Same day...two seasons?

   You hear a lot about the crazy weather, as of late.  While it appears that the whole world has been having its share of weird weather related occurrences, it has really has not changed.  Weather has always happened.  What changed is that we are now bombarded with up-to-the-minute "news" about everything.  In other words, we have media overload.  Years back, weather happened everywhere on this old globe but there was not this instantaneous barrage of sensational news headlines to keep us "informed" or rather over informed.  I am not sure it is going to make my day any different if I hear of a rainstorm halfway around the world just as it will not be of importance to anyone on a different continent that the Bayou had an ice storm.  Media overload does nothing but create panic and raises the stress levels.  It is not needed.

  Still...closer to home...as matter of fact...IN my home, it appears that we have had two seasons in one day!  (Now isn't that of the utmost importance?)  I was in the kitchen baking up a batch of Bayou Cheesy Crackers when I noticed the view outside of the kitchen window.  Ahh, lovely!  It was nice to see the deep green leaves of the citrus trees as they are finally looking better after our winter.  Then there were the bright green leaves and red blooms of the Buckeye tree!  Those blooms looked fiery in the bright sunshine!  Springtime was definitely in full swing!  How lovely!  My eyes turned to the other window in the kitchen.  Uh, oh!  The view from that window appeared to be in the dead of winter!  How can that be?  The windows are only about two feet apart yet the views were in such contrast!  The left window showed a happy springtime view where the right one showed browns and grays of winter. 

  Actually, the left window overlooks a part of the yard that was quite dismal just a few weeks ago, the citrus trees had taken a beating but with a lot of trimming and hard work, they are now making a comeback.  The yard is alive again...well, some of it.  The right window overlooks the small Frog Pond backed by the canebrake.  The cane did not fare as well as the other plants and trees.  It is still brown and quite dead looking.  The 500+ canes will need to be cut back and ground for mulch.  Hopefully, new shoots will sprout from the rootstock.  The cutting is something that should have been done weeks ago but other things got in the way.  Now, I hate to do it.  Several birds have nested in the dead canes and small critters have dens among the roots.  All are raising their young and I do not have the heart to disturb that.  The canebrake will have to wait for a more opportune time to be thinned.  

  Still, I found the contrast interesting...on the left, the life only spring can bring and on the right, the death left behind by an unusual ice storm.  Perhaps, I am the only one to view things in this skewed way but, in all fairness, I was not feeling the best today so maybe it is just the brain that is skewed and not the view.  Oh, and yes, I do have hardware cloth on the window (and soon the others).  There are a few of the critters that live around here that stop at nothing to raid a kitchen.  Mere window screens are no match for them!

Taking Time for Autumn

   Being down here on the Bayou by myself most of the time, I sort of lose track of time.  There is no need for it.  This sounds strange for someone who collects and repairs antique clocks.  "There is no need for keeping track of time."  But...here I am.  I pretty much live by the "feel" of things.  Most days are centered around the weather not time.  I plant when the weather is right.  I work when the weather is right.  I fish when the weather is right.  There are days when I cannot tell you the time, the day of of the week or even what day of the month it is.  There is no "rat-race" when the rats are doing their thing and I am doing mine.  I go for months without ever leaving the place. 

  That said, I do pretty much keep track of seasons!  Those are hard not to recognize when they flip.  Today, it occurred to me that autumn must be near.  As I was working the Small Gardens for my fall planting, a sure sign of the seasonal change was evident.  Next to the gate of the vegetable garden, two stalks of blooms wafted gently on the breeze.  One was the chives that now dot the hillside in wild abandon and the other was a nerine lily.  Usually, hundreds of these blooms (both) can be spotted around the place but with the severe drought that has befallen us, these are the only two to be found.  Both of these are spindly due to that lack of rain.  It saddens me but, at the same time, gives me hope.  If it is autumn, perhaps we shall began to see some rain coming our way. and the summer heat will be pushed away for a few months.  I am ready for that change and thankful that the plants are doing their best to remind me that it is "time" for the seaonal change.

That is "Plum" Silly!

   After our "winter" last month, spring came in a hurry.  Our four day cold spell led to a bunch of confused plants and critters...me included.  The weather staying below freezing for four days (and nights) straight was almost unheard of around here.  Once it warmed again, we immediately went to spring with birds nesting, frogs serenading and plants blooming.  My brain can not wrap around the fact that essentially...we are still in winter.

  While the citrus trees in full bloom is concerning, one plum tree has gone whacko.  I was out cleaning the Frog Pond when I saw something that "just shouldn't be".  There dangling from one of the branches of the plum tree was a nice sized fruit.  It is still green and has a lot of growing to do before being deemed fit to pick but there is a plum...a single plum...no buds, no blooms, no leaves...just a single plum.  It is nonsensical to even consider.  It is March!  How did the tree decide to set one plum?  What possessed it to produce just a solitary bloom in the first place?  Oh, Mother Nature!  You are messing with my brain!

One Day...Four Seasons

   Sometimes, Mother Nature just cannot make up her mind.  She, like so many of us, can be described as downright fickle!  Frosty one day, hot the next seems to be the norm now.  I am ok with that but, my goodness, Mother Nature, don't go smacking the seasons totally together!  That just gets far too confusing for everyone!

  Early this morning, I wandered through the gardens only to wind up behind the greenhouses.  Being as this area is sheltered from the north wind, I had left the potted lemon trees on the little back deck with good intentions of finally getting them transplanted in the ground.  Since the other citrus trees fare well during our winters, I figured there was not much use in lugging the huge pots into the greenhouse.  The trees did well and I was fully surprised to see new growth and large buds on the branches!  Whoa!  Hold on, Lemon Trees!  It is not spring yet!  The trees begged to differ, however.  As I looked, I began to notice more and more buds on all four lemon trees.  Well, if a late freeze does come, I suppose I shall be hauling the trees into the greenhouse after all just to try to save the blooms.  Mother Nature!  You sure are pushing it!  I shook my head in disbelief.

  Turning back toward the garden, a flash of red caught my eye.  Oh, my!  Just a few steps before, it was spring!  Now, it is fall!  Yep, one of the Sweetgum trees was in its glory with red leaves!  The bright red leaves brought some much needed color to the yard but that poor tree must totally be confused!  The small tree stuck out like a sore thumb among all the drab of winter.  

 Huh?  Wait!  It IS supposed to be winter!  Fall was several months ago!  Come on, Mother Nature!  Really?  Spring and fall right in the middle of winter?  My thoughts were jumbled.  I was trying to wrap my head around what was happening here as I slapped a mosquito that was buzzing around my ear.  Mosquito???  Oh, no....summer, too?  Mother Nature!  This is too much!  Stop it!  *Just as an added note...our temperatures reached nigh on 80 degrees this afternoon but are supposed to plummet into the 30s tonight.  Crazy!

Creeping In...

  Despite have a couple of cool nights, I think spring must have come slipping in without big fanfare.  Lady Spring has a way of letting us know by subtle hints before bursting forth in all her glory.  A tiny wood sorrel bloom, a bird calling for its mate or just a warm night can bring joy because these are harbingers of what is to come.  Usually, here on the Bayou, one of our first clues is hordes of gnats.  This year, however, those gnats never disappeared so their presence meant nary a thing.  Still, I do believe spring has quietly come.

  As Son and I were working out back near the canebrake, a slight breeze wafted our way and caused me to stop in my tracks!  Yep!  That is the "smell" of spring.  The citrus trees are all pushing out their blossoms and the yard is filled with the sweet scent.  The first to bloom are always the lemon trees followed by the navel oranges then come the satsumas and grapefruit.  What I was smelling today was the navel oranges and lemons!  How delightful!

  Our chores soon took us to the opposite side of the house where I smelled the marsh but found more evidence of spring.  The fig trees were all budding out with new leaves and one had a brave little fig!  There was not a leaf on the tree but a tiny little fig had decided it was time to make a debut!  Ta-da!  I am here!  Oh, little figlet (yeah, I know...not a word but should be!), you may be getting a tad chilly before you are able to mature but I admire your tenacity!

  So, perhaps I did not pull all of the potted plants out of the greenhouse prematurely.   Perhaps, I will not have to drape blankets over said plants because of threatening frost (like last night).  Perhaps...just perhaps Lady Spring is here to stay.

Welcome Autumn!

  Autumn...of all the seasons, I do believe this may be a favorite...at least until winter.  Then, Winter...I think winter may be my favorite.  And so on...Perhaps, I need a change and the seasons provide that.  Here lately, however, there has not been that much change in the weather to merit a change in the seasons.  We have rain...daily rains that keep things soggy, smelling a tad musty and making outside slippery.  I do not complain, though, since I do love the rain.  Still, it is time for a change...so Dear Autumn, I am glad you are here.

  With fall comes the annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou.  Usually by this time, the Little Bayou House is adorned in some weird getup that coincides with the hunt.  I am behind schedule and nothing is ready.  There have been too many interruptions for me to complete anything.  The entryway (being the smallest room in the house) has been decorated somewhat.  It was the easier to do since each room of the hunt was to have a different color theme.  The entryway was orange!  Well, hello!!  Orange and Halloween go hand in hand for me so the decorations demanded to be "pre-Halloween"!  Fall decorations that can easily accept the Jack-O-Lanterns that will come in a few weeks!  This afternoon, as I was saying goodbye to my son-in-law after a short visit, a vision of loveliness greeted me.  Earlier, I had placed an old earthenware jug full of fall flowers and twigs on the window ledge.  When I turned to lock the screen door, the arrangement looked especially pretty.  With a backdrop of a rainy sky through the windowpanes, the oranges and browns of the arrangement seemed to literally be glowing.  This splash of color was a far cry from the plant cuttings being rooted in an old canning jar that are usually on this ledge.  The flowers were bright and happy and just screamed fall!  I needed that. Welcome, Autumn.  I am glad you have come to visit.

 

All In Less Than A Week!

  Well, we have had a season change. Several actually! Our summer ended and fall came this week.  Yep, ours is late by others' standards.  We had a hint of fall where a few leaves changed colors.  The old hickory tree was in its glorious golden hues!  It was amazing and as I decorated the Little Bayou House for Christmas, I could look out the window and see FALL...not Winter!  No snowy hillside.  No icicles hanging from the eaves.  No gray skies with flocks of Canadian Geese flying overhead.  Nothing but a hickory tree dressed in her finest gown of gold.  And, by the way, the geese have stopped trying to figure out our weather and just stay here all year round.  We are soon going to have to change their name to something more suitable if this trend keeps occurring.  But fall came to the Bayou.

Mr. PJ is pretty well camouflaged in the hickory leaves!

  Fast forward until this morning....A thick fog rolled in off the Bay and shrouded everything in its wet, white blanket.  The sun tried to peek through but could not make its appearance until well on 8am.  By mid afternoon, summer had returned.  The temperature soared upwards into the 80s and hovered there.  A stiff southeastern wind blew across the hillside and attacked my fog-laden, golden hickory tree.  Every last leaf fell to the ground!  Instead of the gorgeous, gilded gown that she wore the day before, the old hickory now rested her feet on a thick carpet of soggy leaves.

  That fickle weather is not done with us yet!  We are forecasted to have temperatures in the 30s sometime tomorrow night!  So...four days...three seasons...summer, fall and winter!  Not unusual for these parts.  This far south we keep our flipflops sitting next to boots, T-shirts hanging by jackets and we fluctuate between hot cocoa and iced sweet tea.  Oh, well....I have a nice stock of chopped wood for the old cast iron stove so I am set for our "winter".  Sure wish it would last!