welcome

You'll remember that a few weeks ago I posted about our arachnid housemates and the role they seem to play. We've got a more recent guest who has been living at the front of the porch at the top of the stairs for over a month now. She has an exquisite web stretched from the support columns on either side of the stairs and has woven in a symmetrical fan around the web, several arrows in rows that point from all directions to the center of her orb, or if you focus through the web, they point directly to our front door. She stays right in the middle staring down toward the steps with a giant smile printed on her back for all to see.
The most amazing thing is her precise positioning. For 5 weeks she has been living about an inch above my head as I ascend the steps to come into the house. If I were an inch taller I would catch my head in her web. As I reach the top step, I pass under her and step up. What's more, she has positioned herself directly in front of our "welcome" sign, as if she thinks that will attract insects. I guess it does, because we have far more than our share trying to get into the house or onto the porch to buzz the lights. She certainly seems well fed. She is a very beautiful, small, spiny orb weaver. Come see her. Pass beneath the orb. The arrows point to light and warmth. Welcome. I've got coffee and a fire on the deck.