Back To The Small Gardens

   Way deep in the dark forest that surrounds the depths of the Bayou, is a mystical, magical world that often goes unseen.  I wish I could tell you some incredible story that took place there today but that is not happenin', folks.  Instead, you will have to marvel at the mystical, magical world of the gardens.  A minor setback in the health kept me from venturing far from the place.  Son objects to me wandering off by myself if/when the body is catawampus.  So, I meandered the Small Gardens once again and was reminded of how I reigned as Queen here for several months.  This was my realm.  Today, it was once again.

  During the stroll, I did manage to find several interesting spots.  One was by far the most intriguing and could have very well been seen in that descriptive place in the opening sentence.   In the midst of a dead Black Gum Tree, I found a most beautiful (to me) cluster of shelf mushrooms that were bordered by some similarly colored clump mushrooms.  This seemed to be the perfect spot for the fungi to thrive.  It was damp, dark and secluded.  It could have been the unseen world that included gnomes, faeries and elves!  (Yeah, when feeling decrepit, the brain turns to a fantasyland to compensate.  Since long physical hikes are out of the question, I tend to travel in the mind.)

  In reality, the mushrooms were breaking down the dead wood.  They hasten the decay, then the nutrients go back into the soil to be reused by new plants. The stump of the dead Black Gum Tree has been at the edge of the gardens for some years. I never removed it as numerous birds used it as a feeding spot.  A plethora of insects tunnel in the rotted wood drawing the birds.  Now, it is the mushrooms turn to feed upon the old tree.  Life goes on in one form or another.

Zombie Earwigs

  Earwigs!  Have you ever stopped to wonder about these little critters?  Nope? Well, don't feel bad.  Most folks don't.  I do, however, as I ponder most critters.  I ponder about the whys and wherefores of each thing that creepy-crawls, flies or swims around the Bayou.  Why?  I don't know but maybe it is just because they are there.  The earwig just happened to be crawling around under a bag of potting soil and begged to be pondered.

  First, where in the world did this thing get its name?  Break that word down and you have ear and wig.  The bug does not have ears like ours (has tympanal organs but not ears) and it definitely does not wear a wig.  That procedure was no help, whatsoever.  So pondering the name became a moot point and was soon abandoned.  The critter was not.  I watched the little one scurry about as it searched for a place to hide.  I already knew that the earwigs eat other insects and sometimes a bit of plant matter so that pondering was out.  I knew that they are mostly nocturnal as it provides some protection...another no go.  Aha!  The folklore!  There is a pondering point!

  There is a bit of folklore that still lingers in some folks' brains.  "Earwigs seek out human ears and bore holes through the eardrum to infest the human brain."  What??  Well, that is ridiculous!  Where did that bit of hogwash originate and why?  Well, it seems that recorded history of the 1700s relates people were sure that the critters had a fondness for human ears and eventually brains.   Their gnawing away at the brain gave great pain and potentially death.  This was a common way that doctors of the day explained migraines.  An occasional discovery of an earwig actually being in the ear did nothing more than keep the myth alive.  Why would an earwig ever seek out a human ear?  Commonsense would tell us that the critter was seeking refuge from an otherwise terrifying situation of finding itself on a human in the first place.  Most reports of an earwig even being near an ear come from those camping out in the earwigs' territory.  The poor, hapless critter was lost and scared and, well, here was this handy dark hole in which to hide.  The earwig had no intention of being trapped in earwax and surely did not wish to eat a brain.  (Leave that for the zombies.  Earwigs are not zombies.)  

  Yeah, my ponderings take weird turns at time but, after long nights with an frail dog and even longer days cleaning up after him, I need some sort of distraction.  The earwig provided that so I happily accepted.  

Musings at Sunrise

  It is my nature to rise with the sun each day.  This is a throwback from growing up on the farm.  The day's chores would start early so as to beat the heat.  Pop would usher us out to the fields to hoe the long rows just after breakfast.  Usually, the sun was just peeking over the horizon as we started our work.  Today, is no different.  My outside chores are usually done early so I can relax during the heat of the day.  It is those early moments before the chores begin, that are my favorite of the day.

  This morning as I walked with the old dog, the sun was rising over the pines and sending happy beams across the yard.  The contrast between the sun-dappled areas and the deep shadows was striking and sent me into complete serenity.   This must be why folks have always claimed that there is something magical about bayous.  The peace and quiet seeps into your soul and gives strength.  Hopefully, I will never grow too old to hike the hillside as I would truly miss sights like this.  I am sure glad Pop instilled it in me that it is good to rise with the sun!