Early in the morning just about sun up, the critters of the Bayou all seem to get along fine. The heat of the day has not yet caused tempers to flare nor greediness to head. All is well in the critter world. Sometimes, however, I do think that some of the youngsters get a bit confused about who they really are. Take this morning, for example. A juvenile laughing gull came swimming by the pier. Yep. While gulls are more often seen flying above our heads or perched on the pier posts, this little guy decided to swim. He paddled happily about the pier as if it was perfectly normal action. Perhaps, he had been watching the ducks and geese and figured that they were getting handouts so he would give it a go. "Maybe if I act like a duck, I will get a tasty treat!"
The laughing gulls normally nest in large numbers out on the islands or front beach. It would be rare for one to nest here on the Bayou as there are too many predators that would make short work of the eggs or chicks. When nesting in colonies of hundreds of birds, there is a community effort to protect the nests. This youngster has been on the Bayou a few days so he is well on his way of being independent. He has made his way to our Bayou and will most likely spend a good bit of time here. The food is plentiful and, if he behaves himself and acts so adorably cute, handouts will be proffered on a daily basis.
The young gull swam for most of the morning before he flew to a nearby pier post. There, he perched and preened as most birds do. He came back to the pier as Mark cleaned our catch of fish. The bird received plenty of scraps to fill his belly this morning! He will be back.
Sometimes you just have to let things slide without ever addressing them. It does not do any good to get your shorts in a wad and fret over what meddling folks say. It is not an easy pill to swallow and, sometimes, I admit to letting it irk me. But, I am trying to take that so-called high road and look the other way. It is hard not to fire back. Lately, it seems that friends and family members have been on a roll with their not so constructive criticism. In the past few days, five different people have come to the Little Bayou House with their unwanted "helpful" judgments. From "Hopefully, your hair being purple is not permanent." to "I can't stand the dog hair on the floor!", everyone seems to have a bit of pointless condemnation about the way I live. Don't like it? Don't come to the Bayou. Simple as that. I am good with it!
Just to clarify, the hair bit was something that Darling Daughter and I did on a whim. I liked it so much, I am going to keep it for a while. Blue and purple seem to fit my demeanor pretty well. It was done as a much needed step out of my comfort zone. I would never dream of telling folks that I do not like their curls, their gray, their braids, their baldness. This is a personal thing that is no one's business other than my own. That said, yep, I am going to keep the purple and blue. I like it...nuff said.
The pet hair issue is a problem with me, too, but since Mr. PJ had nowhere else to go, it is here. I fully understand one cousin who is highly allergic to pet dander avoiding the place but, unless you have a surefire method of stopping a huge dog from shedding...shush. Dog hair is now the norm here and will be as long as Mr. PJ needs a home. I am sure not going to turn him away because of his shedding, age, health issues or stubbornness. Add a large, fluffy cat that leaves hair mats all over the place and I have a relative carpet but Ms. Nycto is not going anywhere either. They both needed a home, I provided it and that is the point....it IS their home...hairy or not. And, to be perfectly honest here, I like them more than I like most people...again...nuff said.
The same idea goes for the messiness of my house due to remodeling, sawdust on my floors , my use of herbal remedies, spiderwebs in the corners, my quirky sense of decorating (or lack thereof), my dust, my doubly full pantry, my critter friends, my habit of going barefoot, my massive collection of weird and wonderful items, my stockpile of craft supplies, my penchant for fishing, my...well, you get the idea. It all boils down to respect, which sad to say, is something that most folks lack these days. What I do is my business. A couple of old Bayou sayings come to mind here. "If you can't help with your hands, don't help with your mouth." and "Let it slide like water off a duck's back." For those who are not familiar with these sayings, the first one is our way of saying "Stop your gabbling if it is only to make you feel superior." If you can't come push a lawnmower, then don't whine about the tall grass. The second is our way of saying "We really don't care what you think." Your "constructive" criticism, unasked for advice and snide remarks are not wanted nor needed. I am working on that second one...it is hard but I am working on it. Now that the rant is over, here is a pair of ducks...which, by the way, are a couple of my critter friends.
This morning's trek to the pier was another that was filled with awe. Yesterday saw me being astounded by the Water Spirits and, today, by the sunrise itself. The show in the east was one to be admired from the first glimpse. The colors, the brilliance, the crispness...well, the entirety of the dawn was impressive. It is not often that the sunrise fails to thrill me but this morning's did far more. It nearly floored me with its beauty. My goodness, the Master Artist is purely amazing!
While on the pier, I watched for more Water Spirits but they did not show. Nary a one could be seen even though there was a slight fog over the marsh. Obviously, the temperature change was not enough to generate the twirl of the dancing mist beings. Since the spirits did not make themselves available, I looked for another point of interest. I found it in the form of a small duck.
A lone Bufflehead was hanging around the pier. I watched as he dove beneath the water for his breakfast. In the early morning light, he appeared to be black and white. I thought about how misleading this coloration was. In truth, the head of this duck is almost iridescent. When viewed in the perfect lighting, the duck's head is almost iridescent with purples and greens. Sunlight causes the glossiness of the feathers to shimmer with color! The bright white patch that wraps around the back of the head is in sharp contrast to the rest of the head. This is a most beautiful duck!
The Buffleheads come to visit us each winter and then fly north to nest and spend their summers. While here they stay close to the Bayou and feed upon whatever shrimp, minnows and tiny crabs they can catch. This is the first of many that will spend the winter on the Bayou. Soon the entire Bay will be filled with Buffleheads, Mergansers and Scaups and I couldn't be happier!
