Not Yet A Bayou Cat

   Bat, the cat, is trying so hard to become a "regular" cat that he is overlooking the fact that he should be trying to become a "Bayou Cat".  Bayou cats have duties.  They should understand that to be "cared for" also requires "caring for".  Turnaround is fair play.  If you want to eat and have a cozy home then you have to work for it.  That is a rule if you wish to stay at the Little Bayou House.  There are no freeloaders.  We each have our jobs and that is all there is to it.

  By trying to become a regular cat, he thinks "if something moves", it is a target.  Butterflies, bees, moths, shrews, frogs and lizards are all on his spectrum of edible things.  The cat is not hungry.  Trust me.  He eats enough to feed a horse.  Still, he tries to catch any squirming thing.  I am ok with the shrews and even the moths and butterflies that are laying eggs in the vegetable garden but I draw the line on those bees, frogs and lizards (as I will with birds.)  Fortunately, the bees can pretty much take care of themselves.  One sting is going to make Bat think twice about attacking any others. 

  Today, I had to reprimand him for attacking a bullfrog.  The critter was merely trying to hunker down in the mulch to stay warm but Bat was relentless.  I heard the telltale grunt and knew the cat was up to no good.  A good swat and the frog was removed and placed in the water hyacinths.  The cat bounded off unhurt but pouty.  Five minutes later, he was at it again.  This time it was a hapless lizard.  The poor thing was in enough of a bind because it was shedding but to be smacked at by the goofy cat was over the top.  Again, swat and pout.  The lizard was relocated to the greenhouse where it could shed in peace.  The next was another lizard.  This time a five-lined skink caught the brunt of the Bat Attack.  It lost the tail but Bat was not interested in the tiny part, he wanted to batter the lizard.  Swat and pout!  The skink was relocated to a clump of palmettoes.  

  It looks like the swatting is doing no good so perhaps next I will resort to the water hose.  Maybe getting doused a few times will make him think otherwise.  He needs to go smack the rats that live under the shed and leave my helpful critters alone!  What did I get myself into by agreeing to keep this "throwaway" cat?  He was rescued from a sure death but now I am having to rescue everything around here from his assaults.  Hopefully, he will learn his place soon.

Not Today...Not Today

  Life is fragile.  We can appear tough and ready to take on the world when one tiny slip changes the whole pace of things.  Here on the Bayou, life in general is rough and there are days that make me want to crawl back in bed and not face the challenges.  I do, however, because I have to even though, sometimes, I do not want to.  I get up, carry on and meet the challenges and rarely ever let the world know that it almost did me in.  It almost beat me.  Just not today.  

  It is like that with critters about the Bayou, as well.  Life is tough on them, too.   They face daily challenges just to survive...some do....many do not.  Earlier this morning, I was out doing yard work when I noticed a delicate damselfly sunning on a fig leaf.  It was so frail looking that I pondered how the bug ever survived with predators at every turn.  Then, the damselfly took flight and headed toward the Frog Pond.  She was going to lay her eggs near the water's edge so the life cycle could continue.  Well, there was another critter at the pond and things did not end well for our pretty, little damselfly.  She became breakfast for a skink.   The lizard, however, did well for itself and would live for another day.  

  Days are like that.   We are like that.  Some come, some go and others just wander through trying to survive.  Right now, I am wandering.  I am trying to make it through each day while handling everything that should really not be my problems.  Too many things have been dumped in my lap and I am going in circles trying to deal with them.  This, too, shall pass...at least, I hope.  

In The Family Way...

  There are endless surprises on the Bayou.  There is not a day that goes by that I do not find something that intrigues me.  Then again, it does not take much to draw my attention.  Son claims that I am easily amused.  I suppose I am.  I am interested in a broad variety of things and so I am seldom bored.  With nature, learning is boundless and each event is interesting.  This is the way it should be.  People were not born to be shut up inside houses at all times.  

  This morning as Mark and I headed to the pier, my brother was already on his mower cutting grass.  That is where I should have been but my little push mower was sitting idle as I explored the wonders of the Bayou.  Near the large clumps of palmettos were two old boards that had washed in with the squalls from the Gulf.  I had the brilliant idea that if I moved the boards, perhaps I would be inspired to haul out the mower.  I picked up one board and tossed it on the trash pile to be hauled to the back.  No problem.  But when I grasped the other, I immediately regretted the action.  Oh, geez!  There was something moving under my board!  I really should learn to inspect before just doing.  A large five-lined skink darted out from under the board and raced right across my foot! 

  It was then that I discovered my mistake.  Under the board was another skink and TWO CLUTCHES OF EGGS!  Yep, two mama skinks had laid their eggs under the old board.  The one mama had abandoned her nest and was glaring at me from about four feet away.  She had made a dash out to distract me and hopefully lure me away from her eggs.  The other mama took up a defensive stance and was guarding her eggs.  There were two different actions for protecting their clutches but both mamas were equally justified in their methods.  

  After a couple of photos, I eased the board back down on the nests making sure that I positioned it exactly as I had found it.  I sure did not want to harm the mamas nor their eggs!  I love these lizards.  They are some of the best hunters on the Bayou and are actually beautiful!  Carry on, Little Mamas, carry on.  Your precious eggs shall not be damaged by me!

The "Greenhouse Affects"...Not to be Confused with the Greenhouse Effect.

  My little greenhouse is my favorite place to be.   It envelopes all who enter with a certain peace.  The place is relaxing but not only for humans.  The warm sunshine soothes while being surrounded by plants invigorates.  The greenhouse really does affect those who enter.  Obviously, critters find the place quite to their liking as well.

  This morning found me watering the hundred or so mini flowerpots that are planted with herb seeds.  These line the southernmost shelves so they can soak up all of the sunshine available.  The recent rains provided enough water to be doled out among the seeded pots and also the other larger plants that were overwintered here.  As I was watering, I began to notice dozens of lizards and frogs that have moved into the greenhouse.  They seemed to be residing together in harmony which is easy to do in such an ideal spot.  Their presence caused me to sit with them for a while.  After being quiet for about ten minutes, I heard a slight fluttering overhead as a pair of wrens entered the small building.  They, too, were enjoying the area.  I watched as they busied themselves building a nest in the hanging ivy basket.  Well, that should be an ideal home for them!

  Being in the greenhouse always brings a smile to my face and a gladness to be alive to my heart.  With so much life happening in such a tiny space, one cannot help commune with nature.  That, my friends, is something that affects us all.  My advice?  Find your own special spot that affects you.  Seek out the one place that awakens inner peace and calmness.  Slip away to that quiet nook that makes you appreciate life and all it gives.  My haven is the greenhouse....yours is?

No Cause for Alarm

    A pair of wrens made a nest in the watering can in my greenhouse not long ago.  Four little ones hatched and are doing fine.  Here, one would think, the little birds would be relatively safe from any marauding cat or other predator.  Each time I enter the greenhouse, they hunker down quietly in the nest.  Mama and Papa Wren have been quite the busy little birds for the past week or so as they are feeding four hungry little birds.  The baby wrens are now fully feathered and are close to leaving the nest which undoubtedly is a nerve-wracking time for the parents.

    This afternoon late, I heard Mama Wren causing quite the ruckus behind the greenhouse.  I figured that Ms. Nycto, the young cat, might be the cause of the uproar since she stays out back.  The cats cannot enter the greenhouse so I decided that I needed to investigate the cause of Mama's angst.  As I neared the greenhouse, Ms. Nycto was no where in sight.  Hmmm?  Perhaps another snake was near.  Not long ago, I had to pull one from the mockingbird nest and, if any predator could enter the greenhouse, it would be a snake.  I eased open the door and peered among the plants to see if I spied a slithering snake.  Nope. No snake and Mama Wren suddenly had no interest in whatever had alarmed her earlier.

  Checking the greenhouse a bit further, I think I found the cause of her alarm.  A nice sized Five-lined Skink had moved into the area!  Under the Begonia, I found this beauty!  Perhaps Mama Wren thought the lizard was a snake at first sight and was a bit unnerved.  I don't think this guy would have been any cause for alarm as he was hunting for bugs not birds.  The lizard can stay in the green house as far as I am concerned.  He really is quite the stunning ornament!

Leapin' Lizards!

Oh, the things you find on the Bayou! I was roaming the hill above the Bayou when I came across an old, kiddie wading pool. This is not one that was left over from years and years ago with my children but rather one we bought for the dog. Ms. Ez loves to cool off with a plunge in icy water during those hot days of summer. Instead of letting her swim in the Bayou or Bay, we bought this little pool and taught her that this was hers. She was happy..I was happy. She..because she had a readily available source of coolness and me..because I did not have to worry about her swimming with the alligators and snapping turtles. It all worked out for the best. Now, that little pool sits upside down in the yard just collecting leaves and hickory nuts. I stared at the turtle-shaped pool and made a hasty decision to rid the yard of the lime green eyesore! Be gone, Lime-Green-Turtle-Shaped-Wading/Doggy-Pool! The toe of my moccasin slipped under the edge and with a mighty heave, flipped the pool over. Leaves, hickory nuts and water ran down the hill with a big whoosh! Aha! The pool shall be exiled to the trash bin! No more shall there be this ugly thing taking up space where a lovely garden could be! Ms. Ez will have to be content lolling about in the Little Puddle-pond with all of the water lilies!

It was then that I realized my mistake! I had unintentionally "de-homed" a small lizard! A tiny, Blue-tailed Skink had taken up residence under the plastic dome of the pool. In and amongst the leaves and wood chips, the little reptile had lived happily until the Monster Lady single-handed demolished its home! I rued my decision to move the pool. The upheaval surely was quite a startling ordeal for the little lizard. It sat stunned..not hurt as I had not touched him at all..but disoriented..dazed..that its home was no longer there.

Oh, my! What a beautiful thing this Blue-tailed Skink was! Its neon, metallic blue tail contrasted sharply against its dark (almost black) body. Up the length of its body were five, bright yellow stripes which give it its other name of Five-lined Skink..duh! To be totally honest, this is not a true Blue-tailed Skink which normally are found in Australia but is sort of the "American" version. Its actual name is "Plestiodon". To me, that is one of those words that just does not seem to want to roll off the tongue as well as the common names and it sounds much more like a name for a dinosaur than a tiny, three inch long lizard! So I will just continue to call it a Blue-tailed Skink and take the chance that someone will berate me for misidentifying it! After all..it is a Skink and it does have a bright blue tail...hence, a Blue-tailed Skink!

This little lizard is pretty common around here as it loves wood piles and sawdust. I have plenty of both if you consider mulch is basically large sawdust! Thus, I have plenty of Skinks! One curious trait of this Skink is the fact that the bright blue tail is actually part of its defense system. If a predator attacks, the tail immediately falls off as with other lizards but the color attracts the attacker so the little guy can make his escape! I like my little lizard! I like him so much that I carefully set his house in order so that he can survive the rest of the Winter without having to go house-hunting! I will deal with the Lime-Green-Turtle-Shaped-Wading/Doggy-Pool at a later date when there is no threat of a hard freeze that could harm my little friend! Live on..Little Blue-Tail..Live on!!!