Thriving between a rock and a hard place.

   Early this afternoon, it was quite evident that the north wind has dried things a good bit.  The garden needed watering so I set out with the hose.  Well, one thing led to another and I wound up even watering the pathetic looking herbs.  They have all seen better days as they are waning.  But...I watered.  While watering the herbs, a bright red mushroom caught my attention.  It had grown between the bricks of the front steps and actually looked quite healthy.  I pondered how in the world that poor, little thing found enough nutrients to, not only survive, but thrive!  

  That pondering got me to sort of comparing that mushroom to the fine fix this nation has gotten itself into.  The powers that be are shooting prices out the ceiling with nothing more than indecisions and fighting among themselves.  Our ancestors are probably shaking their heads at the weakness we are showing the world.  Like that mushroom, we are now between a rock and a hard place and it is only going to get worse.  Also, like that mushroom, we need to make the best of it and survive....literally thrive.  It can be done with ingenuity and hard work but most are not willing to go that route....this already shows.

  Folks, get ready.  Things are going to get worse before they get any better.  That pendulum has to hit rock bottom before it starts making that upswing again.  I can only hope that everyone is heeding the warnings and taking some proactive steps.  Otherwise, there are going to be a lot of folks not making it out of that rock and a hard place.  They will be stuck.  

Time To Watch The Centipedes

   It is my habit to get up before dawn merely to have some "me time".  When the kids were still here, my whole time was spent doing for them.  That "me time" was nonexistent if I went by the standard idea of sleeping late.  So, the habit stuck and here I am in my old age still rising at 4am.  Old habits die hard.  But, the time spent by myself is always some of the most interesting and satisfying of the day.  It is then that I can ponder things uninterrupted.  It is also then that I can visit my critter friends without receiving looks of disdain.

  It was one of those "friends" that made me pause for a good ten minutes or so at the crack of dawn.  My wanderings had taken me around back of the house.  That path falls close to the old chimney at one point.  The bricks of the chimney, itself, are rather neat as they are now covered with soft, green mosses.  It is not good for the bricks but it sure is mighty pretty.  Seeing the moss is always a cause for pause to study the designs woven in the crevices.  That is where I found my "friend".  A tiny centipede was so busy hunting its breakfast among the moss mounds that it was oblivious to my presence.  I was able to photograph the critter at my leisure as it stayed on the mosses for quite some time.  In and out!  In and out!  The tiny centipede poked its face in every nook and cranny.  Occasionally, it would find an ant.  It would only stop long enough to devour the insect before restarting its search.

  It is times like that moment that I cherish.  Had anyone been with me as I traipsed the hillside, I am sure my centipede visit would not have been so lingering.  Not many folks tend to take an interest in such oddities.  I do.  I revel in each find and want to soak it all in before I am not able to do this any more.  Time is short, my friends.  Enjoy it while you can.  Take the time to smell those roses or watch the centipedes.  Take the time for you.

The Owl In The Wall

 The ongoing work to repair the leaky roof and damaged wall is continuing.  Right now, heat lamps are drying the wood so that mold will not grow.  This leaves the exposed brick of the old fireplace in full view.  It is sad to say that I sort of like it this way.  I am sure that come November (post Halloween), I will see things with a different eye but, for now, I find this far too interesting...so much so that I posted a photo on social media.  I wanted to get an idea if others saw what I did.  There is an owl in my wall!  So, maybe this is not a living owl and maybe you have to have a good imagination but there is definitely an owl staring back at me each time I walk through the dining room.  The consensus was, indeed, an owl resided there but, not only an owl, but a whole host of other entities!  I was excited as folks started pointing out other beings.  

  It seems there is a whole following of people who actually spend hours just looking at images to find "hidden" things in them.  I find this intriguing!  How neat is it to see things in a different view?  To be able to view an ordinary photograph and pick out "unseen" items is pretty thought provoking, to say the least.  I sort of want to start taking random photographs just to see if anything "jumps" out at me!  

  It almost saddens me that after a few more days, my owl, a frog on the lily pad, a hairy ghost, a smirking lizard and a few other "faces" will be hidden from view.  Once Son repairs the water damage, my "friends" will be out of sight...not gone...just out of sight.  Goodbye, Wall Friends!

Like a Ton of Bricks!

  Yep, the title speaks of a truth.  A ton of bricks (or at least it seemed that much) were hauled from one side of the yard to the other.  My son, Michael, is laying bricks as a floor in the greenhouse that he built. These will not be mortared in but rather "sanded" meaning that after he gets them positioned he will pour sand over them and sweep it into the cracks.  Easy-peasy!  Not so.  Hauling these suckers from the west side to the east side of the yard was no simple task.  Since there is no clear path to where we needed the bricks, the truck was most useless. To add to the difficulty of the job, most of the bricks were embedded in dirt from a previous project.  Each one had to be dug out of the ground, loaded into the wheelbarrow and then shoved around to the greenhouse.  We opted to take them the long way around as the short-as the crow flies-path would take us up a steep grassy (and slippery) hill.  At least the other way was more or less level.  

  The digging and loading of bricks was partly my job.  Michael was busy leveling the dirt inside the greenhouse.  Whenever I had the wheelbarrow loaded, he would come to shove it around back.  This job was one that I did not want!  Balancing several hundred pounds of bricks does not seem to be a favorable chore to me!  Between the two of us, we put the wheelbarrow's iron wheel to the test!  (I am happy to say, it survived!)

  The moving would not have been quite so bad if not for the myriad of critters lurking in amongst the bricks.  Spiders and ants, in particular, seem to love having brick homes.  Each brick had to be inspected before picking it up or we would grasp ahold to a lovely (and biting) bug!  

   This chore is now complete and, in the morning, the floor design shall begin.  I can hardly wait as this is the final touch to the greenhouse!  It will be finished just in time for the winter and my plants will have a nice, toasty-warm place to protect them from the frigid air!  I am already dreaming of greenhouse peppers and perhaps a squash or two!  

Against all odds...

Have you ever noticed how some things just seem to survive no matter what is thrown at them? Life should be virtually impossible and yet they flourish. What is the deal with that? I am referring to some ferns that have decided to grow on the side of the brick chimney although this could apply to some people as well. There are only tiny cracks where their roots have embedded themselves..no soil..no water..nothing to nourish the plant. How in the world are they growing? I baby plants in the garden. I give them fertilizer and water..I keep them relatively weeded..and keep the ground loosened but sometimes they still struggle. No matter how I try to help these plants nothing seems to encourage them to grow. Then there are these ferns, clinging to the bricks and to life. Determination has to play a huge part in their existence otherwise I am quite sure they would have withered away by now. Les Brown once said "Change is difficult but often essential to survival." I suppose these ferns knew that to survive they needed to change..they needed to adapt to their surroundings. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from these small plants..we need to adapt to our surroundings. We can flourish if we learn to use what we are given and use it to the best of our abilities. Adapt, learn and grow.. something that is hard for many of us that are so set in our ways.

As I wandered around the yard this evening, I had to laugh at something that caught my eye. Years ago, I had picked up a small toy that was a remnant of hurricane debris. This particular toy was a little, plastic doll of some sort. I brushed it off and set it on a fence post with the idea of eventually cleaning it and finding a home for it. It was a cute little thing. Today, I found it again..still on the same fence post..only now it was completely encased in a mesh of rose vines. The poor little doll appeared to be trapped! I started to rescue her but then a thought..she had survived the worst hurricane to hit here and went on to live quite happily on a fence post for about four years. There she stayed through rain, sleet and wind..not to mention several tropical storms and a couple of minor hurricanes. She is a survivor..a staunch, determined survivor! Perhaps that is exactly where she should stay as a delightful little reminder of perseverance..of survival.