Let me say this right up front….I don’t like spiders! I don’t really
know many people who do. I’ve been known to suck them up in the vacuum
cleaner only to set it outside until my husband gets home and can
dispose of it! That being said, my attitude towards these creepy crawly
eight-legged creatures has changed recently. Keep an open mind and read
on….
Several years ago, I watched “Charlotte” for many weeks. Of
course I’ve named her after E.B. White’s famous character from the
all-time classic book Charlotte’s Web. Nothing more than a barnyard
decoration, you say? Think again. My Charlotte spun her daily web to
measure about two and a half feet long and a foot and a half wide. She
did this every day and every day I tried to catch her creating this
masterpiece to no avail. Light on? Light off? What did she prefer? She
never spun while I was watching. When the wind blew several
leaves into her sticky prison they left large gaping holes in the web
but the next evening the entire thing was re-spun and I must say, quite
beautiful. The innate ability to create something like this amazes me.
According to my
research, this legged lady was an Orb Weaver of the family Araneidae. Her common name is
Garden Spider,
which makes total sense, as that was exactly where she was located. She was
very docile, non-aggressive and quite beneficial! She masterfully
caught and ate pest type insects. Unfortunately (I can’t really
believe I’m saying this), she died at the first frost, but much like
E.B. White’s famous friend, her eggs survived the winter and I had hundreds of her tiny children to carry on the legacy!
Charlotte has inspired a seasonal dessert that your family will adore. Now, if only
she would write Bon Appetite in her web….
Make any cake of your choice. I choose chocolate, simply because it's my favorite. Frost using a white or other light color frosting.
Beginning with a small circle in the center of the cake, use black icing to draw a circle.
Keep drawing circles until you reach the outside of the circle.
Simply draw a knife through the frosting at several different points. The closer your circles are and the more times you draw your knife through, the more intricate your web will be.
Dress the cake up as much or as little as you'd like!
