The Giant Bayou Sloth

   Sloths are most notably known for their slow movements and the constant "smile".  The smile is more of a coloration thing but it does make the critter look incredibly happy.  They are also a bit of a curiosity because most are green.  There are just not a lot of green-furred critters in the world and that makes the sloths of the wild quite interesting.  A little lesson here...sloths are green due to algae growing on their fur.  They live in such a warm, humid place that the algae grows on anything that sits still long enough.  Well, sloths literally cannot outrun algae so they become covered with the stuff and appear green.  Nice!

  Well, this morning, Son and I found the Giant Bayou Sloth.  True to sloth fashion, it was not moving and was green due to algae.  To be honest, though, I could not tell you if our sloth is entirely happy or not.  There were no facial features to be found.  

  As Son was bailing out the small skiff, I was poking around in the marshes.  It was in the shallows that I came across a huge mass of algae covered coonstail (an invasive aquatic plant).  Ugh!  That stuff nigh on clogged the Bayou and even the Bay last summer and is making a comeback with the hot weather.  I mentioned it to Son who looked up and noticed something odd about my discovery.  "Looks more like a quadrupedal covered with algae."  This man of few words went back to his chore.  Hmm...yep.  Well, indeed, it did.  It is hard to tell by the photograph but the outline of a large, four-legged critter could be seen.  The fluffy plants had grown in the perfect shape of a sloth!  The algae covered the plants and made the underlying leaves look a lot like long fur.  I had a Giant Bayou Sloth in all its slow-moving, algae-covered glory!  Wonder where its smile went?  Maybe sloths do not like being stuck in marshes.

  The coonstail plants and the green algae will soon fill the entire waterways once again.  Wildlife will struggle simply due to the stupidity of people.  The plants were dumped into the Bay by folks clearing ponds and those and the algae are being fed by runoff of fertilizer from yards.  People never think about the consequences the natural flora and fauna pay for their quest of the perfect lawn.  The price we all pay.  

Fish Bait?

  I was pondering the lowly fish that locals around here only think of as bait.  It must be a sad day in your life when you realize that your major role is to be used to catch something bigger and better.  What does that say?  Then again, maybe it is a sad day in their lives anyway as they are caught so it really does not matter what the end result is unless they are returned to the water intact.  But still....

  That thinking got the wheels in my brain a-turning and I had to find out more about our bait of choice, Menhaden.  I have to admit, the little fish are excellent bait but that is not as far as their worth goes according to the human rating system.  The fish are used for far more things than I ever imagined.  The largest use is as fish oil.  Billions (yes, billions) of pounds each year are caught and the oil is extracted.  This oil is used in dietary supplements, in human food, in pet food and...get this...as an additive to fish food.  (The fish are caught to feed other fish?)  After the oil is removed, the rest of the fish is dried and ground into fish meal which is also added to animal food. A bit of further investigation also revealed that these little fishies are big money to those folks who create makeup and lipstick.  That shimmer and glimmer in many makeup products and lipsticks is due to added fish scales.  The Menhaden scales actually do resemble glitter! (So the next time you wear some glittery makeup, think fish.)

  The fishing for the pogies goes back a long way.  For centuries, the tiny fish were caught and used as fertilizer on farms and as food for hogs.  As fertilizer, the fish decay quickly making the soil much richer and promoting rapid growth of the plants.  Farmers of old used the fish instead of chemicals that are now dumped into the soil.  While some folks would decry that this is unsanitary, it was a far safer mode of fertilizing plants than that of today.  I have tried it...it works.  The garden did well with only a few flies in the ointment...literally.  While that saying usually means "problems", I actually had flies...coons, birds, cats, dogs, coyotes, turtles and a myriad of other critters digging up my fishy fertilizer.  So...if you try this, make sure to not use it in a garden near the house.  Once critters dig up your fishies, the stench gets pretty bad.  Also, bury them deep!  Very deep.  And wait a week or two before digging around in there.  You really do not want to dig up any surprises.  Other than that, as a fertilizer, the fish did well.  I had some of the best tomatoes that year!  

  So, in thinking about these little fish and their many, many uses, it seems to me that Menhaden need to be recognized as more important than just a fish bait.  Think of how many things revolve around their very existence and with the billions of pounds harvested each year, be thankful for that female that can produce up to 300,000 eggs per year!  She keeps things running like a well-oiled machine.  (Yeah, I went there...sorry.)  

Early Birthday Gifts!!!

My birthday is coming up in about a week and, as usual, there is the quandary among family members of just how to mark the occasion.  I am not one that particularly likes parties except those that I give for others.  I cannot stand to have the spotlight thrown on me.  I do not need nor want anymore knickknacks to adorn the Little Bayou House and I definitely do not need clothes, jewelry or any personal things.  I just already have far too much stuff and feel that any added things will just be clutter.  If I receive a gift, I want it to be something that I can use in its entirety!  Not something that I have to search for a place to put!

Well, earlier this week, Mark asked me what I wanted for my birthday...so I told him!  I am quite happy to say, today, he bought me my gift!  I received a whole truckload of cow poop!  Sack after sack of fertilizer was hauled into the yard!  Woohoo!!!! I am a happy camper now!  Cow poop!!!  And seeds!  He  bought me herb seeds!!  Not many women would be so elated to have these gifts but, then again, I do not fall in the same category as a lot of women.  Give me some seeds and fertilizer and I am happy!  Happy?  Yes, happy..as this means I can be outside in the garden!  Plus, Michael is in the process of making me another gift!

Michael has been toiling away on that fence!  The new Herb Garden is coming along quite well!  The fence around the new section is now up and the gate has been installed!  Most of the ground has been spaded and is ready to be made into rows.  Michael fully understands what I want as a gift!  He creates my gifts!  A new garden!  Now, with the fertilizer, seeds and garden space all ready to be planted, I am one happy camper!  After the current cold spell passes, if you want to find me..come look in the back garden.  I will be there..making use of my new presents!