like a deacon.

    Lois- EXACTLY!

    Brother Wrecking Ball- Thank-you so much for coming by. I miss you.

    gradydoctor- No. That does not make you a bad person. Hell- I had my husband SHOOT A TREE FROG!

    Mwa- A REALLY big stick.

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  14. I'd sweep that handicapped bitch and her web right down. Sorry, I would.

    I dig Owen's arrangement.

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  15. At ten years old, my son Oliver still makes those tableaus -- of animals, soldiers, cards, whatever -- and I love them. It would make an interesting photograph series, wouldn't it?

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.