Free Spirit is exhibited in the beauty of a butterfly.

Hey it’s Terrific Tuesday again. How’s everything in your neck of the woods?

Today is Sept 11, 11 years after the eventful attack on our country. While I could wax poetic all day about how that has affected this country, I did that on Facebook instead.

Today a good friend died. A tragedy of loss for those who loved her, but a victory over illness for her. In honor of her beautiful spirit I decided to talk about butterflies and spiders instead. Nature I believe is art in motion. Many of the greatest artists  of our time are small and inconsequential most of the time, but beautiful and with purpose. Like butterflies and spiders. We too often fail to notice their works.

I understand that butterflies help pollinate not as good as a bee, but still… I love to watch them flit from flower to flower or  dodge up and down over the road. I have been very concerned about the lack of monarch butterflies this fall. If I could wear a Monarch’s wings I would consider myself dressed better than every one else even the Duchess of Cornwall.  I would be happening in such finery.

The butterfly featured in this photo  landed on a window at Mountain View Plaza. It was  gorgeous. It reminds me of my friend with her bright blue eyes. I hope she soared into the blue sky heavenward without a backward glance. Going home can be great in this plane of existence, I imagine what it is like on the way to heaven and celebrate.

Spider’s are busy, but creepy. I mean sucking the juice out of bugs and wrapping the remains in silk. Really.  My Daddy lost his oldest sister to a black widow bite back in the late 1920s. All my life I was taught to be afraid of spiders. I loved Charlotte’s Web. He was insulted that I did. I have a feared respect for the ones that look deadly, but I like spiders like Charlotte.

My mom was a little more serene. She let writing spiders exist in the garden and in the yard. I love them. A garden spider is a beautiful creature. I have seen them catch some rather large prey including a bumble bee. I just let nature take its course and the spider did her thing. The web writing was just too cool.

Today I rode to JRHS, to Blue Ridge and to Fincastle with a little spider spinning a web on my outside mirror. The little critter hung on for dear life. I removed it to a bush at the library. Too dangerous to live on a vehicle  going 60 mph. Hope she survives.

In some ways I am a fat old spider. Out spinning every day trying to make a living. My friend was a butterfly.  If I were a spider and on my way to heaven I would let go the stream of silk and I would fly, fly up into the heavens, too. Likely I would scare a few folks along the way. That is just me.

For the time being I will be spinning my web, trying to catch what I can. I will miss my butterfly friend. But I will see her in the art of nature, the colors of flowers and leaves,  in the fall of water, the curve of stone, in the wings of a butterfly and in my memory of her smile.

See you next week.

"Some spider" a writing or garden spider near the soffett.