Eerie Light Globe!

   Instead of "Christmas Cheer", there has been a whole lot of drear going on around here.  I have been trying hard to "spice" things up a bit by baking and making candy but that does not seem to help weather-wise.  Fog!  Clouds!  Rain!  Sometimes all three at once...heavy clouds, fog and then rain and back to fog as soon as the rain stops.  Merry Christmas from the Bayou.  This is our typical weather pattern.  Lovely.

  As Bat, the Bayou Prince Cat, and I were making our rounds early this morning, he suddenly bounded off into the midst of the grape arbor.  Obviously, something scurried beneath the greenhouse deck which adjoins the arbor and he was giving chase.  That is all good as that is what cats are supposed to do...give chase to critters in the garden.  There are no lazy, lap cats around here just like there are no lazy dogs or people.  If you want to live here, you have to pull your weight.  Unfortunately, Bat did not catch the rat or whatever caught his eye but his attempt did bring to focus something that wholly appealed to me.  The vision was the perfect way to portray the plight of the Bayou in December!

  Hurricane Katrina had donated us several large streetlight domes way back in 2005.  Since the things were unique, I figured that, at some point, I would need to use them for a clue hunt.  I sort of stuck them aside and forgot about them.  Well, one sits atop a short post under the grape arbor.  The vines have twisted and turned about the lamp globe in the most artistic way.  Hmmm...I may just have to leave it be.  It is intriguing now that it has become "one with the scenery".  The abandoned light globe, the bare grapevines and the greyness perfectly depicted the drear of the day.  There was just enough breeze to give the entire thing a sort of unearthly blurriness.  I like it!  In fact, I like it so much that I am tempted to paint this as artwork for inside the Little Bayou House!  Yep, it has been a long two years, folks.   Being isolated has me swimming in weird ideas.  Go figure.

He Is An Odd One

   Bat, the Bayou Prince Cat, is not like any other cat that has ever called the Little Bayou House home.  In fact, I would even go so far as to say that this cat is strange...very strange.  He does some of the oddest things and some of those things are a bit scary!  Some of the "strange but not scary" things include climbing to the tiptop of trees and just sitting there for hours and wading neck deep into the Frog Pond just to get a drink.  He is an odd one.

  The scariest action is one that he does often.  He will find a place in the house just to sit and stare at the wall for a while.  In fact, this evening, he has been sitting in the doorway of the hall staring up at the wall for about ten minutes already.  I can call him or pet him and it does not distract him from his staring.  Nothing does.  It is almost as if he is in a trance.  

  I have tried to find what he is staring at but to no avail.  I thought perhaps a spider, a fly or even a wayward dust bunny had made its way up the wall but there was nothing to be seen.  I listened and did not hear a thing.  I even put my ear against the wall thinking something was behind the wallboard.  Nothing.  Still...Bat stared.  He did not move.

  Suddenly, he bolted from the doorway into the living room, jumped up on his favorite chair and curled into a little ball.  He has been sleeping soundly since.  He is an odd one...he is an odd one.

Bat! The Halloween Cat!

   It is October and Halloween is coming soon but I really did not expect to be visited by spookiness this soon.  Have you ever had that feeling of being watched when you are the only one in the room?  Have you ever felt the presence of someone...something...when no one else is nearby?  Have you ever been startled be a commonplace thing?  Well, the Bayou is notorious for having tales of such.  While I do not easily scare by mere paranormal occurrences, sometimes things do go unexplained and make me ponder.

  Last night, I had settled in to do a bit of reading with just an overhead light when I started feeling edgy.  Hmmm?  At first, I brushed it off as getting a bit too involved in the murder mystery at hand but then that "something is looking at me" feeling got overwhelming.  I glanced up to find Bat, the Bayou Prince Cat, staring...not at me but just to my side.  His orange eyes were glinting from the only light in the room (my reading light) and his gaze was unwavering.  Ok....?  What was up with that?  It was then that I noticed a soft "aura" surrounding the cat.  Well, that was different.  I called to him but the cat never moved.  He continued to stare from his half-hidden spot behind the large post.  I called again.  He never even acknowledged my attempt to coax him to me.  This was not like Bat at all!  He is usually the most cuddly cat and welcomes any chance to be snuggling up next to me.  He stared. It was almost as if he was in a trance.  That soft "cloud" lingered a bit longer then slowly dissipated.  What was that??  Before the aura disappeared completely, I grabbed the camera from the coffee table and snapped a photo fully expecting the glow to not appear in the picture.  

  After about ten minutes of the "stare down", Bat suddenly meowed and leapt up next to me and literally put his face against mine.  He refused to stay on the lap and had to be snuggled right on my shoulder.  Every so often he leaned back, looked at me then meowed.  Crazy cat!  Was there something here that I could not explain but he could see?  Was this all my imagination?  When I checked the photograph, a bit of the wisp could be seen!  Ooooh!  Bat, the Halloween Cat!  Spooky!

Bad Cat!!

   When Son named the half-grown cat that we "inherited", he said Bat stood for black cat.  He also mentioned that it could be appropriate for bad cat.  We laughed because up to that point, this was the most laid back, well behaved cat we had ever seen.  Bad cat, indeed.  Little did we know that once he received his name that assured him a place in this home, he would start being a rascal.

  As usual, I let the cat roam free in the house while I went out to grind more of the hurricane debris into mulch.  I work for about four hours then take a water break.  Since I rest for maybe ten minutes before starting anew, I play with the cat to work out some of his energy.  Well, that energy had already been spent before I took my break.  Whoa!  What a mess I found when I finally came inside.  Goodness, Bat!

  The Little Bayou House is filled with all sorts of oddities.  Most are antiques that I acquired over the past 50 years or so.  I have been told that I am the "Keeper of Weird and Wonderful Things" and that moniker fits nicely.  Bat seems to think that my weird and wonderful things are his play toys.  He attacked the hat boxes and hats from my great-grandfather's hat shop!  I came inside to find feathers floating about the room, a stack of hats and boxes askew and a very frustrated looking cat. I do believe he was aggravated that I disturbed his playtime.  Ugh!  Bad Cat!! Bad cat, indeed! The saga has begun.  I can see it now.  Bad cat!

"Bat"

   For the longest time, I refused to name the kitten (now cat) that was brought to the Little Bayou House by my son-in-law.  (Robbie rescued the tiny, throwaway kitten.)  I did not name the cat because I was only to be fostering the critter until Robbie found a home for it.  Well, I think he knew exactly what he was doing by bringing the cat here.  He knew that black cats and bayous just go together like gumbo and rice.  Well, having the little critter grew on me and, since there were no takers for adopting him, he settled in to call the place home.  It was time for a name.  We could not keep calling him Prince No Name.

  This evening, I was throwing possible names out to Son as he was playing with the cat.  Every cat we have ever owned has had some weird name so I was throwing Latin words out as names...Draco?  Bellator?   Corvus?  Nothing struck Son as a name so I shifted gears and threw a few names from other languages...Skia?   Lutin?  Smir?  Still nothing.  Changing gears once again, I went with a few common black cat names....Coal?  Inky?  Shadow?  Son sat quietly.  Pondering.

  "Bat".  Huh?  "Bat.  He has bat ears.  We have a name.  Black Cat...B+at....Bat."  So, we now have a cat named Bat.  Bat, the Bayou Prince, has arrived.  I can only imagine the phone conversation when getting this Bat cat an appointment.  Oh, good grief.  SON!

The Kitten Bracelet

   Just about every pet that has called the Little Bayou House a home has been a "throwaway" pet.  By some means, an unwanted animal has found its way here and has never left.  After losing four beloved pets in the past few years, it felt strange not having any furry friends around the place.  Well, that all changed today.   My son-in-law called late this afternoon with a plea.  "Hey Mom, I found a kitten and, well, was wondering if you could keep it for a few days while I try to find a home for it."  It seems that, once again, someone tossed their unwanted pet out to fend for itself.  This lucky one made it to Robbie's studio just at the right time.  The kitten was scooped up and brought inside the dance studio to keep it out of the rain then was brought here to the Little Bayou House.  The intentions were good.  He would search for a home and I would only have the tiny critter for a couple of days.  Yeah...like that was going to happen.

  As I write this, the wee one is wrapped around my arm with its tiny paws closed around my wrist.  It is sound asleep.  I am wearing a kitten bracelet!   With those little kitten snuggles, that rascal has already wormed its way into my heart.  I suppose the thing is staying.  Oh, and I think my son-in-law knew exactly what he was doing.  He knew I needed this as much as the kitten did!

The Threat Is Always There

  The old dog has really been enjoying being cone-free.  His leg surgery has healed nicely so the dreaded piece of plastic has been put into retirement.  I decided to keep that thing knowing how many folks around here have dogs and how many of those dogs get themselves in some kind of predicament that requires a doctor's care.  The cone is still in perfect condition and may come in handy some day.  I carefully cleaned the thing and then pondered where to put it to dry.  I really did not want to hang it on the clothesline as the sun would make the plastic brittle and useless.  Aha!  A brilliant idea hit me!  Since the grandlittles will not be on the Bayou any time soon, one of their rocking horses could wear the cone while it dried.  It worked!  The horse now sports the "cone of shame".

  My brilliant idea seems to have had an ulterior motive behind it.  With Mr. PJ feeling better, he is starting to get more active.  Being more active means he wanders about the house a good bit.  Wandering leads to the kitchen, of course, and therein lies a problem.  The cat's bowls are there and like most cats, Ms. Nycto, always leaves a bit of food in her bowl.  Mr. PJ knows that and wants to "finish off" her leftovers.  Well, that just makes me have to fill the bowls (he drinks her water, too.) several times a day.  I am quickly running out of cat food.  So!  Another brilliant idea!  When Mr. PJ starts being a busybody, I merely tap the cone on the horse's head and Mr. PJ returns to his good behavior.  He still wanders about but does not touch Ms. Nycto's food!  Tap! Tap! Tap!  

  I guess the memory of the dreaded cone is still fresh in PJ's mind and he perceives the tapping on the cone as a threat that it could be transferred back to his neck.  Oh, Mr. PJ!  You are a funny dog.

As Close As I Can Get

  What is there about the Bayou that makes people think they can just dump their unwanted animals here??  Granted it is a great place to live and I try to feed the poor critters but it does irk me that some people are so cruel that they just throw away their pets.  Another cat has come begging for food.  Which is fine.  I am good with cats.  They usually have a tendency to earn their keep.  However, that is beyond the point.  Stupid people do not need to get pets in the first place if they have no intentions of taking care of them for the long haul.  No excuses.  You have a pet...keep it for the lifetime of the animal.  They are not for your entertainment then to be tossed the wayside at your whim.  Forget it...there is no reasoning with some people as their frivolous wishes are far more important than the life of a critter.  It does, indeed, irk me to no end.

  The cat that lingers at the back door is not only hungry but hurt.  Son and I have been trying for a week to coax it to us.  We ply it with food and have tried everything in our power to befriend it.  Being wounded has it very leery and we cannot get too near it.  Short of trapping the poor thing, our hands are tied.  It makes me sad. It irks me.

  From what I can see, this one is an elderly cat with a front paw that seems to be broken.  This does not bode well for the cat.  Son has set the trap near where we feed it and will gradually move the food inside.  Hopefully, we can get it to our vet before much longer.  If it only knew we were trying to help instead of trying to maltreat it like the last people it trusted.  People irk me...did I mention that?

A Happy Tale

  Last February, a cat wandered up to the Little Bayou House.  I did not need another critter.  I did not really want another critter.  Ms. Nycto became part of the family.  I had tried to shoo her back home to wherever she had once lived but she was not having any part of that. Finally after several days of telling her to "Go home!", I fed her.  She was a bit leery of me but allowed me to pet her and that was when I decided that the cat would no longer be visiting the Bayou, she would live here.  The poor darling was nothing but a big wad of fur.  I am used to small cats since Ms. Put only weighs about six pounds but this huge framed cat should easily go nine or ten pounds.  I figured it was time to get her to the vet and start caring for the critter.  News from the vet was startling as he said she weighed a mere three and a half pounds.  The animal was starved nearly to death.  She was also extremely matted and was full of vermin! Someone had been most cruel to this cat.  It was up to us to make sure she regained her health.

  Yesterday, I was out working in the greenhouse when I noticed Ms. Nycto basking in the sunshine. The cat is getting her winter coat and is absolutely gorgeous.  She has come a long way in the past months. Her health has improved tremendously and she now weighs almost eleven pounds.  This is her perfect weight as the vet said anywhere from ten to twelve pounds would be proper.  She seems much more sure of herself and is definitely more comfortable around us.  It makes me happy to see such improvement in the animal.  

  One wonders just what occurred to ever get the cat in the condition she was.  Had someone intentionally starved her?  Had she been abandoned? What struggle had the poor darling endured before winding up on our doorstep?  I will never know the answers to these questions but that is ok.  Ms. Nycto is part of the family now.  She is safe and loved.

One from the Night.

  While indoor cats may prowl about the house at night, it would be easy to say that most have been trained to be more active during the day.  Outdoor cats, on the other hand, tend to be both diurnal and nocturnal.  Whichever suits the needs of the cat directs their activity patterns.  Ms. Put loves to snooze in the warm sunshine and hunt most of the night.  She will come inside when the weather is inclement but invariably about midnight, she is howling to be let outside once again.  She is a huntress and knows that most rodents forage by the light of the moon.  As we start stirring about at daybreak, it is not unusual to find where she has left us several corpses.  These are intended as gifts (or perhaps she is totally disgusted with what we eat and tries to improve our diets!).  Anyway the point being, cats love the nighttime hours!

  Now enters a new feline.  A gorgeous, long-haired cat has been hanging around the shed for the past few days.  This cat is jet black!  As a rule, I have a tendency to name anything that stays around the Little Bayou House more than one day so I pondered a suitable name for this new friend.  Inky?  Midnight? Ebony?  Nothing seemed to be an apt name for the cat.  This was a fine, sophisticated cat after all and no common name would be proper.

  Then a few days ago, my cousin popped something on a social network that clicked.  She had posted a definition for nyctophilia which is supposedly a name given to those who love nighttime.  That started me thinking just what nycto meant.  I asked Michael.  He is my "go-to" man when I have a question that involves "smarts".  "Nycto is a Greek word meaning night.  It usually is a prefix describing something related to night or darkness." he informed me!  Ahhh, yes!  My lovely, sophisticated cat now had its name!  Nycto!  (pronounced Nick Toe even though my cat does not have a nicked toe!)  So now every time I see the new cat, I say its name...Nycto.  Since Nycto has not snarled, hissed or bitten off my hand yet, I assume that the name is satisfactory.  Hopefully, Nycto will decide that the Little Bayou House is a nice home.  It would be nice to have another cat around the hillside to help Ms. Put with her quest of eradicating the voles and rice rats.  My only concern would be explaining the new cat's name to the veterinary office staff.  With the other two critters named Ms. Put and Ms. Ez, Nycto seems a bit different!  Although when I think of the true names of the other two, Puddy Tat and Esmeralda, this does not seem too strange!  Darling daughter, Elizabeth, named the other two.  I merely shortened the names and gave them their "titles" but Nycto...now that is a name with class!

Black Cats and Purple Phlox

We had a terrible storm sweep over the Bayou this afternoon.  It was one of those types that makes you thankful for your snug little house!   The skies darkened so much that it appeared to be nighttime and then the wind, thunder and lightning put on a remarkable show.  This was the culmination of a day filled with drizzly rain and grey skies.  I was certainly glad that I had taken my walk earlier in the day before even the light showers began.

While out, I noticed that my Purple Phlox were blooming.  These have struggled for the past years.  My sister, Susan, shared the plants with me after Hurricane Katrina took my plants.  These were some that Pop had in his yard and were a favorite of his.  Of course, when Pop grew them, they grew to be huge plants with massive flower heads.  Mine...struggle.  This morning, I promised myself that I would take better care of the Phlox and see if they might do well enough to remotely resemble the ones back on the Farm.  My sister inherited Pop's "Green Thumb".  Everything she touches does well!  Mine..sometimes struggle!

This morning, once again, Ms. Ez stayed inside.  She was not wanting to get out of her bed so the cat, Ms. Put, joined me on my hike.  Since the cat walks so quietly, she is a great one to take hiking when you want to photograph critters.  (Except when she decides to eat what you are photographing..something that does happen occasionally!)  On our walk, she checked out everything before I was allowed to take a step.  She would anticipate my path and stay a few steps ahead of me.  Unlike the dog, I have yet to train the cat how to "heel"!  She goes where she wants..when she wants.  When she came to the Phlox, she was highly interested in a young rabbit that was about twenty feet away.  She stared at the rabbit until it felt intimidated enough to hop under my old truck.  Once she cleared the path of the dreaded rabbit, she turned back toward me as if to say "Its ok..you can come this way now!"  I obliged and we continued.

It is great to have a huge dog along on the hikes in case of some "Bayou Monster" attack but then, again, I have no doubt that this little six pound cat would do well in protecting me!  She rules the Bayou and I always feel quite safe from any marauding rabbits!