Tag Archives: Spring

Each spring, when the weather has turned fully towards summer, The Haugh pops out of its winter den. A social and hilarious creature, The Haugh prefers the energy and clime of the warmer months, and so, once winter has finally ended, it bursts forth from the earth and crows “Hwhaaat!”

More reliable a barometer than the fickle ground hog, and far more fun at a party, it seems as though The Haugh’s emergence in May would be the more logical media event than February’s Groundhog Day. Let it be known that those men in the natty top hats and mourning jackets refuse to be upstaged on the local news. So, the docile and rather un-assuming ground hog was chosen, though his predictions are often vague and lukewarm.

He’s also easier to schedule. The Haugh takes to time tables like an owl takes to knitting needles.

So get outside. Look for The Haugh. Greet it merrily with your own “Hwhat”. I did. And I’ve had a spring in my step all day.

Spring is typically the season for love; humans adore the warm weather, the smells of fresh, blooming flowers and they often celebrate their emergence from winter with romantic walks, moonlit kisses, and holding hands in the warm sunshine.

Jumping spiders are no different, really, though they woo their potential mates with complex and alluring dances.

Enjoy this piece, then, with all the fervor a male spider would. Rather puts your plan to treat your intended to ice cream to shame, now, doesn’t it?

Spring is tentatively springing; the air is becoming thicker with warmth and the insects are starting to make themselves known.

As are the neighborhood wanderers.

I understand that my home is a bit of an anomaly in Brooklyn; unlike brownstones or box apartments above store fronts, my old house at the back of the hill stands out and draws people in. I do not enjoy strangers at my home. I am not a philoxenist.

Philoxenist, from the Greek word philoxenus or “lover of foreigners”, is defined as one who is hospitable to strangers. Greeks are said to have considered any stranger a “guest” and modern Greek includes xenodocheion a “guest house” or “house for guests” or its modern version of “hotel”. [from http://wordinfo.info]

Clearly, then, as I am a bit of a recluse and accustomed to a house filled with plants and non-human creatures, I am not a philoxenist.