Quirkiness in full swing!

   To be honest, it has taken more days than I wanted to take down the Christmas decorations even though not nearly as many were in place as in years past.  The holidays came and went with little fanfare other than the delightful visit of my oldest son, daughter-in-law and grandkids.  If I could have had them here without all of the hullabaloo, things would have been far more perfect.  Still, I did what was expected and, albeit, minimal, the place was decorated.  Then...the virus struck (or was brought to us) and I endured 8 days of fever.  I had no other symptoms...Son (younger) was not so lucky.  He ran the full gamut of symptoms so taking down decorations was solely up to me.  

  It was while I was on a ladder removing garland that a thought occurred.  I was musing how happy it was to bring the Little Bayou House back to its mysterious, magical place when the mind began to wander to those who have stark, vacant homes.  I could not live that way.  White walls, few (if any) decor pieces, and always matching furniture has to be boring.  To my way of thinking, it would remind me of living in an institution where all points of interest have been removed.  There is nothing to stir the mind.  My mismatched conglomeration of oddities evokes curiosity.  In turn, curiosity evokes creativity and creativity brings productivity.  If you cannot lead a productive life then what is it worth? 

  Granted, each of us have our own ideas of how things should be and none of us are wrong.  The only "wrong" thing is when others try to force their ideas down your throat by either bombarding you with unwanted advice or by trying intimidation to achieve their goal.  Thank you very much but...no, thank you.  The Little Bayou House shall remain a "house of curiosities" where the weird and wonderful things come to reside and be appreciated.  In fact, I have often been dubbed as the "Keeper of Weird and Wonderful Things" and I happily accept that title.  If that bothers others...so be it.  You keep being you and I shall keep being me...quirky, curious, creative and productive...all of those things that go hand in hand.  I refuse to live a bland, stark life to please anyone!

Just Because...Embracing The Weirdness

   I am at that age where I do things that suit me and not others.  Rather, I have come to realize at this late age that this is something we all should be doing.  The world has far too many ideas of what is "proper" or "accepted".  In "my" world, those have been tossed to the wayside.  Don't get me wrong on this as I am not referring to moral rights and wrongs but rather in our personal tastes...how we dress, how we decorate our homes, what we keep, what we discard, who we allow in our lives and who we decide are weighing us down.  It seems as if even those things are being decided for us which is something we should not allow.  How we live is no one else's business and we should keep it that way.  So...I am doing things "my way" and ignoring others opinions.

  Over the years, the Little Bayou House has been decorated in numerous ways to suit everyone but me.  I have taken in consideration how others see the place and how I would be judged if something was deemed odd.  Well, I am odd.  I admit to being a tad eccentric and a lot eclectic.  Let's face it...I am weird.  That said, I am embracing that weirdness as I follow the advice given to me years ago by one of Son's friends back when they were teenagers.  "Embrace your weirdness.  That is why we like you," he told me one time when I was feeling particularly down.  (By "we", he was referring to the others in a group of teenagers that were always at the place.) So, gradually I began to do just that.  The Little Bayou House (and I) have evolved into an anomalous entity full of color, oddities and moonbeams.  It suits me.

  Today, shelves were installed in front of some of the east-facing windows to showcase collections of colored glass pieces that have been stashed in cupboards.  Soon, the same will be done with the west-facing windows so the rising and setting of the sun can throw splashes of color about the room.  Mixed in with the glass will be numerous prisms and crystals so the walls will be of dancing rainbows.  It will be a magical mix of light and darkness and will be a happy place.

  Why?  Just because.  Why?  Just because we each need to express our individualism without worry that others will look down upon us.  That is something that is far too common and it is ridiculous to wait any longer to break free from the stigma of being different.  Let that difference glow...embrace your weirdness.

Storms, Gardens and Birds

  It is THAT time of year again and every eye around this area is watching the Gulf of Mexico.  While the storm, Cristobal, is supposed to not strengthen too much, it is still threatening to dump copious amounts of rain on us.  Yes, the landfall is supposed to be in Louisiana but that puts us on that east side.  Anyone who knows anything about hurricanes knows that is NOT where you want to be.  Of course, like other storms, our little area will cope even without the media attention.  Always have...always will.  We prepare.  We ride out the storm.  We carry on. 

  My one big beef with this storm is that it is coming so early in the season.  Why is that a problem?  Well, my garden is at its peak right now and any high winds, torrential downpours or flying debris will wreak havoc on the plants.  Seriously, I may as well call it a season and not worry about any more fresh veggies.  Thankfully, I was able to home can plenty for our winter stock already so we are good to go.  

  Today, as I was wandering about making a few minor storm preparations, I stopped to admire the healthy plants and thought how fortunate we are to be able to "uproot" ourselves and hunker down inside the Little Bayou House.  The plants and critters do not have that luxury.  They take the brunt of  the storm.  In fact, just outside the front door (south side), a little wren is sitting on five eggs in the hanging fern.  The tiny bird will not give up her nest if at all possible even if that old basket gets to banging around uncontrollably.  This fretted me something fierce so I secured her little home along with ours.  Armed with some strong wire, I reinforced the hanging chains and ran guy wires from the sides of the basket to the main posts.  The basket barely wiggled now so hopefully, my little friend will be safe.  Son and I have a difference in opinions about my efforts.  He says I am interfering with the course of nature.  I say I am trying to help a friend.  Either way, what is done..is done.  Stay safe, folks, stay safe. (Stay safe, Little Wren, stay safe!)