Its Creepy Time!

   Well, we are back to this again.  This is eerily similar to the problem we had just 8 years ago.  Same wall, same problem, almost to date 8 years later.  My Halloween decorations were just coming down then when I noticed a wet spot on the wall behind the large picture.  Walls are not supposed to be wet.  Well, not only did the Halloween decorations come down but the entire wall did.  It was a mess!  A leak in the roof had caused severe damage.  All of the studs and braces had to be removed and replaced.  Then, new stuff was installed and a new wall was built.  The dining room was a giant mess and I had dreams of living in a haunted house.  Creepy walls are a must! 

  Now, 8 years later, the same thing happened when I removed that large magnolia picture. There was another wet spot!  (I am thinking that picture will not be rehung!)  I had grand ideas of decorating for Halloween a bit early. We had been in a month of rainy weather so it was a grasp at some type of entertainment.  I got far too much entertainment, as now, Son and I had to rip out the wall once again.  This time, a leak was found around the chimney.  Our "life-time" guaranteed shingling job is a laugh!  As a point here...NEVER, EVER hire a "friend" to roof your house after a hurricane.  That guy was a jerk!  Now we are dealing with his underhandedness and he skipped town not long after doing multiple houses. (This was after Hurricane Katrina.)  But back to our new-found problem.  Son is doing an excellent job of rebuilding what the rot took away.  The leak has been patched, rotted wood removed and the wall is drying. He has some really good ideas that should remedy this situation and make life easier for any future problems. He is my hero!

                          

  Since this is prior to my decorating the mantel for Halloween, I am almost tempted to leave that "haunted house" look for a bit.  I could throw a few skulls up there and maybe add some fake rats, spiderwebs and creepy "curtains".  The red glow from the heat lamp (trying to dry the wall) fits right in with the idea.  In all seriousness, folks, there is nothing scarier than knowing your home is falling down!  It makes me thankful that there are some pretty good repairmen in this house. 

Thursday is Bird Day

  As soon as I awoke this morning, I knew it was going to be a special day.  I had no idea what was to be different but something was, for sure!  At 5am while I was sipping that first mug of coffee, I heard a strange sound.  Hmm?  Wonder what that was?  Since I was the only one awake in the Little Bayou House, the noise sounded loud...really loud.  It was sort of a "sandy, fluttering sound".  Maybe gritty was a better word but still fluttery with a slight grinding.  I eased my way to the dining room and waited.  Yep, the noise came from there and I knew exactly what was causing it.  The sound came from near the fireplace.  It came as no surprise that I found a small, black bird clinging to the old stove.  "Well, now!  What have we here?  Are you lost?"  The little bird allowed me to lift if from its perch.  I gently held my little ward and unscrewed the cover to the fireplace.  "Ok, little one.  Off you go!  Head on back up that chimney!"  As soon as I lifted my hand inside the fireplace, the tiny bird fluttered up the chimney to be greeted by its family.  It was free and so happy to be reunited!

  All day, I felt good about helping my little friend.  The screecher (as my niece, Kammie, has labeled the bird.) was none other than a chimney swift.  Each year, dozens of the birds nest in the old brick chimney.  They do well but, every now and again, one youngster cannot hold its place and it tumbles to the bottom of the fireplace.  Once there, it worms its way through the old wood stove and into the house.  No problem.  I just pick them up and, depending on the size of the bird, either open the fireplace and replace the bird or take it outside where it can take flight.  It happens a couple of times every year.

  This evening, I was still feeling pretty good about the incident when Son came to tell me that there was a bird in the house.  He and I headed back to the dining room where, once again, a chimney swift was clinging to the wood stove.  Son started unscrewing the cover while I picked up the bird.  These are such gentle birds.  They do not struggle to get away nor do they fight.  The birds sit calmly in my hand until it is time to leave.  This one did not want to leave.  I held my hand up in the fireplace but the bird clung to my fingers.  "Nope, it is dark in there.  I want to stay with you." I tried to ease it onto the side wall where it could cling to the bricks.  "Nope. I like your hand."  So, the next step was to take the bird outside where it could fly free. "I really like you!  I want to be your friend!"  Oh, come on, little one!  FLY!  It took a good five minutes before the bird even thought about leaving my hand once we were outside.  It just sat in my palm like a happy camper. 

  I have a feeling our escapade with Thursday being Bird Day is going to extend over into the weekend.  We will have to be extra vigilant while Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess Cat, is in the house, however!  And that made me smile...I keep hearing how wildlife rescue groups admonish folks for letting their cats outside but, obviously, those well-meaning folks never have wild birds as visitors INSIDE their houses.  I do!

A Bit of Warmth...

  I am one of those weird folks who does not mind using whatever I find to remedy a situation.  It is not in my nature to run buy whatever is needed.  I usually can find a substitute for any given missing element to a problem.  It all goes back to having a bit of ingenuity and being able to survive without outside help if the need arises.  I figure what Pop taught me so many years ago still rings true today.  If something is broken...fix it.  If something needs doing...do it.  If something is needed...get it.  Nope...no buying back on the farm.  We used the brains instead of spending hard earned money.  

  This morning was downright chilly.  The skies were still grey and a slight drizzly rain fell from the sky.  With the north wind blowing a gale, the Little Bayou House was cooling down quickly.  Son had split a lot of wood for the cast iron wood stoves but I had a different idea of what to burn.  Earlier when I had the old dog out, I noticed that thousands of hickory nuts had fallen under the tree on the east side of the house.  Yep!  I was going to burn hickory nuts!  This is nothing new for me, however, as I have been doing it for years in the old stoves.  The nuts put out a lot of heat, burn long and smell great!  It was the memory of all three that had me scooting out in the misty morn to gather a five gallon bucket of the nuts.  That would last me all day and well into the night.

  The burning of hickory nuts would probably not be the smartest idea in an open fireplace as they do occasionally explode and send shards about the place but the cast iron wood stove is completely enclosed so let them pop away!  Once the fire was started and the nuts caught, the slow burn started and the Little Bayou House warmed and smelled nicely!  That, my friends, is thinking!  Pop would be proud.

Screechers Are On The Loose!

  Several years ago, my niece, Kammie, described some of the critters of the Bayou as "Screechers".  This was a slip of the tongue as she meant to say "scary creatures" but combined the two words.  I liked this better than scary creatures so it became the name of a certain bunch of creatures. In the fireplace each summer, a growing number of chimney swifts make their nests.  Once the eggs hatch, the tiny birds start to make noises as the parent birds fly in to feed them.  All birds do the same only with the chimney swifts being confined in what, more or less, is a giant tunnel, the noise is loud.  Most folks would have immediately called an exterminator to rid the chimney of the birds but then complained of the bugs around the Bayou.  I rather like the birds, their penchant for biting insects and even their noisy screeching.  I love the Screechers of the Bayou!

  For the past several days, I kept telling Son that it sounded like one of the Screechers had fallen to the bottom of the fireplace.  To me, it sounded as if the bird was in the firebox and not the chimney.  I feared that the parent birds would overlook this little one and not feed it. Still, the bird did not seem to be weakening so, perhaps, my fears were for naught.  Then, this morning,  it sounded as if the bird was fluttering inside the house!  SON!!! 

  He and I (armed with flashlights) started searching the dining room.  My first thought was that the bird was inside the antique parlor stove.  This old cast iron stove is vented up through the chimney.  While I took off the burner plate on top, Son took off the protective grating on the front of the stove and set it to the side.  Nope, no bird inside the parlor stove!  Where was that thing??  Son reached down to pick up the grate to replace it when a frantic fluttering again took place.  The tiny bird had been clinging to the grating when he had removed it!  Now, the bird was on the loose inside the house!

  After about five minutes of (gentle) bird-chasing, the little tyke settled down near the newel post.  I reached down, picked up the bird and consoled it.  The bird sat calmly in my hand.  Son took a photo of it but refused to use the flash.  "It has been living in the dark all of its life.  The light will harm its eyes." he told me.  So, the photo was dark, the bird was put back in the fireplace and all was good.  As soon as I held my hand behind the stove board that covers the fireplace front, the little bird flew up the chimney to be with his siblings.  Probably by tomorrow, the birds will have all flown up the chimney and out the top.  This little one probably would have been ok on his own outside but it was best to let him be with the others for his first flight. Happy flying, Little Screecher!  Come back to see us now!    

The Screechers are at it again!

  A few months back, I had to rescue a Chimney Swift that decided to take a detour through the house instead of exiting  via the chimney.  This happened three times in a week and each time the bird remained calm as I toted it back outside.  The last time, I scolded the bird and told it to fly up the chimney like a normal swift.  Well, that rascal has decided to come back and haunt me!  For the fourth time this season, my fireplace sounds like it is inhabited by possessed entities!  It is bad enough to have the baby birds yelling for food during the daytime but Chimney Swifts also hunt at night when there is a bright moon.  Lately, the baby birds screech all night!  Loudly!

  A sweet niece had proclaimed that she thought the Bayou was haunted by Screechers.  When I questioned her choice of words, she said that she meant to say "scary creatures" but it came out as screechers.  So, now I have real-life Screechers living in my fireplace.  If Kammie came to visit now, she might be startled to hear the birds that so aptly fit her description.  

  Folks ask why I do not cover the chimney or call a pest control business to rid the chimney of the birds.  Why should I?  Other than their yelling, I have no problem sharing the place with the critters.  They do a lot of good, in their own way.  These birds can devour more bugs than any other bird.  They catch all while on the wing so flying insects do not stand a chance.  With all of the recent rains in the area, mosquitoes abound so any help I can get is welcome.  Having the birds nest in the chimney is a small price to pay for their service.  If folks do not like to hear my Screechers then they can just go home.  I like them!