Sun-dappled Turtle

   There are so many things that simply marvel me about nature.  Just the everyday happenings that most folks never notice are astounding to my way of thinking.  A butterfly crawling from its chrysalis, an alligator lying in wait for breakfast,  the night-blooming cereus bud opening...are all miraculous wonders.  My only sad part is that the camera is still on the blink.  It is hard to get good photographs when the goofy thing only works occasionally.  I suppose taking it on hikes during rainstorms has greatly diminished its capabilities.  What invigorates me, hampers the functioning of electronics...so it seems.

  Early this morning, I did not dare venture down to the pier.  Lightning bounced around on the Bay making it a bit scary to be a "sitting duck".  I did slip out to the Small Gardens just to breathe.  It is there that I can truly find the feeling of being alive.  While there, I heard a slight crunch of something stepping on the gravel in Pebble Creek (the glorified drain from the house eaves).  This 50ft long running "creek" that ends in Puddle Pond is a never-ending source of interest as critters love the place.  This morning's visitor was a box turtle.  I quietly chose a spot under the Curcumin leaves so I could be a bit sheltered from the drizzly rain as I visited my friend.  These 5ft tall plants with the huge leaves directed the water droplets away from me and down into the gravel.   As soon as I settled into my little spot, the sun burst through the clouds and dappled Pebble Creek and the turtle in a glorious array of sun splotches!  This was turning into one of the nicest mornings ever!

 

  I watched as the turtle grubbled around in the gravel.  Hmm?  It was after something but what?  My answer soon came as the turtle pulled out a fat earthworm!  Imagine that!  There were earthworms under the gravel IN the two inches of water!  The turtle happily munched the worm and started searching again.  How wonderful that the turtle was smart enough to search here.  Being able to watch my friend fill her belly made the morning a bit happier for me.  Rain storms or sun-dappled turtles, the Small Gardens abound in wonders.

Good Day For A Nap!

  Early this morning, I made a mad dash to the pier between rain showers.  I figured if I was going to be cooped up all day, I may as well chance at least a tiny bit of freedom!  As I headed to the pier, I noticed a bird at the very end.  Ok?  So the bird looked a tad strange.  From what I could see, it was black and sort of hunched over like it was ill.  Well, there was nothing to do but check on this friend even though there was not much I could do to help.  The bird was perched on the far end of the unfinished section of the pier.  To get to it, I would have had to struggle to launch the small skiff and then paddle out to that section.  Still, the bird demanded attention.  

  As I was heading down the pier, a friend's son joined me.  He had stopped in for a visit and noticed I was on the pier.  When I made mention of the bird, he agreed that something looked amiss.  We strolled down together, all the while talking.  We were making no effort to "sneak" up on the it but the bird did not take notice of us.  When we were right at the incomplete section discussing the bird, it finally turned to look at us.  Ahh, well, now!  There was nary a thing wrong with our bird other than it had been in a deep sleep!

  Approaching from the rear of the bird with its head tucked beneath its wings on its back, it was hard to identify it.  As soon as it popped that head out, it was undeniably a Double-crested Cormorant!  The bird made no effort to leave even though Christopher and I were quite near.  It stretched, flapped its wings then settled back down for another nap.  The rough weather must have exhausted the poor bird so Chris and I let it rest.  We headed back up the hillside for a mug of coffee fully satisfied that our bird friend was quite well.

It Is Raining Frogs!

   I get the giggles whenever someone tells me that it "rained" frogs.  What are they thinking?  I guess frogs go to great heights to lay those eggs.  I know they want fresh water (mostly) and, well, clouds are about the freshest there is but logic tells you that it does NOT rain frogs. It is not unconceivable that a strong wind or tornado might have picked up some hapless creatures and dumped them somewhere but literally raining frogs (or fish or any other creature) is not a thing. Those tiny frogs that are out and about after a rainy spell merely morphed at the opportune time to get out of their bog and explore the yard or perhaps they were literally washed out of their habitat.   It is a great time for them to be out hunting since insects are being washed off of plants and as a lot of larger predators are seeking shelter.  The little froglets and "toadlets" can feel relatively safe as they find their first meals.

  The storm that sits over the Bayou (and has been for the past few days) has brought out all sorts of critters.  On a quick hike about the place, I felt almost like a murderer!  I could not help but step of hundreds of baby toads and frogs.  (Thank goodness they are squishable and can still survive!) The yard was literally covered with the creatures.  The toads were only about the size of a pea! Thousands upon thousands were hippity-hopping everywhere.  It was the massive amount and the recent rains that made me think about those who truly believe frogs come from clouds.  Some folks just ain't right in the head.  Go find any puddle that has been sitting for longer than a week and you will find the source of the critters.  Tadpoles!  Tadpoles, my friends, reside in water!  Not clouds.  Not the sky...what a mess that would be.  Geez!

There is power in the rain!

  There are those who do not like the rain as it interrupts their day.  Personally, I think it makes mine.  I prefer rain or storms or fog....anything to change things up a bit.  The hurricane that hit Texas has supplied us with lots of rain for the past two days.  We have had close to nine inches since Thursday.  While this may cause problems for those in low lying areas, here it simply runs off into the Bayou.  The hill provides protection for the Little Bayou House.  

  Early this afternoon, a deluge kept on for over an hour.  This made the Small Gardens off-limits.  I felt a bit more confined than usual.  After having my normal free range of the Bayou and surrounding woods temporarily taken from me, having the Small Gardens taken away seemed strangely unfair.  To make myself feel somewhat better, I slipped out the french doors and sat on the front steps.  The covered arbor provided a bit of shelter from the rain as it was coming straight down.  Nary a breeze blew with this squall.  I was able to breathe in the clean, rain-washed air and listen to the roar as the drops pounded the canvas topping.  It was incredible!  It was invigorating!  I needed it.

  Sometimes, it takes a good storm to refresh our attitudes.  Just as the rain washes the earth, the storm washes away the doldrums.  After my brief outing, I was able to return inside with a new outlook.  Things are not so difficult.  I will survive this adversity!  As Queen of the Small Gardens, I shall survive this newfound trial of my endurance!  Rainy days were made to empower!

The Stars Underfoot

  Several of my friends are avid hikers who often drive to wilderness parks or find nearby areas to do their exploring.  They discover wondrous things along their chosen paths and love to share their finds via photographs.  I find these pictures enthralling as they spike the curiosity and make me ponder if I can find such things here on the Bayou.  Sometimes, it just takes a kick in the right direction.  I know I will never find the snow-filled wonderlands that my cousin, Libby, does on her hikes nor the historic "man-made" finds that my daughter-in-law's Uncle Mark stumbles upon but there is always the outside chance that I can find a few of the same plants or critters in the photographs of an (unmet) friend, David, who lives in Florida.  All three of these folks inspire me to keep searching even though my hikes cover just the area around the Bayou.  

  I have taken to searching more for the "unnoticed" among curiosities along my hiking path.  The tiny spider that lives in a hickory nut shell, the small brown skink that scurries under the leaves, the minuscule bluets that grow beneath the taller grasses all pique the interest.  I want to know more about this often overlooked world of magnificent entities...the tiny tidbits of life that, more oft than not, go unseen, are trampled upon or merely ignored.

  Today's masterpiece of Mother Nature is none other than an earthstar!  Earthstars are mushrooms that closely resemble the familiar puffballs only they go one step (literally) further in releasing their spores.  An earthstar uses the same method of a puffball that "poofs" spores out of a tiny hole in the top of the ball.  The only difference is, the earthstar has an outer covering that protects the spores when it is not time to release them.  Usually, the spores are pounded out of the ball by raindrops.  The spores need the moisture to grow so earthstars are adamant about not letting them "poof" before the time is right.  The outer covering of an earthstar stays tightly closed around the ball until it "feels" the rain coming.  Then, it splits open and folds backwards revealing the inner spore ball.  This flattening of the outer cover is how the earthstar gets its name.  When it splits, the outer covering is somewhat star-shaped.  That extra "step" is that the earthstar can and does fold back up over the ball if the rains quit before the spores are all released. This action protects the spores from drying out too much.  As soon as another rainstorm threatens the area, the earthstar springs into action and folds the "star" back open to let the raindrops do their work.

  I was tickled to find the earthstar this morning.  This one was just the outer covering as the hard rains of last night obviously emptied the spore ball and the high winds ripped the ball from the covering.  My little earthstar had completed its life cycle and left its spores to renew the next generation.  It is tiny things like this that make life interesting.  Just think of how many wonders of the world are stepped on, walked over or ignored on a daily basis. 

Floods, 'shrooms and old dogs

  Mississippi is flooding!  Most of the middle and southern part of the state seems to have acquired enough rain to fill our rivers and creeks to over flood stage. They are spilling out of their banks and turning the once dry land into one big lake.  Houses are under, camp grounds are under, railroad tracks are undermined causing derailments and major highways seemingly just plain do not exist anymore.  While all of this is happening around us, being on the Bayou has actually helped us.  The copious amounts of rainfall did not harm our hillside in any way, shape or form.  The water simply ran down the hill and into the Bayou and Bay.  We may be the target of tidal surges with hurricanes but rainfall fueled flooding is not a worry.  My heart breaks for those targeted by the storms, however, and will step up to help in any way.

  All of this rain has made me a bit more cautious as I am out and about with the old dog.   As with any dog, Mr. PJ has a tendency to sniff and taste just about anything in his path and that includes mushrooms.  The rains caused mushrooms to pop out overnight so this morning, I had to be vigilant in my watch over him.  He definitely does not need to take a nip of a poisonous 'shroom!  

  These mushrooms almost seemed to "glow" in the darkness of the early morn.  The heavily overcast skies kept it dark until mid morning.  This was especially noticeable at daybreak when I ushered the old dog out the door for his morning business.  As I wandered around behind the dog on mushroom watch, I noticed bright white blobs in the distance.  Yep, it was time to steer Mr. PJ in the opposite direction!  I am not up on my fungi so deciphering which are toxic and which are safe is not a strong point and not something I trust myself in doing.  Avoiding a potential harmful situation is the best way I know how to handle it.  I do have to admit that the mushrooms were quite pretty, however, in their own 'shroomy way.

Don't Bother

  Sometimes you can tell by the time the sun rises over the pines that the day is just not going the way you planned.  That is the way my day started.  During the night, I awoke several times to check on the old dog as he has been have great difficulty at night.  All was well with him.  I was elated that he was breathing fine and seemed comfortable after having bouts of heavy congestion for a while now.  It seemed as if this was to be a restful night.  Then, at 4 am, he awoke and was restless.  He gets a bit disoriented with just a small lamp to light the room and begins bumping into things as he searches for me.  Well, that was the beginning of my day....4 am...early.  In fact, it was too early even though I normally am up at daybreak.  Since it was still dark outside, I dillydallied around before taking him out for his morning hike.   When I finally did, that sunrise told me it was a day I should have stayed in bed.  It was as if the tiny bit of light was telling me "Don't bother trying to get anything done today.  It ain't happenin'!"  So...the start of the day set the pace. It wasn't happenin'.

  While the sunrise, itself, was gorgeous, things went sliding downhill from there.  I had high hopes of finishing some yard work that I started yesterday but the weather did not play well.  There was nothing to do except give in and stay inside.  The old dog and lazy cat and I moped around for most of the day.  Mr. PJ slept, Ms. Nycto fidgeted and I tried to clean house.  That is a losing battle with those two inside.  Both the dog and cat are losing their winter coats which means instead of dust bunnies under the sofa, I have dust puppies and dust kittens everywhere!  I finally gave up and resigned to having a hairy house...at least, for the meantime.

  Those heavy clouds at dawn are usually the harbingers of bad weather.  This weekend is supposed to be plagued by storms complete with thunder, lightning and high winds.  Torrential rains are to pelt the Little Bayou House and the weather forecasters have not ruled out waterspouts and tornadoes in the area.  For anyone in the path of these storms, hunker down and be safe!

Deep South Winter?

  The weather on the Bayou sometimes is not as agreeable as we wish.  With family here for the holidays, it would have been nice to have sunny days so the kiddos could play outside.  Instead, we are having storms.  Not winter storms by other folks' means but Deep South Bayou winter storms.  Storms with rain and strong, gale force winds....and warm temperatures.  While I love a good storm, this mess could have waited until I could sit back and enjoy it.  Silly storm, what were you thinking?

  The good side of this is that Old Santa brought enough toys to entertain the kiddos for months.  They are fine.  They are squealing, running, jumping and playing until they drop.  The adults are mostly wishing they could nap the days away...except for me.  I am going stir crazy and this is only the first day of many of predicted storms.  A week!!  Yep, a week of storms should be pounding the Little Bayou House so I guess I will have to slip out in the rain if I want to keep my sanity.

 

Mossy Paths and the Wiggletail Search

  I try not to complain because I like rain.  I really do.  I like the way the earth smells fresh and clean after a thunderstorm.  I like the thunder, the lightning and winds.  Stormy weather stirs me to the bone but occasionally, one has to say "Enough is enough!"  Our persimmon seed weather forecasting predicted a wetter than usual winter and, so far, the seeds have been correct.  We have had so much rain that things are getting a tad soggy about the Bayou.  Living high on a hillside, rain waters do not present a flooding problem but due to the constant moisture (from rains and pea-soup thick fog), nothing is drying.  If this keeps up, we will all have to be extra diligent in emptying any standing water.  Mosquito larvae will have a happy time but, I guarantee, the rest of us will not.  With the warmer weather, this thought occurred to me, today.  I need to start checking flower pots and birdbaths for those little wiggletails!

    Wiggletails!  Now, there is a fine name for you.  Wiggletails are what we grew up calling mosquito larvae.  The tiny wiggly things that can be found in any bucket of water seemingly moments after a rainstorm!  It never ceases to amaze me just how quickly mosquito eggs hatch into those weird looking larvae that so violently kick about in standing water.  Let any wee puddle sit more than a day and suddenly it was filled with the larvae.  The tiny, almost worm-looking larvae move about the water with a tail-jerking action..hence the name wiggletails.  Pop told us to make sure we emptied any buckets so the wiggletails did not "hatch" into mosquitoes.   The name stuck as did the idea behind the emptying.

  But the rains have not only supplied us with potential mosquito nurseries, it also has made trekking about the hillside a tad treacherous.  The board paths have become covered with molds and mosses that are as slippery as a greased pig.  Several times in the past few weeks, I have come close to sliding down the hillside on my rump!  The board paths are to be avoided until drier weather!  I can remember my grandmother going out with a bucket of bleach water and a scrub brush to swab down her front steps.  At the time, I thought that she did not like the way the molds and mosses made her steps green.  (Personally, I thought it was a lovely shade of green and was almost perturbed to see her scraping away at the moss!)  Now, I think she probably had a great idea.  Still, being the lackadaisical person I am, I shall wait until the weather dries and the mold and moss disappears on its own.  In the meantime, I shall take a different path and hunt for wiggletails.