Yankee Doodle

Meet our friend Yankee Doodle (name courtesy of Koen, of course). He is a European Cross Spider.

For reference, his 'body' is the size of a large chickpea.

Yankee Doodle is the only spider I've ever thought kindly of. He is a very hard worker. We watch him spin a new web outside our kitchen window each morning while we eat breakfast. It's really quite fascinating and somewhat beautiful. His technique is so precise, even Clay took notice this morning of how delicate and calculated his motions are. He's very dependable, showing up every morning for work. He spins the entire web, then sits there for a while, waiting for his meal. He's gone during most of the day, but comes back in the evening. Like clockwork.

A few mornings ago, he was not there when we sat down to eat our cereal. I feared the worst (that maybe a bird enjoyed him for breakfast), and I even got a little choked up (just for a second).

But then he reappeared that night, back to his routine. Whew! We missed ya, little guy!

Spin on, Yankee Doodle!