The Bamboo House

  Sometimes you just have to worry a bit about the wild critters that are out in the inclement weather.  We are constantly reminded to bring our pets indoors or at least give them adequate shelter and a warming meal.  The poor wild critters just have to wing it and survive on their own without help.  While we can be well-meaning and put out birdseed and fresh water, most critters have to scrounge about for sustenance. This can be difficult and many wild creatures do not have the strength to survive.  Many perish during winter's harshest days.  

  I was pondering this fact, today, while I was out and about the hillside. Sure, our weather is not nearly as hostile as our neighbors to the north but it does get a tad chilly here.  With some pretty strong winds as of late, the temperatures feel a lot colder than usual.  My critter friends have to be shivering!  As I headed to the back by the canebrake, a few of the birds answered my question without saying a word.  A noise made me realize that dozens, if not more, of birds were seeking shelter in among the midst of the bamboo.  In the lower sections near the roots, mice and smaller mammals were nestled.  The intertwined canes provided a great wind-block and the natural mulch gave off a desirable warmth. It was like a bamboo house! These critters were snug as a bug! (Which, I am sure, bugs were in there as well!)  A lot of the other animals are bedded down in dens dug deep in the ground and in hollow logs.  Others seek shelter in nests made in trees.  Why!  Even the wrens are happily warm in the greenhouse!  It seems that wild critters are smart enough to seek their own shelters.  We have just mollycoddled our pets to the point that they cannot survive on their own, if need be. Don't get me wrong.  My pets are inside.  The Bayou Queen makes her way upstairs to sleep on the huge bed in the guest room.  That cat knows her place!  Ms. Ez, the old Bayou Dog, has a cushy bed near the wood burning stove and Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess sleeps on the foot of my bed.  (Cats seem to prefer human beds!)  I do worry, though, about Ms. Ez and Ms. Nycto's survival instincts.  These two have been spoiled to the point that they would never make it even a short time out on their own. (Ms. Put, the Queen, has already proven her skills.  I do believe that cat is far smarter than the other two furry family members.)

  After discovering the community of critters living in the canebrake, I decided to put out a heftier amount of birdseed and stale bread. Between the feeders and the compost pile (which is replenished daily.), perhaps my wild friends can find this cold spell a bit easier.  Stay warm, my friends, stay warm in your Little Bamboo House!