What a pair!

  If you read at all, you will eventually come across tales of unusual friendships in the animal world.  Critters have a decent amount of love to share given a half of chance.  I don't care if it is a rhino that has befriended a sheep or a chicken that loves a cat, their friendships seem to flourish because there is no interruption by meddlers.  To my way of thinking, people are the only critters that show a bit of jealousy when it comes to other people and their friendships.  It is ridiculous!  But, that said, those in the critter world just don't care about all of the drama in the human world.  They just live the way they feel.  Pretty neat.

  The old dog, Mr. PJ, has been feeling a good bit better since his surgery.  He now actually looks forward to his daily walks.  While he was ill, his walking was more like trudging and at a tremendously slow pace.  I had time to observe a lot of things during these snail-paced meanderings.  One of the things that I noticed was that a juvenile gray squirrel seemed to be following us.  At first, it lingered in the treetops but was never too far from our path.  Later, the little squirrel would often come down from the tree and busy itself on the ground.  Now that the old dog is better, our hikes have sped up a bit.  He does his own thing off-leash.  He takes a walk down the lower part of the yard near the marsh.  That little squirrel seems elated that Mr. PJ is better as now the squirrel follows more closely.  As soon as we get down near the old oak in the front yard, the squirrel stays within a few feet of the dog.  The dog, however, seems oblivious to the friendship-offering critter.  He plods along unaware that he has a miniature shadow.  

  It amuses me that this unlikely pair take the daily walks together.  Normally, the dog would be chasing the squirrel and the squirrel would be high in the treetops but not with this duo!  They are buddies to the end!  I am supposing that as the weather chills and food gets hard to find, I had better stick a few dog treats in my pocket so Mr. PJ can share a snack with his little buddy.  That would be a nice gesture.

Momie and the Wood sorrel

  This time of year, the tiny purple blooms of the oxalis or wood sorrels brighten every nook and cranny of the Bayou.   At one time, there were a very few of the plants growing here and those were weak, thin plants. Since the plants were pretty,  I babied those until they became healthy, strong plants.  Each year, the plants were covered with blooms which made me smile.  At the time, I had no idea that the plant was edible.  I just liked the looks of it and loved the fact that it was one of the first plants to bloom in the spring and continued to bloom throughout the summer.  It fast became one of my "domesticated" wildflowers and whenever I found it in the gardens, I let it grow.  Others deem it as a weed but, here, weeds can sometimes be welcome.

  This morning while I was out doing some trimming, I was careful to leave the larger patches of wood sorrel.  One thing that I discovered about using the weed-eater, is that it is a mindless job.  As long as you keep the thumb on the trigger and feet clear of the twine, things go relatively well.  Since it does not take a lot of brain power, my mind takes the opportunity to wander a bit.  This morning's brain ambling took me back to Mark's grandmother's place.  This dear lady took me as one of her own and shared a good many things with me.  We had a lot in common. One funny little thing was that we both loved the wood sorrels.  On either side of her door, she had a large concrete urn.  These urns were filled with the oxalis plants and she babied them as I did the wild ones.  The wood sorrel was her pride and joy.  Only Momie (the family's name for her) could get away with having "weeds" in her garden boxes.  No one dared say anything about it as she could and would take them down off their high horses right quick.  In other words, "Don't mess with our wood sorrel!"

  Now every time I see the first blooms of the season, I think of this dear lady and our friendship.  We remained close until her death years ago.  The fact that a memory can be triggered by the sight of a tiny wildflower just means to me that she is still with me and always will be.  Kindred spirits...so to speak.

Another Ezzy Moment

  While I am sitting here listening to the old dog, Mr. PJ, snore as he gets his night's sleep, my mind is wandering back in time to another dog that called the Little Bayou House her home.  Ms. Ez came here as a rescue animal, of sorts.  Had Darling Daughter not claimed the pup, the animal was to be put down, and that is saying it nicely.  Ezzy was the runt of a litter of pups and the owners did not wish to take the time nor effort to help her gain her strength.  Elizabeth brought the tiny five week old puppy home and the rest is history. 

 She became the true Bayou Dog that loved exploring the marshes, creek bed and woods.  She loved fishing, hiking and playing.  She guarded the birds, chased the squirrels and loved every critter and person she ever met.  Ms. Ez was one of a kind and she stole my heart completely.  Her life was spent entirely on the Bayou with only a few visits away from here.  After ten years of having her as my best friend, it is still hard not having her with me.  Even after the nigh on four years of her being gone,  I still sometimes awake in the mornings expecting to find her dutifully lying next to my bed.

  Mr. PJ has softened that loss somewhat but the emptiness occasionally bubbles up again.  It is only fitting that he has come to stay with us as he and Ms. Ezzy were close friends from the moment they met as pups.  When the situation arose that he needed a place to stay, it was the natural choice to have him come.  I am thankful for that.  Goodness, Ms. Ez!  I miss you!  With that, I reached over and petted Mr. PJ.  Goodness, Mr. PJ!  I am glad you are here.

Doggy Playtime

  It is a rare day when the old dog, Mr. PJ, feels like strolling much less playing.  His old body is tired and exerting unneeded energy is a thing of the past.  We go out to do his daily business but the walks are slow and short.  He pants heavily making it back up the hillside from his self-chosen "latrine" area.  Once inside, he retires to his bed and naps for a good solid hour.  Poor old fellow.

  This afternoon, however, he seemed to be a bit perkier than he has in a long while.  Since the weather was relatively nice, we took a leisurely stroll about the yard.  At one point, he actually wanted to play "our" game.  From the time that he came to live at the Bayou a couple of years back, he developed his idea of "Hide and Seek".   I would hide from him and he would sniff my trail until he found me.  Then he would hide.  Or, at least, he would try to hide.  The old dog had no idea that most of the time, I could still see him.  He would hide his face behind a tree, in a bush or even under his paws but the rest of his body was highly visible.  Still, as I would with a two year old child, I had to make the obligatory "hunting gestures".  "Where did Mr. PJ go this time?"  "Where are you, Mr. PJ?"  "Are you over here?"  Yep.  I did all of those.  Then, he would "surprise" me by bouncing out of his hiding place.  He was elated with the game.  So, we played it often.  Today, he hid.

  It was good to see the old dog actually enjoying himself.  We did not play long but his one hiding spot was enough to make him feel like a pup again and that was all that mattered.  When he settled back on his bed this evening, he seemed at ease.  Several times, his tail thumped the floor while he was sleeping.  Yep.  It seems like he was happy.  Amazing what a little playtime can accomplish.

Sometimes things just fall in your lap!

  Years and years ago, Momie (my grandmother-in-law) told me a story of how when she lived behind Mark's family home, a snake fell right in her lap.  She had a small mobile home that was parked in their backyard so she could be nearby yet have her own little place.  It was great.  She could sit outside under the large pecan tree and watch her grandchildren play in the yard.  While out there, she usually snapped beans, shelled peas or peeled her potatoes for the evening meal.  Momie was the typical little lady of the times that wore house-dresses and aprons.  One day while snapping green beans, a green snake fell from the limbs of the pecan tree and landed smack dab on her lap!  She let out a scream, grabbed the corners of her apron and tossed the snake right back up into the tree!  While she giggled about the incident years later, at the time, she was terrified!  She hated snakes so to have one in her lap was not to her liking!

  Today, a dear friend came to the Bayou.  She and I picked berries, walked the hillside and sat on the pier all the while talking a blue streak! Later we moved to the wicker chairs in the rose garden.  There, our conversation continued and we covered just about everything under the sun.  She made the off-handed comment that she did not like snakes. She understood the fact that they are needed on this old earth and did not have a problem with them as long as they kept their distance. She always kept her eyes open when walking.  Good idea!  But I responded that there were probably more snakes up in trees than most folks realized.  That said, the unbelievable happened.

  Just moments after I had made the statement, she was startled by something in the oak tree behind me. At first, she thought a bird flew from the tree but soon realized that a "limb" was moving!  "That is no limb!  THAT is a snake!"  I turned just in time to see a rat snake slowly moving from the oak tree onto the rose arbor that extended over our heads.  Yep, more snakes are climbing about those trees!

  I was really proud of Darlene as she helped me to keep track of where the snake was making its way through the rose canes and onto the jasmine. As I photographed the snake, she kept pointing to where it was going next. When I tried to remove the snake, she showed no fear but was rather fascinated by the whole ordeal.  She was great!

  Later after she left the Bayou, I heard the blue jays starting up their racket.  I knew our friendly snake had made it to the Black Gum tree outside of the rose garden.  When I checked, the rat snake was making its way up the tree to find another hunting area.  I guess any birds or squirrels nearby had better keep their eyes open!  That snake was on the move!

Best Friends

Best friends are something that we all need..someone to confide in when we feel down..someone to rely on when the going gets tough. Best friends are the ones that don't look at you as different but see you as unique. Best friends laugh with you..laugh at you..laugh at themselves with you. Best friends share their meals..share their secrets..share good times and bad times. They stand beside you..give hugs..say "I love you." Best friends..we all need them.

Today as I was out and about, I came across an unusual pair of seemingly best friends. A

pair that proves that sometimes the most unlikely duos can get along with no problems. These two have been paired together for almost three months now. They seem to get along just fine with no competition for food or space. They are just friends. One is a Tricolored Heron and the other is an Egret. They were resting on the pier, each standing on one leg while braving the cold wind. These two roost together at night and feed together during the day. I am not sure about the circumstances that threw them together but whatever it was, it created a bond. They are happy just being friends.

There is much we can learn from the critters of the Bayou..friendship is obviously one thing. A friendship based solely on the need of friendship. No prejudice..just the need to get along for survival. One young Heron..one young Egret..one unique bond.