Monday, April 10, 2006
Jumpy Gets Married and Moves Out
This afternoon, as I was preparing to "repair" my pitifully dried out potted palm by taking the scissors to the dead fronds, I noticed JJ sitting quietly on the stalk just rolling his feelers around as if he were thinking, so I decided to let him ponder on whatever it is nervous spiders ponder on, and picked up my crossword book to wait until he went elsewhere. As I lifted my pen to start jotting down an answer, I saw another spider circling the rim of the pot. I realized that JJ on the stalk was a little too small to be JJ, and that the one circling the rim must be he. Oh, happy day! JJ took a Mrs. I was pleased for him, but I still had to repair that blasted plant, so I put down my puzzle and grabbed the scissors. Apologizing profusely to my spider friends, and explaining that since they were in the plant now, I would be moving them outside where they belonged, I began to snip the largest dead frond (replete with scale) at the base near the live stalk. As I did so, a couple very small, but very anxious spiders popped out. Not only has JJ married his sweetie, Hoppy Harriet, the two of them seem to have created a passal of bouncing baby spiders. The entire family, evidently, has taken up residence in the center of the live part of the plant where they are sheltered from the daily workings of our household.
Once I finished trimming their apartment, I lifted the plant very carefully, hoping that they would remain inside of it until I got it out to the patio. "Sorry guys," I said, "you really should be out here." I set them down on a little white hand-me-down table we were given by a neighbor, and which we use for plants and coffee cups on the patio, and watched as JJ emerged from the soil and started circling the rim once again, happy with his new surroundings. I went into the kitchen, filled a big bowl with water and brought it back out to the palm, but not before checking to make sure there were no spiders hanging out in the soil. I certainly didn't want to drown JJ's family.
I was happy for JJ, perhaps a little sad that he had to go outside, but I think they will all be happier there.
Once I finished trimming their apartment, I lifted the plant very carefully, hoping that they would remain inside of it until I got it out to the patio. "Sorry guys," I said, "you really should be out here." I set them down on a little white hand-me-down table we were given by a neighbor, and which we use for plants and coffee cups on the patio, and watched as JJ emerged from the soil and started circling the rim once again, happy with his new surroundings. I went into the kitchen, filled a big bowl with water and brought it back out to the palm, but not before checking to make sure there were no spiders hanging out in the soil. I certainly didn't want to drown JJ's family.
I was happy for JJ, perhaps a little sad that he had to go outside, but I think they will all be happier there.
