Bat, The Cat, In A Box!

   Bat, the Bayou Prince Cat, is growing by leaps and bounds.  With this growth spurt, he is becoming far more active.  When he first came here, he was so malnourished and full of parasites that playing was not an option.  So, he is making up for lost time.  Even though he is "officially" a cat now, his lost time has kept him in the kitten stage for a while longer than usual.  This is fine except when that play starts destroying the Little Bayou House.  Then, Bat is sternly reprimanded with a loud "No!" and perhaps a shot of water from a spritz bottle.  Both seem to be working well.

  This morning, I was busying myself with packing up some of the leftover canning jars.  These will be stored for future use.  The clean bottles were being packed in the original boxes complete with the plastic still on top.  A single slit in the middle allowed me to remove the bottles and now allows me to repack them.  Several of the boxes were sitting on the kitchen floor when Bat spied them.  Cats really DO love boxes!  He weaseled his way through the slit in the plastic and was completely inside the box.  There he stayed batting at anything, real or imaginary, the came close to his hideout.  Crazy cat!

  To keep him even more occupied while I worked, I tossed a small plastic jar of seeds in the box with the cat.  Bat went bonkers and chased that bottle around and around inside the box.  It was comical seeing him trying so hard to catch those seeds!  Bat would spin around in the box, burst out of the top plastic, race around the dining room table, then, dive back into the box!  Son came inside to see what was making all of the racket and had to laugh when he saw Bat in the box!  Silly cat!

October can mean only one thing!

  It is October and that can mean only one thing at the Little Bayou House.  It is time for the Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou!  This is the fifth year that Son and I have thrown this massive event!  It seems to be growing each year.  So far, our teams are family and friends.  While many folks have asked, we have not gone public. Time constraints would put a kink in the production.  As it is, we are running willynilly to get things ready each year.  Perhaps if we had a different venue the idea would work but since the Little Bayou House is home to the hunt, it is impossible.  Space is limited!  We do still live here!  

  During the months of September and October, the place is nigh on unrecognizable.  Weird and wonderful things fill every nook and cranny (even more so than usual!).  Sometimes people, who are not here for the hunt, ask why the place is "decorated" as such.  I hear things like...."Those are not Halloween decorations!"  or "Why do you have a strange box on the table?"  Folks who participate each year have come to expect the Little Bayou House and the surrounding outbuildings to be a bit strange.  They know something is afoot and the unusual trappings just add to the anticipation.  The box on the table?  Yep, it is there.  A rather large, wooden box with windows on the front is barred with boards, chains and a lock.  The idea is to get into that contraption and retrieve the very visible keys that hang in the windows!  This is actually only one of many such things that adorn the place at the moment.  There are twelve other huge props besides several puzzles that need to be solved, opened, unlocked or smashed!  (Yep, smashed!  But we won't go there...yet!)

  With two of the teams already having competed, we are resetting all of the props in advance of the next team that comes tomorrow night.  What fun!  There will be a meal served and three hours of fun filled tromping about the hillside in search of clues that will help solve our mystery!  As the teams are using their abilities to crack the case, Son and I will be already pondering how to make next year's hunt even better!  

The Makeover!

  Living on the Bayou, I have little opportunity to dress to the nines.  I have always said that I am more a jeans and flannel shirt type girl and can see no use in "putting on airs" just to please anyone.  Don't get me wrong, if the need arises, I clean up pretty good.  Otherwise, I feel that the alligators and otters don't give a flying flip if I am wearing moccasins or high heels and, just so you will know, moccasins are a whole lot more comfortable!  But, even though some would probably argue that it is highly needed, this makeover was not for me.

  Last month, I was running short on time and inspiration for the Fourth Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  I needed a treasure chest and I needed it fast!  The brain was clicking furiously but no idea was developing.  What could I use?  I sat in my rocking chair pondering this fact.  My feet were propped up on an old crate that once held cast iron skillets.  Since the box was sturdy and a good size, I kept it to use just as I was now...as a foot rest.  I looked at the box.  Size...good.  Condition...good.  Aesthetics...terrible!  I did not need "Wentzell's Cast Iron Ware" on the side of my treasure chest and that logo was burned into the wood, albeit, crookedly done.  That had to go!

  Sanding the box was easy.  This got rid of most of the logo.  A good coat of paint and antiquing did a fine job of covering the mess.  Now for those decorations.  I did not want to put too much time and effort into the box since I was running behind schedule as it was.  So....a few metal "trinkets" that had been salvaged from hurricane debris so came into play.  Those, a hasp and some rhinestones was all it took to give me the look I wanted.  My treasure box was complete and ready to be filled.  Of course, a padlock was needed to guard the treasures and make the chest a part of the hunt!

  This whole makeover just goes to show that sometimes what we think is just an ugly old rock can be a jewel in disguise.  My shabby crate turned into something a bit more elaborate and a lot more interesting with just a little "polish".  It sort of pays to not to overlook something...or someone...just because of a few flaws.  Those dents and dings tell a story but given a chance that rock can shine and sparkle.