I Know! I Know!

  Mark and Son have been frantically replacing the siding on the Little Bayou House for the past few weeks.  By frantically, I mean they work like crazy on the sunny days which are far and few between.  Rain seems to be the norm now and this makes for few work days.  While up on the scaffolding pulling down old boards, Son salvaged a strange thing for his mom.  He knows how I am interested in so many of Mother Nature's ways that when he spies something odd, he saves it for me.  I was out front cutting grass so it took a good while before I found his "treasure". When I took a water break, he informed me that there was something on the kitchen table that I might want to see.  I had no idea that it would be a Mud Dauber's nest.  Imagine finding a lump of dried mud sitting on your kitchen table!  Now imagine my reaction. If you thought that I was upset...think again.  I WAS indeed interested in this lump.  I checked the nest to be certain that the wasps had already vacated the "building" before I started messing with it.  Sure enough, I found the telltale holes dug into the sides of the nest which let me know that no one was home. I tapped on the nest.  The mud was rock-solid!  It made me think of a tale that was told as a kid.

  It seems that a small maiden was told to fetch some water from a nearby creek.  Not knowing any better, the little girl grabbed her gardening basket and headed down to the creek.  She knew that her mother needed the water to cook supper so it was an important task. She dipped her basket into the creek only to discover that the water ran right through the bottom.  Dismayed she sat down and wept.  While she was crying, a Mud Dauber kept flying around her head.  She tried to shoo it away but it kept aggravating her.  Finally in frustration, she snatched the Mud Dauber's nest and tossed it into the water.  She watched as it sank to the bottom.  It did not go to pieces as she thought it would.  She fished out the nest and let it dry.  It became hard again. Then she thought "I wonder what would happen if I burn the nest."  She built a fire and tried to burn the nest but instead of becoming ashes, the nest got harder.  The little maiden grabbed a handful of mud from the creek, made a bowl and after it dried, she burned it.  She had a lovely bowl to carry water home to her mother.  The little Mud Dauber was not aggravating her but rather teaching her to make pottery!

  That nice little tale made me smile.  A lowly wasp was seen as heroic! But then I thought of another tale that was used as admonishment.  As a child, whenever I would get a little cocky when being shown something, I was reminded not to use the terms, "I know, I know!".  The next tale corrected my attitude and made me realize that I had a lot to learn.

  A Mud Dauber and a Honeybee were good friends although the Mud Dauber was always a wee bit jealous of the Honeybee.  "How do you make honey?" it asked the Honeybee.  "Well, you have to make a hive like this! And then you go to the flowers to collect pollen to make the honey." said the Honeybee.  With that, the Honeybee started showing the Mud Dauber the fine art of making bee's wax.  The Mud Dauber was impatient and did not want to go through the entire process.  "I know, I know" it buzzed.   The Mud Dauber started gathering mud to make its "hive".  "NO!!!" said the Honeybee.  "You have to make wax!"  "I know, I know!" said the Mud Dauber as it continued to gather mud.   Consequently, the Mud Dauber did not make a hive nor could it make honey.  All it could do was make a mud nest and buzz "I know, I know". Moral here...it is better to listen to instruction and is better to be patient.  A job well done can only be completed by learning the process. Oh, and if you listen carefully to a Mud Dauber, it is still saying "I know, I know" as it slings mud.

  It is funny how a simple wad of mud can trigger so many memories. These two tales had been long forgotten until Son took the time to save a nest so I could investigate it.  Yep, I am easily amused by all things of nature.  I am also one that has a wealth of interesting little tales told to me by my parents and grandparents.  Someday, I am sure that those tales and the lessons therein will be put to good use.