As I am free to wander about the Bayou now, my hikes have taken on a new vision. I see things differently, in a lot of cases. A common weed now has beautiful blooms whereas before I never noticed. The smell of fresh pine needles is almost intoxicating as is that of the leaves of the camphor tree. Moss is delightfully soft and cool even on the hottest of days. Things are just different....or perhaps I am.
Early this afternoon, it was too hot to work in the gardens and I have had enough of being confined to the Little Bayou House so I headed out back. Down behind the greenhouse right on the marsh edge is a huge pile of oyster shells. It is here that Mark sits patiently for hours to shuck enough oysters for not only us but dozens of our elderly friends. The mound is getting rather large. Occasionally, the raccoons forage through these shells in hopes of finding some tidbit of oyster even though those are long gone. They can, however, find worms and insects so their grubbling is not in vain. All of the rummaging about does create a mess. Shells are everywhere! This afternoon, one of those shells fascinated me. This was not an oyster shell but a common saltwater mussel that sometimes is attached to the outer part of the oyster. Mark does not open these but lets the critters have their fill of the morsels found therein.
This particular shell was about three inches in length and nigh on two inches wide. While the outer part of the shell was the usual muddy brown, the inside was a deep, rich purple. All salt water mussels are similar. When freshly opened, this "nacre" glistens with an iridescent glow. I reached down to feel the shell. It was smooth and quite warm. My mind whirred with thoughts of how a mollusk can create something so breathtakingly lovely. To me, the inner lining of the shell is every bit as lovely as any pearl. That thought also got me to thinking of how expensive pearls are when the shell is just as lovely. Hmmm, maybe folks just look at things differently. Or maybe I do.
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