Critters In The Garden!

   While out working in the gardens this afternoon, I noticed that yet another of my critter friends came to visit.  This time, a mockingbird was my helper.  The bird was busying itself investigating the cabbages for worms.  Even though the birds scratch around in the mulch or sometimes cannot resist taking a nip out of the crops, I welcome birds into the garden.  These are free pest control and they fall under that category as being fully ecologically safe and organic!  In fact, there are very few critters that are not welcome around here.  

  I do have to wonder if it is possible that this is one of the mockingbirds that I raised after they were orphaned.  When I got the pair, they were so tiny that neither had much in the way of feathers and could do little more than flop around in the makeshift nest.  It was a daunting task to take on raising yet more critters and especially ones so tiny.  It became my duty to do round the clock feedings something I had not done in some 30 years at the time.  Happy to say, both birds survived and then adopted our old dog as their surrogate mom.  She was so very protective of her wards.  The birds flourished and I allowed them to come and go as they pleased for a while by keeping the screen door open.  Soon, they made their way to being "real" birds and joined their wild cousins.  Both did come back for a while to visit.  I would often find one clinging to the screen door wanting to come back inside the Little Bayou House.  Of course, they were welcome to enter and stay as long as they pleased.   Could this be Knox or Shelby?  Who knows?  I seriously doubt it but it is nice to think perhaps one or both are still around.  Regardless, the little mockingbird brought happiness to the day and I will take that!

Hiking Buddy

   My days here on the Bayou usually wrap around several hikes.  Chores take up most of the day but there is never too much needing done that I cannot take a quick jaunt to the back creek or along the marsh edge.  These hikes are more of a "sanity keeper" than anything else.  I need to feel that connection with the Bayou, itself.  So, I meander wherever the calling takes me.  

  More oft than not, a single mockingbird will meander with me. The bird usually will stay just a few feet from me while hopping from shrub to shrub.  The thickets provide it plenty of places to feel comfortable yet near.  It watches my every move...my every step, yet, does not seem to have great fear.  Several times during my thrice daily walks, the bird will chirp as if trying to tell me something.  I ponder.  I wonder what it would say if we could communicate.

  I also ponder if this is either Knox or Shelby.  Those were the two baby mockingbirds that I raised after the parent birds were killed.  Those two came back to visit for several years.  Now, this single bird follows me.  Is it one of them? Can birds have long term memory?  Would it even recall the relationship we had after so many years?  So many questions go unanswered.  Still, the bird seems to have great interest in me and, of course, I do the same.  The mockingbird and I have an ongoing friendship.  I welcome that.

Happy Little Song To Brighten The Day

  For years now, there has been a mockingbird that follows me around the yard as I work.  The bird may or may not be the same one but it always makes me think of two little ones that I raised so long ago.   I am thinking those two, Knox and Shelby, probably have left this world as they came to the Bayou as abandoned tykes some eight years ago.  Not many wild mockingbirds live past that age.  Perhaps the one that follows me is a relative of one of those two.  It is always a lone bird that seems to have no fear of me and thinks that it is grand fun to shadow my every move.  It is most likely looking for a handout in much the same way that the herons do.

  This morning as I worked the gardens, I noticed that my little friend was flitting between the arbor and the fence.  If I moved to a new area, the bird would follow.  Much of the time, it sat singing its beautiful little song for me.  Of the two birds I raised, Knox was the singer which led me to believe that it was male.  It seems that the male mockingbirds sing far more than the females.   The one, today, was a singer!  Occasionally, the bird would stop its singing, look at me, let out a single chirp then swoop to the ground where I was digging.  There it would busy itself in search of an elusive bug or worm.  Then back to the arbor, it would fly.

  This afternoon as I took the old dog out for his last walk, the bird followed until it came upon the rose arbor.  There, it perched on the top and soaked up a good bit of the warm sunshine.  It will need that warmth tonight as the temperatures are going to dip to the low 40s.  Both Knox and Shelby would have been clinging to the screen door begging to come inside.  They knew where the bird cage was and would immediately fly to it when the door was opened.  This bird, was on its own.  There would be no warm, comfy cage for it to retreat to for the night.  It is funny how memories of events like raising two orphaned birds can bring a smile after so many years.  It is funny how a single mockingbird's song can make the heart happy.  It is funny how birds, sunshine and memories all mingle together at times.

Old Dogs and Mockingbirds

  Sometimes I ponder if critters remember the kind acts that we do for them.  Years ago, my brother and his little granddaughter brought two tiny, unfeathered mockingbirds to me.  The little girl looked at me with big sad eyes and asked if I could "make them live?"  It seems that her dog had knocked down the nest, killed two other little ones and the mother bird as she tried to protect them.  What could I do but agree to try....and that "try" was going to be an uphill battle, as far as I could see.  But...we do what we have to do and, to my surprise, not only did the little birds live, they thrived!  All of this gobbledygook leads up to an incident of today.  As I was out walking the old dog, a small head popped up out of the birdbath. Yep, a mockingbird was between the old dog and me.  I thought surely the bird would take flight as we were mere feet from the bath.  Nope, that mockingbird eyed the dog cautiously for a moment and went back to its splashing with nary a care.

  As I watched the bird frolicking in the water, memories of the two little ones "Knox" and "Shelby" (as my sweet daughter-in-law, Joanna, dubbed them) came flooding back.  Could this be one of the pair?  If so, that would explain the lack of fear of both humans and dogs.  I was the one who became "Mom" to the birds...the one who fed them, taught them to fly and how to forage.  Fear was lost due to the fact that I was family to them.  Not seeing the dog as a predator could come from the fact that Ms. Ez, the Bayou Dog (I sure miss that dog!), mothered the tiny birds as much as I did.  She was their protector.  Ms. Ez guarded the tiny birds as if they were her own pups.  That may have instilled in the young birds that dogs were helpful and not to be feared.

  Could this be one of the little ones from so long ago?  Had one survived all these years and returned to say "Hello"?  Most likely this was just a quirky incident that had nothing to do with my little foundlings but it warmed the heart enough to bring a smile.  Sometimes, it only takes a glimpse to brighten the day.

The Bayou Awakens

  Rising early is something that I have done since a tot.  Back on the farm, it was a matter of necessity.  During the summer months, mornings were a far cooler time to be out in the fields. Most of the weeding and planting were done early in the day.  During winter, rising early was important as my siblings and I had to help Pop harvest crops before we headed to school.  The days were just not long enough to get everything done!  It is still that way but my reasons for the pre-dawn rising has changed.  Now, I love being outside while most of the world is still in a slumbering state.  Sitting on the pier or hiking the hillside, the quietness of the early morn engulf you and wraps you in peace.  Seeing the nocturnal critters off to bed for the day and hearing the birds awaken gives one hope that the day will be exceptional.

  With Mr PJ, the old dog, taking his dear sweet time doing his business, I had plenty of time to observe the critters this morning.  One of the prettiest sights to behold was a mockingbird sitting high in the old oak tree.  The morning sunbeams highlighted the bird perfectly as he sat in the near darkness of the oak branches.  His happy chirps let me know that he appreciated the warming sun on this cool morn. Soon, the bird would break out in full song as he declared that the day was his and his alone.  

  It is times like this that I fully appreciate the Bayou and all it has to give.  Not everyone has (nor wants) the opportunity to wake up with the critters.  I feel blessed with each breaking dawn.  

Who is calling?

  It is not unusual to find birds' nests on my hikes about the hillside.  It is also not unusual to find them in all of our outbuildings such as the shed and greenhouse.  Wrens seem to love nesting in areas near people and do not seem to mind if we check the nests now and again.  I love these little birds.  Their cheerfully jumbled calls fill the air from daylight to dusk as they busily work the gardens hunting bugs.  This year, there is an abundance of bugs which makes gardening a bigger chore but makes the birds' lives much easier.  In a matter of minutes, the busy, little wrens can find dozens of caterpillars or grasshoppers to feed the hungry mouths of their broods.  Mama Wren, who chose the greenhouse as her abode, has not started the task yet as she is still setting on her five eggs. Papa Wren, on the other hand, does bring her an occasional treat.  He is a good husband!

Papa Wren singing in a brush pile.

  This afternoon, my sister-in-law made a visit to the Bayou.  While she was here, we toted mugs of coffee out to the greenhouse.  This is one of her favorite places (as it is mine) to sit and relax.  While there, I showed her Mama Wren's nest and told her to listen to Papa Wren's song coming from behind the greenhouse.  He was guarding his ladylove and was letting any intruders know that he was on duty.  It was not long before she could recognize the song of the wren.  She then made the comment that another wren was singing on the south side of the greenhouse. I listened but had to giggle as it was not a wren. Yep, the song was almost perfect.  Each note was in perfect sequence but after three trills, it stopped and continued in what almost sounded like a whip-poor-will's call.  It was not a wren at all but our resident mockingbird mimicking the call of the wren.  How confusing must this be for the wrens???  

Papa Mockingbird who mimicks the call of the wren.

  The wrens nesting in the greenhouse are Carolina Wrens.  These birds pair for life and stay together year round.  The songs are different between male and female but when they sing together it sounds like one bird singing.  This is something the mockingbird has yet to copy and hopefully will never.  While I love hearing the mockingbird with his never-ending song, it is also nice to be able to hear and distinguish the song of the wrens. 

Just As Happy As A Songbird

  In spite of the heavy fog shrouding the Bayou, my morning started with garden work.  It seems that the gnats are late sleepers so weeding was a lot nicer without their presence.  I was not alone in the garden, however, as I had one sweet friend keeping me company.  A male mockingbird sat on the tiptop of the black gum tree that grows by the garden fence.  The bird was not only keeping me company but entertaining me, as well.  A never-ending melody wafted down from the treetop!  Once the fog cleared, I could see my fine feathered friend raising his song to the world.

  The bird singing got me to thinking of how most folks think that mockingbirds sing merely because they are happy.  Well, think again, folks.  Male mockingbirds also sing as a way of claiming territory.  More oft than not, if you hear a mockingbird singing loudly and nonstop during the daytime hours, it is a male. They are warning any interlopers well ahead of time that if they cross into the area, a battle will ensue. Somewhere nearby, the mockingbird's ladylove is nesting and he is not about to let some young whippersnapper intrude on family business.   Then, there are those mockingbirds that sing nonstop at night.  Those, usually, are "bachelors".  Young males sing to attract females.  So, the ones that cause you to lose sleep are generally restless males out on the town trying to find a girlfriend.

  My friend, Papa Mockingbird, sang his heart out all day long.  Then just at dusk, the garden was quiet again.  Far off in the distance, down towards the pier, I could hear a youngster starting his serenading.  The singing is nonstop between the two of them with others singing down near the creek (both day and night).  Add their singing to the cacophony from the Frog Pond and the Bayou is one loud place....both day and night.  How nice it is to leave the windows open to be serenaded constantly.  Yep, love is in the air.  

Try, Try Again...

  Years ago, I tried to emphasis diligence to my kiddos.  I wanted them to grow up realizing that not all things are easy but that does not mean that they are not worth doing.  It goes back to that old saying, "If you fail, try again."  Pop never let us give up on anything worth doing so I wanted to instill that same idea into my kids.  I think I have succeeded.  They do not let things get the best of them.  If something seems daunting, they sit back, look at their options, think about it and then tackle it head-on. They are each successful in their own ways...ways that are very different from each other but still successful in doing what they want.  

  Now I am applying that same thought to my own efforts.  For the grandlittles, I have started a new phase in photography.  Where I used to wait for (sometimes) hours for the perfect shot, I now strive for the opposite.  A new game, "Find the Critter", has me striving to take photographs of animals in various stages being hidden from the world. Whether the critter is simply hiding in leaves or using camouflage to be unseen, the kiddos goal is to locate and identify it.  This is harder than you think.  The finding is not hard, the photography is proving to be a challenge.  It is difficult to NOT try to get the "perfect shot".  I am working at it.  

  The grandlittles seem to enjoy searching the photographs for critters and now it seems that I have a new following of a few other kiddies doing the same.  Using social media can be fun for things like this! While I do not really encourage the overuse of electronics with little ones, a bit now and again is not terrible.  My aim with this little game is to instill a love of nature in the grandlittles and other tykes.  I also want them to be aware of their surroundings and to actually be able to "see" things and not overlook the little things.  Life is pretty wonderful and Mother Nature sure does her part to make it interesting.  Now if I can learn to photograph the not so obvious.

  

Maybe it is a "Mom Thing"...

  Due to a furniture move, my computer is now placed near the windows overlooking the Bayou.  I love it as it gives me a chance to enjoy the breeze coming off the Bay while catching up with my kids via the internet.  For the past few weeks, I have had a nightly visitor.  Just about dark, a lone mockingbird flies in, lands on the window screen and chirps softly at me.  I know the bird can see me as I am not but an arm's length from the screen.  Since the bird has instigated the nightly visit, I join in on the conversation.  We chat for a while and as darkness falls, the bird moves to the rose arbor to roost for the night.  It is there that the bird can rest easy in the relative safety that the rose thorns provide. 

  A few years back, I raised two orphaned mockingbirds and released them in the yard.  While most folks find the birds annoying with their nightly singing or bossiness, I enjoy them.  Perhaps this love was brought on merely by the fact that I was "Mom" for a summer or perhaps it is a throwback to my Mom.  She was one who had trouble sleeping at night and would spend hours listening to the mockingbird outside the window.  Mom was always musically talented and spent this time counting the different "verses" in the mockingbird's song.  She never tired of the nightly serenade nor do I. This evening the bird came once again.  I so longed to photograph her but was afraid that the camera might spook her.  I do not want to scare her from coming each night so I refrained. When she left, I noticed a tiny, wispy feather stuck to the screen.  This is evidence enough that she comes. 

  My visiting mockingbird is obviously a female.  She does not sing the loud, almost obnoxious, trilling of the males.  She, more or less, murmurs her conversation with me.  If there was any noise whatsoever in the house, I most likely miss her altogether.  I sit in silence just to commune with my friend all the while pondering if this could possibly be one of the babies...my babies...from a few years ago.  I fostered the birds back in 2011 but mockingbirds can live a long time.  Shelby (the female) learned to sing a lot sooner than her brother, Knox.  Her song then was more of a warble...soft, slow and calming.  The bird that comes to visit has the same song.  Could it be?  Could this be Shelby? I like to think it is.  Sweet Shelby.  Sweet, sweet Shelby.  You bring back memories...memories of little birds and of my mom.  It cannot get much better than that.

Visiting "Mom"

  Several years ago, I successfully raised two orphaned baby birds.  It had always been my intention of releasing the birds once they reached an age that they could fend for themselves.  Instead of constantly keeping them caged, I encouraged the birds to be outdoors.  They romped in the grass under the watchful eye of their "Mama", the Old Bayou Dog.  Ezzy would protect the little ones from any danger and when they felt threatened, they soon learned to race toward her. Nothing was going to hurt those babies!  Ms. Ez loved her little ones and they so loved her.  Then came the time when the baby mockingbirds were old enough to venture out on their own.  At first, Ms. Ez tried to search for her lost wards but after a bit, she learned the hard way that the time had come for the dreaded "empty-nest syndrome". The old dog moped a bit but soon moved on to other babies such as an orphaned possum.  Ahh, yes!  Her life had meaning once again.

  Today, I was out seeding the hotbed with peppers, when I heard Ezzy whine a bit.  I turned to see her wagging her tail and looking up in the nearby dead black gum tree.  Uh, oh....not another orphan!  My eyes followed hers and soon realized that she recognized a visitor.  Up in the tree was a mockingbird!  Either Shelby or Knox (the names attached to the two baby birds) had come back to visit their "Mom"!  As I stood there watching, the bird flew down to the wicker chair just inches away from the dog's face.  There the bird chirped some soft "words".   Ezzy whimpered and nosed closer.  I could not believe my eyes!  These two were trying to communicate!  I do believe that the bond was still there! I tried to slip past the duo and grab my camera but had little luck.  The mockingbird flew back up to its perch in the tree and Ezzy pranced about happily.  

  The mockingbird stayed in the garden area for the rest of the day.  Ms. Ez was not about to leave either so I just let the two of them be.  I guess "Mom" and "child" needed some time alone to catch up on all that had happened in recent months.  Later, I did notice that the bird decided to roost in the jasmine vine for the night.  If the two interact tomorrow morning, you can bet that I will have the camera ready!  This was one of the most heartwarming scenes that I have ever witnessed. Now..all you human kids out there.....GO CALL YOUR MOM!  If animals can visit their mothers, you surely can visit your mom, too!  It would make your mom's day so much brighter!

Echoing in the Morn

  Mark and I are in Georgia visiting our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.  As you can imagine, we are thrilled to be back here once again.  Early this morning, Mark took our sweet little angel of a granddaughter out on the back deck but then came right back inside beckoning me to come join them.  Once outside, he pointed to a bird in the top of a tree at the corner of their yard.  "What is it?" he queried.  "I have never seen such a white bird."  Sure enough, when I looked skyward, a white bird came into view.  The sun was shining so brightly that it made seeing the bird from this angle rather difficult.  At first, I was not sure but then, the identification became quite clear.  Even though I could not see the bird, its song told me just who was in the yard.  "That is a Northern Mockingbird." I told him.  His reply was "They are not white." which was not altogether true.  Mockingbirds are mostly white when viewed from underneath and this bird being so very high in the tree was definitely viewed from that angle.  Plus, mockingbirds have a tendency to fluff their white plumage (theoretically) as a sign of defiance or intimidation.  (Works for me!)  The bird did, indeed, appear mostly white with its chest feathers fluffed in a major "puffball formation"!

  The Northern Mockingbird is one of the few birds that can sing a seeming endless trill of sounds as their song.  The birds can learn to mimic most any other bird's call and even imitate the sound of phone ring tones!  Why..back at home on the Bayou, we have one that sounds so much like a telephone that several times we have mistaken it for just that and there is another that has fully learned to mimic not only the daytime birds but can imitate the Whip-poor-will call almost identically.  They are highly intelligent birds!

  We listened to the bird sing its morning song high in the tree above us.  Its music was an enjoyable part of our morning.  I had to snicker a bit when I recalled that a group or family of mockingbirds is called an "Echo" or a "Plagiary".  How appropriate is that on both accounts? They do echo others and can be said to be plagiarizing other birds. Our fluffy, white friend, once finished with serenading us, flew off into the wooded area behind their house.  

Singing on High!

Last night was warm..very warm!  I raised all of the windows and let the southerly wind gently cool the house. With the windows open, I could hear all of the critters creeping about the hillside.  The Bayou is home to many animals that are nocturnal so the yard is a busy place at night.  Just about midnight, beautiful music filled the air!  Mr. Mockingbird started his nightly serenade.  Obviously, he was hunting for a mate and wanted to fill the air with his most lovely song!  Mockingbirds are territorial and this singing warns other males to steer clear of the area.  This range was for him and his future Mrs. Mockingbird only..no others allowed!

The bird sang on and on throughout the night.  While a lot of folks complain about the "racket", I love it.  To me, it is calming to hear the mockingbird trill through his seemingly endless repertoire of  songs.  Each time I woke, the bird was still singing.  On about sunrise, I slipped outside to see if I could spy just where the bird had roosted for the night.  Sure enough, he was sitting in the tiptop of the Black Gum Tree.  I could clearly seem him against the ever-brightening sky.  "Aha, my little friend! You are in need of a companion, no?"  The bird looked down at me as if to agree with my question.  "Well, I hope you find your ladylove soon and she will nest nearby so I can continue to enjoy your lovely song!"

I wondered aloud if this could possibly be one of the orphaned baby birds that I raised a couple of years ago.  I am sure that by now, they have forgotten all about the human intervention that literally saved their lives.  The once-named birds, Knox and Shelby, have not come around for a good many months.  I can only hope that this is one of them and that they are well and happy.  Sing on, Little Bird, sing on.  You bring a lot of beauty into this old world and those who would complain should just thank the Good Lord that they have been blessed with ears to hear your song!  I, for one, will be waiting to be entertained again tonight!

Coming Home

I had a nice surprise! For the past few weeks, Shelby has been coming to visit! Shelby, if you recall, was one of the abandoned baby mockingbirds that I struggled to raise. There were two, Knox and Shelby, that my little grand niece, Macie, brought to me. She had found them in her back yard after their nest had been knocked to the ground. Her dog was being a little too rough with them so she and her grandpa (my brother) put them in a bowl and plopped them into my care as if I knew how to raise birds! I tried and I am happy to say, both birds survived and were released into the yard. I would see them occasionally but here recently, Shelby has been spending most of her time in the rose garden. This does make me happy as it sort of gives me the feeling that she remembers my helping hand.....or she might just really like roses.

Knox and Shelby on the first day in my care!

Anyway, it was a happy event to sit and watch Shelby as she flitted around the rose garden. She eventually made her way out to Hubby's hammock where she decided to serenade us for a while. All of this singing as made me wonder if I am correct in calling Shelby a "she". While both the male and female mockingbirds sing, the males do a good bit more. I started calling Shelby "she" and Knox "he" simply because Knox was the larger and more dominate of the two. Shelby was smaller, more timid and a much sweeter bird. She did not "bite the hand that fed her"....Knox did! She was also the little one that was hurt by the dog making her require a bit more care. Shelby did start singing a lot sooner than Knox though!

Knox trying out his wings while Shelby watches.

Having this little bird come back to visit does make me smile. She will actually land on my shoulder occasionally or sit on the fence near where I will be working in the garden. Like I said, she tends to hang around the rose garden, even roosting at night in the exact same spot where I would put her when she was tiny. Knox, on the other hand, stays back near the canebrake. He made it clear that he preferred the tomato garden over the roses! If Shelby is indeed a female, I am in hopes that perhaps this next Spring, she will nest in the climbing Seven Sisters Rose bush! Shelby, Shelby...I am so glad you come home to see me!

Shelby, now fully grown and beautiful!

Attack!

I love mornings on my Bayou. There is just something calming about greeting the day by looking over the water or seeing the sun peek through the trees. This morning was beautiful..the sun was bright and cast shadows on the front yard, the birds were singing and life was good. I sat in my favorite chair with a cup of coffee and contemplated just what the day would bring. I thought of all the chores that I would accomplish this day..the grass needed cutting again, the tomatoes were ripe and the crowder peas should be fertilized and hoed. I finished the coffee, went in to put a load of washing in the machine and headed out the back door to pick the tomatoes. There was Ms Put. She looked a tad miffed this morning. She had on her "Don't even touch me!" look. I wondered just what had gotten my kitty in such a foul mood.

I went off to the back tomato patch and left the cat near the steps. I could hear the Mockingbird singing up a storm on the grape arbor. His songs always cheer me. Something had chewed on several of my large tomatoes, but I still managed to get a nice large bucketful. As I headed back to the steps, I again noticed Ms Put's strange attitude. What was wrong with my cat? By now she had moved next to and almost under the wheelbarrow/herb garden. She was staring up at the sky and snarling occasionally. Now, Ms Put is prone to having hissy fits now and again for no apparent reason, but this was different. Something was agitating her. I sat on the steps and watched.

Suddenly, my sweet Mockingbird swooped down off of the arbor and almost smacked Ms Put in the head! The BIRD was attacking the CAT! Isn't that a bit backwards? Poor Ms Put! She lowered her head..the bird swoop-attacked again. This bird must have a nest near the back porch! I started looking in the obvious places and finally spied the nest in the wisteria arbor. That explains the role-reversal! The bird was protecting its territory and Ms Put was the enemy! I sat a bit longer to see just how long this game of tag would last..and who would win! I did not feel sorry for Ms Put..she is a wily one and might just be biding her time. She has been known to take a beating just to give the birds a feeling of confidence before she snatches them from midair. The Mockingbird dive-bombed the cat a few more times before it noticed something wiggling near a large flower pot. A cricket was scurrying around in the mulch! Its attention diverted, Ms Put took her leave. The bird had breakfast as Ms Put hurried inside to have hers.

I headed inside with the veggies. Just as I was entering the kitchen...BOOM! Huh? Could it be?? BOOM! Yes! Thunder! Within a few minutes..rain! Beautiful, cooling rain! I opened the back door...ahhhh! Rain! After nearly four months with hardly a drop..rain! Needless to say, the grass did not get cut and the peas were not tended..but I did get the tomatoes picked! Change of plans...it turned into a "tomato sauce cooking" day!

Small Pleasures

Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures.~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

This little quote from H. Jackson Brown, Jr. is an amazing bit of advice. We all need to occasionally look around us and just appreciate the little things that are often overlooked. Sometimes we become immune to everyday pleasures because our lives now are "giant-sized". Everything from our morning coffee to our toothpaste is touted to be bigger, better or more powerful. Nothing is touted to be small, mundane or passive. I have to say that here on the Bayou, I find a lot of pleasure in small things...the things that go unnoticed in the hurly-burly world in which we live. This morning, I awoke to the sound of birds singing. I laid there listening for a good twenty minutes as I tried to count just how many different birds were trying to wake me. They wanted their birdseed! I usually fill the feeders at about daybreak, but this morning, I was lazy! I was nearly a half-hour late and my birds decided it was high time for me to be up and at 'em. Their songs were the most beautiful that I have ever heard and well, this morning, they were all for me! (At least, I thought so!) Later in the day, I stained the back deck. This would not have been a most enjoyable job had it not been for a lone mockingbird that serenaded me for the entire time I worked. He would perch himself on a post that was within a few feet of where I painted and sing. Then a worm or bug would catch his eye and he would dart to the ground, snatch a bite to eat and fly back to the post to sing again. A small bird brought happiness just by doing what came naturally to him. He sang! He was happy, thus hearing him made me happy. A small pleasure to be relished.

Beside the deck, there is a sapling pear tree. It was here that I first spied the tiny yellow, polka-dot Ladybug. The tiny bug was like a little bit of sunshine skittering along the stems. Another smile! I reached out and my little friend had no qualms about running about on my hand! After making several rounds about the fingers, off to the arbor flew my little sunshiny friend. This was about one of the smallest things to bring huge pleasure that I have seen in a while. A tiny little creature bringing great big smiles!

While we are looking for small things that bring pleasure..we can't overlook some large things that bring happiness into our lives. As frustrating as she can be at times, Ezzy, the dog, can be about as smile-inducing as they come. Today, though, was one of those "oh, no you don't" days with her. If there was anything that she could possibly do that was aggravating, she found it today. But then..we all have our bad days..and just about the time I was ready to pull my hair out because of her behavior, she made me smile. Perhaps Ez, has these days to make me appreciate her "good" days!

So, in our busy, busy days of dreaming big..striving to achieve great things..lets not forget to relish a few little pleasures. Take a deep breath..smell the jasmine on the arbor..have a cup of tea while sitting on the refurbished deck..listen to the mockingbird tell you just how wonderful the day is..and thank the Good Lord for all the things that we often overlook.

Owl and the Mockingbird

The Owl and the Mockingbird..this almost sounds as if it could be the title of an Aesop's Fable. Sorry, it is not. This is the story of a fake owl that is supposed to keep birds from the garden. It is supposed to be a humane way of deterring birds and squirrels from devouring all of the fruit and berries. It is supposed to scare birds and squirrels..or so they say. By "they", I mean the wily salespeople at the garden centers. These are touted as "life-size, realistically hand-painted" owl scarecrows! No, I did not fall for their claims of pest-free gardens and buy one of these super heroes of plastic birds, I was donated two of them by Hurricane Katrina. (It is amazing what you find in your yard after flood waters leave ten feet of debris stacked against your house! I could either be devastated by the stuff or look at it as a treasure hunt..I chose the treasure hunt!) Anyway, back to the story! Since I fell as the unlikely heir of two "life-size, realistically hand-painted" owls, I decided to place them on the posts in the rose garden just to see if they really worked. They had been sitting in the in the corner for long enough! These "life-size, realistically hand-painted" owls needed to be put to work! Up on the posts they were to go! This in itself was not an easy task as each owl is filled part way with sand and weighs about ten pounds. Hoisting a ten pound plastic owl higher than my head is not that difficult, what was difficult was fighting the rose bushes to reach the post. Maybe, just maybe, this was not the brightest idea that I have ever had! I was determined and finally succeeded! Then my brother walks up and asks "Why are you putting them in the rose garden, birds won't eat roses." As if I did not know this! My goodness! I proceeded to tell him that it was a test..only a test. I actually chose this area since I could view both owls from the window and they were close to the birdfeeders. I was sure to have plenty of both birds and squirrels near. One of the owls was in perfect condition but the other was missing its beak. It did not seem to be quite as menacing as the other but I wondered if the other critters would notice that. I finally got both birds situated, went inside and sat at the table near the window. I slowly sipped my coffee and stared at the owls..nothing..maybe it was going to work! Maybe I could use these in the peach garden or near the blackberry fence or even near the blueberries! This would save me the trouble of having to shoo the birds!

Ok, after I finished my coffee, staring at plastic birds bored me! They were not doing anything exciting..just sitting there. I went about my daily chores and forgot about the owl test. I picked

grapefruit, did the laundry, baked cranberry/cream cheese bars, and made a few pieces of jewelry. I forgot about my test until I went out the door to haul in firewood for the evening.

There sitting on one of the owls, staring at the twin plastic bird, was a mockingbird. It was sitting right on TOP of my "life-size, realistically hand-painted" owl! The mockingbird did not look frightened at all! As matter of fact, I think he was settling in for the night! I think he was roosting on my "life-size, realistically hand-painted" owl! So much for using these things as critter deterrents! If it was going to be used as a roosting place for this bird, chances are it would not scare anything away from my blackberries! My blueberries nor my peaches will be safe! I guess the "life-size, realistically hand-painted" owls will be kept as Halloween decorations and not as a garden aids!

The Dead Tree

There is a Black Gum tree in my yard that died about six years ago. Black Gum trees are tough old trees and even when they die, it is hard to knock them down to the ground. They just keep on standing until eventually as pieces fall off there is nothing left to them. This old tree is nothing but a stob..and for any who do not know what a "stob" is..it is a Southern word for a straight chunk of wood. This chunk of wood can be the remainder of a tree, (like mine), a post, a root that is exposed or any piece of wood that is stuck in the ground. Anyway, this stob's existence as a tree is over but it is still so full of life. Most noticeable is the woodpeckers of all kinds that visit it everyday hunting for their dinner. Their hammering can be heard echoing over the entire hill as they pull grubs and carpenter ants from the wood. These bugs and worms live in tunnels that lace the rotted tree stump. The woodpeckers pound away at the wood creating holes that soon become homes for smaller birds such as the bluebird and wren. Flying squirrels occupy other holes near the top. There is a nest of field mice in the bottom of the trunk between the roots, this home has two doors chewed into the wood making a nice escape exit if needed. I have seen bats clinging to the sides waiting for their evening flights. Slugs, spiders and moths also have found homes here. It is like a condo for critters! I know we should have cut this dead tree long ago but I find it so fascinating that such a diverse group can live in relative harmony in such a small area. Pieces are breaking off every time we have a strong wind and I always check for any critter residents before discarding them. I think perhaps it has at least one more good year before the remaining stob will come crashing to the ground. Perhaps by then I will have plenty of bat, bird and squirrel houses in nearby trees that all my animal friends can relocate without any problems.

Not all of the critters of the Bayou are being friendly. The Belted Kingfishers have been going at it for the past week. It is a constant war for territory, with their screeching and aerial battles from sunrise to sunset. There was one pair here for the past year but now a rival has come on the scene. I have been assuming that it is the males that are competing but I when I finally photographed one, to my surprise it appears to be the female! The male does not have the rufous (reddish brown) band on its chest. There is a chance that it is a immature male since they do have somewhat of a band..I will have to wait to later in the winter to determine for sure. In the meantime, I get to watch their air show and listen to their squabbling during the daylight hours.

Now that the evenings are getting a bit cooler, I am able to open the windows instead of using the air conditioner. This makes me happy as I can listen to the nightly serenading of the toads, frogs, cicadas, crickets and owls. These seem to be almost harmonious and seem to "go" together quite well..but then. Then there is the sole mockingbird that sits on the rose arbor right outside the window. This bird sings all night and is not at all in sync with the other animals of the night. How this mockingbird can stay awake nightly and then perform its concert again during the day, is beyond me. Also..why does it sing all night? In the Spring, I thought it was the male serenading his "wife" as she set on the nest warming her eggs. Now I am inclined to disbelieve this theory as she hatched her brood long ago. Perhaps it is scared of the dark and thinks that if it makes plenty of noise nothing will come near to scare it. Whatever its reasoning is, I am enjoying the music! It can sit outside my window any night!