The Wind Did It!

   For the past week or so, the lane has been breathtakingly beautiful.  The azaleas have been in full bloom and putting on quite a show!  The heavenly scent made me want to pause with each walk about the place.  These bushes are as full of memories as they are blooms.  Each one was carefully dug from under the existing azaleas from the old homeplace, from aunts' and uncles' places and from any number of neighbors. The bushes are old...from back in the day when plants were shared and not hastily bought.  Everyone shared!  Even folks you did not know were more than happy to "give you a start" if you admired their yard.  Those were the days, folks.  Those were the days when everyone was kind, giving and helpful.  

  Now, however, like the days gone...the azalea blooms are gone.  For the past two days, stiff southeast winds have plagued the poor flowers.  Most are piled in heaps beneath the bushes instead of gleefully hanging on their stems.  A carpet of pink now lines the driveway.  

  These winds are to be around for a few more days so undoubtedly more blooms, leaves and limbs will come tumbling down.  The yard will need cleaning yet again.  Folks, enjoy things while you can...nothing is permanent and will soon become a memory that will rattle around in the dark, cobwebbed corners of the brain.

The Felling of a Mighty Oak Tree

   Back between the original greenhouse and the shed, there stands the remnants of a tall oak tree.  The tree stood strong through hundreds of storms only to fall to a tiny bug.  Insects can do more damage than the raging hurricane sometimes.  A couple of years back, Son noticed that a lot of our living oak trees were infested with termites.  Yep....living trees.  This was a bit disturbing, to say the least.  He set to work trying to save the trees by using the same spray that we have had to resort to for the house, shed and any other outbuildings around here.  As much as I hate to use chemicals around the place, there comes a time when it is absolutely necessary if we want to save the place.  So, he mixed his concoction and set to work.  Well, that was a lot of work as we have a lot of trees.  Some, like the aforementioned one, were too far gone to try to save.  He still sprayed thinking maybe he could contain the infestations. Hopefully.

 Needless to say, the tree died and was soon infested not only with the termites but with black carpenter ants that were eating the termites.  We quit spraying to allow the ants to do their job.  They worked tirelessly in the dead tree but were, at the same time, preyed upon by the woodpeckers.  The entire tree soon became riddled with the drillings of the birds.  The food chain was at work.  Soon, the tree started falling bit by bit. Now, a new form of life has come to the old tree.  On one of the upper parts of the tree, there is a large hole that appears to be the nesting site of either the pileated woodpecker or a family of squirrels.  Down below among the roots, lizards, snails and beetles are enjoying life hidden under the palmettoes and shards of tree bark.

  While out back, I noticed that bracket or shelf mushrooms are rapidly taking down the tree.  The entire southern side of the tree is literally a ladder of orange mushrooms.  These mushrooms are doing the final takedown of the old oak tree.  The fungi will rot the tree as it, itself, thrives.  Soon, the old oak will come tumbling down and that will be the end of it.  However, in the meantime, the tree, even in death, is providing for the life of others.  

Flashback!

   Our weather is all over the place.  Recently, it seemed as if spring had made its appearance and was ready to stay.  All that did was set me into a frenzy of getting gardens ready, planting and...taking down the temporary greenhouse that had done well housing all of the potted plants during our (brief) "ice age".  I pushed a little too hard and it came back to bite me.  Yep, the temperature dropped for a lovely one night but that one night was enough to cause a bit of fretting.  Son and I covered the plants the best we could with some painter's drop cloths and called it a night.  We hoped for the best.  

  The plants did well under their blankets which were gathered back as soon as the sun popped out bright and warm.  Son gathered the huge tarps for me to launder before storing for the next need.  I carefully shook each tarp to make sure no treefrogs or lizards had snuggled in for the night then tossed two at a time in the washing machine.  All went well....until that last load.  Again, I shook the tarp vigorously before loading it into the machine, however, I guess it was not strong enough.  When that tarp was hauled out and thrown in the dryer, I spied a black "stick".  My heart sank.  Surely that was not one of my sweet praying mantids!  It definitely was NOT a frog nor a lizard but some sort of bug.  As I examined the corpse, I realized that it was a what Mom called a Devil's Walking Stick and Dad called a Spit Tobacco Bug.  Those are both names for a Two-striped Walking Stick or Stick Bug.  As much as these are not favorites of mine (they do "spit"), I felt terrible about killing the poor thing.  After all, it was just seeking a bit of warmth from the freezing night temperatures.  

  This all did bring flashbacks of some 40 years ago.  My oldest son was forever taking hikes with my Aunt Marie. He and "Aunt Ri Ri" would often go critter hunting much like my grandson and I do.  The only difference was...my son would pocket most of the critters without Aunt Ri Ri knowing...also...without me knowing.  The critters, along with rocks, leaves, sticks or anything else he found interesting were stashed for good keeping right in those pockets.  Now, I was not in the habit of checking my kiddo's pockets before washing his clothes so you can see where this is going.  Yep, I found many, many waterlogged critters in that washing machine....usually dead.  It was not fun.  The inanimate objects were not a problem but sticking my hand in the machine to grab ahold of a water bloated lizard or earthworm was not the nicest thing.  I literally had to make him start "unloading" his pockets at the front door!

  Finding the dead walking stick in the washer was not fun but it did evoke a giggle about the memories from long ago.  It is probably a good thing that I am not too overly squeamish when it comes to things like this.  Perhaps having a curious little boy who loved to shove things in his pockets for safe keeping got me over a lot of things.  Gotta love him!  He may be grown now but the memories of him being a toddler live on and bring lots of smiles.

Of Importance...Praying Mantis Egg Case

  The weather has been plenty warm enough to plant the spring/summer gardens.  Mark has been building several raised gardens to go along with our in-ground plots.  These are being filled with mulch from the downed leaves (winter storm) and compost from our bins started last year.  There will be no need to buy the chemical-laden stuff this year which makes me elated.  So far, squash, potatoes, bell peppers and tomatoes have been planted with hopes of digging rows for green beans coming this weekend.   It is a lot of work but the rewards are great...fresh veggies without the high cost, getting a workout without a gym membership and lots of sunshine just to lift the spirits.  I guess all of the elation comes from memories of growing up on a small farm and the happy times as a kid.

 In one of the veggie plots there is a pear tree right smack in the middle.  When it was planted, I had no idea that my gardens were going to expand to this area.  The tree does not present a problem and actually provides a bit of cooling shade to some of the plants.  As I was looking at the pear blossoms, I noticed a bump on one of the small limbs.  Yep, there was a praying mantis egg case!  Yay!  I am excited!  I am in hopes that every last one of the eggs in this case would hatch to be a healthy critter.  That would mean that up to 200 praying mantids would roam the garden devouring all of the pests that intended to devour my plants!  After admiring the case for a few moments, I started to work again.

  On the west side of this same garden, there is a small persimmon tree that has seen better days.  In fact, I do believe it has met its demise so I started to remove it.  While examining the small tree for any life, I found yet another praying mantis egg case!  Whoa! That could mean up to 400 mantids!  My gardens would definitely benefit from this.  Needless to say, the persimmon tree (even though quite dead) will stay put for the time being.  That egg case is valuable if only to a gardener.

To Eat or To Not??

   While out and about the place, I often come across plants that seem highly attractive.  Whether it is a pretty shaped leaf, a sweet bloom or simply a twirly vine, I always have to stop and admire the beauty.  A lot of the thoughts are simply about how to include the plant into the sort of wild and woolly landscape (or lack thereof) that I tend but there are also times that the thinking takes a turn to "I wonder if this is edible?"  With that notion in mind, a photograph is taken and I return to research the plant.  I don't have the nerve to just chow down on some unknown leaf! Or, even if I know the plant, I still want to see about the edibility of it before taking a bite.  So, I research.  I have found that most universities around the country have a wealth of information that is free for viewing.  It is my idea that if a learning institution has already done the studying for me, I should take full advantage of their vast knowledge.

  Today's "Can I eat it?" plant is Carolina Geranium.  I knew that.  I also knew that it was call Cranesbill (sometimes called cranesbeak) due to its bright red seed pod that resembles a crane's bill.  I pushed through to the edibility part of the article.  Yep!  It is edible and all parts are used in some herbal medicines (both topically and internally).  Aha!  So, this lovely leaf is edible!  Should I cook up a pot or make a salad?  I was ready to try it since there are numerous plants in the garden beneath the broccoli!  I read some more.  At the very bottom of the page, there was a bit of advice.  "While considered edible, we do not advise you go out searching for Carolina Geranium for your next meal.  It is high in tannins and is quite bitter to the taste."  Ok, so maybe Mark and Son would not be overly happy with a side dish of bitterness.  Me?  Well, let's just say that curiosity got the best of me.  Take my word for it....the leaves are bitter...very astringent...not tasty.  (Yes.  Yes, I did.  Just chalk it up as a public service announcement. Cranesbill is bitter.)

Do I Dare??

   One of the banes of living on this property is the overgrowth of Smilax.  Those thorny vines are everywhere and can grow about a foot every day if left to their own doings.  Son has dug out so many of the large root balls that it has become a sort of standing joke when I find yet another vine engulfing a tree, building or garden.  The things are relentless!  They seem to have an undying desire to take over the whole place no matter how hard we try to keep them in check.

  This morning, I found that the goofy vines have taken root in the marsh and have made their way up into the live oak trees that line the property where yard meets marsh.  Just a mere five years ago, I had cleared this area after Hurricane Zeta ruined the tree line.  I carefully cleared everything down to the marsh edge and was a happy camper with my work.  Then one thing or another got in the way of my keeping it nice and tidy.  This morning's discovery also gave sight to the billion or so berries that are soon to drop as seeds.  More smilax.  More aggravation.  So...there was nothing to do but research these plants a bit more.

  While I knew that the roots and new shoots of the vines were edible, I had no idea the extent of uses of its parts.  Supposedly, the new shoots taste a lot like asparagus and the roots can be boiled, roasted or used to make a flour.  Those roots are also the base of Sarsaparilla.  Come to find out those lovely berries are also edible and are used to make jelly.  Who knew??? I sure did not!  

  Now the question...do I dare?  With close to a thousand jars of home-canned goodies (including jams and jellies) on the shelves, it seems pointless to add yet another batch of jelly...but I am curious.  Will this taste good?  Have I been missing out on a delight that has literally been handed to me time and time again?  Perhaps I should stop looking at the Smilax as a curse and see the gift that Mother Nature has been trying to give to me.  Smilax jelly may be in the works this week!  Now to figure out how to pick the berries while avoiding the wicked thorns.  Wish me luck!

*Update:  It appears that I got this wild hair of Smilax jelly a bit too late as the "berries" are already past their prime.  Obviously, I needed to pick them in the late fall. I shall try again in 6 to 8 months...if the hurricane season plays nicely and I do not get sidetracked by cleanup.  I shall post again then about the adventures in Smilax as a foodstuff!

Sharing the Wealth

   Bat, the Bayou Prince Cat, (also known as a rescued cat or somebody's throwaway pet) came to the Bayou by way of my son-in-law.  Robbie found the poor, pathetic kitten after someone abandoned it at his place of business.  He promptly brought the forlorn critter here with the promise of it being a temporary thing.  That was almost four years ago and the cat is still here.  This is home.  Here, the cat is welcome, cared for and much loved.  He returns the love and....returns the favor of being fed by often bringing his "catches" as gifts.  More oft than naught, his prey is simply released unharmed with the promise of a treat.  Occasionally, however, Bat makes short work of a critter.  Rats and squirrels stand no chance!  Then...then there are the times that he brings us something quite out of the ordinary.

  Mark and Son were busy digging a new drainage ditch down the back side of the hill while I cut some of the leaves that are a foot deep after our intense freeze last month.  Yardwork is never complete around here.  At one point, Son and I both saw Mr. Bat race up from near the pier.  Oh, goodness.  What was that goofy cat dragging this time.  Neither of us stopped work to investigate leaving the cat to his own business. Mark soon discovered just what Bat was dragging.  The cat presented Mark with a fine mullet!  Yep, Bat had caught a fish!  How?  How?  The wet, muddied cat was not telling his secrets!  He did receive a treat for trying to feed us...and, in a way, he will, at some point.  The 10 inch long mullet was not to be wasted.  The fresh fish was plopped into the shed freezer to be used as crab bait once the weather warms a bit more.  The crabs will be enjoyed by us!  Good cat!!  

  Once this story made its rounds with our friends, several put in requests for Mr. Bat to catch some fish for them!  Not many folks can claim they have "fishing" cats!  Oh, Mr. Bat, you are something else!