Our claim to fame!

  It is a tad late for folks to fully enjoy the colors of fall.  Most other states had their peak of leaf color at least a month ago.  However!  Here on the Bayou, one tree is a showstopper! It is sort of our claim to fame when it comes to fall colors...at least for a couple of days. Until the next rain (which is predicted either tomorrow or Saturday), the hickory tree in the front yard is in its full glory!  This tree never fails to provide us with our "fix" of fall color albeit a tad later than most other spectacular colorings.  In the late afternoon, the setting sun lights this tree with a glorious bit of golden orange.  At times, the tree almost seems to be on fire with brilliance! With the first hard rainfall and first brisk breeze after it reaches this stage, the leaves will all be on the ground.  There they will not be so pretty as it means I have to do some raking.  Leaves are pretty on the trees not on the ground!

  This particular tree has be "through the mill" with problems over the past decade.  Hurricane Katrina actually split the tree asunder and left it mangled beyond belief. The damage left open wounds that were soon besieged by wood-boring beetles.  Their gnawing about in the inner part of the tree nearly caused its death.  At the time, there were more important things for us to be doing (like repairing a hurricane damaged home).  I figured the tree would go the wayside and we would be sawing it up for firewood.  Instead, the tree somehow survived.  The borers left on their own or due to the rampage of woodpeckers.  Either way, the tree seems to be much healthier nowadays.  It is growing at a good rate and bearing tons of hickory nuts.  (Those I gather for firewood instead of using my tree!)

  Now this tree stands in its beauty and reminds us to never give in to adversity.  Misfortune can befall any of us but with a little resilience and spirit we can survive.  Hopefully, we can all be a bit like this tree and share a bit of beauty with the world.  The tree with its gorgeous show of color...us with loving hearts and kind smiles.