Angela

[Paddler]

From the journal of '08:

Friends, this summer I met Angela Araneus diadematus. Angela was my car spider during the summer
and fall of '07. I first noticed her one Monday morning in June as I was driving to the
Frozen Stalks Flea Market. She had built a small orb web just behind the driver's side
rearview mirror. She was sitting in the center of her web when I left the light in
Breezy Springs. The wind buffeted her severely as we went down the road. I was prepared to
see her go flying as we got up to cruising speed, but she held fast, though she nearly
vibrated out of sight. When we stopped at the Rt. 224 crossing, she crawled to one of the
stronger supports near the mirror. She was bounced around again as we headed further
west. At the light in Mitersville, she crouched in a corner of the mirror housing until we
reached our destination. I didn't see her on the way home. I figured she had jumped ship
in Frozen Stalks and was setting up shop under one of the flea market pavilions. The next
morning, she was back in her old spot behind the mirror, sitting in the center of a shiny
new web.

We went everywhere together that summer. Angela gradually learned to run for shelter as
soon as I started the engine. At first, she could crawl between the mirror and the mirror
housing to get out of the wind. Later in August, when her bulbous butt grew too fat to fit
around the edge of the glass, she found lurkage in the larger drain hole in the bottom of
the housing.

One day, I took the car to the Chevrolet dealer to have some work done on the brakes. I
thought the mechanic would wipe away the web and Angela with it, but nay, but nay.
They both survived being in harm's way for two days.

Whenever we returned from a trip, Angela's web would be in tatters, especially later on
as the web grew in size with the spider. After we arrived home, I would always catch a
bug and put it in the remainder of the web as recompense for the inconvenience. I figured
it would be a discouraging thing to start replacing that web and then run out of breakfast.

Angela stayed with the car all summer and fall. I didn't see her any more after the first
couple of hard frosts in October. This spring, I half expected to see the car overrun by
freshly hatched spiderlings, but that didn't happen. Maybe Angela left a note to her
progeny: "It's too windy here, dammit! Build someplace else!"

MCR>
Abstractor of the Quintessence
Order of the Digital Grail

[inklord]

What a story... and great storytelling! Thanks a bunch for sharing, my family now has a "weekend read" on FPgeeks!

[Paddler]

Thanks for the reply, inklord. Without a little feedback I hardly know which stories to transcribe into computerese (they are all in longhand in journal books.). I will make the effort if I think somebody likes them.

[fountainpagan]

I liked it.

I agree: you are a superbe storyteller!

[Paddler]

Thank you for your kind words, fountainpagan. I have a picture of Angela, but pictures of spiders are probably as welcome here as salty language so I did not include it.

[JackdeSpadas]

Thanks, Paddler for a great read! I, too, prefer to share the ride with whichever spider happens to set up shop in/on the car. They are remarkably resilient and courteous.

[Paddler]

Hi, JackdeSpadas!
Well, in my experience, jumping spiders (family Salticidae) are a courteous lot. The orb weavers seem to be overly preoccupied with spinning.