Red "Texas Star" Morning?

   I am one of those odd people who finds beauty in most everything around the Bayou.  For a while, it seemed as if the whole world had gone to pot and it was extremely hard to "look on the bright side".  Then, it came to me that dire outlook had to change and it was entirely up to me to change it.  So...I started finding beauty in the most mundane things just to prove to myself that whatever happens outside of my realm of the Bayou, it is not my concern.  Only what is here should be of importance since I cannot change the world but I can change myself.  Now, I make a point of seeking out what others deem as "everyday" blah and I search for happiness.  It is there.

  For instance, the other morning, there was an amazing sunrise.  While most folks will admit to the wonders of the sunlit horizon (if they are awake at that early time), not many seek how the red sky has an effect on other things.  In the garden there is a shepherd's hook that holds windchimes.  Mark brought this home from a tractor place several years ago and it has been quite useful.  I am not sure why he chose to bring a star (which looks mightily like the "Texas Star" emblem to me) but it fits right in with the mishmash of other oddities around the place.  I had just come up from the pier and plopped down on the front steps to retie my shoe when I noticed the star.  Wow!  The red sky was an amazing backdrop for the blackness of the still night shaded garden and the star!  That is lovely, I thought and had to photograph it!

  Ok, so now you get the idea of how I have rerouted my thoughts to find a bit of joy wherever it is dropped.  A purple wildflower, a dew bedecked spiderweb, a bright green treefrog or even a star lit by a rosy sunrise, there is always something worth my focus.  Folks, life is good regardless of what the outside world is doing.  People are people and will never come to terms with "how life is treating them" so I say..."Change the way you feel and find your own happiness wherever it is.  Life will only "treat" you as you treat it."  Be happy.

Only Ten Minutes

   Have you ever stopped to think just how quickly things can change?  In a matter of moments, things can bounce from one extreme to the other and sometimes back again.  While we have a tendency to think things pretty much remain as they are, nothing stays the same for long.  Life is that way.  Better enjoy the moments as they are and not fret over what may be as it can flip-flop around so fast your head will spin!

  As proof of how things can quickly do turnarounds, compare the two photographs.  The first one was taken when I arrived at the pier early this morning.  There was an odd haze obscuring the view.  The sun was blocked by clouds but looking southward down the pier, the entire Bay seemed to be a blur.  It was an odd haze which almost appeared to be smoky...maybe?  As I waited, the haze started lifting.  Ten minutes after arriving on the pier, everything was crystal clear.  Thick clouds still hung in the sky but the golden-hued haze had totally disappeared.  Odd...very odd.  It only takes a few moments, folks, for things to reverse themselves.  

The Change

  Well, now!  That is a change!  I was recently bemoaning the fact that we had no winter, so to speak, then last night, Mother Nature decided to intervene on my behalf.  I awoke to nigh on freezing temperatures!  This did, indeed, pleased me...for the most part.  Other than the fact that I had to make multiple trips out to the woodpile to stoke the old stove, I thoroughly enjoyed the coziness of the Little Bayou House.  The old wood-burning stoves both chugged along happily and kept the place toasty warm.

  This morning, sitting in the comfy rocking chair while sipping my mug of hot coffee, it occurred to me that I would probably not enjoy having the "luxury" of central heating.  I NEED that comfort of watching the flames in the fireplace regardless of the extra work of gathering, splitting and hauling the firewood.  There is something mighty soothing about watching the flames flicker and hearing the fire crackle.  

  Of the two wood-burning stoves in the Little Bayou House, the parlor stove is my favorite.  This tiny cast iron stove was made in Florence, Alabama way back in 1871 and is still in perfect shape!  This stove allows me to remove the front grate so I can enjoy viewing the flames.  The other is enclosed. It warms but the visual aesthetics are missing.  My uncle gave us the stove before he moved from the Coast to live near his daughter in Missouri.  My oldest son was helping Uncle Alfred move some stuff around before his move when they came across the old stove.   It had been stored under the house for years and when Mark found it, Uncle  Alfred said  "Ooooh!  Get that thing out from under there and take it home!  That thing is still good!"  Piece by piece the iron stove was hauled to our house.   My uncle then came to tell us how to put it all back together again.  As a gift, this was amazing.  I cherish it even more since it came from my uncle!  Each time I light the fire, thoughts of our visits and, later, our phone calls, come to mind.  

  All of these happy thoughts and sweet memories came flooding in all due to a change in the weather.  Yep.  This kind of change is good!

Welcome Autumn!

  Autumn...of all the seasons, I do believe this may be a favorite...at least until winter.  Then, Winter...I think winter may be my favorite.  And so on...Perhaps, I need a change and the seasons provide that.  Here lately, however, there has not been that much change in the weather to merit a change in the seasons.  We have rain...daily rains that keep things soggy, smelling a tad musty and making outside slippery.  I do not complain, though, since I do love the rain.  Still, it is time for a change...so Dear Autumn, I am glad you are here.

  With fall comes the annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  Usually by this time, the Little Bayou House is adorned in some weird getup that coincides with the hunt.  I am behind schedule and nothing is ready.  There have been too many interruptions for me to complete anything.  The entryway (being the smallest room in the house) has been decorated somewhat.  It was the easier to do since each room of the hunt was to have a different color theme.  The entryway was orange!  Well, hello!!  Orange and Halloween go hand in hand for me so the decorations demanded to be "pre-Halloween"!  Fall decorations that can easily accept the Jack-O-Lanterns that will come in a few weeks!  This afternoon, as I was saying goodbye to my son-in-law after a short visit, a vision of loveliness greeted me.  Earlier, I had placed an old earthenware jug full of fall flowers and twigs on the window ledge.  When I turned to lock the screen door, the arrangement looked especially pretty.  With a backdrop of a rainy sky through the windowpanes, the oranges and browns of the arrangement seemed to literally be glowing.  This splash of color was a far cry from the plant cuttings being rooted in an old canning jar that are usually on this ledge.  The flowers were bright and happy and just screamed fall!  I needed that. Welcome, Autumn.  I am glad you have come to visit.