Mysterious Photographs!

   Growing up, I had it drilled into my head that usable items should not be discarded.  "You had better keep that as you may need it some day."  Yes, this has resulted in a good bit of stowed "may need" things but often they do, indeed, come in handy.  I have found that it is far wiser to reuse items than to buy new just to avoid clutter.  I guess since I do a lot of remakes for the clue hunts (which will hopefully happen again this October!), my stash of saved items is more of a logical aspect of how to create without cost.  

  Yesterday, I was cleaning out our toolroom when I came across a box containing old...really old...picture frames.  Thinking the frames were wonderfully pretty, I set them on the table with the idea of reframing some photographs that were in more modern frames.  The antique ones fit the look of the Little Bayou House far better than anything new.  Later, I noticed that two of the frames had a faded blue paper where the picture should go.  I took the frames apart only to find that behind those pieces of paper, there were two very old photographs!  Wow!  How long have those been hidden...and....why?  

  The first photo is of a lovely lady with a very handsome dog.  If I had to guess, the picture was probably taken around the early 1900's (judging by the lady's dress).  I really have no clue as to who this lady is but simply adore the mystery surrounding her!  There are a few scribbles on the front with U love in bold.  I cannot make out a name unless...U. Love is it?  Doubtful.  The other frame held a photograph of a rather handsome gentleman and appears to be around the same era.  Although the picture is quite faded,  it does have a name!  J. H. Enochs is written on the back but nary a date can be found.  I do know the Enochs were quite a prominent family in Biloxi, MS.  I found information on Byrd Enochs (1875-1940) and his wife, Cora Elmer Enochs (1878-1962) but not J.H.  I wonder if J. H. was a brother of Byrd's?  Cousin?  

  Now I want to dig through the other piles of frames and see if any have hidden photographs!  The mysteries of the Little Bayou House deepen!  How, why and when??  How did I come in possession of these photographs?  When were they actually taken??  And, especially, why were they hidden?  (My guess on that is to maybe prevent the pictures from fading over time...maybe not.)  So...finding treasures hidden inside of treasures is exciting and I really should investigate more!  Also, think about it...had I thrown the frames in the trash, a bit of history would have perished. 

  

Mysterious Fern From The Creek

  Every now and again, I come across something on my walks that defies explanation.  To be honest, I know there has to be a logical reason behind the find but I have trouble understanding it.  Take today, for instance.  As I strolled down the newly mulched debris line left behind from Hurricane Ida, I came across the most beautiful fern frond.  Hmm?  How did that get here?  The nigh on 15 inch frond was laid perfectly across the path as if someone had placed it there just for me to find.

  The ferns grow mainly down in the creek bed which is a good thousand feet from the pathway that I was walking.  Since they are well below the hill which separates the creek from this path, there was not much chance that the wind had broken the fern and carried it here.  There had to be another explanation.  I pondered.  Did an animal carry it here?  Did a bird snatch the fern to line its nest?  Maybe a squirrel did the same?  Who knows?  

  The question of how the fern became positioned as it did is still unanswered.  As I said, there has to be some logical answer as to how and why the fern was there but it is beyond my reasoning.  I just accept it as another bit of mystery of the Bayou.

Bewitching Aroma!

  While Son and I were out and about this afternoon, a strong southeast wind was cooling the air.  On that breeze, there was one of the sweetest scents.  It slightly smelled of peaches no...maybe bananas.  I thought the tea olives were blooming because those blooms have a slight peachy smell.  They were but Son pointed out that the wind was in the wrong direction.  So, I searched.  Following the scent, I headed down to the marsh edge.  Nothing blooming there.  I headed eastward around the path.  Nope, no blooms.  Still, that sweet scent lingered heavily on the breeze.  

  Since I was this far into a hike, there was no turning back.  The path took me down behind the canebrake, through the old peach orchard and far down into the woods almost to the creek bed.  It is always a happy time to be tromping about the woods and a few blooms did surprise me.  First, what I have tentatively identified as sweetspire could be found draping down along the path.  The long, spires of creamy white were beautiful but did not have the fruity aroma of the mystery plant.  Then, I spied what we have always called mimosa or pink silk tree.  The pink, fluffballs are actually albizia and grow wild throughout the woods.  They do have a lovely scent but it is not the one that bewitched me earlier.  

  The mystery scent still eludes me.  Perhaps tomorrow, I will search again. It bugs me when there is something new on the Bayou and I cannot find it to identify it.  

*The white blooms are NOT sweetspire but Swamp Cyrilla!  

A Sunbeam Fell To Earth

  Just a couple of days ago, I was elated to find the prickly pear cacti in bloom.  The plants were full of buds and had open blooms.  The bright yellow was like sunshine in the garden spot.  The blooms brightened the day starting at dawn.  Then, this morning, I find that all of the blooms and the buds are on the ground.  Some critter had decided to tangle with the cacti and obviously did a bit of thrashing about after being stuck by the many spines.  Those needle-like things can cause major irritations when lodged in the skin.

  Now, I am pondering just what came in contact with the cacti.  They are in pots in the middle of the yard so this was not an accidental, gentle "rub by".  I am thinking more of a squabble between two coons.  Perhaps there was a territorial spat in the back yard and the pair wound up inadvertently pummeling the cacti.  If this was the case, I can only imagine how both coons must feel now.  Those spines are a doozy to remove!  

  It saddens me to know that the cacti are lacking buds but I did get one last photo of the beauty.  A single bud actually unfurled even though it had been ripped from the cactus.  It was tossed onto the ground but still opened and brought joy.  

Mysteries Abound!

  Meandering about the hillside, you just never know what you may find.  What was not there yesterday can easily pop up today.  That is what makes hiking interesting.  The small oddities that seemingly appear out of thin air get you to asking how?  And why?  And where?  Some of the finds are pretty but others are creepy.  Then, there are those that are downright confusing.

  The hike this afternoon led me down behind the greenhouse where there is a large black gum tree that has seen better days.  The tree has been battered by many hurricanes and has the battle scars to prove it.  Some of those scars left gaping holes.  Many critters take advantage of the holes to provide housing for their little ones.  Nests are built inside the holes and are usually lined with leaves and soft grasses.  Today, however, it was in one of those holes, way up in the top of the tree, that my bewildering find was made.  

  About thirty feet up the tree, there is a hole that obviously houses a critter of some sort.  I could see that the hole has been recently occupied because a tumble of contents was extending beyond the opening.  It was one of those "contents" that left me scratching my head.  Slightly protruding from the "door" of the nest was a plastic water bottle.  How in the world did the critter get that bottle up in the tree?  Why in the world would it want a plastic bottle in its nest?  And...what type critter would even consider the idea of toting it all the way up there?  It was baffling,  to say the least, but there it was.

  I have yet to figure out this latest "Mystery of the Bayou" but I am intrigued enough to keep watch on the hole.  Perhaps one day, I will spy the critter and, at least, answer the "who" question.  Some critter has a lot of determination, that is for sure!

The "Return of the White Trees" or the "Floating 7"!

  While not quite as enthralling as the original "White Trees' tale of long ago and the repeating episodes thereafter, today's White Tree was unique.  The tree contained a "Floating 7".  Now the mystery broadens!  As you may recall from a post several years ago, the White Trees are a sort of eerie incident that has occurred often in this general area. It usually involves wayward kids that are snooping around in places where they should not be.  My first recollection of the Trees was when my brother and I happened upon a portion of the woods that was creepy and, yet, compelling.  As preschoolers, we were chasing a piglet that had escaped the confines of its pen when we came across a dark "tunnel" of sorts that opened into a glen of white trees that were seemingly lit by some unseen force.  It frightened us.  Although something told us not to enter the area, we were almost lured there by the sight.  Later when we told Pop about the incident, he used it as an example of not "going where you do not belong".  That was all that was said of our frightening experience.  Years later, my own sons experienced the same thing and were shaken by the sight.   Then...later still, my oldest brother finally opened up about being scared by a similar sight as a kid.  All of these sightings (whether real or figments of our imaginations) occurred nearly in the same place.  Sort of eerie to know we all experienced the same feeling of angst with the vision.  To this day, no one has given me a satisfactory explanation as to what we had all experienced.

  The "White Tree" of today was a thing of beauty not a thing of trepidation.  While out on a hike with the old dog, Mr.PJ, I noticed dark clouds to the north.  The sky was quite ominous and made my steps a bit quicker.  As I rounded one corner of the path, I looked back at the clouds and saw that the setting sun had caused a black gum tree across the Bayou to almost gleam.  A White Tree!  I stood in awe of the beauty.  It did, however, bring back memories of a time long ago.

  Perhaps the angle of the sun explains all of the other White Tree episodes.  Perhaps the minds of youngsters wrapped up in wild imaginations accounts for the incidents. Perhaps there actually is some weird, unearthly and almost sinister scenario that can only be seen at certain times and by certain people.  Who knows?  This "White Tree" has a "floating 7"!  Maybe that means something!  Yeah, I know.  There is just a dark spot on the branch but it sounds much more fun to be a floating 7.  The mystery broadens and the plot thickens.

Mystery of the Missing Butterflies

  Several times in the past few weeks, I have made mention of the weeds/wildflowers that I allow to pretty much take over the gardens.  Fall sees these plants put on their finest attire which gives the gardens a lovely splash of color.  Fall, also, sees the migration of butterflies that come to visit these very flowers....usually.

  As I was out with the old dog this afternoon, I made a very sad observation.  Although, the wildflowers are in full bloom, nary a monarch was sipping nectar.  The wild ageratum are usually the desired bloom for the orange butterflies.  These and the milkweeds seem to attract more monarchs than any other blooms in the gardens.  Today, however, I found only a few small fritillary butterflies and nothing else.  

  Are the monarchs simply running late this year or did they take an alternate route through the area?  I have no idea other than to say that none of my neighbors have seen the mass migration of previous years.  This, indeed, makes me sad. 

The Secret of the High Nest

  High up in a pine tree in a tangle of smilax vines, there sits a tightly woven bird nest.  The nest is one that has been used for the past several years.  What started as a blue jay abode has now changed hands and has been reconstructed to suit the new residents.  While I could tell that the nest was being redone and is now occupied, I had no idea what type bird claimed the living space.  Then, for the past week, strange sounds have been emanating from said nest.  When Son and I first heard the sound, he made the remark that it sounded a lot like a hoarse squirrel albeit an hoarse, angry squirrel.  This made me giggle but I disagreed with him. Nope, it was definitely a bird.  What kind of bird eluded me but, still, a bird...perhaps an angry, hoarse bird?

  Every day as I worked the gardens, I heard the sounds.  It frustrated me that the identity remained a secret but I was not about to climb a thirty foot tall pine tree just to lay claim to the fact that I knew what bird was nesting there.  I did notice, however, that the sounds were part of a protective stance.  Each time another bird flew over the nest or a squirrel scampered up the tree, the raspy sounds were loud!

  Then today, I made quite the discovery and have about decided that the secret of the high nest has been solved...tentatively.  As I was easing my way around the marsh line, a Green Heron flew to the remains of an old pier.  This is nothing more than a couple of broken posts and a few boards but is a prime spot for the herons to hunt in peace.  They can sit on this perch and not feel threatened by land mammals.  This time, however, the Green Heron was more interested in my doings.  The bird eyed me cautiously as I neared the pine tree with the mystery nest.  It then let out a few strange squawks!  The unusual noises from the nest immediately answered!  Oh, my!  Do I have a pair of Green Herons nesting in the front yard?  

  I did a bit of research and, sure enough, Green Herons will reuse other birds' nests and do, indeed, use a threatening series of "kuks" to frighten other critters from the area.  I listened to recordings of the heron's calls and I do believe they are a match.  Tomorrow, when I hear the sounds coming from the nest, a comparison shall be made.  Hopefully, the secret of the high nest will be solved, once and for all!  Green Herons!  Imagine!

What is it?!!!!

  Down near the wild persimmon trees on the edge of the Bayou, one can find any number of interesting things.  It seems that this spot is a haven for critters and a good growing spot for a number of different plants and fungi.  The hike there and on around behind the canebrake is one of the more interesting spots (other than the pier, of course!).  This out-of-the-way, road-less-traveled area literally crawls with critters and, at times, resembles an overgrown rainforest with its vines and large clumps of palmettos.  It was on one of my hikes recently that I found and photographed a large mushroom.

  The mushroom in question was like none I have seen before on the hillside.  It was the size of a dinner plate and was rather flat being only about four inches tall.  I could not see the underside without disturbing the 'shroom so I just left it be.  The texture was more "meaty" than other mushrooms in the area and it was quite noticeably attractive to ants. Not only were the ants munching on the outer portion of the cap but they had dug several holes down in the center and were busying themselves by carrying stuff in and out of the center.  If you look closely at the picture, you can see several ants having their supper at the expense of the mushroom.

  The fact that ants seemed to love the mushroom was odd enough but it is that photograph that almost gave me the willies!  When I was flipping through the photographs that I had taken that day, I was taken aback by the sight of the mushroom.  It almost had the appearance of skin...wrinkly old skin!  Ok...that was freaky!  The fungus resembled some dead critter or worse.  Even the coloring was not unlike flesh!  Creepy! 

  Since finding this unidentified bit of fungus, I have looked high and low for another but have not seen any just like it.  Was this a fluke?  Did something happen to make the mushroom wrinkly and pink?  Why were ants devouring this thing so hastily?  Questions!  Always questions! Too bad I have no answers!  I am quite positive that some expert could identify this massive thing but since I know of no such folks, it will remain a mystery.

 

No Hands on my Time!

  Earlier today, I took the time to finally adjust the large cuckoo clock in the living room.  Yes, I do realize that the time change took place quite a bit ago but, hey, it was only an hour off!  Anyway, after I adjusted the hour, I also adjusted the sound part of the clock.  The bird has been sounding off at odd hours and never in sync with the current hour.  No problem..there is a little button on the side of the clock that allows you to reset the number of times the bird does his thing.  Once I was satisfied that all was well and we could now pass the time with ease, I headed to the kitchen to cook.  

   I returned later to find something terribly amiss!  The clock looked vastly different than just an hour before.  I had no time on my hands or, rather more correctly, I had no hands on my time!  Something dire had happened to the clock!  It was missing a hand.  Ok, so figuring it had to be somewhere nearby, I searched the top of the antique buffet.  Nope, the missing hand was not there.  I searched the floor,  Nope, no hand in sight.  I used a flashlight to peer behind the buffet.  Nary a hand could be found.  I got down on my hands and knees to search beneath the piece of furniture...still no hand.  Well, I'll be!  Where was that hand?  I called Son to my rescue.  "Hey, I have a mystery on my hands...errr, lack of hands!" I called upstairs.  He came down and looked at me oddly.  I explained the situation in full detail.  To say he is patient with his old ma is putting it mildly.  He went out to examine the clock.

  After just a few moments, Son had solved the mystery and all was well in the time zone. (heehee) It seems that the hand had fallen off of the clock just as I had suspected but it did not fall far.  The carvings on the cuckoo clock are set a tad out from the main housing of the clock itself. The hand had fallen directly behind the carved wooden bird nest that adorns the front of the clock.  (I think those two birds stole the hand! Perhaps they are crows and like shiny things.)  Since the clock is hung up above the buffet and since I am, ummm...not too tall, I could not see the hiding place.  Son (who towers above me) spied the hand with ease. He replaced the hand calming all my worries.  

  This whole missing hand thing is kind of ironic in itself.  During the last clue hunt, a door key had been hidden in the exact same spot.  Had I been a keen sleuth, I should have realized that the little ledge might have hidden the hand but I guess I am better at making up mysteries than solving them! At least now, time marches on and the hands are doing their fine job of pointing the hour AND minutes.

Hunting for the Mysterious!

  I was reading one of my favorite blogs the other day and was so enthralled by the tale that Fred was relating about strange things he came across on one of his hikes up the mountain.  Just the way he described the gargoyle-shaped roots and other oddities he stumbled upon made me want to do some exploring of my own. I wanted to experience the unusual, the mysteriousness, the wonderment that he found on his hike!  I set out with all of the eagerness that I could muster.  I was going to find my own "gargoyles" and wizard's workshops!

  My hikes about the Bayou never seem to bring me to mysterious places yet unexplored.  Perhaps this is due to the smothering of progress that limits the extent of my treks.  I don't suppose there are too many wizards that wish to live among so many people.  "Progress" is putting people far too close for my tastes as well.  Gone are the times when I could go for days without seeing (or hearing) any evidence of other people.  I can only imagine if there were any mysterious beings here, they would have sought solitude somewhere else.  Still, I wanted to seek out any evidence just like Fred did!  So, out I went!

  I searched the Bayou high and low.  I searched the creek.  I searched the marshes.  Nope.  Not one "elf, fairy or troll" was to be found.  Just as I was about to return to the comfort of the Little Bayou House, I spied it!  There was as close as I was getting to my mysterious being!  An odd face grinned at me through the grass.  I wanted to race up to it and hug it as I was so excited!  Not really.  The only unusual being that I found staring at me was a face in one of the old railroad timbers that washed in with a hurricane.  Nothing very mysterious about that, now was there?  Still, the log did have a sort of endearing look about it so I will be happy with that.  Sorry, Fred, I found no place as exciting as you did but I must admit that I sure enjoyed reading your tales!  For any of you who wish to have a good read, I highly recommend you visit http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/ and read about Fred's find on the mountain.  Start with "Strangeness on the Moors" and read on from there.  His tale might just make you wish to seek out the mysterious as well!

The (Not So) Mystery Critter!

Yesterday's mystery critter still remains at large!  Our GameCam only caught photos of a raccoon, a 'possum and a rabbit.  I must admit that the raccoon did look like a possible suspect as in the picture, I am not at all sure if it had a tail.  Our tailless, mystery critter might just be a tailless raccoon!  It is possible..if there is such a thing.  Here on the Bayou anything is possible.  I suppose a raccoon could lose its tail to an alligator!  Anyway, for now the mystery critter from yesterday's post remains just that..a mystery!

This morning when I was on the pier, a not-so-mystery critter paid me a visit.  Ms. Ez and I were just sitting there minding our own business when in popped an old friend!  Of course, this was my old friend and, well, Ms. Ez's possible critter-to-chase!  A fat nutria rat waddled in to munch a bit of the marsh grass as breakfast.  While Friend Nutria ate, Ms. Ez and I made no effort to conceal our presence.  This did not seem to bother the nutria one bit.  Breakfast was evidently more important than having an audience.

This is not say that the critter was not watching us.  Periodically, the nutria would look up and stare at the dog and me as if pondering why we were so peaceably sitting there.  If it only knew that Ms. Ez would have jumped in that marsh after it had I let her.  Her legs were twitching with anticipation while watching the critter!

Not once did the nutria show fear of either the dog or me.  Perhaps it knew that we meant it no harm.  It did, however, shuffle away quite quickly when a large heron flew in to hunt for breakfast!  Hmmph, I like that!  The nutria is more afraid of a bird than of me or the dog?  I cannot see the reasoning behind that idea!  With the nutria gone, Ms. Ez and I decided to spend a bit more time watching the heron!  Life on the Bayou is fascinating..if you have patience!  Ms. Ez and I have no problem sitting on the pier watching critters!

Discoveries of Long-lost Treasures! (And then..Mystery!)

While Michael was tromping around on the rooftop, I stayed clean out of sight! There are some rotten boards that need to be replaced so Son was the man for the job!  Heights bother me a mite since I am getting older so I leave any jobs that involve running about the top of the house up to that younger generation.  It does not seem to bother him at all!  I stayed inside and cleaned out the desk!  What treasures this piece of furniture held!  It should have been an easy task...pull out a drawer and dump the entire contents into the trash but noooo....I had to look at every scrap of paper!  Which, as it seems, turned out to be a good thing!  I made discoveries of things from long ago!  Treasures that had been tucked inside the desk and promptly forgotten. Treasures that some day, my kids will have to decide to keep or discard!  Treasures of ages past.

One such treasure was a graduation invitation.  Not that most graduation invitations are even kept much past the event date but this was kept for a while..a good, long while.  The date on the commencement notice was May 31, 1918!  It was to be held in the auditorium of the local high school, Biloxi High School at eight o'clock.  I figured that this has to be my great aunt's graduation announcement as it was in a box that had several other mementos from her younger days.  Great Aunt Ruth went on to college and became a nurse.  She helped many folks before becoming more or less a recluse in the old family home.  I knew she had to have graduated around that time but could not have known the exact year.  1918 sounded about right.

There was also a small greeting card congratulating her on graduating.  No address was on the envelope so I figured that it was hand-delivered as was the custom of the day.  The greeting card bore glad tidings and well wishes to "Miss Ruth"! I knew this was to my great aunt!  There was no date written on the card.

In that same little box, I found her class ring.  Back then, the rings were pretty little thing unlike the massive, gaudy trinkets of today.  These rings were something that could be worn throughout a lifetime without ever seeming pretentious.  Other than the large initial "B", the writing on the ring was quite small.  I pulled out the magnifying glass to take a look and was surprised to see that encircling the "B" was the date..Nineteen Hundred Twenty!  Whoa...something was not right here at all!  For years I had been under the impression that these things belonged to my great aunt..now, I am not so sure! She could not have graduated in both years!  Was one of these three items not hers?  Perhaps one belonged to my grandmother (her sister)!  Or..maybe one of their brothers!  The mystery stands as I did not have the time to delve into it today.  The announcement, greeting card and ring will all be put aside with good intentions of solving the mystery soon.  Hopefully!  (Oh..and the ring?  It is a tiny thing!  It will not even fit on the end of my pinkie finger!)