Old Friends, Indeed

   It is always nice when old friends visit the Bayou.  While very few "people" friends drop by, critter friends abound.  This suits me fine as I would much rather be around animals as they do not thrive on drama but rather just try to thrive.  Their goal is survival not upheaval.  If only humans could act accordingly, this old world would be a far better place.

  While on the pier, it was mighty nice to have a visit from the alligator.  At first, I was afraid that my presence on the pier would make the gator shy away but it obviously had no qualms about continuing its slow passage to the depths of the Bayou.  It had come from the west (my cousin's place) and slowly made its way past my brother's place and then on to ours.  The gator was in no hurry to get anywhere so I had a fine opportunity to grab a few photographs.

  It actually made me happy to see our friendly gator.  I had heard tell that some folks had complained about "seeing an alligator" in the area even though there has never been a problem.  With the influx of new residents all wishing for waterfront property, the gators will probably be eliminated far too soon.  This aggravates me as the gators were here first.  We have all resided side by side with nary a problem.  Soon, I fear that they will go the wayside just as the bald eagles have.  Humans...humans are going to ruin the world for everyone simply because of greed and unfounded fears.

They're Back!

  Late this evening, the old dog and I made our way down the hill to the pier.  It was already starting to get a bit shadowy so I knew I would not stay long.  When I first got to the end, fish were breaking everywhere.  Ok, so there was nothing else to do except catch bait and toss a line.  I did not hobble to the pier on a sore leg for nothing!  A few casts of the net gave me enough bait to give it a try.  Well, to make a long story shorter, I caught nary a fish.  

  I did, however, see a couple of old friends.  Just before it got too dark to see, I noticed something come out of the Bayou and turn toward the pier.  The shadows from the tall pines hampered my view so I just waited.  This could be any number of critters but the wake left behind it as it swam led me to believe that this was my friendly gator.  Soon, the critter was near enough for me to identify it and, sure enough, it was an alligator.  As this one neared the pier, a smaller one came out of the Bayou.  That one hung near the far shore but could clearly be seen.  The two gators knew Mr. PJ and I were on the pier so they kept a slight distance away.  Mr. PJ, the old dog, never noticed the gators.  In fact, he snoozed the entire time they visited.

  It has been a while since the alligators have visited the pier at the same time I was there.  More oft than not, they come out after I have retreated to the Little Bayou House.  Their crab trap raiding shenanigans go unseen under the cover of darkness!

Old Friends

  There is something to be said about old friends.  Friends who have stuck with you through thick and thin, friends who know your funny little quirks and are still around, friends who make a difference in your life are the ones worth keeping forever.  Those...those are old friends. Those are the ones that are irreplaceable.  

  Sometimes it takes a while to really become trusted and true companions but over time, if it is meant to be, the friendship blossoms and instead of just tolerating one another, a bond forms.  This is quite evident at the Little Bayou House.  Ms. Ez, the old Bayou Dog, and Ms. Put, the Bayou Queen (otherwise known as a cat) simply tolerated each other for years.  They kept their distance from each other and even had a number of squabbles which was usually in the form of the cat smacking the dog across the nose.   Then the new cat entered the picture.  Ms. Nycto is now the outsider.  While Ms. Ez would love to be friends, Ms. Put has other ideas.  "Nope! You are my best friend and you shall have nothing to do with the interloper!" As the Queen has spoken, so shall it be.  Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess, is ostracized by the Queen and Ms. Ez obeys (to a point).

  The new cat seems to have softened the old cat's attitude toward the dog.  While a good distance used to be the law, now they share an endearing friendship.  If Nycto starts to intrude on Ms. Put's space, the old dog immediately jumps into action.  With the first hiss or snarl, Ez bolts to Put's aid.  I have seen her even jump over the old cat just to chase the new one around to the back of the house.  That..that is friendship.  Coming to rescue your buddy in spite of possible danger, is a sure sign that a bond is strong.  

  Today, I let the old dog out to enjoy a bit of the warming sunshine. She loves to lay on the steps and watch over the Bay.  I looked out the screen door to see the old friends share a touching moment.  Ms. Put had come to share the steps with her friend.  Both were enjoying a bit of quiet time together. Two old friends...one a cat, the other a dog...sharing, caring and just being friends.

 

"Twin" Roses!

For the past few days, all I can think about is the roses that are blooming in the yard.  Between those and the Jasmine, the place smells divine!  The fences on the west and south side of the garden are covered with Jasmine, Wisteria and a beautiful little rose that I simply adore! My grandmothers' roses are on the east side of the arbor and are doing a great job of covering the fence quite well.  The rose on the west fence is one that was given to me by two little ladies that used to live down the street from the Little Bayou House.  Although their names were Vera a Eura, hardly anyone called them that.  Twin!  These ladies were identical twins and everyone just called them "Twin".  The story that Ms. Vera told me at one time years ago was that their daddy could not tell them apart so he just called them both by the same name or nickname in this case.  "Twin" work well as both would come when one was called!  Anyway, these little ladies gave me a start of the climbing Seven Sisters Rose!  I was elated as I did not have any such rose!  Mark built me a little fence around the (then) goldfish pond.  The roses did well.  They grew wonderfully and bloomed the very first year!  Well, I like to share my flowers!  I rooted numerous of the Seven Sisters Roses and gave them to folks.  The rose is simple to propagate by cuttings stuck in a jar of water.  I gave rose bushes to most everyone I knew..they were just that simple to root!  Then along came Hurricane Katrina and along with almost everything else, my rose bushes were washed away to parts unknown! Well, I thought, I will have to find another start!  To my surprise, most everyone that had received a rooted plant reciprocated!  I had so many fine cuttings of the Seven Sisters Rose!!  That inspired me to get busy and reclaim our place!  "Warn't no hurricane gonna get the best of my yard!"  (Actually, Katrina did get the best of the yard but I was ready to replant!)

The Seven Sisters Rose was one of the first to be planted.  Once again, Mark built me a fence for my rose canes!  Within the first year, the roses had already covered the fence and were well on their way of taking over the entire area!  I do not mind at all!  Now, every time I see the pale pink clusters, I immediately think of my dear old friends who have long since left this world.  Both Twins would be tickled pink to know that their roses had done so well.  So...here is to Twin..two ladies that deserve to be recognized for all of the kindnesses they bestowed on the rest of the world.  These were two of the kindest people I have ever met!  Twin...and Twin!

Cafe Bayou

A while back, I wrote about an old friend coming to visit. If you recall this certain old friend was a bird, a Night Heron, that would visit me on the pier. It would come to get its share of the minnows that I use as fishing bait. Early this morning as my husband and I sat on the pier drinking our morning cup of coffee discussing fishing, oil spills and mosquitoes, this bird again decided to visit. This is the first time my husband has seen my interaction with said bird. Needless to say, he was enthralled by the whole scenario and I was happy to have him snapping the pictures. My bird friend followed close behind me as I threw the cast net to provide a meal for it. This Night Heron is not afraid of any of my actions and anyone that throws a net can attest that there is plenty of "action" involved. Before it was over, I tossed the net five times and caught quite a few assorted fish and minnows. Full count..1 small croaker, 1 small "sandfish" and thirty-nine menhaden! Quite a large breakfast for one bird! I was just waiting for the Night Heron to mistake my fingers for a fish as I hand-fed it for over twenty minutes.

This weekend, my son and daughter-in-law stopped in for a visit. They are an amazing young couple and always bring much happiness to the Bayou. It always seems as if their visits are entirely too short. When they visit, they usually bring their pets, a dog (P.J.) and a cat (Kiki). Our dogs get along remarkably well but the cats..let's just say it is best to keep them separated. Kiki is a sweet kitty but Ms. Put (mine) is..umm..a tad temperamental. Ms. Put, thankfully, is an outdoor cat so it all works out well. P.J. and Ezzy love to play together often running outside down to the pier. Ezzy is definitely a "fishing" dog. She will sit watching my rod and reel waiting for something to bite the hook. (She, like the Night Heron, also likes to eat my bait!) P.J. on the other hand is not a "fishing" dog. He loves being on the pier but is more interested in the boats on the water. They both loved being on the pier with the breeze cooling them after their playtime. He enjoyed the freedom after the five hour drive here and she..she just loved having her friend near. Two very happy dogs!

Old friends

It was hot today! Very hot! It was too hot to do anything! The grass needed cutting, the garden needed tending and plums needed canning. So I went fishing! It is never too hot to fish! Actually, there are days that, without completely hiding beneath a wide hat, it can be..just not today! So I fished..and fished. I fished for hours. Never once did I catch anything..not even a nibble on the bait. Someone once said that "A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work" and this was one of those days. Three hours of no fish and yet I stayed on the pier. Truth be known, I was not alone on this fishing trip. Thirty minutes on the pier and I had a visitor, one that I thought had long forgotten me. At first, I did not recognize him, it had been a while since I had seen him. Last fall, a very young Night Heron would come visit me every time I was on the pier. He had gotten so tame that he would come eat minnows from my hand. Then winter came and I suppose he migrated somewhere because he was missing for a while. I never thought that he would return. And surely he would not remember me. Could this be the same one? If it was, would he still be tame enough to come to me? To my surprise, after a few minutes coaxing, he sidled his way to me and took his minnow. He ate the rest of the bait I offered and then flew off to the back of the bayou. I hope he returns tomorrow and thereafter. It is nice see an old friend after such an absence..it is nice to be remembered.