Resting on the deck, question

The weather was warm enough to sit outside on the deck enjoying the improved view since Gary's giant butterfly bush was felled in a storm.

I can now see birds I could only hear before, including a pair of goldfinches, the male in bright yellow breeding plumage, and robins bobbing around.

I wasn't able to sit and watch and read long, after I swept the debris the landscapers had blown onto my deck in their leaf clearing efforts.  I noticed these white globes on a string in the Japanese maple tree. 

*Can anyone identify them? My books don't tell and online it's mostly how to eradicate spiders, which I don't plan to. I've seen these appearing for several years now and haven't noticed any damage to the tree. But I'd like to know.

You can see the white spinnerets they're hanging from. The globes are tiny, each a few millimeters across.  I'm thinking spiders because of the lines but maybe not.

*Later ed  note: several knowledgeable people on another platform suggest it's the basilica orb weaver spider, which I'm happy about. They'll catch insects including biting ones in their webs. It's all good.

Seeking never stops. Happy day everyone. 

I read online a "cure" for coughing -- cover your mouth and decide not to. Hello?

Anyway cough on if you need to!