1999 33c Insects & Spiders: Yellow Garden Spider

Spiders don’t bother me too much, but my husband hates to find them in our house. It is my job to kill it if he finds one. His job is take care of any other insect that is found in our house. When I found out that the first week of April celebrates spiders, I wondered if I could find a postage stamp with a spider on it.

The Yellow Garden Spider (#3351d) is so famous that it was even featured on a United States postage stamp! In 1999, the U.S. Postal Service released a special collection called the Insects & Spiders series. This set included twenty different colorful stamps, and the Yellow Garden Spider was one of the stars. The 33-cent stamp showed a beautiful illustration of the spider sitting on its web, helping people across the country appreciate its unique look. It was a great way to show that even tiny creatures are important enough to be honored on our mail.

While they are often grouped together, spiders are actually very different from insects. Insects belong to a group that has six legs and three main body parts: the head, thorax, and abdomen. Spiders, however,

are arachnids. They have eight legs and only two main body sections, called the cephalothorax and the abdomen. Another big difference is that almost all insects have antennae and many have wings, but spiders never have either. Instead of chewing their food like many insects do, spiders use their fangs to help them eat a liquid diet

The Yellow Garden Spider is a large, colorful spider often found in backyards and fields. You can easily spot them because of their bright yellow and black patterns. They are famous for building huge, circular webs that have a zigzag shape made of thick silk right in the middle. This zigzag is called a stabilimentum. Scientists think it might help birds see the web so they don't fly through it, or it might help hide the spider from predators.

Even though they look a bit scary because of their size, these spiders are like free pest control for your garden. They spend their days catching insects that humans usually don't like, such as flies, mosquitoes, and grasshoppers. By eating these bugs, spiders help keep your garden plants healthy and stop pesky insects from coming inside your house. They are generally shy and would much rather stay on their webs than bother a human.

Because they do so much work for us, we should try our best to leave them alone. In fact, many people celebrate Be Kind to Spiders Week during the first week of April! It is a great time to learn why we shouldn't kill them. Instead of squishing a spider, you can use a cup and a piece of paper to gently move it outside. Keeping spiders around helps the environment stay balanced and keeps the "bad bugs" away.

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References:
Cover from the author’s collection
National Wildlife Federation: Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia)
Smithsonian Institution: Common Garden Spiders
National Day Calendar: Be Kind to Spiders Week (First Full Week of April)
United States Postal Service: 1999 Insects and Spiders Commemorative Series
American Museum of Natural History: Spiders vs. Insects

Family Visit, Softball Tournament, and Lots of Eating

3/13
Friday the 13th. We didn’t leave our Florida house until 9 am because there was a bad accident on I-95 earlier in the morning. As we headed north, we hit horrible rainstorms, and traffic was horrible. We decided to stop in Melbourne and get some gas at Sam’s Club, but the gas line was probably an hour long wait, so instead, we went inside to get a soft pretzel and a drink. Then we headed west on Hwy 192, and there was a lot of traffic on it also. We stopped at Sam’s Club in Kissimmee about 1:30 pm, and the gas line wasn’t too bad. Then we went inside to get some supplies. We arrived at Club Wyndham Reunion about 3 pm and checked in. Our condo was a 3-bedroom condo, which looked the same as the one we were in last year, but at a different address. We went out to get a Subway sandwich and brought it back to the condo to eat. Then we relaxed until Deanna arrived at about 10:30 pm. We stayed up and talked until 12:30 am.

3/14

I was up at my usual time of 5 am. We just relaxed until mid-morning when we went to First Watch for brunch. Then we spent the day watching basketball games and eating junk food while Don took a couple of walks around the complex. Deanna cooked us corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. At about 5:30, we had a delicious dinner! In the evening, we decided we wanted some ice cream and ended up getting our favorite ice cream at Publix. By 9:30, I was falling asleep.

3/15
Around 10 am, we drove to the place Kaeli and her team were staying. We dropped off a case of water and some other things. Then we went to the Nike Clearance Store and the Hurley store and bought some great things. Next, we went to Raising Cane’s for lunch, and the food was delicious. Last, we stopped at Krispie Kreme for 2 dozen doughnuts to take back to the condo. The rest of the day was spent watching Basketball and the selection process for the brackets.

3/16
We left for Fortune Rd. Athletic Complex at 10:30. When we got to the fields, parking was almost full. Our game started around 12:15, so we got a soft pretzel right before the game started. I’m glad I brought a small cooler with drinks. We were ahead by the 6th inning when it started to thunder and lightning so at 2:07, the announcer announced for everyone to get off the field. We sat in our car and waited for the all-clear announcement. Around 3:30, we were allowed back in, and the teams completed the last inning. I’m glad we won the game! We left the game and headed to Logan’s Roadhouse for the team dinner. The food was delicious!

3/17
It was cold when we got up this morning! Deanna had to work so we just hung out and relaxed while she worked. Around 4 pm, the workman came to repair the dishwasher and replace a light bulb in the kitchen. Then we went to the St. Patrick’s Day festival at Sunset Walk. It was fun to walk around and see the vendors and street performers. We thought about eating at Ford’s Garage, but it was a 90-minute wait. So, we had dinner at Cracker Barrel. On the way back to the condo, we stopped at Walmart, and it was chaos there. There were so many people who seemed to be in a desperate hurry to get what they wanted and get out. We couldn’t wait to get what we needed so we could leave.

3/18
It was another cold morning. Kaeli had 2 games today. We got to the field around 8:40 and got a great parking place. We sat in the car until around 9:30. The wind was blowing hard during the first game, but we won. Then I had time to get a soft pretzel right before the second game started. We won the second game too. Both games were fun, but the second one was a nail-biter. We stopped at Sam’s Club to fill up on gas when Kaeli asked us to bring her some food because the team wasn’t going to dinner until 5:30. We got Chick-fil-A for her, and then brought our dinner with us. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing.

3/19
We picked up Kael from her team house and went shopping at the Vineland Outlets. Kaeli bought a lot from the Nike Outlet, and then we went to the Under Armour store. On the way back, we picked up Dave’s Hot Chicken for lunch and met Jamison back at the condo. The chicken was really spicy hot! We went back to the condo and met up with Jameson. Then we sat around until Kaeli realized we needed to get dinner before returning her to the team house. We went to Ford’s Garage, but when we were ready to order, the server told us he didn’t think it would be ready in time, so Deanna and Kaeli got their food to go. Deanna drove Kaeli back to the team house, while we had dinner and visited with Jameson. Deanna came back to pick us up.

3/20
Today was Kaeli’s last game, and she won the game. We went back to the condo and met up with Jameson. We went back to the store to exchange Jameson’s shorts that Kaeli bought him for a different size. We stopped at Ford’s Garage again to have a more relaxing meal. In the evening, we watch March Madness basketball games.

3/21
When Deanna went to pick up Kaeli, we packed up our stuff and the car. When they returned, we spent a few hours at the pool, which was nice. Then we all went to Topgolf, where we met other softball players, a mom, and a granddad. It was fun to watch. Then it took forever to get Kaeli back to the team house. We hit a huge traffic jam entering the subdivision where her house was. We got back to our condo and finished packing up the car. Don went to bed early because we planned to get up early.

3/22
We were up at 3 am and left at 3:30 for South Carolina.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

The 1999 33¢ Celebrate the Century – 1970s: America Smiles stamp was part of a special U.S. Postal Service series called Celebrate the Century. This series included stamps from each decade of the 20th century to honor important people, events, and trends in American history. The “America Smiles” stamp shows the classic yellow smiley face that became very popular during the 1970s. People in that decade saw the smiley face everywhere, from buttons and T-shirts to mugs and signs, and it became a symbol of happiness and fun. The “America Smiles” stamp was issued on November 18, 1999, in New York and had a value of 33 cents, which was the regular U.S. postage rate at that time.

The 1970s sheet in the Celebrate the Century series included 15 stamps, each showing a different part of life from that decade, like disco music, Sesame Street, women’s rights, and yes—the smiling face. The

yellow smiley face became so famous that it wasn’t just on stamps; it was used on all kinds of products and even inspired people to think more about happiness and goodwill. The art for the stamps was done by Kazuhiko Sano and the sheets were printed by Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd. A lot of these stamps were made—about 90 million sheets—so many people could enjoy them.

Share a Smile Day happens each year on March 1. This day started in 1997 and encourages people to share smiles with others to spread happiness and kindness. Smiling has real benefits: it can make you and the people around you feel happier, reduce stress, and even help your health. So on March 1, 2026, you can take part by simply smiling at others and making someone’s day brighter—just like the cheerful smiley face celebrated on the 1999 stamp.

References:
Celebrate the Century 1970 stamps from the author's collection.
Stamp information from Celebrate the Century: 1970s – America Smiles and the Celebrate the Century series (USPS) (Mystic Stamp Company)
Share a Smile Day details (history and date for 2026) https://nationaltoday.com/share-a-smile-day/

Lake Worth Street Painting Festival

This weekend was the annual Lake Worth Street Painting Festival. I love going both days to see artists prepare their canvases on the street, and the second day, when artists’ finished art is on display or almost done. Online, it says the festival is from 10 -6, but we always go early to get a good parking space on the side street. We left at 8 am and got a parking space about 3 blocks from the festival. We go to Starbucks and get a frappuccino to cool off and take a break. We get to see everything before it gets too crowded. My favorite painting was the one of the little boy in the cardboard box.

Photos from the festival:

Day 1

Day 2

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Physical Therapy

Last year, I hurt my shoulder, and when I finally told the doctor in October, she recommended physical therapy. I knew that we were leaving for FL, so I said that I would wait until next April to start physical therapy.

In December, the pain was making me so miserable that my husband suggested that I see a specialist in FL, and so I did some research. I found a doctor in my “network” and had a good reputation. The reviews about him were good, and I saw that he was a consultant for the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals. I was surprised how quickly I was able to get an appointment with him. After examining me, he told me that I had rotator cuff tendonitis and I needed physical therapy. He also gave me a script for an MRI if the physical therapy didn’t help me. Then he gave me a list of recommended physical therapy centers.

I chose First Rehab, which is not too far from us. It had excellent reviews, and I liked the receptionist when I went in to ask questions. Again, I was able to get an appointment the next day. John was the person who evaluated me (he does this once a week) and came up with a treatment plan, but then Chris was the person who mainly worked on my shoulder. Chris had aides who assisted him, and sometimes there were four or five of us working out at the same time.

I feel like my shoulder has been healing. I’ve learned a lot about posture and how I should be walking and sitting. I have been trying to replicate some of the exercises at home when I can. It has been a slow process, and at times I feel impatient. I worry that it will ever feel normal again, and then remind myself how much better it is than it was in November.

Patience may be the key.

Photo by Yulissa Tagle on Unsplash