This is why.....

  First, just a bit of explanation about this blog since it has been a while since I started...well, since my oldest son started it.  He was about to be shipped overseas again and knew that our communication would be scarce if at all.  Also, at this time, Darling Daughter was away from home.  The blog was created as a means to keep them informed of the happenings of the Bayou.  Their childhood home had memories galore and those memories needed to be shared between them.  Then along came a few folks who obviously enjoyed a sort of weird take on my daily doings and readership went beyond the kiddos.  (A few years back, Blogger did something strange and I lost all of my "followers" but, along the way, readership gained.  I do not get paid for the blog which is why it is ad free.  I prefer it that way.  There is no reason to shove ads down the throat of anyone stopping in for a visit.  I would not do that if you were sitting in the rocker, looking out over the Bayou while enjoying a glass of sweet tea so why should I expect you to love ads while reading of the place.

  The Bayou is a unique sort of place to live.  The life here is not for everyone.  Sometimes it is hard but mostly it is paradise.  The hardest part is the occasional hurricane that will roll in to mess up the place a bit but storms are dealt with and all is good.  It is the same with the moccasins, alligators and myriad of biting bugs that I encounter on a daily basis. These are just everyday things and usually do not require a second thought except when they are up close and personal!  Speaking of which, the huge gator came to visit this morning.  Just about daybreak, the old dog and I made our way to the pier.  He followed the strict command to "stay" at the shore end while I ventured a wee bit further.  Once there, I spied the monster gator lurking just east of the pier.  The critter was making his way further up into the Bayou presumably after a night out stalking some prey.  My surveillance of the gator was short lived as the old dog was getting restless.  

 This is why.  This is why with Mr. PJ being wobbly and weak, I refuse to let him go on the pier.  That gator could have been at the pier in less than a minute.  For the dog's protection, it is best he stay far from the reach of any gators!  Well, this and the fact that if he did fall into the water, I would never get the 70 lb dog back up on the pier and he would have to hobble all the way back to shore through the snake infested marsh.   So, for a while anyway, the dog will stay back on shore if I need to head to the pier for anything.  It is just far safer for him.

  So, if you are visiting the blog, make yourself a glass of sweet tea and sit back and enjoy the ad-free zone!  I am not here to push anything on you, nor trying to criticize anyone.  This is just my way of sharing the Bayou Life with family and friends (and that includes you).