Just Another Leaf

  Late this afternoon, I was out doing a bit of hiking while checking to see just what needed to be done to prepare for the possible hurricane.  I figure I had better get a jump on things even this early in the game.  With Son's knee still not in the best condition, he will have to do some of the indoor chores and let me handle the outdoors.  Life did get a whole lot easier today since Mark is back home from his job and will be here to handle the difficult stuff.  (What a huge blessing!)  I did do a few small things as I hiked such as bringing in the bottles from the bottletree and taking up the bird feeders.  The poor birds will just have to scavenge on the ground for their seeds for the next few days.  Tomorrow will see me in full swing.  The grass will be mowed, all of the lawn furniture stowed away, the greenhouse secured and any remaining fruit or vegetables will be picked.

  While down near the persimmon tree, I spied a mass of wild grapevines. Perhaps these had a few grapes leftover from the scavenging coons. Those rascals devoured the Muscadines and Scuppernongs before I could pick them.  The day after their raid, I managed to only get one quart of grapes from the entire arbor.  Perhaps a few Fox or Possum grapes remained on the wild vines and I could add those to my stash.  I eased down through the palmettos.  A careful watch was needed so I would not inadvertently step on a cottonmouth.  No grapes are worth that pain!  But, sad to say, the coons beat me to the wild grapes also.  

  As I turned to leave, I noticed someone hiding in amongst the grape leaves!  A sweet yellow butterfly was trying to find a safe place to spend the night.  Its bright yellow coloring would be sure to stand out against any dark foliage but the grape leaves were already yellowing with age. The butterfly's habit of danging from a twig with wings folded was the perfect camouflage.  It moved once as I stepped in closer to get a photograph but then settled back in for the night. I think it knew that I meant it no harm.  

  With the threat of a hurricane bearing down on us, preparations are a priority.  Since a sure storm path is never a reality, it is wise to fall back on that old saying of "better to be safe than sorry."  I will be busy for the next few days "just in case".  If the storm does decide to move away from this area, I will chalk my efforts up to "being ahead of the game with the week's work". While doing my chores, I am sure that I will run across many more critters seeking shelter or searching for food.  It always makes me wonder just how they survive during hurricanes.  Wish I could lend a helping hand.

****My, oh, my!  It is amazing how things can change in just a matter of hours!  We were watching what was said to be a 80% chance of a hurricane coming our way and that has now been change to a 0% chance!   Two hours after posting the above, I am here editing that everything is looking good! Yippee!