"Best Kind of Gift"

   A couple of years ago, I was talking with my brother and he made the comment that he did not want gifts of "things I have to put in the house" for Christmas.  It seems that he is in about the same boat I am in with the house filled to the max.  There IS no room for anything else.  I keep telling folks to stop giving me things that take up space.  Don't buy me some cutesy knickknack because you have no idea what to bring...bring yourself.  That is it.  Both my brother and I have come to realize that "things" are not what are needed.  Kindness is.  So, I vowed to not get him anything that needed to be put "in" the house.  Instead, I found a way to let him know that my heart wishes him well but without the needless buying of things.  It has become a custom for me to give him hurricane debris!  Yep, hurricane debris!

  Storms have a tendency to wash just about everything imaginable up in the yard on the tidal surge.  That stuff gets stuck and it is a chore to clear it.  So, I hit upon the idea of giving it as a gift!  Now before you think I merely haul a wheelbarrow of garbage to his house, let me explain.  My brother loves all things to do with our Coastal living especially the overlooked things.  So, I have taken to salvaging driftwood from the storm surge lines and creating some oddity to give him.  We get a good laugh and then, if the whim strikes him, he can use the piece as firewood.  (I always remind him of that option!)  As an example, last year I created a life sized Great Blue Heron out of driftwood.  Life sized as in 4ft tall!   He loved it!  The crazy bird still stands on his deck with its head stretched high as it looks over the Bay.  In fact, he claims that everyone that visits loves his bird.  Aww...now I feel pretty good about that debris!

  This year, in keeping with the theme, I decided to get in the holiday spirit and make a Christmas Tree of sorts for him.  Again, that hurricane debris driftwood came into play.  The tree was put together with screws and jute string, strung with some mini lights and draped with Spanish moss.  I topped it with a rubber starfish that has been "floating" around here for years and tied on some shells as ornaments.  Once finished, I hauled the 3ft tall tree over to his place.  Yep...he loved it and immediately hung it on the wall of his porch.  Each evening, those little lights twinkle brightly as the glorified sticks of driftwood hold the decorations. 

  All of this just goes to show that Christmas is in the heart not in your hand.  Give something that shows you care.  Hurricane debris gifts?  Yep, I care enough to get creative with the "firewood" I give to him.  We both get a good laugh and lots of hugs.  You might be wondering what he gave to me?  Well, my gift is a bunch of really neat pieces of an antique chandelier that he found.  He handed me a box of the dismantled light parts and I was thrilled.  He knows how much I like to repurpose old things in my creations!  My head is already spinning with ideas of how to use the treasures!  Merry Christmas, folks.  Don't give cluttering gifts...give time...give love...give from the heart...or....give hurricane debris!  It is great to have a brother who can find the love behind a gift of driftwood.

The Making of a "Herodactyl"!

   After any storm that pushes the tide up in the yard, I sort through the debris.  Anything such as bottles, cans and plastics are bagged and put to the end of the lane for roadside pickup.  Large pieces of wood and boards are pulled and stacked for reuse.  The marsh grass, leaves and small twigs are mulched for the gardens and pathways.  Through all of the cleanup, I am searching...searching for anything that can be reused, recycled or repurposed.  It takes a bit of imagination sometimes but it does put an interesting spin on an otherwise tedious chore.  Lately, driftwood has been deemed a "find"!

  Back in December, I had the bright idea to create a driftwood heron sculpture as a gift for my brother.  He had made the statement that he did not "need" anything to put in his house as there was already too much stuff in it.  I can fully understand his plight as I feel the same way about the Little Bayou House.  Well, that statement got me to thinking about creating something he could leave outside.  So...the driftwood heron popped into the brain.  Admittedly, my attempt was feeble in comparison to the fine works of true driftwood artists but my brother seemed tickled over his odd critter sculpture.  Son said it looked more like a pterodactyl so he smashed the two names together and said I created the very first "herodactyl"   Heron and pterodactyl are names that need to be smashed, I guess.  So Herodactyl became a thing.

  This afternoon as Son was working on the pier, I spied some odd driftwood pieces near the shore.  Knowing I cannot get down along the shoreline to retrieve them, I had to use a bit of ingenuity involving a long pole and a broken scoop net.  It worked!  I now have the makings of a new sculpture!  Perhaps since arthritis is dulling the use of my hands for fine work, these larger pieces will satisfy the craving to create.  I am not sure what the driftwood pieces will become but I am sure it will have a fine name from Son!  Create, folks!  Don't fret if it is not museum worthy...just create!  It is good for the brain.