Missing Aunt Helen....

   Somewhere down the line, Aunt Helen must have really made a great impression on me.  She had the ability to see beauty in even the most mundane of things, lived her life with a great deal of imagination and simply being authentic all the while being spontaneous and a bit quirky.  If something appealed to her, it was worked into her life without worry that others would sneer at her.  She wore flowers in her hair, used herbs and decorated her place with color, gardens and things from the past.  She pretty much "invented" that "Cottagecore" lifestyle about a half century before it even was given a name.   To say Aunt Helen left an indelible mark on my life is an understatement.  This is coming more apparent as I age and give up trying to meet the approval of others.  

  The Little Bayou House has slowly undergone a change from meeting the needs of my kids entertaining their friends to being all out eccentric.  If something appeals to me, it is added to the decor.  Granted everything has to be functional but a bit of quirkiness is the drawing card.  Folks realize this and often gift oddities to me.  "This was great aunt's teacup.  I hate to just throw it away but it does not fit with my place." or "Grandpa had this for years but I have no idea what it is."  Yep, Great Aunt's teacup and Grandpa's plumb bob have found a home.

  All of this influence came flooding over me recently as I sat in my great-grandmother's rocking chair just reminiscing over times past.  Things spilled from the cobwebbed corners of my brain where they have been stored just waiting for the opportune moment to bring a smile.  Thoughts of Aunt Helen soon took over and the heart filled to the brim with the special moments that I was able to spend with her.  These visits were far and few in between since she did not live nearby and was often halfway around the world but our connection remained even into adulthood.  I miss her greatly.

Quirkiness in full swing!

   To be honest, it has taken more days than I wanted to take down the Christmas decorations even though not nearly as many were in place as in years past.  The holidays came and went with little fanfare other than the delightful visit of my oldest son, daughter-in-law and grandkids.  If I could have had them here without all of the hullabaloo, things would have been far more perfect.  Still, I did what was expected and, albeit, minimal, the place was decorated.  Then...the virus struck (or was brought to us) and I endured 8 days of fever.  I had no other symptoms...Son (younger) was not so lucky.  He ran the full gamut of symptoms so taking down decorations was solely up to me.  

  It was while I was on a ladder removing garland that a thought occurred.  I was musing how happy it was to bring the Little Bayou House back to its mysterious, magical place when the mind began to wander to those who have stark, vacant homes.  I could not live that way.  White walls, few (if any) decor pieces, and always matching furniture has to be boring.  To my way of thinking, it would remind me of living in an institution where all points of interest have been removed.  There is nothing to stir the mind.  My mismatched conglomeration of oddities evokes curiosity.  In turn, curiosity evokes creativity and creativity brings productivity.  If you cannot lead a productive life then what is it worth? 

  Granted, each of us have our own ideas of how things should be and none of us are wrong.  The only "wrong" thing is when others try to force their ideas down your throat by either bombarding you with unwanted advice or by trying intimidation to achieve their goal.  Thank you very much but...no, thank you.  The Little Bayou House shall remain a "house of curiosities" where the weird and wonderful things come to reside and be appreciated.  In fact, I have often been dubbed as the "Keeper of Weird and Wonderful Things" and I happily accept that title.  If that bothers others...so be it.  You keep being you and I shall keep being me...quirky, curious, creative and productive...all of those things that go hand in hand.  I refuse to live a bland, stark life to please anyone!

Ten Things Learned From A Purple Chair

   It is no secret that the Little Bayou House is quirky which means...I am quirky.  I have been called everything from weird to eccentric and I have to admit, they all fit.  But...that is me and I need no one else's approval.  At this fine age, I am fully allowed to just be me.  

  The other morning it dawned on me that the two thrifted glider rockers that sit among the other odd pieces of furniture were in dire need of some help.  Both were decked out in the lovely off-white fabric that was so popular when the chairs were originally sold.  The chairs were grimy looking and just not the right "era" for my mindset.  In their favor, they were super comfortable so something had to be done to salvage them if possible.  Out came the only fabric that I had on hand and some tools.  I recovered both chairs turning the once lightly padded rockers into upholstered rockers.  I could not be happier with the results.  The workmanship with arthritic hands may not be the best but the chairs "fit" now.  Son dubbed me as the "Glider Rocker Purplizer" for my efforts since the only fabric I had on hand was a lovely shade of purple!.  (Could be worse, I supposed.)  I did learn a number of things with the onset of the task.

1.  Never let fear of failure impede your dreams.  You can always began anew.  If fear was a logical emotion we would never learn to walk, talk or anything else as a child.  Fear is only there to  stir the adrenalin and make us strive harder.

2.  Do not procrastinate!  If you want something done...just do it.  Do not wait for others because it will most likely never happen. Just do it.

3.  Purple is a lovely color for anything.  It evokes a  sense of calmness yet a sense of the mysterious.  It also "goes" with just about anything given the circumstances.  

4.  Let your inner weirdness free and do whatever makes you happy.  One friend said she had purple porch furniture but had to change it because her husband did not like it.  Why?  I figure if I am the one doing the work, I should be able to do whatever it is I wish.  (Just a note here, Mark loves the chairs!)

5.  Glue guns are friends.  Staple guns are not.  At least in my case, the first was much easier and held things in place until the fabric could be permanently secured.  The staple gun wreaked havoc on the poor hand and the staples did not hold.

6.  At the same time, glue guns can be EVIL!  Aside from the obvious burnt fingers, I will be pulling glue strings for the next ten years.  Everything from the chairs to my hair have a gossamer webbing.

7.  Don't let your brain convince you that some projects can be done in a "couple of hours".  At least, plan on a few days.

8.  Take breaks from any task to rejuvenate that first enthusiasm.  The project will go much smoother.

9.  Have the patience of a saint.  You will need it.

10. Once complete, pat yourself on the back and tell yourself "Job well done." Then...sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Remember...YOU did this.  YOU set a goal and achieved it.  

  While purple rockers are not everybody's choice of furniture pieces, they are mine.  Before setting to the reupholstering, I checked around to see if new chairs could be reasonably purchased.  Nope.  I refuse to pay up to $250 for single chair. (Yep, purple chairs highly similar to these are expensive!) Since my chairs were both thrifted ($15 and $20) and the fabric was free, the major cost was glue sticks, time and patience.  For less than $50 I now have two chairs that bring a smile to my face and a sense of satisfaction to the soul.  They fit the Little Bayou House and me perfectly...all of us are a tad unconventional.  

Misconceptions?

   It fully befuddles me how the brain works or, at least, how my brain works.  I see things in a totally different way than most folks.  Perhaps, this is due to the time spent in solitude where I can ponder things without the interruptions of the world happenings.  This solitude, even self-inflicted (such as mine), is wondrous once you get accustomed to it.  Pondering is equally wondrous.  Still, there are times when others brains and their thinkings purely bemuse me.

  Others often see me as eccentric or even downright odd and I am quite ok with that.  Still, there is no obvious reason to overthink that I am anything but myself.  I am eccentric but that is not necessarily a reason to jump to conclusions.  All of this leads to the bemusing part simply because of an odd arrangement of items on the old woodburning stove.  The stove (when not in use) is a convenient "catch-all".  The top is sturdy cast-iron so it can withstand even heavy items being placed on it.  This time, however, nothing was heavy just an  melange of knickknacks that reached that handy spot as I was cleaning the shelves.  

 "You really should not be doing this!  You are going to get into things that are evil!"  Well, now!  I am all for not cleaning but I had to wonder how this was going to bring the forces of evil upon me???  Then...a fit of giggles as I realized that my hodgepodge was misconstrued as a perfected arrangement. I suppose I am now an enchantress?  Awesomeness!  The "brains" of the world will never cease to bewilder.  Selective perception totally blocked out any reasonable explanation.

  In all fairness, my living room is kept quite dark with only a few small funky lamps and an oil warmer going at any given time.  Perhaps the lighting lent a mysterious aura to my pile of junk?  By the harsh glare of overhead lights, the old stovetop look just like it actually is...a mess...nothing magical...nothing mysterious...nothing but a pile of junk waiting to be put back the shelf or stowed in a closet until the next clue hunt calls for props.  I do think it looks a little more offbeat without the overhead lights which may be why I hate using them!   

Just Because...Embracing The Weirdness

   I am at that age where I do things that suit me and not others.  Rather, I have come to realize at this late age that this is something we all should be doing.  The world has far too many ideas of what is "proper" or "accepted".  In "my" world, those have been tossed to the wayside.  Don't get me wrong on this as I am not referring to moral rights and wrongs but rather in our personal tastes...how we dress, how we decorate our homes, what we keep, what we discard, who we allow in our lives and who we decide are weighing us down.  It seems as if even those things are being decided for us which is something we should not allow.  How we live is no one else's business and we should keep it that way.  So...I am doing things "my way" and ignoring others opinions.

  Over the years, the Little Bayou House has been decorated in numerous ways to suit everyone but me.  I have taken in consideration how others see the place and how I would be judged if something was deemed odd.  Well, I am odd.  I admit to being a tad eccentric and a lot eclectic.  Let's face it...I am weird.  That said, I am embracing that weirdness as I follow the advice given to me years ago by one of Son's friends back when they were teenagers.  "Embrace your weirdness.  That is why we like you," he told me one time when I was feeling particularly down.  (By "we", he was referring to the others in a group of teenagers that were always at the place.) So, gradually I began to do just that.  The Little Bayou House (and I) have evolved into an anomalous entity full of color, oddities and moonbeams.  It suits me.

  Today, shelves were installed in front of some of the east-facing windows to showcase collections of colored glass pieces that have been stashed in cupboards.  Soon, the same will be done with the west-facing windows so the rising and setting of the sun can throw splashes of color about the room.  Mixed in with the glass will be numerous prisms and crystals so the walls will be of dancing rainbows.  It will be a magical mix of light and darkness and will be a happy place.

  Why?  Just because.  Why?  Just because we each need to express our individualism without worry that others will look down upon us.  That is something that is far too common and it is ridiculous to wait any longer to break free from the stigma of being different.  Let that difference glow...embrace your weirdness.

Flowerpot Alien

   Living as I do is not for everyone but, then, I am not like everyone.  In fact, I am far different than most as I prefer my solitude over having to deal with the drama of the world.  Going places has become too much effort so I stay.  Others call me eccentric but I have to admit it is those eccentricities that calm my soul.  My little bayou is my sanity.  Let me roam the swamps, sit on the pier or dig in the Small Gardens and I am one happy camper.

  Speaking of digging in the gardens, this morning as I was hilling the tomatoes, I found an odd-looking thing in the soil.  It looked mightily like some weird alien with sprawling legs and one huge eye!  Ok, so the imagination has a way of running amok at times!  This was obviously a seed of some sort that has started to sprout...but what?  It is unlike anything I planted!  Granted, I hauled nigh on 40 wheelbarrows of mulch from down the hillside so it could be anything...from anywhere since said mulch was ground from hurricane debris. 

  Well, since the seed had decided to start life in the midst of the tomato patch, there was nothing to do but move it to a better place.  The seed was potted and put on the herb shelf arbor.  There, it will stay until it can be fully identified.  If it is a "safe" plant, it will be allowed to grow but, if it is yet another highly invasive thing that washed in on the tide waters, I am not sure it should have that chance.  The place is already teeming with rattlebox, Florida betony and cogon grass that came from parts unknown.  I really do not need to have yet another fast-spreading weed occupy my gardens!  For now the "alien" will remain captive in its tiny flowerpot!

A Table Lamp Is Born!

   In an earlier post, I mentioned the broken chandelier parts that my brother had given to me.  Whenever he finds anything a bit out of the ordinary, he immediately thinks of me and the Little Bayou House.  Yep, the house and I are both a bit eccentric and eclectic so broken chandeliers fit right in with our "style" or lack of it.  The house, being decorated by me, has no say in its contents so I feel free to be as whimsical, weird or aberrant as I wish to be.  It is funny because the two menfolk that live here (husband and son) have grown so accustomed to the oddities that they do not question anything...ANYTHING!  Then again, I am not sure they even notice.  Men are like that sometimes.  Just block it out if it does not seem normal...I am not normal.  I do not wish to be normal.  Normal is boring.

  Anyway, I took to tinkering with the chandelier parts once I had them totally cleaned.  Knowing that I really had no place to hang yet another odd lighting feature, it seemed only natural to make a table lamp.  Yeah, well, that meant putting top parts on the bottom and bottom parts on the top and then adding a few things from other projects or from the stash of "maybe useful things".  None of the actual light fixture was included in the gift so that had to be purchased.  I will take the time to say stringing wire through those skinny arms to where the fake candle was to sit, was no fun.  Literally, hours were spent trying to fish a wire through a metal arm that obviously had nooks and crannies along the interior.  That just about made me change my mind on this whole project.  Once the wires were in place and the whole thing wired into working order, the fun began.  I needed to find some sort of "cover" for the wired parts. Not wanting white "candles" (too easy to cut plastic pipe...I had to be difficult), I found that some solar light stakes (from the aforementioned stash) fit perfectly! So...metal stakes were cut to become some really funky "candles".  Then...shades! Those lights needed shades!  Again, I dug through the stash box and, again, some old solar lights seemed to be perfect for the job.  Well...sort of...maybe. This involved using a small rotary saw to cut of the bottom of the light shield so I could turn it upside down to be used as a shade.  The shades were made with a stained glass look so they added a bit of charm to the reconstructed lamp. 

  All that is left is to order some more crystals for the light (what proper chandelier turned table lamp would be barren of crystals?) and stain the wood base that was added to give the light some height.  Now, my broken chandelier can glow in all its newfound glory in the midst of dusty old books, antique clocks and some very nice Victorian furniture that I acquired by accident (or on purpose!).  I am beginning to think I was born in the wrong era...or perhaps the free spirit in me has finally truly decided to show its face.  I know it will not appeal to most others but "most others" can keep their opinions to themselves. Like I said earlier...normal is boring. Personally, I could not be happier! Glow on, revamped light. Cast your sparkles about the place like pixie dust.  You are magical.

Compilation of Traits?

   This morning, the time-change thing sort of discombobulated the brain.  Once I went to bed last night, I awoke five different times thinking it was time to rise.  Normally, I do not go by the time a clock says even though I have a wall full of ticking timepieces.  The collection of antique clocks is a passion but being consistent is not.  Finally, I just gave up trying to go in a deep sleep, got up and made a pot of coffee.  (Yes, I still prefer fresh brewed coffee over this quick colored water that has no semblance whatsoever to the real stuff.)  Then, I had to wait until the sun rose up over the pines before heading out to the pier.  Once there, I was amazed at the brightness of the sun's reflection on the strip of mudflats exposed by the low tide.  The brilliance almost hurt the eyes!  The winding glow started me thinking of how nice it is to be living on the water.  Being a Pisces, I guess it comes naturally.  Before bed last night, I was reading several "lists" of attributes of a Pisces and most hit home.   Below is a compilation of fifteen things found in the personality of a Pisces.   I love the first one...(truth!) but this whole list is pretty much me in a nutshell.

1.  You are drawn to water and feel most at peace when in nature.

2.  You find beauty where others cannot and seek inspiration from everything.

3.  You do not do well in a highly-constructed life.

4.  You are creative and imaginative and are happiest when absorbed in a project.

5.  You are eccentric and others might view your life as strange.

6.  You are crazily intuitive and can sense things before they occur.  

7.  You rely on gut reactions to making decisions.

8.  You are laid-back and do not get too hung up on details.

9.  You do not hold grudges but rather forgive and walk away.

10.  You go into self-preservation mode when things get tough.  

11.  You have a soothing, calming presence.

12.  You always try to look for the best in people and things.

13.  You are in tune with the environment and notice things that others often miss.

14.  You can live in a fantasy world but often make it into a reality.

15.  You feel things deeply and often have a ton of different emotions all at the same time.

     Being drawn to the water is a natural thing for me but I am also drawn to the depths of swamps and mires.  The beauty there is often unseen by many.  It has often been said that I march to the beat of a different drummer where there is no rhythm which I suppose is true.  My life leads where it may and, as long as that landing spot is peaceful, I am happy.  Lots of pondering going on while waiting of the inner clock to regulate to the actual time!

She Is Unique...

  Ms. Nycto is the strangest cat that we have ever rescued.  She came to the Bayou a few years back as a "throwaway pet".  (Don't get me started on how I feel about people who dump their pets out like trash...ugh!) She was extremely malnourished, flea infested and matted.   It took a week of coaxing before we could ever gain her trust.  Poor baby.  Now, she has established herself as "Princess of the Bayou" and reigns as supreme only under Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

  Still, she is strange.  I have never known a cat that loves rain, sleeps belly up while in the rain and does not hunt.  She also has an habit of choosing odd snoozing spots.  I never know where I will find her. One of her favorite spots is the porch railing.  This is not too weird except for the fact that she straddles the rail. Her legs dangle on either side of the board with her tail twitching back and forth on either side.  She will sleep for hours like this....rain or shine....day or night.  So far, I have not seen her lose her balance and take a tumble.

  Even with her quirkiness, Ms. Nycto fits in quite well here on the Bayou. With all beings, I have found that eccentricities make each of us unique and that is a good thing.  Ms. Nycto is definitely unique and, yep, I wouldn't have it any other way.