Mountains of Mushrooms!

  This whole summer has seen us in one of the worst droughts on record for the area. It was really strange because folks all around us were getting weekly rains. Here, within one square mile, nothing...nary a drop!  I gave up on the inground gardens, watered the potted plants and put out bins of water for my wild critter friends.  I could not water all of the trees so they soon lost their leaves in an effort to survive. The threat of wildfires kept me raking and mowing like a maniac!  Several mornings, the smell of thick smoke caused me to go into a frenzy of removing dead leaves!  Then, last week, we got rain!  Not much but enough to ease the mind.  For three days, a slow drizzle settled the dirt and the soul.  All in all, we only got a half inch over the course of three days but it was very appreciated.

  During those three drizzly days, the fungi world came alive. The poor things obviously have been sitting dormant for the duration of the drought and, suddenly, were able to burst forth in happiness!  Early one morning, I came across a huge mound of the prettiest, tan-colored mushrooms.  An old, rotted stump had played host to this colony!  As I mentioned, it was huge...a mountain of mushrooms, so it seemed.  The clump was about eighteen inches in height and about that in diameter!  I was enthralled by the find and wanted to find out more about these beauties!

  Pondering just how to go about identifying mushrooms, my thoughts turned to my oldest son.  Mark is up on all sorts of things and is quickly learning about fungi...a newfound interest.  So...I quickly sent him the photographs.  He suggested that these looked a lot like Ringless Honey Mushrooms.  He then asked, "Did you eat them?"  Yeah...sure...I eat all unidentified mushrooms.  NO!  I did not eat them because I had no idea if they were edible.  He then informed me not to eat them raw.  They had to be cooked.  I think I will leave that eating part to him but I was appreciative of the identification.  The name suits them well as they are definitely honey-colored!    Sad to say, a few days later, my mountain of mushrooms had dissolved into a gooey, gelatinous mess!  My pretty, pretty mushrooms were now a fly-covered gunk!  

I shall...

   You know it is not a good thing when I began to think that a tropical storm...not a hurricane...but a tropical storm might not be such a bad idea.  With tropical storms comes rain and usually lots of it.  As is a good bit of the country, it is dry here...bone dry...so dry that things are withering.  Add to that the triple digit heat blasting us and it makes for a most miserable time.  I can handle the heat but the dry...not so much.  Droughts are wicked things that cause suffering in so many ways.  My heart aches with each step outside as the ground literally crunches.  Plants are shriveled a brittle.  Even the pine trees are dropping their needles which usually does not occur until the end of September here.  The heat and drought cause suffering for my critter friends, as well.  With the creeks dried, some animals have taken to drinking the brackish water from the Bayou.  A little of this may be ok but to survive, they need fresh water.  The two little, decorative ponds in the yard are their only source of a cooling drink.  Despite my efforts to water the plants and fill the ponds, birdbaths and any available pans, it is not enough.  We need rain...badly.  I have even taken to dumping dishwater and stale coffee in the gardens and have buckets catching the drips from the air conditioning to use on plants. So, if it takes a tropical storm to dump that much need water, I shall deal with it.

  The gardens have gone the wayside with the exception of a few diehard plants that get a daily dousing from the water hose.  Even that did not save but a handful.  The potted plants are doing better but the "in ground" ones have already met their demise.  I am not accustomed to this.  Normally, my little shaded nook is lush and green.  Now, it is sere and crunchy.  You can imagine my surprise this morning when I found a single daylily in bloom. My heart swelled as I dropped to my knees to "embrace" the flower.  It was almost as if the little flower was trying to thank me for my efforts.  Seeing the lovely daylily gave me hope.  It gave me strength.  I can do this.  I shall do this.  I shall continue to help my friends as much as possible.  At times like this, the flora and fauna of the area need a helping hand.  I shall try my best.  I shall.

She is a good one!

   As is my habit, I rise well before the sky begins to lighten in the east.  This gives me time to collect my thoughts over that first mug of coffee.  The cat and I tend to be the only two awake at the bright and early time of 4am so we have the place more or less to ourselves. After breakfast for both of us, he goes his way and I go mine.  His way is prowling around to find any lackadaisical night critters that he can "hurry on their way" and my way is prowling the gardens to see what work needs to be done.  Usually, there is just enough light by the time we exit the house to feel relatively safe against those "larger night critters".

  This morning, it was necessary to drag the hose about the gardens.  The heat and drought have been brutal to the plants even with my efforts to help.  Sometimes, I think I am just prolonging the suffering of the plants but it pains me to know they so desperately need the cooling water.  While hosing down the last remaining zinnias, a slight movement was enough for me to put down the hose.  A praying mantis was clinging to one of the zinnia stalks as it searched for breakfast.  Ahh, my friend!  I love these critters and was only too happy that Bat, the cat, had made his way down the hill to the pier.  The mantis would live to see another day.  

  While pondering the mantis, this morning, it dawned on me that, while I love them, they are kin to two of my least favorite critters!  Praying mantes are kin to both cockroaches and termites. Those, I can fully do without...especially the termites as they are in the process of eating, not only the Little Bayou House, but every tree on the property.  (Yes, LIVE trees.)  In all fairness, however, the mantis would gladly dine on either of the other so perhaps I just need more of these critters.

  It was not long before the praying mantis made its way deeper into the zinnia bed and well out of sight of the cat.  Now it just had to be watchful of the little ribbon snake that also inhabits the gardens.  Life is not the easiest.  

Darkness

   "Progress" is beginning to wear thin on my nerves.  Things are a little better today since we had a wee bit of rain overnight but for the past two months, I was constantly on edge.  My nerves were being tested at each turnaround.  A severe drought left our area literally crispy.  Leaves prematurely fell from the trees and became a thick, crackly carpet throughout the woods.  This was just waiting for someone to take a notion of starting a fire whether by ill intention, a tossed out cigarette, fireworks or campfire.  The city took the wise step of issuing a burn ban but, obviously, that does not apply to everyone.  This all goes back to the progress thing.  Clearcutting property has reached a frenzied stage as building new houses is all the rage.  Fine.  Fine and dandy.  BUT...you should follow the rules.  As the people clear the properties all around us, the trees are simply shoved in huge piles and lit afire.  Yep, lit afire while we are under a burn ban due to drought.  It is nerve racking to smell smoke knowing that any spark could set up a wildfire with the brisk north winds.  Progress!  Oh, how I would love to go back to being in solitude around here.

  As I sat on the pier yesterday morning, I had a brief moment where I felt that solitude.  The skies were eerily bright even though the sun had not even risen above the pines but the woods were pitch black.  I say woods...there are dozens of homes just beyond those trees.  For some odd reason, nary a light could be seen (power outage, maybe?).  No streetlights, no house lights...nothing.  As I sat there pondering the darkness, it occurred to me that maybe we are not meant to see everything.  Perhaps, we are better off being in our own little worlds.  I know I am.  Too bad, it appears that my little world is soon to be a thing of the past.

Late Summer Beauty

   The entire spring and first part of summer was extremely rainy.  It rained so much that our hill was even starting to get a bit mushy which is strange since the water runs right off into the Bayou or Bay.   Still, the gardens had standing puddles and that rotted the plants at the roots.  Most of the summer garden was a bust.  I got enough tomatoes to restock our supply of jars of sauce and catsup so all is well.  We can stretch the pickles for another year since the cucumbers succumbed to the root rot.  Regardless, those months were good since the rain kept it a bit cooler.  Then came SUMMER!  I knew the weather was going to take a swing in the other direction and made preparations by not planting a late garden.  Watering it would have just been too much.  So now the veggie patch sits empty.

  Still, other plants are doing well regardless of the dryness.  Most "in-ground" plants can adapt, especially trees.  Their roots are deep enough that it takes an endless drought to do damage.  Their adaptability was shown this morning.  We had a good soaking rain yesterday evening complete with lots of lightning.  It was that rain that did the world of good for the trees.  This morning, I found where the pear trees were trying to bloom again!  One rain and out popped blossoms.  I have come to expect this as it happens almost every fall.  Not much will come of the blossoms as their season is over but that does not keep the trees from trying.  If nothing else, the trees add a bit of beauty to a yard where other flowers are starting to wane.

Thankful of the rain!

  Folks, when it is dry, don't burn.  It only takes a wee bit of commonsense to understand that fires have a way of spreading during dry weather.  Let one spark lift up into the wind and devastation can be the result.  Just don't.  If there is a burn ban issued, don't even use that cute little outdoor fireplace.  Your entertainment can leave folks homeless or even cause death.  Just don't.  If the leaves crunch underfoot, don't burn trash (even in a container.)  Your yard cleanup could result in hundreds of acres of forest lost due to wildfires and thousands of animals horribly killed.  Just don't.  One tossed cigarette, one small fireworks (bottle rocket), one careless act...puts firemen in extreme danger.  Just don't.

  This past weekend, a fire raged through the woods not far from us.  Scuttlebutt has it that someone decided to burn leaves even though a burn ban was in effect.  Acre upon acre scorched as the fire went crazy with the high winds.  Flames shot nigh on seventy feet into the air.  Homes, churches and businesses were threatened to be caught up in those flames but, thanks to the brave firefighters, were saved.  It was a careless act that should never have occurred.

  Last night, it rained.  This rain was a blessing, not only for the exhausted firefighters that were still watching "hot spots" but to all of us who have wooded areas.  Watching the videos of the fire just to the west of us, caused an uneasiness to settle in as it could very well have been here.  When I heard the first raindrops pelting the rooftop, I said a prayer of thanks and know full well that prayer was being repeated the Coast over.   I have always been thankful for the rain but, in times like this, it has never been more beautiful. 

Life Giving Rain...Even If It Is Fake

  After a summer of nigh on daily rain, fall has come with a severe drought.  The fall garden was delayed for some time now but is finally planted.  After clearing the boxes of dead plants and planting the new ones, I figured the sprinkler could do its work.  The new little cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and collard green plants would appreciate a good soaking to get them started.  I had no idea who else would be thankful for the artificial rain.

  The sprinkler was not on for five minutes before several visitors came to visit and take advantage of the nice shower.  Thrashers and mockingbirds flew into the garden and started singing while showering. While the mockingbirds stayed high on the arbor, the thrashers kept well hidden under the overhanging roses.  Once the baths were finished, all of the birds started sipping the droplets of fresh, clean water from the leaves.  They truly seemed happy!

  The birdbaths were immediately cleaned and filled and several pans of fresh water were set out on the ground for other critters.  It is easy to forget about our animal friends' needs during times like this.  A shallow pan of clean water can make life a bit easier for so many wild animals. Watching the birds today made me realize that I have been negligent in helping the critters.  Since I had stopped filling the feeders due to the Cooper's Hawk making meals of my fine feathered friends, the birdbath had also sat empty.  The poor birds struggled to find fresh water and had resorted to using the brackish water in the Bayou.  This was probably not the tastiest of treats.  I promised my critter friends that I would be more attentive in the future.

Where's the Rain?

  After a gorgeous summer filled with almost daily thunderstorms and lots of life-giving rains, fall has arrived bone dry.  Nary a drop of rain has fallen in nigh on a month now.  For some folks, this is happy weather. For me, it means dragging a hose about the yard trying to keep the garden alive.  It ain't happenin', Folks, it ain't happenin'.  Things are starting to wither and crisp even over night.  The garden doesn't bother me much as the producing season is about finished but all of this dry weather has brought down nearly every leaf on the old Black Gum trees. Feeling poorly has kept me from my usual fall duty of raking these leaves so the yard is quite crunchy.  I meandered outside a bit earlier and sounded not unlike a herd of elephants doing a tap dance in the leaves.  Even though I had the camera with me, there is no way on earth that I would ever get any photos of critters with all the racket I was making!  What worries me most is that all of these dry leaves present a fire hazard.  

  As my short hike took me through the garden gate, I noticed that despite my efforts, the Purple Basil has just about met its demise.  Poor plants!  Just this morning, I watered and, yet, this evening the plants are wilted flat. Not just the few in pots looked bad but even those planted directly in the ground.  Shriveled, dried and most likely beyond healing, the plants will have to soon be pulled and added to the compost.  

  Hopefully, once the gardens are cleared, rains will return and the fall garden can be put in place.  I am later in planting this year than ever before so hopefully, the plants will have a chance to produce before the winter freezes.  Yep, all this is wishful thinking...rains, mild weather and a lush garden may just not be a reality this winter.  Things are changing.

Wishing for rain!

As bad as it sounds to some folks, I have almost been wishing for a tropical storm to hit the Bayou.  Don't get me wrong..I do NOT want a hurricane just one of those ground-soaking systems that dumps a bunch of water with very little wind.  It has been a dry end of summer here like some many other places across the country. I know there have been some terrible floods elsewhere but I do so wish we were not so dry.  It is "crunchy" dry.  With each passing day, it gets worse.  The leaves have already started to fall from the trees..not as pretty red and orange lawn ornaments but rather as the crispy, dry ground covering that makes it a fire hazard.  Even the grass is now dying.  Each step causes a crunch.  I try to water the garden but it is a losing battle and I feel bad stopping short of watering each plant in the yard.  I can almost hear them begging for just a drop.  It breaks my heart. The vegetable garden is now down to six bell pepper plants and a few herbs.  The flowers..well, I have no flowers any more! Even the drought-hardy zinnias have given up trying to survive!   Summer always seems to end this way..with me wishing for rain.

Ms. Ez and I went for our usual hike but with the steady racket of our footsteps all wildlife fled far before we ever had a chance to see it!  I stopped long enough to listen to her footsteps in the dry leaves.  Yep!  That old dog sounded a lot like a herd of wild buffalo dragging their feet through a dry cornfield!  Poor Ezzy!  She was bewildered why no squirrels were waiting to be chased!  They heard her coming from a mile away!

With all of the leaves down on the ground and the fire hazard they create, I suppose I will be pulling out the lawnmower tomorrow!  I can at least cut them down to a mulch which might help a bit.  Raking four acres or so seems to be a bit overkill!  Besides, if I rake and bag, what in the world do I do with the billion or so bags of leaves?  I will cut!  With all of my complaining about the weather, there is one bright side!  It has been a good bit cooler early in the mornings.  With the temperatures hoovering in the low seventies, I really do not mind pushing that lawnmower!  It is good exercise!  So...as my cousin, Bill, says..."Up and atom!" and I will be bright and early!

Summer Daze..

I was in one of those"do-nothing" moods today so I did just that..nothing! Well, other than the daily chores that are a necessity and personally..I could have ignored those chores if my stomach did not tell me that it was time to eat! So I cooked, cleaned the kitchen and then remembered that I needed to feed the sourdough starter. I pulled it out of the frig and eyed it cautiously. With all of the canning, gardening and yardwork, I had neglected the starter. It sort of had a weird crusty topping on it but once I removed that, I came to the decision that it is difficult to kill this stuff. There, under the crust, was the perfectly wonderful starter. I poured all four jars of the goop into two large bowls and gave the jars a good cleaning. The heavy aroma of the yeast soon filled the kitchen and started the brain thinking of just what should be baked! ....But like I said, I was in a "do-nothing" sort of mood. I did not bake. I promised Son that tomorrow morning I would bake him some bacon/cheese muffins, though! (Just a thought here..someone should consider researching sourdough starter as a possible fuel! This stuff grows tremendously and gives off "gas" so I am thinking that it should be classified as a renewable resource that could save the World...or it should be classified as a possible terror threat as it seems bent on taking over the World one jar at a time! I started out with just two cups and now have nearly three gallons of the stuff even though I bake a lot!)

A bit later in my lazy day, Ezzy, Knox and Shelby joined me for a walk around the yard, Actually, Knox and Shelby flew being as they are birds! We started in the tomato patch picking whatever remnant fruit was left on the dying plants. Knox and Shelby thought this was intriguing. They bounced from one plant to another tasting each and every tomato. I had to hurry to pick any I wanted for the supper table! As we meandered through the paths, I started noticing just how bad this drought really is. We have not had a decent rain since the first week in April. Now, it is starting to show on the plants. Despite my constant watering, the gardens are dead. It is not surprising to me that the tomatoes and squash have perished but when I came across the Golden Rain Tree and realized that it has met its demise, I gasped. The effects of the drought hit me..this lack of rain is not good..not good at all. The grass is brown and crispy, one oak tree has died already and even the Purple Basil in a flower pot is wilted flat and I water that thing every day! I think the gardening is over until Fall. Well, maybe it was just meant to be and there is nothing I can do to change the weather! I will just have to find something else to fill the void until Fall! Fishing, crabbing and shrimping will keep me busy if it does not get so hot that I cannot be on the pier. Then there are the gourds to be made into lamps...and furniture that needs refurbishing...and I guess I could get back to work cleaning that sewing room that ummm..well..I started and never finished. Nah..it won't get too hot to fish...I think I will stick with that!

Hot Times on the Bayou!

Its hot! It is very hot on the Bayou..and it is not even summer, yet. Technically, we are still in spring..so, it seems that something is amiss here! Perhaps this is just another effect of the drought..but then you would think our humidity would be way down..not so! Here is how it stands weatherwise on the Bayou..temperatures are in the mid 90s during the day..low 80s at night..dry, very, very dry due to the lack of rain..but with high humidity..in the mid 70 percentiles. Oh man, does that ever make for a blistery hot day and a hot, muggy night! Today when I was out planting Moon Flowers and Morning Glories, I noticed the thermometer that sits in the rose garden. I suddenly felt a lot hotter! Whew!

With the hot, dry weather, I noticed that the birdbath was always empty! Every morning, I would take two gallons of water all the way down the hill to where the birdbath is situated. Every afternoon, I would notice that the bowl had only about two cups remaining. I had started thinking that maybe there was a crack in the bowl or maybe Ezzy was drinking out of it again or the water was just evaporating. While sitting in my favorite chair this afternoon, I was treated to evidence that none of the above were the correct reason for the disappearing water. There were just that many birds visiting the birdbath! In just a short time over thirty birds flew in and used the bath. Some just drank while others made complete use of the facility!! One female Blue Jay really seemed to enjoy herself! She would fly in, bathe, perch herself on the roost to fluff her feathers. Then back down into the bath again! She would splash water everywhere! Most likely, she had been on the nest most of the day and really needed to cool off a bit! This Blue Jay stayed for a good bit but Red Winged Blackbirds, Titmice, Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Cardinals and Doves all made stops to either drink or bathe. Some, I think, were just trying to cool off a bit. I might have to rig up another birdbath or two just to keep my feathered friends hydrated this summer!

As a final thought about the drought and heat..how in the world is my Old-fashioned Petunia plant doing so well? The picture is of just one plant and it has been blooming for the past several months. What started as a tiny plant in the corner of the then cabbage patch, has almost taken over the squash/ bean garden. This plant has hundreds of blooms and is probably a good six feet across! I have never seen a petunia do this well! Perhaps it likes the water that Son pours on it from the kitchen! Each day, several dishpans of soapy water are dumped on this plant. You would think that much soap would be a mite detrimental even if it is biodegradable! Evidently that is not the case with petunias! Somewhere in the midst of all those blooms, there sits an onion plant! It is almost like searching for Waldo!

In a "Bind"!

I wandered to the pier late this afternoon and there found that I was in a "Bind". This Bind being the collective name of a group of Spotted Sandpipers that had decided to rest on the pier. I am assuming that they are in route to some faraway place and just stopped in for a visit. According to the bird book that I was given by a "birder" cousin, these Sandpipers will winter in the South and then head back as far as Alaska or Canada to breed. There were a dozen or so of these small birds huddled together against the stiff southerly wind. The birds were all wobbling and looked as if they were going to topple head first onto the pier. I thought that they were being blown around a good bit as they were all bobbing up and down, but the bird book said that this is a trait of the species. It is called "teetering"..imagine that..hmmm..someone had to think long and hard to come up with a name as appropriate as "teetering" for a wobbly, up and down motion. The birds wobbled around for quite some time as I sat watching them. I decided that perhaps they needed to rest, so I eased off the pier and gave them their peace. Have a good night, little birds..rest up for your long journey.

Walking back up the boardwalk to the house, I realized that the Wisteria on the front arbor is brown and crispy. This is not good. I assume that it is just the drought but I have never seen Wisteria just up and die like this. Just last week, it looked great. It was full of seed pods and still bright green. Hubby was quite concerned that the Wisteria might overtake the Jasmine and Seven Sisters Rose that inhabit the same arbor. Not to worry..the Wisteria has met its demise..much to my dismay. At least the two on the back arbors still look rather healthy! This drought is killing off a lot of the garden. We try to run the sprinklers in hopes of saving what we can but I noticed that things are dropping fruit and withering. If we do not get several good soaking rains soon, the garden will be at an end as will the canning for the season. Perhaps I shall have to find more drought tolerant plants for the Summer garden. Here it is only Spring and there is a rainfall deficit of over 14 inches. The lack of rain has caused the grasses and leaves to become a severe fire threat along the Coast. We need rain! Desperately!

The earlier part of today was spent mostly in the kitchen. My brother so graciously donated me a bunch of squash..as if I did not have enough already! It seems that squash plants can do well in dry weather and so between the two of us, we have squash..lots and lots of squash! I do not care for the canned or frozen squash so just what do you do with approximately fifteen pounds of the lovely little yellow things?? Simple solution..you make relish. When all else fails, you chop everything into tiny pieces and call it squash relish! Actually, it is delicious! So, Son and I spent the morning dicing twenty-four cups of squash, twenty-four cups of onions and as many bell peppers as we could get..which was not many..only about a dozen. After chopping, the whole conglomeration was salted and iced for several hours. After mixing together the vinegar, sugar and spices, the vegetables were drained and added to the liquid to be cooked. Now there are seven quarts of beautiful relish instead of two buckets of squash! Hmmm..somehow that just doesn't add up! Twenty-four cups of squash plus twenty-four cups of onions plus the peppers, vinegar and sugar..that should be a lot more than seven quarts! Oh well..it is made, I am happy, my brother will eat relish and I have no squash in buckets on the kitchen floor! Just think...we have to pick the squash again tomorrow...oh my!

Demise of a Garden

As I said before..it is HOT! Temps were over 100 again today with no rain in sight. My once lush garden now stands a big chance of withering away to nothing but a pile of rubbish. In a mere five days, the beautiful, green plants that were full of yellow blossoms and tiny, green tomatoes have become crispy, dry stalks. The ground around them is hard and dry. It makes me sad. Not so much that the garden has passed beyond its usefulness but that no matter how much I tried, I could not save it. I always feel so guilty walking past the poor wilted plants standing there in the blistering sun.

These tomatoes will be pulled from the ground on the first day that it is cool enough to work outside. The ground will be turned, fertilized and reseeded with Butternut Squash! Butternut Squash are great as fall garden plants since they should bear before frost. Once picked they can be over-wintered with very little trouble. I am pondering whether to put the tomato cages on the squash to see if I can contain them inside the garden. My gardens are tiny patches scattered throughout the yard so anything that vines soon takes up way too much space. This makes it difficult to walk down the boardwalks in between the gardens and even harder to care for the plants.

The garden in the shade stands a much better chance of survival. Here the Bell Peppers are wilted but revive during the night hours. Surprisingly enough, the one plant that appears to be doing quite well is the watermelon. The rogue melon that is meandering around the garden patch as if in search of cooling water. As with the gourd, a grasshopper ate the stem off of the first melon that appeared on the vine, but now there is a much larger fruit hanging from the fence. It is about 14 inches long and has already started pulling the chicken-wire fence over on top of it. Perhaps this is a self-preservation tactic! We have a multitude of raccoons that would love to make a meal of this watermelon! Maybe if the weight of the melon pulls the fence down on top of it, the raccoons will have too much trouble trying to get at it. Ahh..wishful thinking anyway!