Being All Scientific and Stuff....

   It is my habit of rising at 4am which gives me plenty of time to do a few "inside" household chores before heading outside just before the sun starts to rise above the pines on the far side of the Bayou.  It is during that time that I can do my best "pondering" plus catch a few fish, shrimp or crabs for the noontime meal.  Lately, however, Mark has been overloading us with fish so I have more time to do that thinking.  A couple of days ago, that thinking turned to a full bit of memories and then turned to curiosity as so many of my ponderings do.  I have to check things out to see just how accurate the old memory is.

  The moon was just a tiny, bowl-shaped sliver of silvery white against the dark sky.  I was just admiring the beauty when I heard some of Pop's words rattling around in the memories.  He always used to call this a "dry moon" because that bowl was holding all the rain.  Hmmm...dry moon.  Well, it did seem to hold some truth because we are having a painfully dry couple of weeks.  The garden definitely needs rain.  That was beside the point just now, however, as I was more interested in that dry moon.

  Sure enough, Pop may have been onto something...at least with the name.  According to all I read, this phenomenon happens only a couple of times each year depending on where you live.  It all has to do with the moon's orbit around the earth and the earth's orbit around the sun...AND...the tilt of the earth on its axis.  Yep...scientific stuff going on there.  Anyway, most of the time we see the sliver of the moon in a crescent sort of like a C but when the orbits do their thing and the moon looks like it is heading right down to the horizon, that C becomes more like a U all because of the way the sun illuminates it.  Some folks call it a "wet moon" while other call it a "dry moon" but it is basically for the same reason.  Folklore has it that when the moon is like a bowl, it is holding the rainwater thus giving a dry spell.  So...wet moon or dry moon, that bowlful of water stays put and does the gardens no good.  Folklore can seem confusing when the tales call things opposite names for the same reason.  Still, both agree that the rainy season will come back when the moon (bowl) starts to tilt and the rain spills out and down to earth.  NOW...it makes all the sense in the world...sort of...maybe. 

  Whether any of this holds true scientifically or whether it is purely folklore is yet to be seen but it sure is dry...and Pop said it so it has to be true.  Good enough for me.  So...my ponderance for the day seemed to totally hinge upon memories from so long ago.  Who needs science when you had Pop to teach you these things?!!!

Having Coffee With The Moon

   I had to laugh first thing upon waking this morning.  This past weekend, the nineteen clocks in the living room were turned forward an hour just as we are told to do.  My brain did tell me to do that.  It did not tell me that it was going to "spring forward" as I set the clocks.  I work on my time and, even though I repair antique clocks, I did not "change time".  In fact, I awoke an hour earlier than I did last week!  Yep, 3am rolled around and I was brewing that first pot of coffee.  Cinnamon rolls made yesterday and piping hot coffee never tasted so good!

  Since no one else in the house was up at this hour, I figured I had better vacate the place as to not wake them.  My coffee and I headed to the Small Gardens to sit in the cool air.  As soon as I opened the front door, I was taken aback by the big, ole moon staring at me!  After a night of thunderstorms, the sky was clear and the moon was bright.  I just had to take a picture!

  My trusty, 15 year old camera did well focusing on the moon through the branches of the old oak tree.  When you can use old technology to photograph the moon and see craters, I figure you must be doing something right.  Son is right...it does not take much to entertain me...or maybe it does.  That moon is a pretty spectacular thing.  So is rising at the right time.  And that camera is special!  Let's not forget coffee...coffee is pretty spectacular, too!  Maybe just life in general is spectacular.

Oh, to be a Forest Elf!

  Have you ever had one of those nights where the brain just would not stop working?  Last night, mine was in overdrive and with all that active thinking going one inside my head, there was no chance of the body resting.  Had I been here by myself, I would have gotten up and worked on one of the million or so projects that seemed so simple at 2 am.  Today, those very same projects seemed far more difficult.  Whether the simplicity of last night was a figment of the overactive brain or whether the lack of sleep made doing anything much harder today is yet to be seen.  No sleep makes for a long, long day.  I say "if I was here by myself", because if I start major chores in the middle of the night, those poor,  "sleep-deprived" menfolk are liable to complain. (A bit of pure sarcasm there, folks, as men can sleep through a freight train thundering through the living room. The complaining might be a real thing, however.) So, I suffer in silence until I see the eastern horizon starting to get that faint glow.  Morning is on its way!  Yep, about 4:30 am, I was on the pier.  The billion things that were in a frenetic state in the brain during the night suddenly flew away on the gentle breeze.  Peace, at last.  

  A fine, sliver of a moon hung in the sky just above where the sun would soon be rising.  That moon was shining brightly even though it was tiny.  It made me realize that my insignificant self could actually be pretty important.  Life has a way of battering folks in the head and making them lose all reality of their self-worth.  Lately, with all of the hullabaloo happening in the world, I felt about as tiny as a forest elf.  Now as much as I would love to be a forest elf and live amongst the mosses and ferns, they are a wee folk and I have great things to do!  It is better that I try to be like that moon and "shine on"!  Oh, wait a cotton-pickin' minute!  The moon is in its waning stage.  Not good!  In a couple of days, I would just fade away. I would be nothing but darkness!  I would not be here! There wouldn't be much shining then. Hmmm...I wonder how hard it is to become a forest elf?  I could be an elf and still do great things, right?  Plus, it might be pretty fun!

  

Watching the Moon Rise

  Sometimes you have to do something just for the fun of it.  Why?  Well...why not?  As usual, Mark and I took Mr. PJ, the dog, out for an evening run.  This time, PJ did run!  He was feeling rather spry for an old dog and took us by surprise when he actually ran to the pier.  He knows exactly where we are headed at this time of day.  Once there, he flopped down to enjoy the stiff breeze and watch the pelicans while Mark and I waited for the sunset.  It was not long before our attention turned from the western sky to the eastern.  The sunset was gorgeous but the moon rising was spectacular.  With that, we started photographing the moon.  Why?  Because it was there.  Even when I tired of trying to get the "perfect shot", Mark took up the camera and started snapping.

  The moon was a willing participant of all of this attention.  It reminded me of the old rhyme "I see the moon and the moon sees me!  God bless the moon and God bless me!"    I remember sitting on the old screened porch and hearing my grandmother recite that each time the moon would rise over the pines.  I miss those days.  I miss the screened porch, the old painted rocking chairs, Grandmother and our time together.  On Saturday nights, I would go to spend the night at my grandparents' house and Grandmother and I would sit on the porch waiting for Granddaddy to come home from his meetings.  She and I would sing, watch for the moon and wait until we heard the "People Watchers" fly in to roost in the hanging ferns. "People Watchers" were fledgling screech owls that came back to the fern each night.  The parent owls had decided the fern was a great place to have a brood of little ones and had hollowed out a nest in the bottom of the large fern basket.  What an experience is was for a small girl to witness those little owls poking their heads out of the bottom of the fern!  Even after the owls "flew the coop" and were on their own, they often came back to the fern to visit Grandmother.

  Tonight's moon was perfect in so many ways.  Not only was it incredibly beautiful, it made Mark and me linger a bit longer on the pier than usual.  That time was spent reminiscing of old times.  It also brought back sweet memories of my childhood, my grandparents and Saturday night sleepovers.  I figure that was just about as perfect of an evening as one can get.

Full Moon, Blue Moon, Blood Moon, Super Moon, Harvest Moon, Lunar Eclipse...My Goodness!

  Here lately, it seems that everyone is talking about the moon.  Those so inclined have been spouting things about the "End of Time".  Those who believe in superstitions think the Blood Moon is when we will all perish.  To others, the Blue Moon changes colors.  I even heard one person exclaim that the Super Moon was going to crash into the Earth....Hmmmm?  Well, my take?  Whatever.

  I was a bit interested in the eclipse but Mother Nature did not cooperate with my plans.  She provided a thick layer of clouds to completely shroud the moon.  As far as I could see...there was no moon.  No visible moon meant no visible eclipse....so I went to bed. This morning, however, there was a gorgeous moon beaming through the west window.  At 4:30 this morning, I was up and ready for coffee. As I wobbled my way through the dining room to the kitchen, I noticed that it sure was bright.  Knowing that the sun would not be up for a couple of hours and this light was coming from the west, I peered out the window.  Yep, the moonlight was finally able to burst through the clouds and come spilling through the windows.  It was gorgeous!  

  My sighting of the evasive moon lasted just about ten minutes. Clouds soon blocked it totally and left the hillside in total darkness once again. I may have missed the eclipse but I had a lovely time visiting with Mr. Moon!  A cup of coffee, a bowl of oatmeal and the moonbeams filling the dining room with soft light is a great way to start a morning.

Rock-a-bye Baby Moon!

  This evening like every evening, I took Ms. Ez out for her nightly doggie run.  There was a slight southerly breeze making the 50 something temperature feel a lot colder than it really was.  When that wind changes around from the north to the south during winter, it is cold..really cold here on the Bayou.  Since the water temperature is cold, when the wind whips across the Bay, it chills to the bone.  I stood at the gate shivering. The sky was clear and the a sliver of moon gave a soft glow to the sky. That moon is what caught my eye enough to make me stand out there a bit longer with the camera in hand.

  Granted it is not a clear photograph but it is intriguing.  The branches of a hickory tree seemed to be cradling the moon as it slept. How sweet! The resting babe of the moon was being rocked by the wind gently swaying the tree limbs.  The moon is a waxing crescent just four days from the new moon.  It is on its way to becoming a full moon again this next month.  Rock-a-bye Baby in the treetop!

Supper by Moonlight!

After working most of the day inside the Little Bayou House, Ms. Ez and I finally headed to the pier late this evening.  It was just at dusk with a nigh on full moon.  In the west, the sun had already set but the sky was still aglow with a beautiful golden tinge.  There was a slight north breeze sending chills about my body.  Ms. Ez shivered from the cold but also with excitement as she watched the Brown Pelicans dive near the pier.  I think these guys were hunting for a handout but I decided that it was just a tad too cold to start throwing the net. Besides, the north wind did not leave a lot of water around the pier.

As we watched the pelicans dive for fish, I started noticing that when one would make a large splash in the water, the others would soon follow.  The first pelican seemed to come up empty billed but the others always made a catch.  They would rotate with each dive.  The one that came up empty would not be the first to dive  during the next round.  It was as if they were taking turns to make sure each had supper.

It seemed that the impact of the first bird scared the little mullet enough that his friends had easy pickings.  The mullet would swim helter-skelter not watching what was going to hit them from above.  This kind of cooperation between the birds should inspire humans to follow sort.  If we all helped one another, then no one should ever go hungry.  Hmmm..like I said before, we, as a species, could learn so much by watching the others around us.

The evening ended when I turned to see Ms. Ez literally shaking like a leaf!  Poor dog..she was so cold!  Perhaps she is getting too old or too soft to be out in the weather.  I hate leaving her back at the house but at the same time, I do not wish for her to fall ill because she feels it is her duty to guard me.  Something must be done..poor old dog!

Star Light...Star Bright

I was on the pier this morning long before sunrise. Ezzy, the dog, and I trekked down in the dark in order to get the best seat for the show! I wanted to get a front row seat for the sunrise! As soon as I sat down, I realized that the show had already begun..I was late! The sky had just started to redden in the East but the sun was far from showing its face. There was however the tiniest sliver of a moon a bit to my left and the brightest star a bit to my right. What a sight to see both the Moon and the Morning Star with the coming Sun! It was hard for me to photograph the entire scene as the moon and star were a mite too far apart to get the close-up shot that I wanted..I would have to be satisfied with a widescreen shot with them in the distance. Still, from my vantage point..the view was amazing! The Morning Star was so incredibly bright against the rosy sky! This star is actually not a star at all but rather the Planet Venus. I am beginning to think that perhaps Venus should be declared a favorite planet simply because it is one that can be seen with the naked eye. I tried telling Ms. Ez how wonderful it was and how fortunate we were to be sitting there with all of this awesome stellar activity going on right in the sky during our dawn, but she pretended to be more interested a nutria rat that was swimming near the marsh. I knew that she was pretending disinterest simply to ire me so I just kept rambling on about the Morning Star..Venus..the Earth's rotation and apple pie. None of this seemed to pique her interest but I continued on with my monologue. She again pretended not to listen..turning her interest to a squirrel groggily descending a pine tree. I have to admit that I do have a bit of admiration for her ability to feign more interest in a squirrel than in the Astronomy course that I was so diligently departing for her benefit...silly dog! Perhaps tomorrow morning, I shall have to shake Hubby out of bed at 4AM to take in the "Sky Show" with me! I don't think he will have a problem with that..do you????

In the garden, the Dill Weed is blooming already! Actually, this plant is not in the garden at all but rather planted in an old wheelbarrow. I had the bright idea of recycling an old wheelbarrow from a rubbish pile by turning it into an herb planter. This worked really well and when the weather turned cold, I was able to push the entire garden into the greenhouse..err..green tepee! Now, however, the Dill Weed, which survived the winter quite well, was blooming. The only problem I can see with this whole deal is during its winter stay in its warm and cozy bed, the dill grew to about five feet tall! Now that it is blooming, the tops are shooting even further out the top of the wheelbarrow and the whole thing is starting to flop over to one side. I have a giant Dill! I suppose I have several options here as to how to cope with the Delinquent Dill. One..I can move the wheelbarrow/herb garden into the regular garden plot and let the seeds dangle perilously over the side and drop onto the ground in hopes of it seeding there..two..I can bend it around in an attempt to let it seed into the wheelbarrow again..or three..I can chop it all off and hope it comes back out at the base. Ponder..ponder..

I was happy to find the green anoles (these looked awfully brown to me but who am I to question a name?) out sunning themselves today. This is just another sign that Spring is trying to slip in on us. I love having these lizards in the garden! They are form of natural pest control! There were three of them on a pile of old chair spindles that I am keeping for ...umm..well that I am just keeping! Earlier in the morning there were four lizards but Ms. Put, the cat, sat looking smugly with a thin, wispy tail flipping around from her tightly clamped mouth. Hmmmm..instead of catching my lizards, Ms. Put, start chasing those moles!

All in all, it was a great day! I did convince Hubby to make the final walk to the pier this evening to catch the sunset. I think he likes sunsets a lot better than sunrises..except maybe when he is sitting in a boat fishing..and then he most likely is not looking at the sun or my Morning Star or thinking about apple pie. Well..maybe the apple pie!

More Random Thoughts!

Every now and again, my brain cannot seem to hold all of the thoughts that are bouncing around in there! It seems that no sooner does one idea pop in than another is pushing it out! There just does not seem to be enough space! I thought today's post would be of some of these random thoughts..maybe you can ponder on them for me.

First..why oh, why can an artist never paint a rainbow? The vividness of the colors..the beauty of the spectrum would be a dream come true for anyone that could truly capture it on canvas. Try as I might, any attempt to paint such idyllic wonder would never compare to the real deal. I guess only the Master Artist can paint with light in the sky..it just makes the rest of us dream..imagine..keep trying.

Another ponderable, wasp's nests! These papery thin constructions are almost indestructible by weather! There has been a vacant nest in the palmetto bush for almost a year now and it is still in perfect condition. You would think by this time something so thin and fragile would have completely disintegrated! Another thought..how do the wasps create something so perfectly symmetrical? They do not go to engineering school to learn this. Ponder the thought..what if someone studied the methods of the paper wasp and could create a home or building that withstood the elements as well as these hives. Amazing!

Thought..how can the most fickle creature ever to live steal your heart? Take Ms. Put, for example, she is the most standoffish animal to ever walk the face of the Earth (or at least, the Hill on the Bayou) but can lower the blood pressure just by doing something adorable! She is demanding, contrary, intimidating and at times totally frustrating..I sure would not change a thing about her!

Does one little bright spot in a cold, grey winter day really make you feel warmer? Do the colors of red and yellow make the brain send warmth signals to the rest of the body? These two little leaves..one red, one yellow.. brightened up my day today. I spied them on a six inch tall sapling near the mulch pile as I was gathering kindling for the fire. The colors reminded me of flames.

Stare at this picture for a minute..or a few seconds..have you ever seen so many swirls in one piece of driftwood? Wouldn't you have loved to see the tree? I have been staring at this thing trying to figure out just what direction the limbs must have grown. What is the top..bottom?? What caused this tree to be so twisted? Perhaps a hurricane? Where does driftwood actually originate? How far does it travel?

Is it my imagination at work again or is there a perfectly formed "8" in the eye of this old oyster shell? Is this some strange omen? Or mere coincidence? If I was the superstitious sort, I am quite sure that I could read some sort of eerie meaning into the finding of said shell. Should I?? Or should I just let it go that this oyster was at one time a budding mathematician? Hmmm????

Speaking of eerie..the letter "e" jumped out at me today! Literally..jumped out at me! I was out gathering the kindling that I spoke of earlier and a vine flipped off the arbor for no apparent reason other than to make me ponder! The letter "e"! Now was this some divine sign? Hehe..the vine..divine..ok, ok....anyway..I suppose I could read something in the letter "e" dropping in on me like that but I think I am pondering way to much!!!

Last but not least..what is it??? I love this picture! Again, if too much emphasis is placed on the unearthlyness of the photograph, all sorts of things come to mind! Was there some ethereal meaning behind this or is merely a fluke? Is this something alien or some computer-generated image? To be honest..it is the moon. I was out taking shots of the moon the other night and Ezzy, the dog, bumped my leg at the perfect time to totally either mess up or create the best photograph! I have to admit..I do sort of like it! Perhaps I should be pondering why sometimes mistakes in photography are great shots!

Frankie makes an appearance!

Each year at Halloween, I try to send a "happy" box to my kids that live away from here. Several years ago, there was a suggestion on a candy website of how to "Boo" your neighbors so I "Booed" my kids. Now it has stuck and each year I try to think of some different way to do this. The original idea (for those who have not been "Booed") was to make a ghost from an orange juice jug, fill it with goodies and leave it at a neighbor's house. There was a cute little Halloween poem attached that instructed the recipient on how to construct the ghost and pass it on to another person. The ghost or "Boo" was to make its way around the neighborhood bringing cheer to all. I try to change the idea a bit each year so I am sending something different and not repeating myself. This year was hard. I seemed to have a brain block..I am not sure if that is a real thing but it describes my predicament well! I needed a new brain! If only I could get a new brain then I could... Ohhh! That was the answer! New brain.. a few body parts.. I could do Frankenstein's monster! Now, how do I make a monster. When I create these things, I try to use items that can be recycled. Actually this falls into that category of "upcycling"! (Making something out of things that are normally discarded.) I wandered around the house peering at possible materials. Body parts..I needed body parts! Ahhh! This could make a head..oh, and this might be good for the eyes.. great!.. here are some "bolts"! I was like a mad doctor hunting for body parts to create my monster! Then a thought hit me..isn't it funny how the monster is now known as Frankenstein and not Dr. Frankenstein's monster. In Mary Shelley's novel the monster has no name..the mad doctor is named Frankenstein. So I suppose in this instance, I was being "Dr. Frankenstein" creating my "monster". An oatmeal box, green and black paper, a bit of white "fun foam",thread spools, glue, and paint was transformed into a cute "Frankenstein's Monster". The box was filled with candy and sent on its way to my kids houses. Frankie will make his appearance at their houses very soon carrying a cute poem and lots of love. Hopefully, he will bring a smile to their faces.

We had a great "Halloween" moon this week! Every evening when I would make my way up the hill from the pier, the pathway gleamed in the moonlight. There was no need for a flashlight. Ezzy and I would always stop for a few moments just to appreciate the beauty. Then again, maybe I paused to do this and she just was being an obedient dog staying by my side. Either way, it was nice to share it with someone even if that someone was an dog! I could not help but take a few photos of the moon with my favorite old dead tree in the foreground. It just seemed fitting for the season!

Moonbeams and Mimosa "Maracas"!

Tonight is supposed to be a prime night for "moon watching". According to the news media, our moon will be at the best position to view craters and mountains that make up its terrain. (Their quote made me snicker a bit..they said that our moon was getting "its day in the sun".) It seems that the three/quarter stage is the best time to view the moon. During a full moon it is too bright to get a clear view. I was rather excited about the upcoming opportunity to photograph this satellite in all its glory. I made sure that the camera batteries (plus extras!) were fully charged and dragged out the tripod for steady shots. A few extra amenities were gathered to make this outing a bit more enjoyable.. a blanket to sit on, a thermos of coffee and a few Beautyberry leaves to ward off any mosquitoes. I was ready to sit out for several hours of just staring at the moon. Actually, it was more like a few hours of just enjoying the cool breeze and the moon was just an added plus! As soon as it was dark, I headed out the door. Ezzy the dog ventured with me just in case any monster rabbits decided to roam the yard tonight. I peered at the sky..no moon. Clouds covered the entire sky, there were no visible stars nor a moon. I sat there a bit thinking that maybe it would clear enough for a few pictures but to no avail. Gathering up everything, I hauled it all back inside rather disappointed that my moon had jilted me. It did pique my curiosity though and I searched through my photographs. I found one picture of the three/quarter moon that depicted the craters well but I have a passion for the full moon and most of my pictures were of it. Still the craters and mountains were visible as dark blotches so I suppose I will be satisfied with what I have...until next time!

Earlier in the day, I visited my brother for a few minutes and on the way home I heard a curious sound. The path from his house to mine takes me through some rather large clumps of Sawtooth Palmettos. The noise was a quite loud rattling noise. I stopped to get a bearing on it and discovered it was coming from a Mimosa tree. There hanging in the tree were thousands of dried seed pods and the wind from the Bay was shaking them like maracas! My mind went flitting off to the story of the "Headless Horseman" with Ichabod Crane. The reeds and seed pods clattered about in the Disney movie to make perfect creepy "special" effects. Aha! If Disney can use it, why, oh why, can't I? I plan to use some of these seed pods in the entryway to my house for Halloween decorations. They are quite "dead" looking and will rattle marvelously if anyone brushes against them! It is just too sad that I live so far down on the Bayou that no Trick or Treaters venture here. It would be so fun! Occasionally, we have an impromptu party that night, but it would be delightful to share the decorations with others!