Whew! What a job!

  Our son-in-law is an incredible ballroom dance instructor and, once each year, he hosts an event that showcases dancers.  Students, instructors and professional dancers all strut their stuff for several hours at the catered event.  It is always a sold out gala and everyone seems to enjoy themselves.  While I cannot dance, I am involved!  Mark and I head over to the venue to help decorate.  Darling Daughter always has a vision of what the place should look like and works tirelessly to create that look.  It is my job to be her helper and Mark's to usually go get things we forgot.  We spend about 7 hours on 14ft ladders putting up lights and buntings, do tablescapes and decorate the front of the stage.  Trust me, folks.  It is not an easy job but somehow, we manage to pull it all together.

  This year, I admit that I was a bit out of sorts.  The stress of things here made me almost back out of helping this year.  I am glad that I went, however, as I see now, that Elizabeth could never achieve the finished product without the "hired (unpaid) help". Even though she would give it a try and would most likely get most of it done, there just would not be the time to complete everything.  An extra set of hands is needed.  She would simply collapse from sheer exhaustion before finishing.  This evening, we are both deliriously tired but satisfied with our efforts to help Robbie pull off another successful event.  His talents, her talents and a handful of helpers' assistance really come together to be something special.

Solid as an Oak

  Like most other folks, there have been times when I have gotten wanderlust.  Not often...just a few times but still, I pondered what it would be like to roam the world or live elsewhere.  My brain would dream of all sorts of fantastical places that might tickle the fancy but, here lately, the conclusion was reached that my life would probably be right here on the Bayou.  Chances are, I will never leave.  Not that it would be a bad thing to travel but I am comfortable here.  I figure that I am a part of the Bayou just as it is a part of me.  

  Just recently, it struck me that this place has far too many memories bouncing around it.   Perhaps that is what keeps me tied to it.  The bond is as solid as an oak...particularly one oak.  Down by the marsh edge, there stands an old oak tree that my kids had dubbed as "Old Man Oak".  Way back when they were still young enough to climb trees, this was their favorite.  Old Man Oak held them in his arms high above any perils of the world.  The tree guarded them against all of the "ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties" that roamed the Bayou (to borrow a line from the Scottish poem "Things That Go Bump in the Night").  More oft than not, when I would wonder where in the world the kids had traipsed, I could find them in this tree.   There, they were as far away as their imaginations could take them, yet, still safe in the arms of the Old Man.

  Yesterday being my birthday, my son-in-law stopped in with a plate of home-baked cookies. (Not many mothers-in-law can say their sons-in-law bake for them!  I can!)  While here, he and I stood in the yard talking and he made the comment that "You can never sell this place.  It just would not be right for you to be anywhere else."  He is right.  I would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else that would suit me.  My love for the Bayou is as solid as Old Man Oak so unless there is another mystical, magical swamp that can lure me, I will stay right here.

Curious Pepper!

  Well, folks!  It is raining....AGAIN!  The rain gauge read five full inches from midnight to 7am.  That is a lot of rain! Things are flooded and there is no end in sight.  It has rained all day and is predicted to do so for the next couple of days.  Then, after a brief respite of one day, the week ahead looks just as wet.  All of this rain (and a sore back from cleaning the Frog Pond) kept me inside today.  I was just starting to get bored when I received a phone call from my son-in-law.  He was at the vet's office with yet another "throwaway" pet that my daughter rescued. Since they use the same vet as we do, he was just minutes away from the Little Bayou House.  "I have a huge favor to ask....Can you watch Pepper for me for a few hours while I go to work?"  Could I?  Yay!  I had something to entertain me for the day!

  So Pepper came to the Little Bayou House and immediately claimed it as her own.  While Ms. Put, the old Bayou Queen, snoozed in the entryway and Ms. Nycto, the Bayou Princess, insisted on staying out in the rain, the little visitor kept me company.  She explored the living room from top to bottom.  Every piece of furniture had to be inspected, every inch of floor sniffed and every nook entered.  It was not long before she realized that she could walk the window ledge and get between the blinds and pane.  At first, she was content to eye the squirrel that lives in the oak tree near the house but when she discovered that her field of view was vastly increased by standing, she was a happy camper!  At that height, she could see over the fence.  This opened up a whole new world of sights.  

  Watching the little cat explore did, indeed, make the dreary day a lot brighter.  Had Robbie not brought Pepper by for a visit, the day would have been quite dull.  It is amazing how our critter friends bring happiness into our lives.  Thank you, Robbie, for sharing this precious (albeit curious) cat with me!

Twins!

  About noontime, Mark and I headed over to our daughter and son-in-law's place for a Father's Day cookout.  Robbie was grilling hamburgers which was the perfect meal to have for his father-in-law.  You just cannot go wrong with a burger for a guy!  After we ate, Elizabeth and I took our usual stroll about the place.  We checked her gardens, the spot she chose for a shoofly and the trimming job that Robbie did on the oak tree.  All looked well kempt.  

  She then showed me her satsuma and grapefruit trees. "Caterpillars ate my satsuma tree." she bemoaned but then looking at the bright side "But look!  I have twins!  Sure enough on the trunk of the little tree, two fat chrysalides were suspended by thin silk.  Elizabeth informed me that there were more caterpillars on the little trees but she smashed them not realizing just what they were.  When I told her that these caterpillars will change into Great Swallowtails, she was all for leaving them.  So the bush got pruned until it was nigh on devoid of leaves.  The "Orange Dogs" were fat and happy!  Twins!  

  The Giant Swallowtail butterfly lays her eggs on citrus trees if available, hence the name Orange Dog caterpillar.  These caterpillars bear a striking resemblance to fresh bird poop.  This is not their only defense, however.  If threatened, bright red "horns" called osmeterium emerge from their head and emit an odor that is quite convincing of the bird poop camouflage.  Not too many critters want to go around eating stinky bird poop so the caterpillars munch away unmolested.

  While the menfolk decided to do a bit of mechanical work on the lawnmower, Elizabeth and I had a grand time exploring her place a bit more.  All in all, it was a delightful way to spend the afternoon!

Too Eager To Discard

  I think sometimes folks are too eager to discard things.  It was instilled in me long ago by family members that had gone through hard times that not making full use of items is wasteful.  Back in better days, folks knew how to use everything to its fullest potential.  Waste was considered a bad thing.  It still is in my eyes.  We are living in a "throwaway" society nowadays.

  This discarding idea is fine (I guess) when it comes to material items but when living beings become disposable, it worries me. When I was taught that it was wasteful to discard usable items, I was also taught that you never mistreated a living being.  Now, it seems to be the norm to discard pets whenever the mood strikes.  Toss them out like trash...is the mentality of a lot of people who refuse to understand that critters have feelings, too.  All of our furry family members have been what others have deemed as refuse.  We have rescued more than our fair share of the critters and have cared for them in the best way we possibly could.  At times, this was difficult financially and physically but we managed. Darling Daughter and her husband seem to have taken up the idea of caring for the unwanted.  Elizabeth and Robbie have rescued at least eight "throwaway" pets in the past few years.  Some, they have rehomed with loving families while four they have kept themselves.  

  A recent visit to their house brought joy to my heart.  The pup, Sunny, that they had rescued a few years back, is doing well.  This is the puppy that I fostered for them for a while.  She is absolutely a charmer!  Now, they have added Nox to their little family.  Robbie and Elizabeth found Nox at their gate starving and weary.  Without a second thought, they brought her inside, fed and bathed her.  For weeks they tried to find Nox's missing family but no one was there.  It was then that the realization came to them...THEY were her family.  Nox has settled in well and is enjoying the good life now.  How wasteful the previous family was to have tossed either of these fine animals to the wayside!  How beautiful it is that Robbie and Elizabeth have such kind hearts.  People are just too eager to toss things (and pets) to the wayside.

Good Health and Long Life

  Darling Daughter and her hubby just got back from a dream vacation. Ten days in Greece seemed to agree with the two of them as they both looked happy and hale.  Their visit to the Little Bayou House made me happy as well.  I was eager to hear all about their trip and to see pictures and souvenirs that they had brought back with them.  I was truly fascinated as I never travel much.  As they chattered about the different places they went and the different sights they saw, I flipped through several picture books of the area.  Wow!  Greece must be a remarkably beautiful place!  With each photograph, I received their own experiences about being there. It was amazing that I could travel through their words. 

  While in Greece, they purchased two items that were for me.  One is a perfectly lovely little vase that was handmade at one of their stops. Elizabeth explained to me how the vase was made, fired and then decorated with different colored clay and fired again.  There were no glazes applied to this piece.  All of the decorations were done with clay. The other piece is a small bowl which came from another stop on their journey.  This, too, was handmade but with a different technique.  It is highly glazed and very detailed.  One thing that the two pieces have in common is the decorative scroll border.  While they are a bit different in style they both have a similar meaning.  When the borders are seen on a piece, it means "Good health and long life".  Elizabeth told me that was the reason she bought these for me.  Aww, sweet!  

   The "good health and long life" symbol is a beautiful thought. Occasionally, I have used this same  border on ceramic or gourd pieces that I created.  At the time, I did not know the symbolic meaning behind the border but it is almost as if I was unknowingly bestowing a blessing upon those receiving the art pieces.  I do believe I will now include the tiny border somewhere on each future piece I create.  

  The idea behind the small design is intriguing and I did notice that I felt much better today than I have in a long time.  To my way of thinking, that had nothing to do with the scrollwork but everything to do with Elizabeth and Robbie coming to visit.  There is nothing like family being around to make everything right.  So, Good health and long life to all!