Tiny Bits of Magic!

   Most folks who know me have serious doubts about my sanity, I am sure.  I tend to live in "my own little world" and block out the woes of the world.  People take things far too seriously and never allow themselves to cut loose and dwell in a fantasy land for a while.  Maybe I am totally wrong on this.  Perhaps others live in a fantasy world full of strife, conspiracy theories and unrest.  Maybe...just maybe...my Bayou is the "real world" and here is where real life takes place.  Then again...there are those who have doubts....which is fine by me because I do not have to be bothered with inane problems that can never be solved.  Mysteries...on the other hand...do not NEED to be solved!  They need to be enjoyed for what they are and that is it.  Mysteries and magic of the Bayou are all it takes.

  On my hikes about the place, I can find endless mysteries and copious amounts of pure magic.  (That is another fallacy being spread about.  Most say that magic has to be made.  Nope...it happens.  It just happens and is there for the fortunate to find and enjoy.)  This morning led me far down behind the canebrake where I was in hopes of finding mosses and ferns still intact after our bout of freezing weather.  The mosses were fine but the fern fronds were brown and withered.  This saddened me as the creek bed is one of the few places left wild.  It is full of magical happenings there!

  One point of beauty simply was found underfoot.  Fairy Footprints!  Yep, those tiny, white flowers were popping up everywhere!  These are some of the first wildflowers to bloom each year after winter starts to wane.  They do not seem to mind overnight frost as long as the days warm.  In fact, they do not even mind the shady nooks of the creek bed...those places overshadowed by underbrush or leafy oaks.  This groundcover is also often called Roundleaf Bluets or simply Innocence.  I call it magic for no other reason than the smile the blooms can bring to the face and the joy to the heart.  Find your magic, folks.  Find it...I promise, it is not something that needs to be made...it is already there.

Fairy Footprints!

   I always knew there was something highly magical about the Bayou and the surrounding area.  Things just seem different here which means that I fit in perfectly.  Those who wish to be kind call me a bit "offbeat" or unique but those who put it bluntly just call me weird.  I am ok with whatever label folks wish to slap on me as long as they leave me be.  I am perfectly happy being among my critter friends without interference from the turmoil of society.  The magic here is soul-soothing and happy.

  While out on my early morning hike, I was mesmerized by the kaleidoscope of colors presented by the rising sun.  As usual, my hike started by a walk to the pier then around the shoreline to the back of the property near the canebrake.  The colors of the sky kept changing with each step I took.  At this time of year, I am at ease looking up but, soon, my gaze will be where I step.  Warmer weather will bring out the cottonmouths making the "horizon-gazing" limited.  I am mighty happy that at one point, I did sit on a log for a bit as that led me to spy the fairy Footprints!

  Fairy Footprints, Innocence or Roundleaf Bluet is a low-growing groundcover type plant that usually pops up where you least expect it.  The plant itself goes unnoticed until the bright white, four-petal blooms appear.  Then, even though very tiny, the plant demands attention!  It is hard not to lovingly admire the sweet blooms.  This is one plant that would be difficult to find in the local nursery as there is not much demand for such tiny plants.  This morning's plant was perhaps only an inch in height.  What it lacked in stature, however, it made up for with beauty.  Things like this are what make the Bayou magical.  Maybe not finding the plant but being able to purely delight in its beauty....undisturbed.