Never Too Old

   I have lived in the same general area for my entire life.  The old farm place was just across the road from where the Little Bayou House stands now.  My entire life has seen me roaming the woods and swamps and interacting with the critters found therein.  If it was not befriending baby rabbits in the strawberry patch or playing with the fox kits in their den behind the old house, it was catching snakes in the pond and creeks or caring for baby squirrels that lost their mom.  Critters have always been an interesting part of my life.  As an adult, that interaction has not stopped.  More than once, a critter has become the center of my focus...whether to help it or to simply observe.  I figured that I had just about seen every creature in these parts but surprises happen.  It just proves that you are never too old to experience the newness of life all over again.

  Son has broken his toe..yep..toe which makes it very painful to walk.  By my orders, he is to lay low for a few days and let it heal.  Well, that is all good except that means I have to do his chores as well as my own.  This morning, I headed out to check the small skiff after the rain overnight.  I did not get very far because, as soon as I stepped out the door, I knew that something far more important was afoot!  I grabbed the camera and quietly padded down the footpath.  A stranger was on the pier!

  A group of Snowy Egrets had flown in to rest in the relative safety of the pier.  There, they could rest before feeding.  The whiteness of the egrets was broken by a blob of pink!  Why was there a pink "egret" on my pier?  I had an idea but it was time to investigate!  I edged my way halfway down the pier and was stunned to find that my "inkling" was correct.  A Roseate Spoonbill was mingling with the egrets!  Wow!  In all my years here, this was a first for me!  I had never had the honor of having one of these birds visit.  My camera was used nonstop to capture the moment!  I was purely mesmerized by the beauty of this large bird!   

  Things like this make me highly thankful that I had a childhood filled with outdoor adventures and that I was surrounded by adults that encouraged exploration and love of all things of connected with nature.  Here I am an old woman and still finding a thrill simply by spotting a newcomer to the Bayou.  Folks, never stop learning, exploring or researching.  There is so much to learn...so much to see.