Getting It Straight!

   Every now and again, I have to stop and put things back in order of priority.  It is not hard for me to get so hung up on "what has to be done" that I lose sight of what "needs to be done".  Yep, those are two vastly different things.  Everyday chores, work around the place, home repairs, yard cleanup, errand running, food preservation...those HAVE to be done.  Taking time for myself...that NEEDS to be done.  My needs get pushed aside for the "have tos".  It takes a bit of refocusing and a lot of determination to get back to being me.

  Lately, the journey of "me" has taken full swing.  The daily chores are still done but I have put a limit on the other things.  This gives me time in my day to steer into enjoyable endeavors. Crafting, painting, crocheting and sewing are all in the ready stages, the Clue Hunt on the Bayou is taking shape for this October and my hikes have taken on a new interest.  Each bloom, critter or even shadow now commands my full attention.

  

  Today, I made a point on really studying the seed pod of the Hibiscus Mutabilis (better known as Confederate Rose or Cotton Rose).  From the stiff outer shell to the soft hairs to the tiny pellet seeds, I moved with great interest.  It is amazing how intricately created this pod is.  The crispness of the outer shell is a far cry from the fragile, delicate petals of the bloom and the seeds are tiny compared to the size that the shrub can get.  For twenty minutes, I perused the beauty of a single pod.  Each section was examined.  

  Life is getting so much easier and happier with this refocusing.  It is weird how things like an illness can shake all the emotions into a turmoil and cause a person to forego what is best for what the brain sees as urgent.  I have had to let it go and get back to me.  THAT is the best place to be.

Something Else Southern?

   It is a southern thing.  You hear that often with everything from blessing folk's hearts to eating grits and fried mullet.  It is a southern thing.  While some people think we are a bit backward, we really do not care.  We do our own thing, love one another and live life to the fullest.  We are just happy to be alive and if that is confusing to you...well, kiss my grits.  Who cares?  

  One thing that I was told was pretty much a southern thing by a cousin who lives way up north, is the fact that if visitors ever comment on our garden, they have set themselves up to receive whatever caught their eye.  We give.  We almost over-give.  Armloads of vegetables or fruit are pushed on anyone who comes.  The same goes with our flowers.  Compliment a flower garden and you are bound to be the recipient of cuttings, small plants or seeds. We don't care who you are or where you came from, when you leave, you will be loaded down with something!  No one can leave empty-handed. It is a southern thing...we share...a lot.

  Pass-along plants are a thing much like hand-me-down clothes.  One of the favorites down here is the Confederate Rose.  This is not a rose at all but a member of the hibiscus family or mallow family.  It is one of those plants that is easily rooted by a snippet of stem.  Stick it in some water and a few weeks later, you have a sapling.  Then, it is not long before you have a nice sized shrub that will be covered with lovely saucer-sized blooms during the fall.  Just about everyone down here in the Deep South will tell you their story about receiving a cutting from someone's garden.  The tales are about as interesting as the shrub, itself.  We take pride in giving credit where credit is due.  It is a southern thing.

Life After A Hurricane

  I often ponder what stories could be told if only other things could communicate with us or, perhaps, if we could communicate with them.  This has become more taxing on the brain with each added year.  This year, most people have been complaining on just about everything under the sun.  That whining actually includes the sun as one person said "Grade school was a lie!  I just found out that the sun is really a white star and not an orange or yellow planet."  Alrighty, then.  (Thought processes baffle me.)  Sorry, but if you are in your sixties and just found out that you have been using the wrong crayon all these years, your grade school probably was a bust.  Pondering that, also.

  But back to things talking with us.  With the "after hurricane" drought upon us, it was prudent that I take a few moments to water the plants....or what is left to the plants in the yard.  One leaf caught my attention as it appeared to be trying to communicate...if you use that thing called an imagination.  (Some folks seem to have outgrown theirs but mine runs rampant at times.)  A rather large leaf on the rubber tree appeared to have some sort of weird writing on the back.  Maybe the plant was trying to tell me how terrific the storm had been and how heroic it was to have survived despite being caught right in the middle of it.  Or, perhaps, it was reprimanding me for leaving it to fend for itself in such destructive weather.  

  Truth be told, the leaf bore the scars of debris that zinged into by the fierce winds.  It always amazes me how resilient plants are during catastrophic weather events.  Most will be stripped of leaves or will be left in tatters, yet, given time, they will shoot out new growth.  Here it is just weeks after a hurricane and the pear tree has blossoms, the Confederate Rose has many buds and a beautiful bloom and the rubber tree is setting new leaves.  Life goes on.  Mother Nature does not let things just give up.  The will to survive is incredible.

Its a Bee Thing

  Fall is great on so many things but unless you leave a lot of weeds....errr...wildflowers in your yard, there is just not a lot for the bees and butterflies to eat.  Both of those depend on the pollen and nectar to help them overwinter or migrate...whichever the case may be.  The honeybees have a particular fondness for the lovely Confederate Rose that springs up early each year but blooms mostly in fall.  The large saucer-sized blooms open white and then turn a dark rosy pink during the day then back to almost white late in the evening.  Being a hibiscus, the blooms have a large pollen-making parts which is a boon to the bees.  

  To overwinter, the bees need to lay in a supply of honey.  This honey is what will feed the newly hatched the bees in early spring.  The stored honey will nurture the bees until they can find flowers to start the honey-making for the season.  

  This afternoon as we were coming up from the pier, Mark drew my attention to the large blooms along the side of the board path.  We both admired the lovely blooms and the tiny visitors that were stocking up on the life-giving pollen.  By having the Confederate Roses in the yard, I felt pretty good about the chances of the bees surviving another year.  Well, I have done my part!  The weeds (wildflowers) are in full bloom since I have not cut the grass in a month and these hibiscus blooms are adding to the wealth for the bees!  Nice!

New Beginnings

March 1st..a day that brought a new beginning into the family. A tiny baby boy was born to my niece..welcome to the world, Jadiel. I hope your life is filled with all the wonderful things that you deserve..and I pray that you receive nothing but kindness, love and happiness for all the days of your life! This little bundle of joy just did allow me to finish his crocheted afghan! I have been working on it here and there as I found time over the past month. I thought since his arrival was not due until mid-March, I would surely have plenty of time! Oh...never go by due dates...babies have a way of coming when they want and not when they are expected! This little fellow decided not to wait another minute! He weighed in at five pounds and thirteen ounces and was only eighteen inches long. Just a little peanut! I did finish his baby blanket in time though and have it all neatly wrapped and ready.

Another new beginning was discovered in the garden this morning. If you remember I had talked about taking cuttings of the Confederate Rose to root for new plants. I was excited to see some tiny new leaves popping out on the cut branches and when I checked the cut ends..sure enough there were roots! It appears that most of the cuttings are rooting although several were quite fully rooted and needing to be set into the ground. It looks like I will be digging holes tomorrow! Baby plants need to be tucked into a bed of nice warm soil to be able to grow!

Also..in the hotbed, the tomatoes are all showing their little green leaves! I am excited but then almost a tad bit trepidatious! I knew that I had planted a lot of seeds but last year hardly any of the seeds sprouted. Well, this year it seems that every seed that hit the ground is on its way to becoming a healthy tomato plant! So....I guess instead of thirty plants, this year I might be planting closer to two hundred plants! Perhaps someone in the neighborhood could use a few plants..I hope........

One other bit of news of life beginnings..the bluebirds were checking out the neighborhood for nesting sites today. A pair stopped by the vacant home that hangs in the Black Gum Tree by my front door. It seems awfully early in the year for them to be home shopping but who am I to question their business??? My son just recently cleaned out the old nest and examined the durability of the house. He assured me that it should be good for at least one more nesting, but just to make mom feel better, he pounded in a few more nails! Now at least I know the old nursery rhyme about the cradle tumbling out of the tree won't happen with my bluebirds!

Another confusing name!

Oh, this language of ours! Sometimes things can be so confusing to others. And sometimes these same things make perfect sense to me! (Maybe it is not the language that is confusing.) Here we go again..this time the moniker that seems to throw everyone is "Confederate Rose". Now to those that live in the South, a Confederate Rose is a part of life..it is like Magnolias, Spanish Moss, sweet tea and "ya'll". These things all connote a life down South..way down South..Deep South..down "smack against the Gulf" South! Almost every yard south of the Mason/Dixon Line has at least one Confederate Rose bush proudly waving its bloom in the Gulf breezes. This bush has a beautiful habit of having more than one color blossom on each bush..no, that is not something "special", it is just part of the appeal of the bush. The buds usually open early in the morning as white or near white only to gradually turn to a dark rosy pink by the evening. Most garden centers use this trait as a huge selling ploy, touting it as something highly unusual but to the Confederate Rose, it is quite natural. A tale explaining this change comes from the Civil War era..whether it is true or not..is entirely left to the teller of the tale. It seems that a Confederate soldier was fatally wounded during one horrendous battle and left where he fell beneath a bush that was covered with white flowers. As his blood spilled onto the roots of the bush, the blooms in sadness turned blood red by evening. Such a sad tale to be attached to such a lovely bush. Now here is the confusing part..this bush is neither a rose nor is it Confederate! It is not even indigenous to the South! This plant is actually in the hibiscus family and hails from China! Whoa! That is a far cry from being what one would naturally think considering the name! It seems to have taken a liking to the Southland and does really well here. Since the branches will die back with the first freeze, many people will start to take cuttings in late Fall. These cuttings (about twelve inches long) can be placed in a bucket of water and should be well rooted by Spring. The bucket will have to be placed out of the harm of freezing weather and the water level checked occasionally. This weekend, I will be taking cuttings from mine. I need several more bushes! This one actually survived Hurricane Katrina..not intact but months after the storm, I found that a piece had self-rooted in the marsh near the Bayou. That should be a testimony to the hardiness of this bush! In Spring, I hope to have several more for the yard and some to share with any who would like one.