Dots of Blue

  Long ago when I was a mere tyke, Granddad seemed to tend to me a lot.  Of course, Grandmother was there but 90% of the entertainment was left up to Granddaddy.  I think by the time I came along, Mom was exhausted and needed a break from toddlers.  I spent countless days and nights with my grandparents.  I thought it was a special treat.  It never occurred to me until much later just why I was shuffled off to visit the relatives.  Like I said, most of the entertainment was left to Granddaddy.  He was a patient man that thought all playtime revolved around some type lesson.  I learned while I played.  We worked his gardens, he taught me a smattering of woodworking skills and taught me countless useful things about plants, rocks and critters.  These lessons linger in the far recesses of the brain and spill forth with the least bit of prompting.  A sight, smell, touch or sound can trigger a memory and those cobwebs in the brain are pushed aside while I examine a bit of information that was stored there.

  This morning, the garden needed tending so I spent several hours weeding and fertilizing.  Once everything was to my liking, I slipped down behind the greenhouse to find at least one "happy" for a day filled with work.  It was my goal to help Son replace the siding on the west side of the Little Bayou House.  Son was with the old dog which gave me a moment to explore.  As I traipsed to a favorite spot, a splash of blue jumped out at me.  Nestled up under the mimosa tree, a nice sized clump of spiderwort was gleaming in the early morning sunshine.  These small flowers never fail to make me smile.   Spiderwort!  It was the blooms that caused the memory of Granddaddy and his bits of wisdom.

  When I was about 4 years of age, Granddaddy decided that I needed to learn a few "survival" tactics.  One of his lessons revolved around plants and their uses.  He made sure I could recognize the plant during any season (not just when blooming), knew whether it was safe to eat and if there were any medicinal uses tied to the plant.  Spiderwort was one of my favorites.  Granddaddy also called it "Meet Me At The Gate" since he said it would spread like wildfire, if given the chance.  To this day, I recall him telling me that the sticky sap inside the stalk of the spiderwort was good for bug bites.  "Just peel open a little spot, squeeze the stalk until the goo comes out and then rub it into the bug bite!"  Do you know...that really works!  Thanks, Granddaddy!  See!  Your lessons have not all fallen to the wayside!  I still remember and use so many!