Seeking Shade

   We are sweltering here on the Bayou just like most of the rest of the Deep South.  When the temperatures rise to the triple digits in the morning, it is time to seek out coolness where you can find it.  Most folks say to "Stay indoors!"  I cannot.  There will soon come a time when I can no longer roam the property in search of magical sights so I try to cram every bit of nature into my day while I can.  Doing my indoor chores before the sun rises and then the outdoor chores before the heat slams me, I am pretty much left to my own whims by midday.  Then, I seek out the shade where I find it so as to while away the hours in a wonderland of beauty.

  Earlier, I slipped down behind the canebrake to check on a small turtle that had gotten itself in quite a predicament yesterday. As turtles are known to do, this one had rooted around in a boggy area enough to entrap itself.  The poor thing was stuck without an exit.  So, it was up to me to gently shove the poor critter from the muck with a broken cane.  Once free, the turtle seemed mighty grateful but was a bit slow-moving...even for a turtle.  Today, the critter could not be found so I am assuming it finally came to its senses and headed for the underbrush.  Since I was this far down, I figured I may as well nose around a bit.  At the base of an old live oak tree, I found the perfect "fairyland" of enchantment.  Between a few rogue sprigs of old asparagus ferns and the twists and turns of a trumpet vine was an adorable mushroom.  It was no more than two inches tall and had most velvety red cap.  Obviously, the snails had thought the mushroom was perfect, as well, as something had nibbled on it just a bit.  Still, the sight was enough to bring a smile and cause me to linger for a bit under the umbrella shade of the oak limbs.  

  This, my friends, is what I consider the perfect way to escape the heat and the confines of the Little Bayou House.  While I adore my little home, slipping away into a magical world of nature is the perfect diversion.

Bayou Magic at Dawn

  Once again, I urge folks to really stop and take notice of their surroundings.  There are so many things that we all overlook everyday.  STOP!! Stop and literally "smell the roses".  Life is so amazing but most people never pause long enough to notice.  We all become so caught up in our everyday lives that taking the time to really see what is around us is low man on the totem pole.  Nope!  No more!  Call it a resolution or a promise to yourself but really take the time to find the miracles in your own backyard.  It matters not if you study some small pebbles or start identifying wildflowers...just really take notice of things. After a short time, you will find that there is a whole new world opening up to you.  Discovering what is naturally there can increase your creativity, relieve stress and actually improve your health!

  Down behind the greenhouse, there is one thicket that is full of tiny plants and mosses.  If I am there at the right time of day and the sun is doing its thing, the whole place turns into a magical spot.  As the sunbeams spill through the canopy of leaves overhead, each tiny plant is highlighted.  Shadows dance off the tree trunks and leaf-laden ground.  I fully expect at some times to find a band of tiny elfin creatures residing there!

  Today's magical find was a small clump of Oxalis or Wood Sorrel.  This is one of many types of wood sorrel that can be found now growing wild throughout the area.  The sorrels are one of my favorite wildflowers simply because they can bloom any time of year.  Let a couple of warm days come and the woods are full of the hot pink blooms. The sunbeams highlighted the blooms in a glorious manner!  I sat in awe of the beauty.  Here...here is a little Bayou Magic.

  

  

The World Beneath the Underbrush

  Earlier today, there came an eerily familiar fracas from deep in the creek bed.  It grew in intensity until I had to quit painting, grab the camera and slip unseen through the underbrush.  The cacophony reminded me of a saddening situation a few years back.  I witnessed a large male raccoon literally slaughtering the young of a small female.  It was breeding season but she already had kits. Since the massacre took place high in the top of a dead pine tree, there was nothing I could do to help the sweet little mama.  I watched and cringed as I saw the male pull the tiny babies from the nest, bite them and fling them to the ground.  Little Mama tried valiantly to protect her litter but it was to no avail.  She finally gave up and flung herself from the treetop.  She would rather plunge some sixty feet to the ground than watch her babies be so brutally killed.  This horrifying massacre lingered in my mind for years to come and, today, it surfaced with each scream.

  As I edged my way through the underbrush and down past the palmetto clumps, I was thankful for the cool air.  Hopefully, all cottonmouths had crawled back in their warm spots for the day and I would not tread on any.  The screaming continued for the full ten minutes it took me to reach the spot where I could see what was happening.  Thankfully, it was too early for kits yet but this was equally brutal.  Sweet and gentle love is not a common thing in the critter world.  Four large males were competing over a small female but she was caught in the middle of the brawl.  No matter how she tried, there was no escape.  She was bleeding and screaming as the males battled over her.  Since no kits were involved (yet), I turned to leave.  There was no reason for me to be there and, in fact, it would have been dangerous (and foolish) for me to intervene with nothing but a camera to use as a weapon to protect myself.

  As I clamored up the hillside out of the creek, I was suddenly sidetracked.  Without realizing it when I was racing down, I had plowed through a virtual fairyland of beauty!  Dropping to my knees, I admired the beauty of mosses, ferns and tiny flowers!  The overhead canopy of trees and bamboo had protected the area from the elements and allowed this natural wonderland to flourish!  Oblivious to the melee going on about fifty feet from me, I started photographing the captivating beauty of the forest floor.  Key word here is "started".  After only two photographs, the camera went dead and, in my rush to be a "savior of baby raccoons", I forgot to pick up extra batteries.  Yep, my wonderland would have to wait until I have another opportunity to weasel my way beneath the thickets.  Since it is to be cold tomorrow, it should be a perfect time if the opportunity presents itself.  Then, I SHALL remember to grab a pocketful of extra batteries! 

Sweeping the (Forest) Floor!

  I will say this about the weather on the Bayou, as of late.  It has been windy!  In fact, it has been windy and rainy for almost six months now.  Only a few days each month are sunny.  This is ok by me, however, as I am always up for a bit of rain.  The wind goes along with it so I accept that as well.  It is true that complaining about the weather has never changed it, so I say just go with what you are given.  No problems.

  While out behind the greenhouse this afternoon, a light swishing noise caught my attention.  What in the world could that be??  It reminded me of a broom being used to clean the floor.  Standing still, the sound led me to the source. Yep.  It pretty much was a broom sweeping the floor.  A branch of a yaupon shrub was being flung back and forth by the wind.  As it was bouncing around, it was doing a fine job of sweeping the forest floor.  A wide path was devoid of any fallen leaves!

  The wind once was, at one time,  a significant source of power for so many things but now has been replaced with more convenient methods.  The sweeping motion of the branch brought thoughts of how windmills and sails make use of this free energy source.  Folks used to use ingenuity and make use of what was on hand but those days have gone the wayside.  Now, let there be one short power outage and people are in a tizzy.  Sometimes, I think the times without all of our modern day conveniences was a lot better.  We are all spoiled and perhaps a bit lazy.  Maybe this branch was trying to tell me to get busy and rake the leaves.