Crows, Scarecrows and Memories

  About mid afternoon, another ruckus could be heard out in the yard.  This one, however, was not nearly as exciting as the one sent up by the eagles.  Dozens of crows were circling above the house and each one felt the need to caw incessantly.  As I sat watching, more and more crows gathered. The birds flew about the place making their noise for a good hour before finally drifting off toward the east.  While I normally am ok with a crow or two hanging about the place, I was not too thrilled to see this many. Thoughts of "Good riddance!" fluttered through the mind as the crows left the area but. at the same time. a silly memory bounced in there, too.

  Back on the farm, Pop grew a lot of corn.  He always had his fields planted long before others thought the weather was warm enough.  The corn was necessary as food, a saleable crop and as food for the livestock.  Acre after acre was planted and cared for during late February and early March.  Then another crop was put in during midsummer.  This was one of the most important crops that the small farm produced since it fed so many.   The first harvesting was sold and also supplied our needs at the present time.  From this harvesting, we also prepared for the winter months.  Hundreds of ears were husked and frozen for later.  After the freezers were full, the remainder of the corn was allowed to dry on the stalk.  Once dried, we would harvest truckloads of the ears and store them for feed for the livestock.  Out of these dried ears, Pop would always save the largest, fullest ears to be used as seed for the next year.  It was one of my jobs to hand shell the kernels (from the cobs), inspect the seeds for varmints such as weevils and then store them in tight containers.   Corn, indeed, was an important crop.

  With this early planting, came the threat of crows pulling up the tiny plants to get to the seed underground.  When a flock the size of the one today would enter the fields, they could ruin the entire crop in a matter of a few hours.  The birds would methodically bob up and down the straight rows pulling the tiny plants.  The seed was plucked from the end and the plant laid to the wayside.  Pop was always listening for the crows and often had to dash to the field with his shotgun to scare them away.  Only occasionally would he actually kill a bird with those shots.  It was not his intention to shoot them but to scare them from the fields.  He was a firm believer that you did not kill anything that was not to be used as food.  

  I remember when I was a youngster in grade school, my teacher had put up decorations for fall/Halloween.  One of those decorations was a nice sized scarecrow.  This started my brain to thinking about why Pop had to shoot at the crows if he could just build a scarecrow.  I was determined to help Pop with his duties on the farm!  I would build a scarecrow so he did not have to race to the fields when he heard the crows cawing!  What a dutiful daughter I was!  I worked hard on my scarecrow and even convinced my brother to help me.  He and I were cohorts in so many escapades as kids but this one was at least helpful...so we thought.  With clothes from the clothesline, a few sticks from the woods and hay from the barn, we made quite the structure!  When we proudly brought our scarecrow out to show everyone, it received a round of giggles from our older siblings, a scolding from Mom for using her clean laundry and a thoughtful "Well, we better not put that in the field since I may need those pants."  Pop suggested that a better use would be as a decoration for the Halloween Carnival."  Pop was always the head of the local school's PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) which hosted the best carnivals for all of the local kids!  My brother and I were proud to drag that poor scarecrow to the school that weekend for the carnival, Pop was probably appreciative for the help (at least, I hope) and the crows were saved from dying by choking back giggles at the "terrifying scarecrow" in the fields.  Yes, it was that pathetic. 

  Isn't it funny how a simple thing like a flock of birds can trigger a memory so lost in time?  This was one of those occasions that laid hidden behind cobwebs in the dark recesses of my brain for some fifty years or so before being brought to light again.  Maybe I should thank the crows for jogging thoughts of happy times!

Scare Crows?

  A couple of days ago, a large flock of crows flew over the house.  I should not say "flock" here but rather "murder" or "congress" as those are the collective nouns for a large mass of these birds.  Call me lazy but it is easier to stick with the old standby of "flock of birds" instead of trying to remember the numerous different names attributed to different birds.  Each type of bird has its own cutesy title.  While this makes for a flowery speech it does little to signify anything in everyday life.  I can only imagine the lengthy explanation each time I would use a term such as "charm of finches" or "kettle of hawks".  Yep, those are both appropriate terms.  Can you imagine?  "I had a kettle of hawks in the yard today"..."What?  You cannot cook hawks!  That is illegal!"  And so the explanation would begin as I would try to assure the concerned onlooker that I meant no harm.  Anyway like I said, a large flock of crows flew over the Little Bayou House.  They were making their usual racket which made me stop gathering firewood long enough to look upwards. Unlike geese, crows do not follow the customary V-formation. They fly anywhere and everywhere they please.  The whole sky was filled with crows.  Some flying higher than others, some flying close together while others were stragglers bringing up the rear.  

  All of the commotion that the birds were creating was picked up by the blue jays.  It seems that they could not be outdone by the raucous crows.  The cacophony brought back memories of being on the farm. Pop raised a good bit of corn to not only feed us, but also feed the farm critters throughout the cold winters.  Acres and acres of corn were planted, tended and harvested.  Some ears were picked early while the kernels were tender and sweet, other ears were left to dry in the field. Those dried ears were harvested and saved for seed for the next year and for feed for the chickens, cows and hogs. Those dried ears were also what attracted the crows. With all of his cornfields, I never once remember a scarecrow being placed out to shoo the birds from raiding the corn. The functionality of scarecrows must be pure myth!  Whenever Pop (or any other farmer) heard a flock of crows nearing the field, he would grab his shotgun and make haste through the woods to the fence row.  There he would sit until the crows decided a meal would be tasty. Then...Pop would let loose.  Boom!  Squawks and black feathers would fill the air.  That, my friends, was our scarecrow!  It worked.  The crows would leave the field to find a less dangerous diner.  This may seem cruel by today's standards but back then it was called survival.  If the fields were left to be ravaged by the birds, kids and farm animals would go hungry.  That was just a fact.  

  Back to those scarecrows...we did occasionally make one.  It was not to be used in the fields but as a fall decoration for the annual Halloween carnival that was held at the local school.  For the longest time, I never made the connection that the stuffed chap was supposed to actually be a farm tool.  It was just a cute decoration that Mom would whip up using Pop's old clothes and some hay from the barn.  To be honest, I don't think any bird would be scared of something like that anyway!

Family Fun!

It is always nice to have family around the place. Here on the Bayou, it is only occasionally that the entire family gets together due to work or school schedules. To my way of thinking, the visits from my kids are too far and few in between. I miss them terribly. This weekend, Darling Daughter drove down from just outside of Memphis to spend a little time with us. To my way of thinking, this visit was far too short but she reassured me several times that soon she and my son-in-law will be closer. As soon as she finishes Grad School, they plan to move closer to the Coast! To my way of thinking, this is the best thing that could ever happen!

In the meantime though, I have to settle for "family" where I can find it! True, Hubby and Son are here but sometimes you just have to surround yourself with a few strange members of the family clan! In lieu of living, breathing relatives, I have my Scarecrow Family! Darling Daughter and I dug through the Fall Decorations and found the dozen or so scarecrows and the goodly number of crows. We pulled out foam pumpkins and squash. Together we hung garlands of Fall leaves and filled baskets with mini gourds. She helped me to arrange the Scarecrow Family in a pleasing manner in the livingroom. Here, for the next few months, these "stuffed-shirts" will keep me company! Darling Daughter placed each in the midst of the pumpkins and gourds while Son made comical remarks about each. When the leg fell off of one of the crows, a spiel of giggles filled the room. It was like old times..good times. During the next few weeks, I will add to the decorations and soon the Scarecrow Family will seem to take on a life of its own. The entire house will become a Fall scene but it is not about the decorations..it is about the time spent together. She will head back to her home in the morning and I will get back into my routine of daily life on the Bayou. It will be weeks or months before I will see her again but when we do, we will pick up right where we left off as if it were just a day or so. Time and distance are irrelevant..family and love are important. We have that!

Watermelon Time!

The day has come! The watermelon vine growing in the garden has produced a wonderfully large melon. Is it ripe? Just how do you tell? My dad always used the "thump" method..he would walk around the field thumping this melon then that melon. Somehow the man always could pick out the ripest melons. He used to tell me to listen for "thud" not "poink"! I had no idea..thud.. poink ..thud.. poink. My thuds and poinks all sounded the same. By the time I finished thumping melons, my finger was sore and no melon had been picked. He also used the "squish" method. To do this, he would press down on the melon firmly and listen. If he heard a squish or slight cracking noise, he knew the melon was red ripe and ready to eat. This method seemed to be easier for me..I was good at squishing things! Only one drawback to this test..you only get one chance. If you squished and it was not ripe, it would never squish again. But now it was time to check our melon. The one on the volunteer vine that completely took over the garden. The rogue runner that climbed fences and escaped into the yard had a gorgeous large melon. It was literally hanging on the fence. It dangled there growing larger and larger. It needed picking..it was time for the test. Thump, thump, thump. Now was that a thud or a poink? Hmmm.. sounded more like a "thoink"! Is a thoink ripe? Well, maybe the squish test was in order. I knelt on the ground with my ear close to the melon. Hands ready..I pressed. Wait was that a squish? Could it be?? Oh, it was a squish alright..my marvelous melon had rolled right on a bell pepper that had fallen from a nearby plant. Now I had no idea if my melon was ready or not. My squish test had failed and my thumps had turned to thoinks. Enough is enough! I pulled off the melon's stem and toted the beauty inside. My son took down a nice sharp knife and poked the melon gingerly. A large "crack" and it split into two parts. The red ripeness trickled over the sides and onto the table. Our melon was ripe! Beautiful! Delicious! Just think..there are five more melons on this vine just waiting for my precise method of ripeness testing!

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing in the Fall decorations box. After much pulling, shoving and poking, I created a "hay bale" for the scarecrows. There was a very large cooler sitting in my living room ever since May and my daughter's wedding. This was covered with burlap and is now a "hay bale"! I know that I am probably the only crazy lady that does not mind a family of scarecrows residing in her living room but they look so happy being out of their box!

Its Fall!

Not really..not yet..well, maybe.. but only in my mind! Fall officially begins on September 22 and that is several weeks away yet. It is close enough though, for me to pull out all of the Fall decorations so my house will at least be ready for the change of seasons. Maybe it is just wishful thinking on my part that if I decorate for Autumn, cooler weather will follow. Or maybe I am still just a kid at heart and have never outgrown the wonderment of crisp, cool nights, bonfires and Halloween carnivals. I love Fall! There is almost a sensory overload with all of the glorious colors (oranges, reds and browns), the haunting sounds (leaves rustling, crows cawing and owls hooting) and the enticing aromas (baked apples, pumpkin bread and roasted peanuts!). With all of my senses bursting at the seams, I tend to over-decorate. I move from room to room towing boxes of stuff behind me. No room is safe..there is no place that is off-limits to my madness..well almost no place. I decorate the stairs..the kitchen..living room and dining room. Then the bathroom and laundry room get whisked into the frenzy. The bedrooms.. here I have to be a bit sneaky. My son really does not want pumpkins on his computer desk or pillows of orange adorning his bed and my husband refuses to have pumpkin and bat lights strung up above him while he sleeps. He is, however, ok with the orange pillows! (Need I mention here that he is colorblind??) But the guest rooms are free zones! Oh, and the entryway..my favorite..because it also qualifies as an outdoor decoration! There are lots of windows so everything in this tiny room can be viewed as anyone approaches the house. FUN! The entire house will be covered in garlands of bright leaves, pumpkins and scarecrows. I am like a mad woman..rushing around as if my very existence depends upon every inch of this domain being plastered with a bauble of some sort. Here, I must admit that my favorites are the scarecrows and the crows! There is just something about them that tickles my fancy. I have started collecting them so soon I will have an entire family. They just make me smile as they stand there with their painted on grins while holding tiny rakes or baskets of vegetables. It is funny how growing up on a farm, I never remember having a scarecrow in the cornfields. I suppose there were enough kids running around that putting up a fake man was rather pointless. You turn five wild and rowdy, country kids loose in a field and not too many animals dare stick around. Nor do I remember our house being decorated for Autumn, but mine will be! Everything will be in place, then I can start slipping the Halloween gewgaws into place! What a word! (Gewgaws -doodads.. trinkets. Pronounced as googaws") It seems to be a fitting word for Halloween trinkets.. gewgaws! Yep, sounds quite nice! Anyway, the house will be bedecked in its fall finery by the end of the weekend if all goes well and then it will be time for bonfires, s'mores and ghost stories! I love Fall!!!