With all of the construction (and deconstruction) being done on the Little Bayou House, the yard looks a mess. While my guys are brilliant when it comes to building, cleaning up their mess is another story. Most of the time, things stay where they are dropped. Well, I have had enough of this! It is springtime and my gardens need to be planted! This is impossible at the moment because of the stacks of lumber that block all access to said garden. I would have to climb over the fence if I wish to even step foot in there much less do any serious planting. So, there was just one thing to do. I took a break from the painting and staining to do a bit of decluttering of the yard.
Scrap pieces of lumber were picked up one by one to be piled into the wheelbarrow. These were to be hauled to the burn pile. As I was grabbing the scraps, I unintentionally uncovered a nesting site filled with tiny white eggs. Oh, geez! Not this again. Last year, I was keeping tabs on a skink's nest down by the water's edge when a bad storm washed ashore. Mama Skink had to abandon the nest. The flood waters had already killed a few of the lizards that had hatched but a clutch of eggs remained. These were relocated into the greenhouse where they all hatched and the tiny skinks lived happily in the protected area of the greenhouse. Some are still there. But, today, the eggs were much smaller. These belong to a different skink. This was the nest of a Ground Skink. A Ground Skinks are tiny, brown lizards that prefer leaf litter as a hiding spot. They are quick about darting under cover when danger is near. Being only about five inches long, it is easy to overlook the Ground Skinks. Mama Ground Skink chose to make her nest under boards in the very spot that I wished to clean. That put an end to my work for the day.
After discovering the Ground Skink's nest, several of the boards were gently replaced to hide the eggs. Hopefully, my bungling did not disturb the lizard and her nest too much. The boards will stay until the eggs hatch and the little lizards are on their merry way. I can live with this a bit longer, I guess. The things I do for the critters of the Bayou!! We may be buying our tomatoes this year!
Just a couple of things here, Folks. First, for any of you following the story of the skink family, it ended in tragedy. My early morning check gave me hope that the little family would survive the onslaught of bad weather brought on by Tropical Storm Cindy. Nine of the eggs had hatched and were doing well. One little one had perished. Mama Skink seemed happy and was trying her best to care for her family in spite of the danger that came with the storm. This first check found the tide waters still at least a foot away from the nest under the board. When I went down after the next torrential thunderstorm, tragedy had struck. Mama and two babies had abandoned the nest but all the rest of the little skinks had perished. The ground was just too saturated. Rainwater had flooded the entire area. The nest filled with water and the little ones drowned. With a heavy heart, I hastily gathered the remaining sixteen eggs and headed up the hill. The eggs were cold but I could not just leave them. Halfway up the hillside, I felt something wiggle in my hand. Two tiny skinks were working their way out of the eggs. I JUST HATCHED TWO BABY SKINKS! Even under a light and in a nice bed of moss, the other eggs did not hatch. This morning, however, the two little ones were bright, happy and trying to catch some little moths that were attracted by the light. My little ones seemed to be ok. (Sorry about the picture below. It is difficult to take clear photographs in the middle of a gale!)
Next, regardless of the torrential rains and high winds that ravaged the Bayou, a splotch of purple led me to the garden. The Stoke's Asters were in full bloom! Their bright blossoms waved in the winds and dripped beads of water but were still gorgeous! I needed that bright spot in all of the gloom that surrounded me. Somehow, there is always a silver lining that gives hope. Not that Tropical Storm Cindy was a bad storm but the days on end of nonstop rain had started to take its toll on my emotions. The asters brought a smile.
Then, in the midst of all the drippiness, the clothes dryer went kaput. It had been going nonstop for at least three days when suddenly it gave up the ghost. Try as they might, Mark and Son could not repair the thing. That is when I realized just how important it is to save things. Most folks would have tossed the old clothes rack years ago but I knew that it would come in handy some day. It did. Towels were hung to dry in front of the open door. The gale winds flapped the towels and I was able to do laundry without the so called conveniences. Folks who live down here and who experience storms on a regular basis understand the value in items such as this. When there is a need, we have something to fill that need. Sometimes it pays to use a little logic and be prepared for whatever may come. Just saying....
All in all, the storm turned out to be eventful. We had babies, found blooms, salvaged a damaged pier, endured nigh on twelve inches of rain, ate far too much and realized just how fortunate we really are. Life is good.
The Bayou is still being hammered by the outer bands of Tropical Storm Cindy. While she is not a terrible storm, as far as storms go, she is doing a grand job of messing up the area. All eyes are focused on where this storm is making landfall and not where the damage is actually being done. Here flooding is a major issue. My rain gauge overflowed sometime last night at seven inches. This afternoon, it showed another four. It is still raining. Thunderstorms are rolling in from the Gulf and bringing waterspouts with them. I spotted two in the Bay directly out from the pier. Many more and much larger ones were filmed moving along in the Gulf. Tornado sirens have been belting out their frantic tones since late last night. Today, I counted eight different times that the warnings sounded. Much more of the same type weather is expected overnight and into tomorrow.
Earlier today, I headed down to the pier to pull the old skiff a bit closer to shore. I did make my way down the pier part way but decided that going to the end was not the brightest idea. About a foot or more water was over top and quite a number of the pier planks were missing. One misstep and I would have wound up in the churning waters. I played it safe and headed back to shore. Once there, I checked on Mama Skink and her brood of eggs. Surprise! One feisty little baby was bursting out of its eggshell! What perfect timing! Mama Skink did not seem to mind me taking a few photographs of her little one before I eased the old plank back down upon the little family in the making. I eyed the ever nearing flood waters. Mama Skink was brave. Her family came first and she was not going to give them up easily. I said a little prayer that the waters would recede and she would be safe.
Back in the Little Bayou House, I checked the tide charts and found that high tide was within the hour so perhaps Mama Skink had gained another day. At least one little one had hatched and may be able to make a dash to the palmetto clump just beyond the nest if necessary. Tomorrow morning, the tide may be higher and that escape may be pertinent. Just in case, though, I gathered a basket and brought the shovel around near the door. If the surge hits the nest, I would at least make an attempt at a rescue. I had come this far with the little family and would do whatever was in my power to help them during their time of need. The remaining eggs, one little tyke and Mama would take a ride in the basket to the greenhouse. It may not be the perfect solution but, at least, it is a solution. I hope.
In the meantime, to all those in the path of the storm, hunker down, stay dry and safe and be thankful that this one is coming in as a tropical storm and not a hurricane! Happy times on the Bayou!.........And, yes, I have been writing a lot about Mama Skink. It helps to think about something other than storms. Besides, sometimes I think critter friends are the best type to have.
