The Shady Nook

Have you ever wandered into a place and just felt that there was something special about it?  Some place that you have been in a thousand or more times but this time, at the very instance you step into it, it feels exciting yet peaceful.  I wander about the hillside more times a day than most people go into their kitchen.  I would rather be out and about the Bayou with all my critter friends than anywhere else on earth.  Today a stroll took me through the Wisteria Arbor and I immediately felt serene.  An aura seemed to surround the small arbor giving it a special ambiance.  It was intriguing to say the least.   The arbor felt like a secret hideaway right next to my kitchen!  A place where the imagination could run wild!

This arbor is overgrown with the purple wisteria.  The vine literally drapes to the ground on all sides reminding me that I really must do some trimming soon.  This matting almost entirely blocks out the sunshine that so brilliantly illuminates the adjoining Boysenberry Patch.  I marveled at how dark it was under the vines.      The large vines twisted and turned up one post and actually give strength to the structure.  High winds of storms had caused the walk-through arbor to list terribly to one side.  Had it not been for the sheer size of the base vines, the whole thing would have fallen.

Within those vines is a multitude of living things.  The little tree frogs love the hiding places among the leaves. A mockingbird has her nest on one of the cross bars.  In it, four brown-speckled, bluish-green eggs are waiting to hatch.  Nearby, the male sings his heart out while keeping watch over his family.  Back in the twisting vines, ladybugs, ants, cicadas and carpenter bees are busy.  These have to keep a wary eye on the green lizard that is patrolling the outer board.  Sometimes a green snake or black racer will find its way to the upper most portions of the arbor.  The snakes are on the hunt for dinner and the arbor might just provide it!  It is here that I can see critters without ever taking as step.  The thick foliage conceals them well.  It never ceases to make me smile when folks walk under the arbor unaware what lingers just above their heads!  Just knowing the critters are there would scare the bejeebies out of some folks!  Not me...I find them fascinating!

My time spent in the peaceful confines of the arbor came to a sudden halt with the onslaught of a severe thunderstorm.  Not long after I rushed inside, a huge lightning bolt struck a nearby tree.  The critters in the arbor may not scare me but being outside during a thunderstorm is not to my liking!  I was thankful for the safety of the Little Bayou House once again!