Bayou Mud, Memories, And Giggles

   I often speak of our "Bayou Mud" and the quicksand-like sinking that comes with it.  Never...I repeat...NEVER drop anything into that mud that you ever wish to see again.  It ain't happenin', folks.  Once it is in there, it is there to stay.  Some 50 years ago, Pop slipped and accidently dropped a small outboard motor into the water about 3 ft from shore.  Down it went and, even though, he tried, he never found that motor again. It is probably "perfectly preserved" somewhere down deep in that mud like an ancient artifact.  Also, never think you are going to "slip" over the side of the pier/boat or whatever and walk to retrieve something.  You...you will sink just as rapidly.  Just like that...you will become so mired in the mud that you may become "perfectly preserved" like one of those bog mummies that I read about in history books only you would be a bayou mummy.

  I was thinking about the squishy mud when a memory slipped into my head.  This had been stored there for some time now just waiting for the opportunity to pop back up and bring a giggle.  When my oldest son headed off to college and had been there some time, I asked if he missed anything from back home.  I was thinking he may mention some item and I could secretly ship it to him as a surprise.  Well, that surprise was on me, I guess.  He told me that he missed the smell of the mud during low tide.  Huh?  Alrighty, then.  I never thought anyone would miss that and there went my idea of a surprise package.  I was not about to go scoop up a bottle of mud and ship it to college.  Nope...ain't happenin'!  I am not shipping mud anywhere!  It was sort of nice to hear that he did miss something from the Bayou and home, however.  Mud?  What was wrong with missing me? With all of his world travels now, I wonder if he still misses it?

  I guess if anyone was around at sunrise this morning and heard me giggling while on the pier, they most likely thought I was slap nuts.  Maybe I am...but it is nice to think back on fun memories instead of dwelling on the current state of affairs in this old world.  

The View Through The Muddy Waters Of The Bayou

   My oldest son and daughter-in-law live somewhere out there in the middle of the ocean on a tiny island.  The photographs they send show the clear, clear waters.  They and the two grandlittles swim, snorkel and dive in that lovely water!  In fact, they say that a lot of the time, you cannot really tell just how deep the water actually is because you can see the bottom most of the time!  Wow!  I cannot imagine how interesting that must be!  I so wish to see what is on the bottom under the pier in two feet of water.  The waters of the Bay and Bayou are so muddy that it has to be a calm day and six inches of water before you can see the first thing.  Such a dismal thought!

  With the north wind shoving the tide far out from the marsh, it is my grand opportunity to gaze at what lies beneath the surface.  Not much...unless you love a bunch of odd pieces of driftwood or some muddy clam shells discarded by the otters.  The driftwood has to be pulled out so we will not catch our lines on it as we fish but it is not nearly as exciting as finds out there on the island!

  I did peer down into the water, yesterday, during a break in the rains.  My whole thought was how I was going to gather that driftwood.  I did not even see a fish, a shrimp nor crab.  Our water critters must have moved elsewhere.  But..oh, that driftwood!  Perhaps another sculpture will be in the works if I can figure out how to get the pieces without sinking up to my hips in that mud!  How glorious is the muck and yuck beneath the waters of the Bayou!

Not So Friendly Critter

   If there is one thing the Bayou has it is plenty of mud.  Not "pretty" mudpuddle mud but stinky, slippery, staining, mucky mud.  People often ask me if I ever swim in the waters here and that is met with a huge "No!" but that is not just because of the mud.  It is what hides in that mud and murky waters.  Aside from the alligators and cottonmouths, there are the snapping turtles.  Usually, gators and snakes are relatively easy to see but those turtles blend so remarkably well with the mud that it would only take one misstep before you would receive a nasty bite.

Yesterday, I was on the pier and noticed what seemed to be just another mound of mud in the shallows.  Sometimes, the otters slide around enough that mud will mound up in piles.  Seeing the mound, I had an inkling that this was not mud but a turtle and, sure enough, when I got closer, I could see the outline of its head beneath the water.  Yep, there was that old snapping turtle stalking bull minnows.

  I sat on the pier a short distance from the turtle and watched.  After a bit, the turtle started moving around.  Its head came out of the water and I was able to photograph our grouchy critter.  Snapping turtles are known to not be the friendliest of critters so I kept my distance.  The turtle soon moved on through the marsh in search of more breakfast.  The "mud mound" was gone!

The Mud Princess Meets Trouble

  The other day, I made mention that we had to take the Bayou Princess Cat to the emergency room for pets.  There is a fine hospital just a few miles up in the country that takes wonderful care of pets that have met some dire fate.  Ms. Nycto had done just that.  It all started when she decided to traipse out into the marsh for a while.  She has been doing this lately against my better judgement.  It may have been safe going during the winter months but now that the weather has warmed, the cottonmouths and alligators are active.  No, the Princess did not meet either, as far as I know, but she did come back looking a dreadful mess.  The Bayou mud had caked upon her long belly hair and matted it into one rock-hard snarl.  Anyone who has ever successfully buzz-cut a cat is my hero!  She was having no part of any attempts to rid her of the mats.  She almost appeared to have acquired a shell of some sort on her underside!  Then, the next day, I noticed that she was having extreme difficulty eating or drinking.  Also, anyone who has ever successfully peered down the gullet of a cat is also my hero!  It ain't easy!

  There was nothing to do but take the poor thing in for a bit of medical help.  At the first examination, the veterinarian thought Ms. Nycto had a broken jaw.  "Leave her and we will get her fixed up no matter what it is and we will finish that hair cut for you."  (That last part was enough to convince me that these were good people!)  The cat remained behind and I waited at home for a phone call.  That call came late at night.  It seems that there was an odd wound that was causing the poor cat's complaint.  Somehow, she had sliced the underside of her tongue from the base to the tip.  The tongue was useless as it was so the veterinarian stitched it while she was sedated.  The cat would have to stay in the hospital overnight.   

  The Bayou Princess is back home now.  She is attempting all normal functions but, of course, eating and drinking is labored.  Cats fully depend on that lapping technique!  Son and I are doing our best to accommodate her every need and she is the perfect patient as she never complains.  She is, however, a bit embarrassed as she now looks like a terribly skinny poodle with a bad haircut!  Tufts on her feet, skinny legs, bare belly, fluffy back and head and a tuft of a tail make up the entire coat of this once extremely fluffy cat!  Poor baby slinks from dark corner to dark under-bed hiding spot.  Having that cone of shame on her noggin is not helping, either!  Hopefully, she has learned a lesson about going gallivanting in the marshes.  YOU are a princess, Ms. Nycto!  ACT like it!