Another Near Miss

   I have to admit that early this morning, Mark came in like a knight in shining armor to slay the dragon that was a bit to near.  As much as I hate to kill snakes, if a cottonmouth is too close to the Little Bayou House, it has got to go.  My eyesight is not the best by natural aging so any venomous snake in the Small Gardens is a threat.  This morning, I was pulling grasshoppers off of the petunia plants near the little Frog Pond when I had "that feeling".  Looking down near my feet under the petunias was someone that was definitely not the nicest of friends.  Within seconds, the cottonmouth slid down into the water of the pond and turned to literally glare at me.  I guess I disturbed its morning hunt for frogs.   Thankfully, Mark was nearby and came to my rescue!  He trotted off to get the "snake-grabby-things" from the greenhouse while I kept a watchful eye on the snake that was now a mere three feet from where I was standing.  Moments later, my "Knight in Shining Armor" had the serpent clamped in the jaws of his weapon and I was safe!

  Actually, I am more concerned for others that come to the Bayou.  Visitors may not act as calmly as I do which causes a snake to strike.  A snake rarely wastes its venom on someone or something that it does not deem as a threat.  Had I flailed about while screaming, chances are the snake would have reacted to my (unnecessary) actions.  Also, with venomous snakes, I worry about the grandkids.  Kids, being kids, may not notice as snake that is so well camouflaged.

  The snake was disposed and all is well.  I just wish they would learn to stay down in the marsh where they belong.  Then, we could both live in peace.  All non-venomous snakes are quite welcome to live in the Small Gardens.  I have no qualms about sharing that space with them!  Still, I am thankful that Mark was there to come to my rescue!

Not a Pond Friend or...Bat is My Hero!

   The last post was about a lovely watersnake that visited the Frog Pond.  I was sure in hopes to see the snake stay as I am rather fond of most snakes.  I had even called the critter a "friend".  Then...another visitor and something that may not have ended too well for me.  If it had not been for the intervening of another friend, I could have been quite ill right now. 

  Yesterday morning, I opened the back door to let the cat out for his morning prowl.  He usually bounds out and heads to the Frog Pond to investigate what changed overnight.  This time, it was different.  He leapt off the deck and froze.  He did not move a muscle but only listened.  He sensed something was not right.  Thinking that the bobcat may have been still nearby after his nightly patrol, I stayed on the deck sweeping the dead leaves that had fallen from the pear trees.  Bat, the cat, did not move.  

  Finally, I decided to walk around a bit to ease the cat's mind.  He went to the far side of the Frog Pond and I stayed on the path between the pond and the house.  I was barefooted so I was careful about how I stepped on the gravel path but obviously not too observant.  A tablesaw covered by a tarp was alongside of the path.  Son had not had time to put it back in the shed the night before but, little did I know, that something was lurking under that tarp.. Suddenly, Bat barreled across the yard and under that tarp.  A huge tussle was taking place just inches from my feet!  Just as I was about to lift the tarp thinking I had to rescue some hapless critter, a snake slithered from underneath.  Bat's attack was ruthless as he chased the 3ft+ snake toward the pond.  Several times, the snake turned to face the cat but Bat was too quick and would leap behind the snake.  As soon as the snake got into the open where the morning light was a bit brighter, I realized that this was a cottonmouth.  "BAT! COME!"  I yelled for my sweet cat!  He was having no part of listening as he focused on his attack.  The snake made a hasty retreat for the small concrete pond.  Bat darted underneath the house once he realized that he could no longer continue his attack.  My heart sunk as I fretted over Bat perhaps being bitten but I really had to figure out how to get the snake out of the pond.  (I have a sweet little niece coming to visit and I sure do not want a moccasin anywhere near, if I could help it.)

  Knowing that the pond holds a little over 600 gallons of water and was filled with water hyacinths and lilies, I was in a quandary.  Keeping watch on the snake lying atop some lilies, I eased around the back side to pull the hose from the fountain.  At least that would drain some of the water making the exit of the snake a bit harder.  Then with a 5 gallon bucket, I bailed...and bailed...and bailed all the while keeping an eye on that snake.  Ugh!  This is way too much work on an old lady!  Finally, I felt comfortable enough to rush inside and call to Son to get out of bed and come help get the critter! 

  As much as I hate killing any critter, this one sadly had to go.  Son pinned the snake to the bottom with a flat hoe and I flipped it into the 5 gallon bucket.  That done, the snake was "taken care of" and disposed.  That...was no pond friend.  Now, my attention could be turned to my heroic cat!  Where was Bat and had he received another snake bite.  He was bitten (dry bite) by a cottonmouth just about a year ago and was quite sick for a few days.  I called...and hunted.  Finally, Bat came.  He looked none the worse for wear and after a thorough examination, I found no bite marks.  I sighed with relief and hugged my protector.  Oh, Bat!  You are truly amazing!   What a hero!

My Hero!

  I have this thing about people who throw trash in the Bay.  It aggravates me and makes me think "not so nice" things.  To me, the saying "Only trash litters" makes a lot of sense.  It takes a trashy person to litter up a perfectly clean place.  Why pollute the waters?  I have also found that those same people who toss their garbage into the water are the very same ones who complain that the Bay is polluted.  Well, la-di-dah...guess who made it that way???  Get real.

  Early this morning, Mark and I made our rounds about the hillside then wound up on the pier.  This  is our usual morning routine.  Once there, I spied something stuck in the marsh about half way to the mouth of the Bayou.  For the life of me, I could not figure out what that thing was.  It did not help that the rising sun was causing a blindspot right on the object.  I knew that it did not belong there so it frustrated me.  Someone had discarded some more trash into the Bay.  Ugh!  Mark, seeing how this upset me, decided to climb in the small skiff and go fetch the trash.

  As he paddled the small skiff across the glass-smooth water, I kept yammering about the ugliness of some people, their trash and their disrespect.  Mark reached down and pulled out a gasoline container.  Why in the world would you toss your gas can into the water??  Then, he pulled out a broken child's lawn chair.  Where did that come from??  We hauled both up the hill and properly discarded them.  Now, just how hard would that have been to do in the first place??  Come on, folks, put your trash where it belongs!!  And THAT is not my Bayou!!!  Through all of this, I realized that Mark is my hero!  Once again, he came to my rescue even if it was just to ease my mind about trash floating about in the Bay.

More than I bargained for!

  This afternoon, Mark and I headed to the pier.  We had no specific reason other than just to be there but after getting to the end of the pier, it only seemed proper to throw the net at least a couple of times.  He picked up the large net and I grabbed the shorter one.  Not wanting to throw in the same vicinity of each other, I walked up the pier a bit.  If there were any mullet nearby, he could catch them easier in the larger net.  I was more or less wasting time with the little net.  Still, it is fun and good exercise.  

  My first throw with the small (5ft) net yielded a huge catch!  As soon as I started to bag the net and haul it back in to the pier, I knew I had caught something.  Nets just do not weigh THAT much!  I was actually struggling to pull the net toward me!  Hmm?  I called to Mark.  "I either caught a bunch or something huge!"  Nope, I did not catch boatloads of fish but rather one quite large snapping turtle!  I threw that net right over top of the critter!

  I hauled the net up on the pier where Mark and I pondered just what we were supposed to do with this monster!  As we stood staring at him, he started tearing at the net.  That webbing was going to be no match for his sharp claws and powerful jaws.  If we did not do something quick, my net was going to be history!  Mark hurried to get my camera (of all times for me to not bring it!) while I slammed a bucket over the snapping turtle.  Well, duh!  That did not work!  The turtle was larger than the bucket!  After knocking the bucket to its side, the turtle proceeded to rip the net.  NO!!!  I slammed the bucket atop the turtle once more and this time sat on it!  There!  Now lets just see who is stronger!  Yeah, well, hate to say it but the turtle actually started carrying me as it worked its way to the edge of the pier.  Nope!  You are not taking my net with you!!!  I turned and started pressing down as hard as I could.  I guess the critter stopped to size up his situation because he sat still long enough for Mark to get back to the pier.  Whew!  

  It took a good ten minutes to untangle that snapping, clawing critter from my net.  I am sure glad that Mark was there!  He had no problem flipping that fellow upside down and holding onto his tail! Mark is my hero!!!   Me?  Nope, no way, not happening!  I tried to be helpful by distracting the turtle with a piece of cane pole and that sucker grabbed ahold to that thing and cracked it! (Mark was smart and used a board to push the net away.) After seeing what the turtle did to that pole,  I decided right then and there that I was rather fond of my fingers!

 

The "Cat"astrophe!

  Ok, so I am definitely used to Bayou Cats and not "city-slicker" cats. Not that I have anything against sweet house kitties.  They are delightful but I am more accustomed to cats that can take care of themselves against all odds.  I am used to Ms. Put, the feisty, fickle feline that has resided at the Little Bayou House for the past seventeen years or so.   I am not used to Nycto, the new cat, with her posh ways.  Ms. Put is evidently not used to such a pampered cat either as she and Nycto do not seem to get along too well.  They keep their distance from each other and merely abide one another.  They are definitely NOT friends. 

Nycto on one of her peaceful days.

   Late this evening, I saw a black cat wandering about the hillside. There is nothing unusual about this as both of my cats are black.  Ms. Put is what is called a Tuxedo Cat with the elegant white collar and white paws while Nycto is solid black. Like I said, I did not think much about seeing a black cat slinking about the Bayou or at least not until I saw Ms. Put race across the yard and attack the critter.  Uh oh!  An all out cat fight was in the works!  I had better put a stop to this right now.  I hurried down the hill to fuss at the two cats.  As I neared the duo, one jumped to its feet and turned to stare at me.  Ummm..this was not Nycto. This was not Ms. Put.  This was a huge cat!  Alrighty then.  At that very moment, little Ms. Put pounced on the large, unknown cat!  She snarled and hissed and let the claws fly!  My little dynamo was tearing this thing to pieces!  The large mystery cat tore around the side of the yard behind the persimmon tree and Ms. Put collapsed on the sand beneath the old oak tree.  My kitty!  My poor little kitty!  I ran to check on her.  Whew!  I was relieved to find that she was ok..exhausted but ok.  She stood up and meowed.  Not a loud, menacing meow but rather a soft, cooing meow.  Hmmm?  That seemed odd as did the fact that she stood staring up.  

Tiny Ms. Put getting a well-deserved meal after fending off the huge, menacing stray cat.  

   I followed her gaze up the nearby pine tree to see Nycto high up in the tree.  She had obviously been attacked by the intruding cat and sought refuge in the tall tree.  Oh, no.  Now what?  That cat had no idea how to get back down out of the tree!  She was stuck!  And stuck on a limb about thirty feet up the tree!  Ms. Put had come to the rescue of the very cat that irritated her daily but how in the world was I to come to the rescue of Nycto now?  It was growing darker by the minute and the cat would not come down out of that tree!  I did the only thing that I knew might work.  I called to my son.  He has a way with critters especially cats.  After about an hour, he was able to coax Nycto down the tree.  It was not a pretty descent by any means but at least she came down on her own.  Now comes the problem of what to do about the accosting cat. Trying to corral two outdoor cats that are not congenial in one house overnight might not seem like a big deal but add one terrorizing cat on the outside of the house and it proves to be a predicament.  The snarling, hissing, howling and growling becomes incessant as two cats pace inside the house and one nasty, foul-tempered beast prowls about the yard.

Poor Nycto!  She became stranded in a tall pine tree after being attacked by a marauding stray cat.  Don't worry!  Michael rescued her and all is well now!

  This whole episode comes on the heels of a news story of a cat defending a little boy against an attack by a large dog.  Cats can, and will, take on any critter that they deem a threat.  Usually, the cat wins.  Ms. Put came to the aid of Nycto when she was attacked by the large, intruding cat.  What makes this amazing to me is Nycto is quite large compared to Ms. Put and the intruder was larger still.  Ms. Put is a tiny thing that weighs in about six pounds when she is at her optimum weight.  Nycto is a good nine pounds.  The intruder was nigh on twice the size of Ms. Put but she did not let that faze her one bit.  She stood her ground and fought. Ms. Put was also concerned about her (non) friend, Nycto, after the battle.  She is one tough, little cat!  She is my hero for the day!  Love this kitty!

And Then There Were None!

Yesterday, I told you about the water snake that visited the small pond in the yard and how it did not want to leave. This morning at daybreak, I gingerly walked around the garden afraid that I would step on this serpent, not knowing if I had scared it away or not. As I neared the pond, I could see the head of a snake poking out from underneath the waterlilies, but wait..this did not look like the same snake! Oh no..what now? Yes, there were now two snakes in this little pond. You have to understand when I say "little", I mean little..very little. The pond only holds maybe thirty gallons of water on a good day. By a good day, I mean on a day when the water has not dehydrated to a point of no return. Right now the pond is more of a puddle..a ten gallon puddle. There is barely enough water to keep the lilies from drying up to nothing, but obviously there is enough water to be home to two snakes. Enough is enough! These critters had to go! I grabbed the boat hook and slung the first of the two pests out onto the lawn. This was not the (wanna-be moccasin) water snake..this turned out to be a true Cottonmouth. One snake that you do not want to mess with because it packs a very nasty bite. I pinned it down with the boat hook and pondered what should be my next move. Oh goodness..now I had myself in a fine fix! Here I am standing in the middle of the yard, pinning a very venomous snake to the ground with a boat hook and having no means to kill it. Ok..think..think fast..but think! What could I do? Nothing was in reach..no hoe..no shovel..not even a stick. This was not what I had in mind..WHAT was I thinking..or even had I been thinking??? Then..relief..I was never so glad to hear a tractor! My hero!..also known as my brother! He came to my rescue and vanquished the dragon! This snake was dead and I was happy..now to tend to the other rascal! This dear brother flipped the water snake out of the pond into a bucket and snapped on the lid. This one was moved to the opposite side of the property near another creek, hopefully far enough away to deter his return!

This done, the rest of the morning was spent in preparation of a tropical depression. This will be a rainmaker for us and will be a good thing for the gardens. There is only a few minor things that need to be done before small storm such a this but still they must be tended. All of the fishing gear and crab traps had to be cleared from the pier. This would be stowed until after the gale winds die and then returned to be used again. While on the pier gathering the gear, I took a moment to stare over the Bay. There were a few seagulls diving in the schools of minnows, a Great Blue Heron was wading silently along the shore and both a Night Heron and an Egret were sunning on posts. I wondered if they knew what was in store for them a just a few hours from now. How would they ride out the storm? I am sure they are much better prepared than I ever will be! It always awes me that a place that I find so peaceful can turn so very violent at times. I

am one of those diehard Bayou residents that find even storms can be enthralling. There is a certain amount of respect for the weather and water

that is required to live here. Respect..not fear of the storms that push into the area. I have always said that before any storm..one must prepare for the worst and pray for the best. But for today, the Bayou is calm..we shall wait and see what tomorrow brings..hopefully just rain.