Let Them Sleep

   I rise before dawn and relish my alone time while I meander the Small Gardens.  It is here that I can revel in the beauty of the new day and give thanks for the peaceful sleep of the night before.  It is also here that I find a lot of my critter friends.  We share a love for the wildness of the overgrown plants and the dewy coolness that the night has brought.  

  This morning found me almost entranced by a single bumblebee that was snuggled down inside calyx of a spent bloom of the mist plant.  The bee had probably sought shelter for the night but had not been warned of the predawn thunderstorm.  My poor friend was waiting for the sun to dry its wings and warm it so it could continue its daily foraging.  I let the little one sleep even though the plant needed deadheading.  Bees are of high importance to anyone who gardens so they are treated kindly.

  It is funny how it never occurs to some folks that things like bees sleep.  Just like us, they need rest and will seek out some cozy spot to bed down for the nighttime hours.  My little bee friend did not choose its napping place wisely as the rains had to be startling.  Perhaps next time, it should shelter beneath the ginger leaves.  Rest on, Little One.  I bid you a good day.

Sleepyhead!

   For the past week, the remaining piles of lumber that washed up during Hurricane Zeta have slowly disappeared.  Just after the storm, all of the boards were sorted into "usable" piles.   We rebuilt the pier and folks came by to claim any of their missing planks.   There was still several stacks yet unclaimed.  Some...had seen better days and needed to be burned...others were restacked to be used in building garden boxes.  It was a daunting job to tackle but someone had to do it.  So...I did. 

  It was while I was stacking that remainder that something far down in the Bayou caught my eye.  A blotch of white edged with black glinted in the evening sunlight.  Hmmm?  Well, that surely meant that I needed to investigate.  Grabbing the ever-present camera, I made my way to the only spot that I could get a somewhat clear shot.  It was quite evident that this was a living creature and, being as it was in the middle of the Bayou, obviously a waterfowl.  It was almost certainly a Hooded Merganser but its actions were perplexing, to say the least.  Several Common Mergansers were out near the pier but this was the sole critter visible in the main cut of the Bayou.  

  After examining the photographs, my questions were answered.  The merganser was sleeping!  The head was neatly tucked upon its back and it was simply floating.  The duck had chosen this part of the Bayou because it was wide and its sleep would not be disturbed by shore critters and, since it was surrounded by marsh, the waters were calm allowing the bird to stay in one place.  Smart bird!  I smiled simply because it was nice to know the duck felt safe and secure in my Bayou!

Naptime!

   A couple of weeks ago, I was ambitious to the point of wearing myself to a frazzle.  I had so much energy stored up due to still being in isolation...yep...still.  While the world is moving...I am stuck.  That being stuck on the Bayou led me to believe I could redo the yard and the Little Bayou House singlehandedly.  Guess what...that is stupidity at its best.  I was going from 4am to well past 10pm.  Great progress was being made until I nigh on collapsed with sheer exhaustion.  Since then, life has come to a grindingly slow pace.  It is not fun being lazy, my friends.  I am not wired that way.  Now, although my brain says "Go!", the body is like "Nope...not happenin'."  I am having to listen to the body.

  I did manage to wander the hillside again late this afternoon despite of the stifling heat.  I wanted to go back behind the greenhouse to check the wild yucca plants as there were two ten foot tall shoots that were full of buds.  I knew it was time for them to be opened and I was in hopes of getting a photograph of this marvel.  Well, I got my picture but I had to laugh.  My yucca blooms were in just about the same shape I am.  They are tired.  

  The wind and rain from the storms of a few days ago knocked both heavily bud-laden stalks over.  The two were laid neatly onto the wheelbarrow that was still left where I last worked.  I admit...I was lazy and did not retrieve the wheelbarrow.  That will wait for another day since now it is being used as a resting spot for the lovely yucca blooms.  Don't mind them.  The yucca plants will be ok...they just needed a nap!