Time to Fill the Warbler Feeders!

   Well, either I have not noticed before or this is a first for around here.  Early this morning, I was wandering the Small Gardens when a slight flutter caught my attention.  In the big camellia bush, several tiny birds were flitting from bloom to bloom.  I stepped closer to get a better view.  The birds did not seem to care that I was just a few feet from them and kept on working the blooms.   If I am correct, these are Nashville Warblers and are only migrating visitors to the Bayou.  They are tiny and a soft olive green with a buffy, yellow belly.  Thinking that they were after some tiny bugs in the blooms, I figured I had better check the flowers.  Sometimes ants will go after the nectar of the blooms.  Imagine my surprise when I found no ants in the tree...none...zilch...nary a one!  So...the next thought was "I wonder if the birds were sipping nectar?"

  After doing a bit of research, it seems that hummingbirds are not the only birds that love nectar and these warblers are on that list.  This got me pondering whether they would appreciate the nectar feeders that I usually hang in the gardens for the hummers.  Tomorrow will find me making sugar water and filling a few feeders just out of curiosity.  

A Bit of Brightness in the Midst of Drear

  It sounds like a cliche opening for a scary novel but....It was a dark, stormy night on the Bayou....but, it truly is dark and stormy.  As the winds rage outside, they are pushing the tide well up into the yard.   With the (at times) gale force winds, a drizzly rain is pelting the rooftop. Tornado watches and warnings were the norm for the day making it a fine day to straighten the craft room which has become a sort of dumping ground for anything and everything.  This chore was started a few days ago and then was interrupted by more urgent tasks.  Today, I did no more than pull the tiny room into a more organized chaos.  It is that bad.  Still, now at least I can reach my paints and canvases so I am inspired to create once again. The storming has been lingering around for the past few days making such chores a welcome break from boredom.  In fact, I do like this weather so I suppose you could call me a "foul-weather friend"!

  All of this talk about weather leads up to one thing.  Yesterday morning in the midst of all of the drear, a knock fell upon the front door.  I thought for sure this was my sister-in-law, Cynthia, since she loves to come have coffee with me during thunderstorms.  Personally, I like staying home but her visits are always welcome.  However, this was not her!  The knock was heralding the arrival of my brother from down the lane.  He will stop in occasionally just to tell me some funny story or bring the mail but not this time.  This time, he brought a smile in the form of a flower. While in reality, he brought the flower to me for identification, I took it as he brought me a gift.  It is not often one receives flowers from a brother!

  The flower in question was a camellia.  While he knew that much, he was in hopes that I knew the type of camellia.  I informed him that this was called a "Purple Dawn" and was a favorite of mine.  The name derives from the fact that as the bloom ages, the edges start to turn from bright pink to have a blush of purple. It is a lovely flower .He was extremely proud of the fact that his bush had dozens of blooms on it even though it was just a little over a year old.  He had rooted it from a bush from our aunt and uncle's place next door.  "I just did get it out of their yard in time." he informed me.  I knew exactly what he meant as I had heard the bulldozers rumbling around the place not long ago.  It saddened us both that all of the beautiful camellias, roses, azaleas and bulbs were plowed up from their growing spots.  None of the once-gorgeous yard remained. 

  Sometimes progress is just too much for me to take.  I see things like our wooded neighborhood being cut to the ground, critter homes being demolished, centuries old oak trees uprooted and decades old bushes smashed.  To me, this is not progress.  In my view, this is more destructive than most storms as this is controllable.  

  I am happy beyond belief that my brother was able to at least salvage a small camellia bush from my aunt and uncle's old home place.  I think it would please them to know that he cared.  I know it pleased me that he shared a bit of beauty with me during this dreary weather.

Beneath the Pines

  I love to tromp around in the woods.  To me, exploring even my own property is exciting as I never know what I might find.  On a recent hike through the underbrush and to a clearing under some small pine trees, I stumbled upon the unexpected find of a small camellia bush. Obviously, a seed had been dropped a couple of years ago by some critter.  It had settled down beneath the pine straw, sprouted and pushed its way back up to reach for the sky.  Although the little sapling was not more than an inch in diameter at its largest point, it was a good four feet tall and had a lovely bloom on it.  

  I thought about how that little sapling was brave to take root in the midst of all those pines.  The pine trees will grow large and tall blocking out the sun.  They will expand in girth and take up most of the room in that little stretch of the woods.  The tiny camellia will have to have some gumption to survive and will have to work hard to gain its rightful place among the pines.  On the plus side, the camellia is protected from any harsh weather.  The branches of the pine trees form a canopy above the little shrub and keep out the frost and high winds.  The pine needles are a natural mulch that can help to fertilize the bush and hold moisture into the soil.  Perhaps this could be a happy arrangement for the little camellia but I do think it will have a struggle ahead of it if it wishes to flourish.  It also makes me sad that no one would ever see the lovely blooms of the little camellia. Flowers are meant to be enjoyed not hidden.

  After finding the tiny shrub, I talked to Son about possibly transplanting it to the yard.  There we could care for it and enjoy its beauty for years to come.  Happily, he readily agreed and, weather permitting, we shall take a hike into the woods again tomorrow.  Then my lonely little friend will have a home and its blooms can be viewed by all who visit the Bayou.

Old Man Winter, meet Lady Spring!

  While most of the country is being bombarded with yet another bout of frigid weather complete with ice and snow, here on the Bayou, we are experiencing a different type of weather.  One day will be warm and foggy, then comes the almost hot and rainy followed by more cold. Today was that drippy, warm day.  Although the rain held off until nighttime, it was still humid enough to feel downright muggy at times. A strong south wind warded off any idea that it was summer since any wind coming across cold water can chill to the bone.  So, we know winter is still capable of pulling a fast one on us and freezing any plants that have dared to poke out buds.

  The cold hardy camellias are in full bloom.  These blooms seem to thrive in thirty degree weather.  Anything below that will mar the gorgeous five inch blossoms but they do, indeed, love cool weather. Old Man Winter holds the lovely pinks, reds and whites of camellias. Old Man Winter, meet Lady Spring!  She gently caresses the sunny daffodils...those harbingers of springtime!  A few brave souls have dared to show the pretty, bright blooms around the hillside.  The buttercup-yellow heads nod gently in the winds and bring a smile to all who chance upon them.  Sadly, they will surely perish in the coming cold.  

  It  bothers me a bit to see so many springtime flowers already popping out.  Our peach trees have decided that it is warm enough to burst forth with their pink blossoms.  Two nights from now, we are due for some more harsh cold and that will put a damper on any peach crops for this year.  Daffodils and peach blossoms should wait for a bit!  Lady Spring, I hate to tell you this but Old Man Winter may still have a few more tricks up his sleeve!

Warm Sunshine and Bright Blooms

  It seems as if the weather is the topic of choice in most conversations these days.  This is evidently true nationwide since friends from all over are telling me stories of this harsh winter.  I count my blessings each day since we have been spared the worst of the storms.  A few icy days do not compare with the mountains of snow and ice north of us.  Here, the weather is fine (for the moment!).  Michael and I worked outside the entire day. He started building my long awaited greenhouse.  It should be ready in plenty of time for me to start my seedlings for the garden.  For now, I dream of row after row of tiny pepper, tomato and herb plants poking their little green leaves out of the dark potting soil. My other kids have all informed me that they are out of the homemade tomato sauce so the garden will be filled with all of the ingredients!  Hopefully, we will have a good growing year and I can replenish the sauce in their cupboards!  While he worked on the greenhouse,  I cleaned the deck attached to the shed and raked pile after pile of leaves.  The poor trees are bare!  This is the result of the two ice storms that coated each leaf and caused them to drop to the ground. Most of the leaves are still soggy from all of the rain we have been having in between freezes.  This made for difficult raking but I managed to get all around the shed cleaned.

  While I was out raking I noticed that despite of the frigid weather, the Camellia bushes were in full bloom.  Both the Purple Dawn and Faith Camellia bushes were covered with the glorious saucer-sized flowers.  This called for a break in chores!  I just had to go marvel over the lovely blooms.  From a distance, the blooms looked perfect but once I neared, I could see that even these "cold-weather" flowers had suffered a bit.  The edges of the bright pink petals all showed the brown of ice burn.  Only the blossoms that were tucked far under the heavy leaves had no damage.

  The Camellia blooms added to the brightness of the day.  Sunshine and flowers can always bring a smile to my face and when they occur on the same day, everything is perfect.  Those blooms give me hope that all is well with my fruit trees. Although the peach trees seem unscathed, the citrus trees and Hibiscus trees look rather bad. The loss of any food-bearing tree is a hard blow when you depend upon them as we do.  The citrus trees provide us with fresh fruit and canned jelly, marmalade, juice and dried zest.  The Hibiscus flowers are dried and added to the homegrown herbal teas. Hopefully soon I will see signs of life in these trees as well.

Bits of Brightness Among the Drear!

Drip..drip..drip...This has been the constant sound on the rooftop for the past number of days.  Sometimes rain but mostly just heavy, heavy fog.  More oft than not, we are completely fog-bound at night with the days not much better.  It is so thick that you can feel the closeness..the tightness of the air.  Through all of this, the Little Bayou House has become quite damp inside.  The old, hardwood flooring in the living room is sticky with nothing other than moisture from the fog.  Poor Ms. Ez snuggles in a tight ball.  She feels the dankness and is not happy.  Even Ms. Put, the old cat, spends more time inside now.  She seeks shelter in Michael's room upstairs.  And the greyness lingers on... Ms. Ez and I did venture out in the bleakness early this afternoon.  I thought that perhaps the fog might lift a bit and I was going to be ready to catch even the tiniest bit of sunshine.  It did not happen!  She and I softly padded about the hillside, our footsteps muffled by the sogginess of the ground.  Every branch was laden with droplets, every leaf coated with water.  Once on the pier, I was engulfed by a stifling silence.  This was one of the few times that I could not see the opposite shore.  Whiteness..total whiteness blocked any view.  Three small mergansers shuffled a bit under the pier.  They were not even anxious to leave their shelter.

Coming back up the hill, I was shivering with the cold.  The fog seemed to penetrate the heavy jacket that I wore.  This was not for me!  Ms. Ez and I would hope for a better walk tomorrow!  Right inside the gate of the rose garden, I noticed a tiny bit of brightness!  A single wood violet dared to bloom in all of this drear!  As I stooped to photograph the brave violet, I noticed that the winter-blooming camellia was laden with the droplets of fog!  Beautiful!  This small shrub actually belongs to my cousin.  I had dug up one several years ago from her folk's old place.  I had no idea that it would do so well in the large pot but today, it is full of the huge blooms!  I snapped a few photographs of it.  I had plans to send these to her just to let her know that her camellia is thriving!  Ahh..even the geranium was forcing a few blooms!  This was blooming a bit early but I was happy to see some bit of brightness in the otherwise gloom!  So what if the weather was not participating..the plants were!

Ms. Ez huddled closer to me almost knocking me flat on my face!  She was ready to get back to her warm bed!  My photographing of the flowers was not to her interest and she was not going to tolerate me staring at a plant and ignoring her!  Ok..ok..inside we shall go!  She and I both welcomed a "warm-me-up"...mine in the form of a mug of ginger tea and hers being a warmed bowl of dog food!  Yep...I am just that swayed by a dog!  She deserved it, though, for letting me get my pictures!

Time for Renewal!

I love springtime! I love all seasons and cannot say that I actually have a favorite but since it is springtime...I love it! The days of late have been spent doing some long-needed spring cleaning of the yard! Out with the old and in with the new is a good way to look at yard work. Rip out the old dead and withered plants, pull out all of the old mulch and rake up all the dead leaves! Once that is all finished, the "in with the new" can commence. I have been doing a lot of the "out with the old". It seems that since the winter was mild, we have an over-abundance of bugs. I have no problem with most insects but those fleas that have taken up residence in the rotted leaves and mulch have to go! I do not like fleas! My dogs do not like fleas! So to eliminate fleas, I am eliminating dead leaves and lots of rotted mulch.

I found a new camellia seedling while clearing away the rubble beneath the large tree!

While doing so much cleaning, I have come across some happy finds! One find was under the camellia bush. As I raked out all the old blossoms that had fallen from the bush, I was happy to discover a tiny, new camellia! Obviously, a seed from last year's blooms was fertile enough to sprout and grow into a sweet, little bush! This bush is there..mine for the taking! It shall be potted for the next few years and then transplanted to its permanent home when it is large enough to be seen from a distance! Then the lawnmower won't accidentally nip it in the bud, so to speak! (You know how those lawnmowers tend to chomp anything that gets in their way!) This little seedling camellia may or may not make lovely blooms. If, after the first blooming season, I am not happy with the quality of the blossom, I will merely graft it with stock from one of our better trees. I am just happy to find the little plant! It pays to keep a watchful eye whilst ridding the yard of unwanted gunk!

All of the kumquat seeds that I planted have sprouted!

Another happy find occurred a bit later on the other side of the house. There were more "babies"! In December, when Michael and I were making so much kumquat marmalade, I decided to plant all of the seeds. I did not think that many would germinate so I just made a short row of about six feet long and dumped the entire bowl of seeds in it. After covering them with several inches of dirt, I promptly forgot about them. Yesterday as I was out weeding the cucumbers, I spied some dark green plants between the garden fence and the fence to the dog run. Hmmmm...I needed to investigate! As I stepped closer, I realized just what this dark mass was....KUMQUATS! Hundreds upon hundreds of tiny kumquat seedlings were poking their leaves above the dirt! Oh, my goodness! Just what am I to do with that many kumquat bushes??? Michael will tell you that we already have far to many with just five bushes! He has to help pick the hundred pounds or so that those five trees produce each year! Perhaps I should not show him the row of seedlings just yet...maybe if I wait until mid-summer, he will have forgotten all about the picking!

Tiny oranges are already setting on the trees this spring!

Speaking of citrus fruits, the Satsuma trees are loaded! I have never seen so many blooms on an orange tree in my life! Last week, the yard smelled divine! Now, the tiny fruit can be seen as the blossoms are starting to drop. If we have a proper growing year, the three satsuma trees should produce a goodly amount of fruit. I will have to prop up the limbs to keep them from breaking or bending to the ground with the weight of the fruit. Those and the grapefruit trees have just outdone themselves with setting fruit. Bar a drought or hurricane, we will be well blessed with many citrus fruits this year!

Yep...a time for renewal! A time for rebirth! A time for regeneration! A time for a lot of work in the gardens! Oh, how I love springtime!

Sometimes You Just Need a Little Faith!

Back in the day when I was growing up, there was a gentleman that owned a nursery just a couple of miles from our house. Mr. Brodie was well known in the area for the Camellias that he would grow. This man would propagate new types of Camellias quite often and sometimes his wife would name them. Almost everyone on the Coast had heard of Mr. Bob and his prowess in the field. It was so commonplace to hear someone say that they had a "Mr. Bob" Camellia that I, as a child, assumed the man had actually invented these lovely bushes! In our yard, there were dozens of his pieces of work! He created some of the most beautiful Camellias I have ever seen. Years and years ago, as a wedding gift, my Uncle Alfred and Aunt Marie gave us two beautiful Camellias. My husband and I were elated! Our first bushes! One was the Purple Dawn, which might or might not have been his cultivar but the other..the "Faith" was definitely his! If you look into the background of the "Faith" you will see that it came from Biloxi, Mississippi but rarely mentions Mr. Bob..now you know the "rest of the story!" The tale that I heard as a child was that his wife, Miss Virginia, (as we called her!) named this Camellia. Now, I am not positive about that naming part, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it! The Faith is a beautiful pink blossom that has yellow stamens and occasionally a few petals that cluster in around the center.

FAITH..how appropriate of a name for a Camellia. These flowers bloom in the cold of Winter, usually in February here on the Bayou. Because of this, Camellias have long been the flower that gives hope that Spring is right around the corner. Those of us that have grown weary of the Winter drear can have faith that warmer days are near when we seen the buds opening out into their full-blown glory.

FAITH also comes into play with my own particular two bushes! These bushes are over thirty years old now and have seen some rough times. Hurricane Katrina literally buried them under approximately twelve feet of debris and there they stayed for months. Not because we did not care about these bushes, but rather because it took that long to finally uncover them. There were boards, trees, furniture and even most of a truck on top of these two bushes. When we did find them, they were bent, broken and defoliated due to the salt water and tons of debris. I was heartbroken to say the least. During this time, so many things were beyond saving. I stood looking at my Camellias with a heavy heart..so many things were ruined, but for some reason, these hurt. I remember how my daughter told me to "Have 'FAITH', Mom, they will come back!" Her play on the name renewed my spirits! I will have FAITH! My bushes WILL live! She and I pulled and pushed until we at least managed to stand them partially erect. The roots had been washed clear of soil and the debris had scarred the bark but we were determined! These bushes WILL live! And live they did! They are still bent but they have bloomed every year since this happened! And my faith survived..my little Bayou would be revitalized.

It seems that this bush is living up to its name. Where the roots were scarred and laid bare, several new "shoots" have sprouted. These are several years old and this year will be cut from the main bush and transplanted a few feet away from the original. Perhaps faith caused this bush to know that it could renew itself in this way or perhaps it is just a fluke of Nature that the roots sprouted..who knows?.... Sometimes you just need to have a little faith to carry on in this world.

Purple Dawns and Veggie Soup!

I am one of the luckiest people alive, I do believe. Each morning, I am blessed with the most perfect beginnings that anyone could ever ask. This day started with a beautiful, purple dawn. The sky was magnificent..a whole range of purples, oranges and reds. It amazes me how as an artist, it can seem so difficult to make colors look "right" together. Sometimes when painting, the colors will "clash"..I will repaint.. still not right.. I repaint. It seems that no matter how I hard I try, I am never satisfied with the outcome. Then, I will observe a sunrise or sunset and there are the hues that I so wish I could replicate. The colors blend into a beauty like no other. I stand in awe..breathing in the incredible scene. It is almost as if you can "feel" the beauty not just "see" it. Truly, power in Nature to produce something so unbelievably lovely can only be credited to the Master Artist. Only He could ever created the masterpieces that are called sunrises and sunsets. Each is so different and yet each is more stunning than the previous. Yes, I am blessed to live on the Bayou!

Later, I viewed another "Purple Dawn". In the yard, there are several camellia bushes that are full of buds and one has a few early blooms. My husband and I were given two camellia bushes as wedding gifts oh, so many years ago. One was called the "Faith" and the other "Purple Dawn". These two bushes have withstood all sorts of abuse from hurricanes and still manage to provide gorgeous blossoms each winter. The Purple Dawn is such a lovely blossom! The bud will open almost a rose pink but as the bloom ages, the edges will turn a bluish purple and the blush of the pink will deepen. One of the bushes that is blooming is a plant that I dug up from my Aunt and Uncle's house after Hurricane Katrina. Their yard was filled with camellias of all sorts before the storm took most of them. This one is sitting in a pot waiting to be transported to Atlanta, GA. There it will reside at my cousin's house and hopefully bring her many years of joy. This was from her childhood home and was her mother's (my aunt's) favorite camellia. I am so glad that I was able to rescue it for her!

Late this evening after a long day's work, I made a delicious pot of vegetable soup. The pot of soup started me thinking of one of the sweetest ladies I know. Tina is my daughter-in-law's mother and I simply adore her. Tina is a vegan so when I do cook something like today's soup, I think about how she might enjoy this dish. Even though I am not a vegan myself, I do admire and respect her convictions behind her choice to be one. And besides, I do love my veggies! This soup is a very quick and easy meal and even though I used mostly homegrown vegetables, you can substitute those with ones from the store.

Vegan Soup for Tina

7 cups water

1/2 cup dry barley

1 cup onion (minced)

2 cups potatoes (peeled and chopped)

2 cups carrots (chopped)

1 clove garlic (crushed)

2 cups broccoli stems (diced)

3 cups cabbage (shredded)

1 cup sweet green peas

4 vegetable bouillon cubes

3 tablespoons parsley (chopped)

In a large stock pot, place water, barley, and onions. Bring to a boil, lower heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Crumble the bouillon cubes into the mix. Add the potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cabbage and garlic. Bring back to a boil, lower heat and simmer for another 2o minutes. Once the potatoes and carrots are tender, add the green peas and parsley. Simmer over low heat for about 1o more minutes. Serve steaming hot!

This is a great "warmer" on cold days and is very healthy for you. There is no added salt other than the bouillon and no fat..so it is even a very good "diet" meal. Also..notice that I stated broccoli stems. Most people discard the stems, and use only the tops or florets, this is a waste! I steam the tops (or florets) or make a broccoli salad on one day and save the stems to use in soups and stew. They are full of vitamins and fiber! Just make sure to test for tenderness and do discard the "woody" ends. Enjoy!!!