A few years ago, I was in the grooming room, looking toward the west as the sun was lowering, through the bright blue and white gingham curtains, almost glowing from being backlit. There sat two young sister cats, boxing at each other in play, on the outside of the windowsill. It was a charming and entertaining show, with only their distinct silhouettes visible behind the curtains. I wished that I had taken my phone with me, to record the images.
One morning this year in May, I woke to another shadow-show. The curtains in the cabin are roller blinds, made of an ecru coarse-weave fabric, which lets a shadow appear with good defintion.
The surprise this year was that jumping spiders were out in force, early. I found them under the sliding handlie of the Priefert walk-through gate, beside the chains of the larger gates, in crevices and doorways, and: in the house! Some were less concerned with personal space than I was comfortable with. Ordinarily there are not so many, and ordinarily these spiders arrive later. Usually one appears around my desk in late July or early August for a short visit. This year, there were a number of different types, with different “eyes” and other features. Some were built like a Jeep, compact and very fuzzy. These could draw into themselves like a turtle, appearing even more compact. Others had more leg length and less fuzz. And, on that morning, when I woke up, one was between the blinds and the window.
I admired the sunlight and the art that it brings to life. East bedroom windows add so much life to the morning! As I watched, the drama unfolded. He had perched motionless for a long time, then as he began to move across the grid in the window, it drew the attention of a bird. The silhouette of the bird approached the corner of the lower window near the spider and clung to an edge. The spider, who was safely inside the glass, backed up and faced the bird. The bird may have realized that the spider was under glass, as it moved on without pusuing its meal. The spider began crawling toward the south top corner of the lower window, then raced back across the screen. He must have spotted his next meal also. It was like watching the National Geographic channel, without the stress!
Shadow Patterns
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