Surprise!

  I admit that I have been a bit lax in doing my yardwork and gardening as of late.  What with the Second Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou drawing near, all my thoughts are occupied with Edgar Allan Poe.  He seems to be quite the interesting fellow and demands a good bit of my time. But as I said, the gardens are taking a beating from my inattention.  There is one garden back near the canebrake that usually is reserved for hot peppers but since those are long gone, we are growing a healthy crop of weeds.  In all fairness, my son, Michael, and I did do a bit of weeding a couple of weeks ago, but that is not even apparent any longer.  Weeds are knee high and spreading their tiny weed-seeds about with happy abandon.

  While out and about the other day, I was fully surprised to see that one garden plant had survived the onslaught of weeds.  In the midst of the ironweeds, ragweeds and crabgrass, a lone gourd plant wound its way toward the compost.  On the very end of the vine sat a lovely round gourd.  It is a nice size and shape for my artwork and will be hauled indoors once it matures.  Gourds are left on the vine until the vine, itself, dies and the gourd becomes quite hard.  

  The discovery of the gourd gives me an idea for next spring.  If this one gourd survived even with the attack of weeds, perhaps I should toss a few more seeds in this garden.  Free art mediums are always handy!