Trying My Hand At A New Craft

   Several years ago, my brain suffered a "tock" when it should have "ticked".  Son and I were on the pier when I seemed to lose all ability to talk and even move.  His thoughts immediately turned to "Mom is having a stroke!"  Neither of us had our phones and he knew he could not leave me on the pier so he (somehow) managed to get me to the shore and up the hill to the Little Bayou House.  A trip to the ER and a brief hospital stay saw me hale and hardy again.  There were a few lingering problems that needed tending, however, so my kids kept after me.  Their therapy soon turned to "learn something new" which led to my current hobby of repairing antique clocks.  This was something that never crossed my mind before so it was definitely new territory!  Now, it has become almost a passion to seek out dilapidated clocks and restore them to their once regal state. 

  A few months ago, a "new" cuckoo clock was obtained and it met the broken standard to a T.  It was in shambles.  I was a bit intimidated, at first, but soon found myself tinkering with the mechanism.  That is always my beginning point.  Fix the inner workings then repair the housing.  Finally, the clock was ticking away and cuckooing halfway.  One bellows still needed to be repaired.  I started on the housing...the fun part!  Once the pieces were cleaned, hand-rubbed with polish and reattached, all seemed well...except...except that the pediment (top, decorative piece) was missing.  Simple!  I shall just buy a replacement!  Nope...none were to be found...anywhere.

  This brought me to my new craft!  Both of my sons prodded me to "make your own".  Well, I had never carved a thing before in my entire life but I decided to try.  Keep in mind that I have a very arthritic right hand (I am right-handed) and no fancy carving tools...still I was determined.  Armed with an Exacto knife and a rotary tool sander, I flipped through my stash of wood pieces.  None seemed to be even similar to the linden wood that the master woodcarvers used to create the original clocks.  Not to be daunted, I opted for some cedar simply because the color was similar.  Then...I carved.  

  This particular clock is supposed to have an owl seated among the leaves as a pediment.  I knew I could never replicate the detailed work of the master carvers, so I took a little creative leeway with my carving.  I still did four leaves, a cluster of grapes and an owl but they are vastly different that what should be on the clock.  My hand would often seize up and cause a delay and then would ache terribly at night but I refused to stop.  I WOULD carve something that resembled the original pediment...not copy...just resemble.  

  All in all, the attempt was not a dismal failure.  It is far from perfect but not terribly disappointing.  (I have, however, come to the realization that I shall never, ever become a master woodcarver!)  I learned a lot, found it interesting and created a pediment that worked.  Do I want to carve other pieces?  Maybe?  It could become a new hobby along with the myriad of other crafty doings.  I do need to give the hand a rest, however!  In the interim, I shall attempt to re-leather that silent bellows!  My cuckoo clock is coming along nicely and I am definitely learning.  (The only downside to all this clock repair is that I am running out of wall space to hang them!)

Happy To See You, My Old Friend!

  Before daybreak, an owl could be heard off in the distance.  Stepping on the back deck, it was evident that the bird was down in the creek in one of the old pines.  Thinking it was far too dark to go traipsing down there in search of an elusive bird, I took my mug of coffee out to the front steps.  There, I sat in the dark under the shaded arbor.  Bat, the cat, sat nearby as if he even thought it was still too early to be out and about. The owl, kept hooting but nothing else could be heard.

  Along about daybreak, the cat scooted down to the marsh edge to patrol his territory and the owl came closer to the house.  Hmmm....that owl sounded large enough to tote off the cat, if it so desired.  Bat had better be careful!  Suddenly, the hooting was so very close!  Turning, I spied the owl just above my head!  It had come into the garden and was on a low limb of the old oak tree. I slowly picked up the camera and aimed at the bird.  Well, that beat all!  A single twig sat between the two of us.  There would be no photographs unless one of us moved and that old owl seemed to be mighty comfortable where it was.  Yep, I got up and moved closer.

  The owl had no problems with me being only about 15 feet from it.  The bird stared at me a few moments then when right back to hooting!  As I took picture after picture, memories came back of an owl that would often visit the garden and sit on that very limb or on the fence post.  I pondered if this could be the same one.  It has been several years since the bird visited the gardens.  Friend Owl, as long as you leave the cat alone, you are more than welcome to visit any time you choose.  I am honored!

The Owl In The Wall

 The ongoing work to repair the leaky roof and damaged wall is continuing.  Right now, heat lamps are drying the wood so that mold will not grow.  This leaves the exposed brick of the old fireplace in full view.  It is sad to say that I sort of like it this way.  I am sure that come November (post Halloween), I will see things with a different eye but, for now, I find this far too interesting...so much so that I posted a photo on social media.  I wanted to get an idea if others saw what I did.  There is an owl in my wall!  So, maybe this is not a living owl and maybe you have to have a good imagination but there is definitely an owl staring back at me each time I walk through the dining room.  The consensus was, indeed, an owl resided there but, not only an owl, but a whole host of other entities!  I was excited as folks started pointing out other beings.  

  It seems there is a whole following of people who actually spend hours just looking at images to find "hidden" things in them.  I find this intriguing!  How neat is it to see things in a different view?  To be able to view an ordinary photograph and pick out "unseen" items is pretty thought provoking, to say the least.  I sort of want to start taking random photographs just to see if anything "jumps" out at me!  

  It almost saddens me that after a few more days, my owl, a frog on the lily pad, a hairy ghost, a smirking lizard and a few other "faces" will be hidden from view.  Once Son repairs the water damage, my "friends" will be out of sight...not gone...just out of sight.  Goodbye, Wall Friends!

Morbid Curiosity?

  Early today, Son and I went out to cut more firewood.  This cool front has pulled the cast iron woodstoves into work mode.  To keep warm, the stoves need to be constantly stoked causing me to use a good bit of firewood.  Today's chore completed two tasks at the same time.  A good many trees in the yard needed trimming and we needed to find wood to cut.  Trimming the limbs gave us a good bit of firewood!  Two for one!   He would cut the limbs and I would drag them near the house to be cut into the right size.  We have found this to be easier than hauling the already cut firewood.  We were about finished for the day when I noticed something strange on the ground under a tall oak tree.  The "item" looked like feathers but not as those from a live bird.  I poked at it then discovered a beak.  Oops...that WAS a bird...at one time.  Now it was a pile of icky feathers, a few bones and the beak.  Well, now.  This discovery led to a lengthy discussion about what this was and how it got here.

  After a good bit of poking the goop, we have come to the conclusion that this is an owl pellet.  Owls gulp down small prey without ripping it apart.  Their bodies cannot digest feathers, some bones and, of course, the beak of a bird.  The enzymes in an owl's digestive track are not strong enough to break down these items so they are stored in the bird's gizzard until it is full.  Then, the bird will regurgitate the parts in a semi-solid form.  The "pellets" are usually around 2 to 3 inches long (sometimes larger) but, of course, this depends on the type and size of the owl, itself.  The one today seemed much larger but, then, I have been hearing so really large owls, as of late.

  I was now curious as to what type bird was eaten.  With the shape of the beak, the bird can at least be narrowed a bit and with the feathers being quite unidentifiable, the beak is about all I have to use.  The size of the bird would be rather small, the beak is "dagger-like" and the feather colors seem to be beige and (?)white.  This eliminated a good many birds of this area and this is assuming that the bird was not a migratory bird.  After doing a bit of research, I would offhandedly say this may be one of the sandpipers that have a tendency to roost on the pier at night.  It makes sense that they would be an easy target for a hungry owl.  Keep in mind that this is amateur sleuth work and by no means a sure thing.  If anyone can help me out here, please chime in and give your two cents' worth!  It would be greatly appreciated!  Call it morbid curiosity or whatever you wish but I really like to make new discoveries like this.  It helps me to learn more about my critter friends...all of them...the predators and the prey. 

The Water Owl

  Ok, so I admit it.  I have a weird sense when it comes to seeing things.  My brain can take the ordinary and twist and turn it into something quite unrelated to the original.  It does not take much to get my imagination churning.  Those wheels start twirling around and the cobwebs and dust in the corners of my mind fly in all directions.  Which is ok by me since the brain needs a good cleaning now and again.  

  Lately with the north wind blowing, the tide has been very low.  The water beneath the pier is shallow enough that things hidden by high tides of summer now are laid out in view.  This morning, an open clam shell caught my eye.  The perfectly matched shells were still connected at the hinge but, instead of being impressed by this marvelous specimen of sea life, my brain told me something entirely different.  I saw an owl.  Yep, an owl.  Why?  Who knows but I saw an owl.

  Now, pardon my poor attempt at sketching an owl (or anything else) using the "draw" thingybob on the laptop but I had to illustrate my point, somehow.  No one in the Little Bayou House could see what I saw otherwise.  This was just too perfect to pass.  Those eyes stared at me from beneath the water.  Yep...an owl!  An real, live Water Owl!  Sure....

Be Quiet! I Am Trying To Nap!

  Normally, I would say that blue jays are not my favorite birds.  They are raucous, eat my fruit and do not play well with the smaller songbirds.  I prefer those who can get along with other critters and let things stay happy on the Bayou. I will say, however, that occasionally the birds are good to have around the place.  In their defense, they do eat a lot of bugs, chase off the crows that feast on other birds eggs and make lots of noise.  Yep, that same cacophony that is often irritating, can also be a lifesaver of sorts.  The blue jays are the alarm system of the avian world.  Let one snake slither into sight and the alarms can be heard for miles.  Let a hawk, fly overhead and every bird and small critter knows to take cover because of the shrill yells.  Let a sleepy owl be discovered and it has to find a new snoozing spot because the jays scream bloody murder.  They do their part of protecting critters from a possible predator.

  This morning, I was sitting in the rocking chair looking out over the calm waters of the Bay.  The morning air was cool coming through the screen doors and I had a mug of hot coffee in hand.  All was right with the world or at least with my little spot of paradise.  Then, one jay started yelling breaking the silence of the morn.  Within fifteen seconds another blue jay joined the fun.  Then another and another and yet another.  Soon a dozen or more jays were in the top of a nearby pine tree.  They were joined by a bevy of other birds.  Woodpeckers, thrashers, wrens, cardinals...all were there to see what the trouble was and to help scare it from the area.

  Ok, so curiosity got the best of me and I left my comfy spot to go investigate what was causing all of the commotion.  It took me a few moments to find the jays' target but, just as I thought, it was a potential predator.  A beautiful owl was perched on a high limb in the same pine tree.  With my presence, the jays soon decided to depart which encouraged the other songbirds to go about their business as well.  The owl, on the other hand, stared at me groggily as if to say "May I please get some sleep?"  Yep, Mr, Owl! Take a nap!

Whooo's there?

  With the old body still not cooperating in full, I have decided to postpone hikes to the far back corner of the property.  It seems too tiring to even make the attempt.  So, instead of whiling away the time outside, I am getting caught up on indoor chores.  While doing a bit of dusting in the dining room, I had to smile at the china cabinet.  Inside there is a wild assortment of fall and Halloween decorations.  Yeah, very rarely do I have china in my china cabinet. It just seems to be a waste of a good display area so it is usually filled to the brim with whatever seasonal decorations are on hand.  This time, owls seem to have taken roost in there!

  Mingled in with everything else is an odd assortment of owls none of which could be confused with a real owl.  Nope, those "realistically hand painted" owl decoys are left outside in hopes that they will scare away a few of the squirrels.  (That effort has proved futile, by the way.)  The owls in the china cabinet range anywhere from bright aqua to glittery black. They are just fun things that I have collected over the years.  I pull them out in the fall and leave them until the Christmas decorations force them back into storage.

   My smile broadened as a memory of Friend Owl wormed its way into the thoughts.  Friend Owl, if you recall, is the small Screech Owl that seems to have befriended me over the summer.  The little critter still hangs around the edge of the woods and will make a cackling noise when I am out hiking.  If I follow that sound, it is not hard to find the bird in amongst the branches.  It is as if the bird is calling for me.  Over the course of a few months, our friendship went from me first spotting the unsure bird to our being within inches of each other.   Not seeing the bird is one my regrets about feeling poorly.  Hopefully soon, I will be out and about once again.  Friend Owl and I can make up for lost time!  In the meantime, I will have to be happy with the owls in the cabinet.

Friend Owl

  Friend Owl was back early this morning.   Standing on the back porch, I heard the familiar "cackling" noise that preceded the ruckus of yesterday.  This time armed with both the camera AND a mug of coffee, I slipped down to the marsh edge.  There on the same branch sat Friend Owl.  The little guy must really like this area.  Perhaps there is plenty for it to catch while sitting so close to both shore and water.  The limb where he sits is directly over water during high tide.  Since owls are not choosy about their prey, a frog, small snake or duckling may be snatched from the water while a mouse, vole, lizard or baby birds can be easily taken from the shore.  Much like yesterday, Friend Owl did not budge when I fought my way into the underbrush.  Any other bird would have made haste with such a noisy entrance that I was making!

  This time, I talked with the owl as it sat staring at me.  I figured that I may as well make friends with it since we both seem to have an interest in each other.  The critter would cock his head to one side as if listening to my every word.  After a bit, I informed him that it was time for me to take a few photographs.  Again, it did not budge.  This is one stubborn owl!  Since the sun was just starting to rise in the east, the owl and I were quite sheltered by the canopy of leaves above us.  With such a dim light, I needed to use the flash on the camera.  This did not bother the bird one iota.  He and I shared a good twenty minutes in the midst of palmettos and Sweetspire.  I was the first to move since I suddenly felt like bugs were starting to crawl up my legs!  Time to vacate the swamp!

  Once I looked at the photographs of today, I pondered about my friend. The photograph taken with the flash shows one eye normal but the other glowing a bluish grey.  I sure hope the bird is not injured in some way! Oh, Friend Owl, I do hope you are well.  If all goes well and the owl returns in the morning, I will check the eye closer.  Perhaps if it is having problems, I can find some way of helping it find food.  Yeah....I do care far too much about the critters around here.

The (Not So) Night Owl

  Being in the right place at the right time has to be one of the most special phenomenons to ever occur.  While some folks may have not paid attention or even noticed the ruckus happening at the marsh edge, I could not help but investigate.  I knew that pairs of  Brown Thrashers, Northern Mockingbirds and Mourning Doves all had nests in the general area where the commotion arose so my first thought was that a snake was raiding a nest.  Since I was out hiking about the hillside anyway, I eased my way to the vicinity to see if I could help.  My thinking was probably a bit skewed here since all I was armed with was my camera. That would prove most useless in fighting a snake, I am sure.  Still, my baby birds needed help!  The commotion had started with an almost cackling sound and then was joined by a chorus of twittering and frantic calls.  What had made that cackling?

  As I neared the nesting sites, it was soon apparent that no snake was involved.  A blur flew a bit deeper into the underbrush.  Hmmm...that was a bit small for a hawk and not black like a crow.  The smaller birds followed....as did I.  Soon we were in the midst of palmettos which was not the wisest of moves on my part.  Here, I might just find that snake if I was not careful but my attention was fully on the marauding bird.  With its focus solely on the smaller attacking birds, I was able to get as close as I dared (remember those snake-infested palmettos!)  My bird of prey was a small owl!  Alrighty then!  Aren't owls nocturnal?  

 Not being able to fully see the owl, I decided to photograph it as best I could.  It was a small owl being only about twelve inches in length.  It was grey with darker splotches making it blend well with the tree bark and shadows.  Even with all of the hubbub caused by the songbirds and a clumsy human, the owl was remarkably calm.  It sat while the smaller birds bombarded it from above and only turned to stare at me when I pushed aside a small oak sapling.  As worried as I was about the baby birds back in the nests, I began to feel sorry for the owl.  Obviously, it had little ones of its own and was hunting food.  Why else was it on the hunt during the daylight hours?  This Papa Screech Owl needed to find sustenance for its own babies.

  Eastern Screech Owls mate for life and Papa Owl does most of the hunting for his brood.  Mama stays near the nest and will only pop out for a few moments during the evening hours.  He makes many trips back and forth to the nest with anything he can find to feed the hungry mouths awaiting for him.  I suppose the baby songbirds were just another mouthful.  After I took several pictures, I decided it was time to get my leather moccasins out of the palmettos before I came in contact with a Cottonmouth Moccasin!  (Oh, the things I do!)

  Since I now know that these little owls are nesting nearby, I will be on the lookout for their nest.  In the meantime, though, the songbirds had better be on the lookout for their little ones!  All is fair in the survival of critters.  

Bop-A-Mole and the Great White Owl

  Since Sunday, I have been ill.  This is a rare thing for me so I am not sure how to respond to not feeling well.  Things hurt.  There are pains wracking the body but my descriptions must leave something lacking. On the first day of this malady, I started with a severe sore throat and fever.  A good heaping bit of sage/turmeric tisane squelched the throat pain but did nothing to assuage the fever.  I figured since it was not overly high, the fever could just run its course and all would be fine.  The next morning, Son checked on me.  "Everything ok?" he asked.  He had suffered the same malady back around Christmastime so knew that I was miserable.  I told him I was ok other than my head feeling like that Bop-A-Mole game.  "Huh?"  Never mind.....never mind.  It was hard to explain. With few other symptoms, I could not complain.  The low-grade fever lingered throughout the day and come nightfall had risen a good deal.  During the night, it had evidently rose to an extreme but being slightly delirious, by this time, I was unaware.  Morning saw me suffering quite a bit.  Once again...."You ok?"......"No!  The Great White Owl came last night."   Son understood this, handed me a single Tylenol and ambled off to make me an apple pie.  "No use in over-medicating." he said. Ha!


  The Great White Owl is a pretty exact gauge to how ill I am.  Ever since I was a child the owl would linger about in my dreams....terrifying the bejeebies out of me.  This all goes back to my folks.  When I was a tot, I had Scarlet Fever.  I was deathly ill since the medicines of today were not readily available at that time.  I was pretty much bedridden for a while.  It was at this same time that something was terrorizing Pop's chickens.  Each night dozens of hens were savagely attacked.  Most were only hurt but always the remains of one would be found.  Baby pigs were also starting to go missing.  Pop knew something had to be done so he took matters into his own hands.  It was early one morning that Mom bundled me up and took me outside to "see what Daddy has!" I expected something sweet and cuddly.  What I got was a lifetime "fever gauge" and nightmares.  I remember wobbling out to the yard.  When I was just a few feet from Pop, he reached down and picked up this huge barn owl that he shot.  I can remember screaming and bursting into tears as I thought the bird was attacking me.  I guess delirium does weird things to the brain.  Since that day, whenever I have a high fever, the bird visits.   My fever on the second night had reached above 103 degrees.  (Since I was pretty much out of it, I had not taken my temperature during the night but morning's reading was a bit above 103.)

Not exactly a "Great White Owl"  but pretty much how I have been feeling with Bop-A-Mole and all!

  The third night saw me back to Bop-A-Mole mode.  The Great White Owl had visited and obviously helped me through the roughest point.  I felt I was making progress since on the fourth night, even the moles vacated the premises. (I guess maybe the owl scared them!)  That night, I spent making a swing in dreamland.  I was much happier.  Last night, the Great White Owl returned as did the delirium.  The temperature jumped up once again.  

  Hopefully, things are on the road to betterment now.  Two visits from the Great White Owl in one week is almost too much.  

Totally Out of Character!

  Long ago, I was told that it was ok to be a bit different than the rest of the world.  Back when they were in high school, one of my son's friends told me to "Embrace your weirdness...It is what we all like about you." Well, its good to know that I am weird!  (Thanks, Christopher!)  Anyway, it made me realize that I have to be who I am and not worry about being accepted by others.  This was a strange lesson for a kid to teach an adult but, hey, better late than never!  So, that said, I embraced my weirdness and became someone that I liked.  One of the things that this realization did for me was to open up a whole new freedom with my artwork.  If I wanted to paint something realistic....I could.  If I wanted to paint something "off the wall"....I could.  I was not aiming to please anyone but myself and the way I felt at the moment.  

  This evening, I sat down to do an owl painting for the upcoming clue hunt.  I seriously thought of going the realistic mode and grabbed a bunch of paints from the bin.  Ok!  This should be great!  Only with bad eyes and equally bad lighting, I had mistakenly picked purple paint instead of brown.  Well, there was only one thing to do!  Take a hike on the wild side!  So, I did.  My owl turned into something that I might have found in a color book from my toddler days.  Bright colors dominated, strange lines demanded attention, heavy brush strokes ruled.  The owl is weird but, in a strange way, quite sane.

  Every now and again, we all need to let loose and do something quite out of character.  It feels good.  We all have a bit of weirdness in us but most stifle it beyond recognition.  We are afraid to step out of the comfort zone and do something a bit wild.  My weirdness leads to some pretty interesting art pieces but I like it.  Thanks, Christopher!  Your advice holds true!

Being Watched

  Have you ever gotten that eerie feeling that you are being watched? Somewhere out there in the dark a pair of eyes follows your every movement.  They are glued to you as if the watcher is studying you.  It is a creepy feeling.  I usually leave the windows and blinds open while I am in the living room during the evening.  The breeze off the Bay cools the house considerably so the air conditioning is not needed.  I have never had any qualms about doing this as we live far enough down the lane that not many folks venture down here.  Not to mention that the sounds of the Bayou give the place a certain aura that many folks find foreboding.  Those same sounds comfort me and bring me peace.  But still, some folks are a tad leery about tromping around after dark here. That said, lately, I have had the feeling that someone or something is watching me each evening.  It is a tad unnerving to say the least...especially when the old Bayou Dog pricks up her ears and growls at the exact moment.  Hmmm?

  Usually, I get the feeling just after dark.  I have even taken to closing the windows and blinds but this creates a bit of stifling mustiness to the air in the room.  Our humidity does not allow for much crispness of the air!  This evening, I was determined not to batten down the hatches, so to speak.  I would miss my nightly conversation with the mockingbird!  This determination led me to sit quietly and watch if anything...or anyone...came into the garden.  The watcher did come.

  Just after the mockingbird left the window ledge for the security of the rose thorns, I heard a slight rustle.  Aha!  I knew the source of my uneasiness would venture forth and stare through the window!  Just before the sun set in the west, the barred owl that follows me about the yard sometimes, flew into the Black Gum tree.  This tree is just about twelve feet from the window where I sit.  The bird has a perfect view of my every movement.  Now what in the world could this bird find interesting about my presence?  I watched the owl...the owl watched me.  Soon his "night-vision" allowed him to continue staring while my eyes struggled to even pick him out against the night sky.  

  My sense of foreboding was quieted and, tonight, I feel no need to protect myself against the unknown.  My bird friends are with me.  The mockingbird chirps occasionally from the safety on the arbor and the owl watches every movement in the garden.  Perhaps these are my protectors!  I feel a sense of security in their presence.

Whoo?

  Whoo?  Who did this?  For some reason, word has gotten out that I like owls.  In the past year, more owls than I can shake a stick at, have made their way to my house.  Not that I am complaining because I really do like the critters but most of the owls in question are not the real, flying, hooting, night creatures.  These are reasonable facsimiles of the birds.  Ceramic owls, metal owls, plastic owls, fabric owls have come as gifts.  Owl candle holders, owl potholders, owl wall plaques have been bestowed upon me.  Books about owls wait to be read.  Greeting cards with owls brightened my days.  Just about every type owl imaginable has found its way to the Little Bayou House.  It is definitely a good thing I like owls.

  Today, yet another owl came calling..  A black metal and brass bird was toted here by my sister-in-law.  Our aunt moved from her home and had to part with many items.  My sister-in-law saw that the owl was being discarded so she snatched up the prize and carried it to the Bayou.  "This looks like something that belongs here." she said.  Well, that made me happy!  I like owls and I love Aunt Sylvia so this owl is special to me!

  Now, I have to find a special nook for the owl to call home.  Whooo?  Who let the cat out of the bag about my affinity for owls?

Owls and Halloween...they go together!

  Well, it is that time of year for me.  That time when my thoughts turn strictly to fall and Halloween.  Yep, you heard that correctly, Halloween. I do understand that it is still September and there are quite a few days until the end of October but I feel you can never be ready enough for the big day to be here.  Not that we ever get any trick-or-treaters this far down on the Bayou but it is more the decorating that I crave.  I love to redo the house after the long stretch of non-holiday decor.  Fall and Halloween, for me, are the start of the holiday season where the Little Bayou House can be dressed in all of its gaudiness and still be considered "normal".  Not that I really ever fit with the term "normal" and not that my decorations ever fit with the term "normal" but at least with everyone else decorating, I have an excuse!  

  I do not feel too very bad though since, today while out in the garden, one of my "Halloween" friends stopped in to visit for a spell.  I was busy jerking out the spent basil plants when I felt that eerie feeling creep over me.  You know, the one that tells you that someone (or something) is watching you?  The hair-raising-on-the-back-of-the-neck creepy sensation that all eyes are on you?  Yeah, that one!  With a bit of trepidation of what I might find observing me, I turned to face my stalker!  Finding no one at ground level, my eyes turned skyward. Something must be in the treetops.  I am rarely mistaken when I think I am being watched.  Sure enough, on the third limb up from the ground, two large eyes stared at me from the nearby pine tree.

  My friend, the owl, had dropped by to inspect my work.  I am sure it was more casing the garden for the upcoming night's hunt but I like to think the owl comes to visit me and not spy for rat tunnels that are being exposed.  "Hi, Friend Owl.  Welcome to the garden!"  (I, indeed, chatted with the bird.)  The owl made no reply but, instead, just eyed me curiously.

   I figure that my Friend Owl needs to hang around the garden more often.  Not only will the bird do a fine job of ridding the place of rodents but its presence will be a fine addition to my Halloween decorations! Now, if I could only convince Friend Owl to bring a few ravens along for a visit, I would be thrilled!  (I guess I will have to be happy with a couple of crows, though, since ravens do not live around the Bayou.)

The Lesson of the Wise Old Owl

  Maybe it is just a sign that I am getting older or perhaps I was out in the pollen a tad too much but I had a bit of a "choking" spell early this afternoon.  I had been out in the garden and needed a drink of cooling water but with the first swallow, I gagged.  Hmmm?  No, I choked, gagged and gasped for breath.  Yeah, it was that bad.  I guess something just went down the throat wrong but for a solid hour, I coughed.  That coughing led to a sore throat and a pain that I could feel deep down in my chest.  It was not a happy feeling.  With that sore throat came a bit of difficulty talking for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  I am quite sure that folks around me were smugly satisfied with my lack of voice but this just added insult to injury.  It was bad enough for me to have pain but for the world to be deprived of my vast words of wisdom was just too much!  Ok..lets just say I could not talk.

  This lack of verbal skills led me to do a lot of thinking and the more I thought, the more I realized that perhaps the world would be a better place without my (or most other folks') constant chatter.  I came to the understanding that about ninety percent of what I say is not really important. (Sort of like blogging!)  Anyway, that sudden light-bulb moment, made me think of a small, framed quote that Mom gave to my son, Michael.  She said it reminded her of him even as a little boy.  He was a shy child that grew into a wise man but a man of few words.

      "A wise old owl lived in an oak;

       The more he saw, the less he spoke;

      The less he spoke, the more he heard;

      Why can't we be like that old bird?"

  When you think about it, this little rhyme would be a great life motto.  Most folks (me included) prattle far too much about nothing.  Words fall from the mouth with ease and without much thought behind them.  If only we followed the rhyme and really listened.  Listened to what was around us.  Listened to those who speak to us.  Listened to what we are about to say BEFORE it leaves our mouth.  Perhaps then, the world might be a better place.

The "Almost" Owl!

I have been "stalking" a big, ole owl around the hillside for the past few months.  I love to watch it as it goes about its business in the late afternoon or early morning hours.  The bird has grown most used to me now and would rather peer at me through its large, orange eyes than fly to another tree. I guess it knows that I mean it no harm so it does not fear me in the least.  Each night, it flies into the large hickory tree near the front door.  From that perch, the owl can watch for mice that come out to nibble birdseed under the feeders.  I am sure that it has found this is the place for a smorgasbord of rodents!  A meal for the taking can be found each night!  At dawn, the bird heads for the depths of the creekbed.  There it will spend the day resting in some hideaway free from the pestering jays.

This morning, I was out and about just about dawn.  The weather report called for a hard freeze tonight so I needed to get an early start picking the citrus fruit.  The five kumquat trees, two grapefruit trees and three Satsuma trees all still had tons of fruit hanging from the limbs. There was no way I was going to let that go to ruin! I opted to start with the kumquats as they are the hardest to pick.  I dragged the stepladder under the first tree and climbed to the top.  While picking, I had plenty of time to look about the hillside.  From the vantage point atop the six foot stepladder, the view was spectacular.  The kumquat trees are right at the edge of where the hillside starts to drop off down to the creekbed.   All of a sudden I spied my owl!  Just down the way a bit, the bird sat atop of a dead Black Gum Tree.  The wind had knocked  off the top of the tree and left nearly twenty feet of a stump.  My friend, Owl, evidently had started its journey to the creekbed and became sidetracked.  Perhaps a mouse or rabbit caught its attention for it was sitting just as still as a statue!  My chance to get a picture seemed far more important than the kumquats so I hurried down the ladder and around the back of the canebrake.  From there, I could get a clear shot!  The sky hung heavy with dark clouds from the approaching cold front and combined with the darkness lingering yet from the early morn, the lighting for the photograph would not be the best.  I would try anyway.  The bird was cooperating at least!  It never moved!  I took several shots and then decided to press my luck!  Maybe, just maybe, I could get closer!  I eased up another thirty or so feet.  Hmmm..the bird stayed put!  I took a few more pictures before I realized something appeared to be amiss.  This bird was TOO still.  I boldly marched closer still.  Nothing.  Not one movement.  Not one twitch.  Nothing!

Yep!  I had bamboozled by a bird!  I was hoodwinked by a Hooter! I was outsmarted by an owl..or the lack of one!  My "owl" was not!  No owl..no bird..just a tree stump had been the focus of a photo shoot!  Well...it was dark, you see...and the lighting was really bad...the clouds left things rather hazy...my eyesight is failing...umm, I was still groggy from getting up so early..maybe?  Well, I did get a good laugh from all of my sneaking around the hillside after an "almost" owl!  Friend Owl probably got a hearty chuckle about this, too, if it was watching from its nest!

The difference in taste..or Whoooo chose what?

Mark and I went shopping for a few more fall and Halloween decorations.  I had this preconceived idea of just how the Little Bayou House needed to be decorated this year.  I was determined to go "antique funky".  This is not really a style per se but more of a technique using what I have on hand and since my house is filled with an odd assortment of antique weird and wonderful things.  I was ready to add a few bright touches and perhaps some more funky things from the local thrift store.   I did manage to sneak in a few rather ummm..."unique" finds before he was ready to head to a "regular" store.  I should have known that once we entered things would go awry.  My "antique funky" thought went out the window.

The store was filled with the glitziest bunch of Halloween decorations I had ever seen!  Everything was covered with copious amounts of glitter.  As I tossed items in the shopping basket, I left trails of glitter behind me!  The shopping cart was sprinkling sparkles up and down the aisles!  Oooooh, this was fun!  (Perhaps not for the maintenance folks at the store but for me, I was Sparkle Queen and I was leaving my mark throughout the shop!  Then...I saw it!  There sat the cutest owl imaginable!  It had a woodsy tone yet also had glitz..just a touch but glitz!  I was totally taken!  This owl had to come home with me! I looked at Mark to see if he approved but he was not even paying one iota attention to me sooo....into the shopping cart went to the owl!!!  It was mine!

Just as the owl snuggled down in the cart, Mark turned to me with a broad grin.  He, too, had found an owl!  I started to giggle when I laid eyes upon the whimsical creature!  There was a large, black, glitter-covered owl with crossed eyes!  Mark reached out and touched the bird and the wings wiggled with wild abandon!  Oh, my goodness!  So much for antique funky..part of my decorations now would have to be just plain funky!  I was sure that I could find a place for a glittered owl...a large, glittered, wiggly owl!  The rest of the shopping trip paled in comparison to the purchase of these owls!

The Wise Old Owl and the Sweet Lady!

I have a very sweet sister-in-law who brightens up my day tremendously whenever she visits the Little Bayou House.  The other day Reva came and remarked at how delightful the house smelled.  Well, living on a bayou, I can assure you that this is not always the case.  A lot of times, it smells a lot like fish..or crabs..or shrimp..or even low tide if the wind is in the right direction but this time she was so right!  The house did smell nice!  I had lit a little votive candle under the scented wax "tart" and it filled the house with the sweet smell of hydrangeas! What timing this was!  Her visit and the wonderful scent wafting through the house coincided perfectly!  It surprised me that she had never seen the scented wax warmers.  Reva is usually one of those people who knows all about the nicer things that make a house a home. (Her home is gorgeously decorated and so welcoming to all that visit.)  I showed her the little vessel that is used to hold the scented wax and how to place the "tart" in the top with the votive candle beneath.  Reva oohed and aahed which made me feel awfully important and knowledgeable!  Out of impulse, I gave her a small warmer and a few tarts.  The dear, sweet lady thanked me profusely!

A few days later, Reva came back to the Little Bayou House bearing a gift!  She had found the cutest wax warmer!  It is in the shape of a little owl!  How perfect for the Little Bayou House!  And to think, I am just starting to decorate the place for Fall!  The owl will be the perfect addition to my decorations!  I pondered just where to place the little owl.  After much thought, I found the perfect place.  It will sit on top of the china cabinet right next to an antique framed verse about a "Wise  Old Owl".  This verse was given to me by Mom, years and years ago.  She said it reminded her of my son, Michael (the man of few words!).  Now, two very special items sit close together and remind me of two very special ladies.  Thank you, Sweet Reva!

Owl and the Mockingbird

The Owl and the Mockingbird..this almost sounds as if it could be the title of an Aesop's Fable. Sorry, it is not. This is the story of a fake owl that is supposed to keep birds from the garden. It is supposed to be a humane way of deterring birds and squirrels from devouring all of the fruit and berries. It is supposed to scare birds and squirrels..or so they say. By "they", I mean the wily salespeople at the garden centers. These are touted as "life-size, realistically hand-painted" owl scarecrows! No, I did not fall for their claims of pest-free gardens and buy one of these super heroes of plastic birds, I was donated two of them by Hurricane Katrina. (It is amazing what you find in your yard after flood waters leave ten feet of debris stacked against your house! I could either be devastated by the stuff or look at it as a treasure hunt..I chose the treasure hunt!) Anyway, back to the story! Since I fell as the unlikely heir of two "life-size, realistically hand-painted" owls, I decided to place them on the posts in the rose garden just to see if they really worked. They had been sitting in the in the corner for long enough! These "life-size, realistically hand-painted" owls needed to be put to work! Up on the posts they were to go! This in itself was not an easy task as each owl is filled part way with sand and weighs about ten pounds. Hoisting a ten pound plastic owl higher than my head is not that difficult, what was difficult was fighting the rose bushes to reach the post. Maybe, just maybe, this was not the brightest idea that I have ever had! I was determined and finally succeeded! Then my brother walks up and asks "Why are you putting them in the rose garden, birds won't eat roses." As if I did not know this! My goodness! I proceeded to tell him that it was a test..only a test. I actually chose this area since I could view both owls from the window and they were close to the birdfeeders. I was sure to have plenty of both birds and squirrels near. One of the owls was in perfect condition but the other was missing its beak. It did not seem to be quite as menacing as the other but I wondered if the other critters would notice that. I finally got both birds situated, went inside and sat at the table near the window. I slowly sipped my coffee and stared at the owls..nothing..maybe it was going to work! Maybe I could use these in the peach garden or near the blackberry fence or even near the blueberries! This would save me the trouble of having to shoo the birds!

Ok, after I finished my coffee, staring at plastic birds bored me! They were not doing anything exciting..just sitting there. I went about my daily chores and forgot about the owl test. I picked

grapefruit, did the laundry, baked cranberry/cream cheese bars, and made a few pieces of jewelry. I forgot about my test until I went out the door to haul in firewood for the evening.

There sitting on one of the owls, staring at the twin plastic bird, was a mockingbird. It was sitting right on TOP of my "life-size, realistically hand-painted" owl! The mockingbird did not look frightened at all! As matter of fact, I think he was settling in for the night! I think he was roosting on my "life-size, realistically hand-painted" owl! So much for using these things as critter deterrents! If it was going to be used as a roosting place for this bird, chances are it would not scare anything away from my blackberries! My blueberries nor my peaches will be safe! I guess the "life-size, realistically hand-painted" owls will be kept as Halloween decorations and not as a garden aids!