Monday, October 25, 2010

October by Robert Frost & Charlotte the House Spider

Charlotte, still in her web early last week.  I had her dead and gone and she's still hard at work!

My front yard.  Charlotte lives in front of the carport.  We have to be careful not to bump into her web.

Charlotte, full of eggs, still.  She looks pretty scary here, but she's a garden orb-weaving spider and is harmless to humans....unless you run into the web at night and she walks across your face and gives you a heart attack.  LOL!  I warn people who come over to duck under her web.  I ran into it one night, but luckily she was up high.  It still creeped me out.  I love spiders, just not to touch!!  Garden spiders usually live about one year.

An early evening shot of Charlotte, defying gravity.


First foggy morning last week.  Looking up my street.

Morning Glory in the fog.


OCTOBER
by Robert Frost

O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
To-morrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow,
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know;
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away;
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes' sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—
For the grapes' sake along the wall.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
Are you scared of spiders or do you let them live around your house?
 
Happy Monday!  I hope you all enjoy this last week of October! 
 
Blessings,
 
~*~ Marion ~*~
 
Synchronistically, my neighbor has a Halloween display full of giant spiders.  Tee-Hee.  Very spooky!!

12 comments:

Bubba said...

You know I'm a sucker for Frost... slow, slow, Marion.

Wine and Words said...

{{SHUDDER}}
'Nuff said.

Love you Maion. Not so much your pet arachnids.

Marion said...

I'm positive you will not be surprised that I love Spiders. They are the weaver of words.

I had a Spider like Charlotte when I lived on the Coast...I named her Charlotte, as well!

We don't have large Spiders where I live now...I guess the weather is just too extreme.

We have plunged into cold weather now; all the leaves are off the Trees. It's been -5C the last few days...and yet, there are still flowers in the garden, blooming away in that particularly gold light the Sun has in October.

Loved the photos and Robert Frost!

* said...

Frost knows how to capture a season, doesn't he?

I'm enjoying our October, at last, with clouded skies and a breeze that fills the house with autumnal longing.

Marion said...

Eric, Frost is my first love. Sigh.....

Annie, I know what you mean. But 99% of spiders are harmless. And Charlotte eats so many mosquitoes every night, I can't help but love her. Love you. Blessings!

Marion, I should have known you'd love spiders, too. Oh, how I wish our cold weather would come and stay. Instead it teases us. Almost 90 degrees today. UGH! Blessings!

Terresa, yes, he does. I'm glad you're enjoying October in your part of the world. I'm already feeling nostalgic for October and it's still here....Blessings!!

Jaliya said...

Spiders! -- They both creep me out and make me feel glad to have them around. There's nothing like seeing a festoon of webs around my balcony at sunrise ... and *Charlotte's Web* is one of my all-time favourite books. I still want to bawl when Charlotte's time is up ...

I had a beloved, batty friend who bought one of those big animated spiders that go "WOOO! WOOOOOO!" whenever you whack it ... Well, my silly friend stuffed this spider down his pants at a party and ran around inviting everyone to bat at his fly! It was so hilarious ... and my friend surely enjoyed all the attention ;-D

Today in my neighbourhood ... we do have a "hushed October morning mild" ... soft grey overcast, leaves still on many trees but bleaching of colour, and a huge oak down the street that still carries a full crown of leaves, all yellowing now ... A while ago, a blue jay tore through all this quiet colour ... Gorgeous contrast!

Woman in a Window said...

You're a better woman than I. I don't live with them. Sorry, Marion. Sorry, spiders.

Just back from a drive up the Tote road and Marion, even midday after a rain, the fog hung low. Trees broke in blackened thrashes against the white backdrop. It was ethereal, and easily changed as well. All was different as we drove home.

xo
erin

Kelly said...

I always enjoy Frost. Nice!

You have some wonderful pictures of Charlotte!! I'm glad she's still with you.

I don't kill the spiders that are outside. I'm not going to say anything more about the others since I know how you feel.

Out of all the storms over the weekend, we got less than an inch of rain at our house! Boo hiss! It's hot here today, too.

Marion said...

Jaliya, 'Charlotte's Web' is one of my favorite books of all time. Loved your funny party story. Your neighborhood sounds glorious today. Hot here, but beautiful. Blessings!

Erin, funny thing but I've never seen a spider in my house. Since I never use poison, that's really strange....maybe karmic? LOL! Yes, fog...the breath of God. Blessings!!!

Thanks, Kelly. I know most folks don't take kindly to spiders. Ray ran into the web one night and screamed like a little girl. Tee-Hee. I was hollering, "Don't hurt Charlotte!" It's kind of my Halloween post. LOL! No rain here at all and really HOT. Blessings!!

quid said...

Great pictures! I loved the pictorial of Charlotte.. and the Frost as well!

audrey said...

Marion, these are nice closeup photos and it is nice that you have a soft spot for spiders. They are fascinating little creatures and their coloration can be beautiful. However.... I am not one to enjoy their presence. I just leave them alone if they leave me alone. I don't want to see them. I know they eat unwanted insects, so I leave them be. I do have a fear of being bit by a poisonous one and I don't know one from the other.
Happy Halloween kind spider lady! (:
♥ audrey

ds said...

Thank you for Mr. Frost; he does seasons so very well (a lot of other things, too).
So glad your Charlotte is still with us. That makes me happy, even though I am not nearly so kind to arachnids as you are!