Bad Girl Ida

   It was a busy day here on the Bayou.  Hurricane preparations are in full swing and it could not be done sooner.  Ida is projected to become at least a Category 4 storm before making landfall so everyone in the general area of Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast should be doing the same.  This storm, wherever it decides to hit, is not going to play nicely.  For all of you that are not in the path of this monster, please take a moment to pray for those who are.  

  This morning, I did manage to sneak to the pier for a bit.  Most likely, I will have one more chance to visit before the pier is wiped out by the hurricane.  My happy place will have to be rebuilt or repaired along with a lot of other things.  It was a sort of dreary morn with lots of heavy clouds that soon gave way to thunderstorms.  Still, the morning sky brought an inner peace.  I will always cherish my times spent gazing at the horizon awaiting the sun to rise.  There is tranquility to be found then.  Folks, stay safe.  Find your inner peace.  Be happy.  

Best Prepare NOW!

   Well, now.  It appears that yet another hurricane will soon be forming in the Gulf of Mexico which does not bode well for the Coast.  At the moment, the forecasts call for it to make landfall just west of us which puts us in that upper right quadrant also known as "the bad side".  Hopefully, it will be just far enough away that the bad side is also west of us but, then, that puts my good friends in Louisiana at risk.   Those poor folks do not need another just like we do not.  But...that all comes with the territory.  Ask any "true" Coastian and you will hear the same answer..."You get used to it."  That answer is deadpanned without any emotion whatsoever.  We get used to it.

  Still, I am really just now making noticeable progress against the blow that Hurricane Zeta dealt us.  Zeta pounded the Bayou with terrific winds and tidal surge. (The photograph below is from the day after Hurricane Zeta.)  Thankfully, it blew right on through without lingering.  Had the hurricane slowed its pace and sat on top of us a while, things would have been far worse.  That is all we can hope with this one which is predicted to become Hurricane Ida overnight.  Son and I worked today to get things in order.  The mandatory shopping trip to stockpile a few necessities, the preliminary yard clearing and checking on neighbors.  The window coverings are still in place since Tropical Claudette so that chore is done.  If Hurricane Ida strengthens there will be some added bracing to be done and the small skiff will have to be hauled ashore.  Our day tomorrow will most likely be spent helping other prepare.  

  Folks, take these storms seriously.  So what if you prepare then the hurricane turns the other way?  So what if you prepared for a hurricane and the storm comes in as a tropical storm.  So what if you go out of your way to help others?  It is the right thing to do.  It is the smart thing to do.  Just do it.

The Night Before

   Sitting and waiting is one of the hardest things for me to do.  The day was busy with hurricane preparations that must be done when you live on the water but now that the chores are completed, the waiting has started.  Is Hurricane Marco going to come our way?  Is Tropical Storm (maybe Hurricane) Laura going to follow the same path?  That, my friends, is anybody's guess and that is what makes the waiting so difficult.  What if all the preparations were done without purpose?  If the storms decide to go elsewhere, my hard day was for naught.

  This evening, I made one last run to the pier to check on the small skiff.  The boat has been pulled up into the yard but with the incoming tidal surge, it will need to be checked often.  It was on the final run before dark that the sky was ablaze with color.  Yep...the Night Before.  Those brilliant colors were the sun's rays bouncing off the gathering storm clouds.  Within a few hours, our weather can change dramatically...and for the worse.  Still, I am sitting here safe and sound in the Little Bayou House.  It has taken care of us through far worse storms and we are depending upon it to do the same with Marco and Laura.  The show on the horizon tonight was a bit deceiving for what is to come.  By morning light, the Bayou should  be rockin' and rollin' with Marco.  Stay safe, folks, stay safe.

I am here to help with my eight legs!

  The day consisted of a bit more preparations for the tropical storm that is supposed to visit the Bayou during the middle of the night.  We ran the tie-downs for the dormer windows, latched gates to prevent them from banging and secured the last pieces of lawn furniture.  Since there was not much left to do, I busied myself cleaning up a few odds and ends in the yard.  We have one of those hose reels that is supposed to make life easier but, for me, it is a nuisance.  Quality workmanship is obviously a thing of the past as the reel is shoddily made.  It is far too light to be of much use as it wobbles around like a drunk sailor whenever you wind the hose.  Yes, I do put my foot on the hold but that does little good.  The crank is weak, as well, making it feel as if it will break with the least bit of stress.  So...I pull the hose with my hands, turn the crank for a few rounds, pull more hose, turn again and so on until the hose is at least somewhat neater.  Then as soon as I let go, the reel turns freely releasing about six feet of hose!  Alas!  All that work was for naught!

  It was while I was struggling with the hose that I met a new friend!  I guess I startled the poor soul by fighting an inanimate object (the reel) so a nice sized garden spider ventured onto my shoulder.  Perhaps the kind critter was offering help!  Not wanting to squish the beauty, work was halted while I let her crawl onto my hand.  Yes, ma'am!  I appreciate the offer but you need to stay up here on the wall so I will not hurt you by accident!  The spider left my hand and crawled back to her web.  (Yes, I really did talk with a spider.  No, she did not respond verbally.)

  I am one of these weird people who try to avoid harming any creature.  I figure this is their world just as much as it is mine.  Like this spider today, a bit of gentle encouragement to scoot out of the way is met with cooperation.  Hopefully, she will make it through the storm ok.  I am assuming she will take refuge under the edge of the roof and then rebuild her web in the morning.  She is definitely a  beauty!

A Near Miss....or A Diverted Critter Attack!

  Yesterday, I wrote about being attacked by the horde of mosquitoes that had sought refuge from the flooded marshes.  I was thankful that I only received a dozen or so bites after I intruded in their midst.  It was nigh on the same thing earlier in the day...only it could have been much worse.  Sometimes, there is just no explanation of a near miss but it sure makes you appreciate that thing called luck when it happens.

  In preparation for a storm that was supposed to hit the Bayou but then changed its mind, I decided to cut back the overgrowth of jasmine and rose canes.  The all summer long rains had sent the things into a humongous growth spurt and had them covering everything in sight including several potted cedar trees.  Well, it was time to do some severe trimming.  I have found it far easier to do clean up after a storm if you start it long before it ever hits.  Garden snips in hand, I started lopping vines.  While yanking on vines, several red paper wasps were noticed flying about my head.  The critters were shooed away and the lopping continued.  Once the potted cedar trees were untangled from the vines, the pots were pulled out from the spot so I could get "down and dirty" with the remaining vines.  Darn!  Those pesky wasps were back again!  Once again, they were shooed on their merry way.  There was no time to play with them as hurricane preps are far more important.

  Then fast forward to today.  Mark had just arrived home and we headed to the pier. Noticing that the wind had knocked over one of the cedar trees, I stopped and righted it.  Uh, oh!  There were those buzzing critters again.  Then I spied the problem.  I literally had moved their home!  In one of the potted cedar trees was a huge nest!  The thing was a good six or seven inches across and covered with wasps!  Wow!  How had I not gotten stung?  Yesterday when I was yanking on that tree and cutting those vines, the dozens of wasps calmly tried to warn me instead of attacking.  

  Well, to make a long story short, I was not as nice as the wasps.  They tried to warn me which I fully appreciate but the nest had to go.  Too many people walk through that part of the garden as it leads to the front steps of the Little Bayou House.  I could not take the chance that someone may be stung.  The nest was sprayed and knocked out of the tree.  Several dozen adult wasps were killed.  That, my friends, was a near miss and now a diverted critter attack!

Back to Being a Bayou Again

  It is often easy to forget the perils of living on a Bayou. The serenity that normally envelopes the place, makes it hard to believe that with a gnarly twist of fate, things can get ugly.  One of those times is bearing down on us as I write.  The peaceful Bayou will soon be rocking and rolling as yet another storm insists on paying us a visit.  Hopefully, this will not be a bad one and I can be writing about the aftermath once it passes.  As of now, pure exhaustion has set in and rest is much needed.  The angst during the storm will make for a sleepless night then the hard work of cleanup after will add to the weariness.  But...we will carry on and get things done.

  Today, not only saw Son and I clearing the pier, securing the boat and cutting the grass but also found us up on the rooftop with straps for the dormer windows, boarding windows and checking the generator.  In other words, we were battening down the hatches in preparation of a hurricane.  Gordon is knocking at the back door.

Calm before the storm.

  Tomorrow will be another busy day with last minute preparations as we follow my mantra of "Prepare for the worst and pray for the best".  This has carried us through many hurricanes and I am sure that it will do so with the future ones...and there will be future ones.  That, my friends, is something you can count on if you live this near a coastline.  Still, we love our little place and are determined to not let some storm get the best of us!  

  Stay safe if you are in the path of Gordon.  Hurricanes are not something to take lightly.

Just Admiring the View!

  We are back to playing the "Waiting Game" as subtropical storm "Alberto" hovers directly below us.  It is projected to enter the Gulf of Mexico and then do its stormy thing and may become a bit more organized.  As of this moment, the Bayou is right smack dab in the middle of the projected path.  But that is days out there and there is nothing we can do to speed it up or direct its path out to sea.  Being a slow-moving storm does not sit well with me.  I do not like them.  The longer it lingers over open water, the better the chance of it strengthening.  I would rather it hurry its little way on into shore.  Lets get a move on, Alberto!  Stop being such a slowpoke!

  This morning, I was on the pier before daybreak.  As is my custom, a good mug of coffee deserves a sunrise and a few minutes of introspection. Sitting alone on the pier can allow me to enjoy the beginning of a new day and all of its glories. This morning, the waters were calm and the clouds, although heavy, did not appear threatening.  It was to be a peaceful day...I could feel it.  As for the weekend?  Nope, things are going to be on a downhill slide from today.  This was sort of that proverbial "calm before the storm".

  I am always amused by those who treat storms as something of frivolity until things start to worsen.  Then, in a state of panic, they have second thoughts about what should have/could have been done to prepare.  My motto is to "Always prepare for the worst but pray for the best" when it comes to these entities regardless if they come in as a tropical storm or raging hurricane.  It has never hurt to be prepared.  Yes, a lot of folks find it ridiculous that I prepare for each storm as if it will strengthen.  That is fine by me.  Those folks do not live where surge waters can knock at their door in a moment's notice. While the storms do not scare me, I do feel at least a bit more at ease knowing that I have a bit of water on hand, a few days meals ready to eat and supplies set in for the pets. During the next few days, we will continue to play the "Waiting Game", make those preparations and play it by ear.  If things worsen, we will go into "hurricane mode" and step up the preparations.  For now, however, I will enjoy the sunrise, seek a stronger inner peace and say a prayer for those that will be in the path of Alberto and any future storms.

Just Another Leaf

  Late this afternoon, I was out doing a bit of hiking while checking to see just what needed to be done to prepare for the possible hurricane.  I figure I had better get a jump on things even this early in the game.  With Son's knee still not in the best condition, he will have to do some of the indoor chores and let me handle the outdoors.  Life did get a whole lot easier today since Mark is back home from his job and will be here to handle the difficult stuff.  (What a huge blessing!)  I did do a few small things as I hiked such as bringing in the bottles from the bottletree and taking up the bird feeders.  The poor birds will just have to scavenge on the ground for their seeds for the next few days.  Tomorrow will see me in full swing.  The grass will be mowed, all of the lawn furniture stowed away, the greenhouse secured and any remaining fruit or vegetables will be picked.

  While down near the persimmon tree, I spied a mass of wild grapevines. Perhaps these had a few grapes leftover from the scavenging coons. Those rascals devoured the Muscadines and Scuppernongs before I could pick them.  The day after their raid, I managed to only get one quart of grapes from the entire arbor.  Perhaps a few Fox or Possum grapes remained on the wild vines and I could add those to my stash.  I eased down through the palmettos.  A careful watch was needed so I would not inadvertently step on a cottonmouth.  No grapes are worth that pain!  But, sad to say, the coons beat me to the wild grapes also.  

  As I turned to leave, I noticed someone hiding in amongst the grape leaves!  A sweet yellow butterfly was trying to find a safe place to spend the night.  Its bright yellow coloring would be sure to stand out against any dark foliage but the grape leaves were already yellowing with age. The butterfly's habit of danging from a twig with wings folded was the perfect camouflage.  It moved once as I stepped in closer to get a photograph but then settled back in for the night. I think it knew that I meant it no harm.  

  With the threat of a hurricane bearing down on us, preparations are a priority.  Since a sure storm path is never a reality, it is wise to fall back on that old saying of "better to be safe than sorry."  I will be busy for the next few days "just in case".  If the storm does decide to move away from this area, I will chalk my efforts up to "being ahead of the game with the week's work". While doing my chores, I am sure that I will run across many more critters seeking shelter or searching for food.  It always makes me wonder just how they survive during hurricanes.  Wish I could lend a helping hand.

****My, oh, my!  It is amazing how things can change in just a matter of hours!  We were watching what was said to be a 80% chance of a hurricane coming our way and that has now been change to a 0% chance!   Two hours after posting the above, I am here editing that everything is looking good! Yippee!