Collections...Photographs and Seeds

   One of the perks of wandering about the marshline at the break of day is that I get to see all sorts of wondrous things that most other folks miss.  This brings to mind that old adage "You snooze, you lose!"  While it probably does not amount to a hill of beans to others, it is highly important on my "to do" list.  In about the upper third of that list is "Find, view and photograph everything about the swamps, marshes and waters."  If nothing else, my kids and grandkids will have a photographic assemblage to pilfer through after I am dead and gone.  Not that any of the pictures will be worth a dime but, at least, they will be able to see the wonders of the place through my eyes and before it is fully ruined by "progress".

  This morning's bit of loveliness was a Saltmarsh Morning Glory.  This, like all other morning glories, blooms at dawn then usually withers before noon.  This, unlike most other morning glories, is salt water tolerant which gives it the name.   Here, it flourishes.  The vines trail upwards of ten feet, has arrowhead shaped leaves and five inch blooms.  It does best when allowed to climb wherever it wishes without curtailment.   The blooms are pinkish purple with a deeper color throat.  Bees adore the nectar bearing blooms.

  Finding the Saltmarsh Morning Glories in bloom brought a smile to my face as this is one of the flowers that Pop always used to point out when we would fish along the shores.  Several times, he said he wished he could get a few seeds to plant along the old fish pond in the side yard but we never dared to traipse in the marshes to retrieve any.  Now, I find myself doing just that.  The marsh, albeit full of cottonmouths and gators, is not near so scary as when I was a kid.  My handful of seeds might be a sweet addition to the small gardens.  (Yes, I did go there.)

10,000 Seeds!

   Back a few months ago, Darling Daughter decided that I needed more plants.  Actually, she decided I needed more seeds.  I was elated to receive packet after packet of herb seeds for my birthday.  Herbs are not only for culinary use but I tend to lean more to herbal home remedies than pharmaceuticals.  I do take medicines prescribed by doctors, if need be, but for lesser problems an herb will usually come into play.  Darling Daughter knows I love to experiment with herbs in the kitchen, too, so she supplied me with a bunch of things that I normally do not grow.

  One packet of seeds was labeled "Toothache Plant" and had 10,000 seeds in it.  Wait?  What??  Did I read that correctly?  10,000 seeds?  Yep.  10,000 seeds.  While that is all good, I read it AFTER sprinkling the seeds in the dirt.  10,000 seeds the size of grain of salt went down, down, down into the soil never to be seen again....until two days later, anyway.  Now, 10,000 baby Toothache Plants have sprouted.  I am not sure what I am to do with 10,000 Toothache Plants. (Please, please, don't let this be an omen!)

   I am now trying to figure out what to do with that many plants.  The packet did make a claim that about a fourth of the seeds probably would not germinate but I think they were wrong.  It appears that every last seed was viable.  Yep, 10,000 baby plants that will grow into large plants that will bloom then make many more seeds are staring up at me from the soil.  Oh, my.  Somebody better want some plants!  (The photo shows just a 4 inch segment of the planted space.)

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz!

  These beautiful days are just perfect for gardening!  Once the chores for the day are complete, my time is spent puttering about the Small Gardens.  Right now, the vegetable plot is garnering most of my attention. It is time to get the spring seeds in the ground or in the hotbeds.  Since the garden has been used all winter, it is relatively clean and just needs minor work before putting in the seeds.  Still, there is always maintenance to be done and new planters to be built.  While Son is building a huge upright herb tower for me, I am erecting smaller versions to start the seeds.  Plus, he and I are reworking the drainage ditch that I dubbed Pebble Creek.  Raccoons decided that the small stream was their playground and literally tore up the entire thing.  Since it is not a natural creek in the first place, a layer of concrete should deter their efforts of digging beneath it.  

  Back in the veggie plot, however, I was elated to be in the company of a dozen or so bees.  Granted these are carpenter bees and not the sweet, little honeybees but, still, it made me smile to see so many working the garden alongside of me.  The mustard greens are bolting which is fine by me since it is getting to hot to grow them.  Several have already shot up their bright yellow blooms which attract the bees.  The bees will pollinate the blooms allowing them to produce viable seeds for next fall.

  This afternoon, after putting in two rows of yellow squash seeds, I sat and watched the bees for a few moments.  They seemed happy enough with the mustard flowers as not much else is blooming yet.  Given time, the entire row will be filled with the blossoms and more bees will come. It seems early to be putting in this many seeds but I am willing to take the chance of a late freeze.  There will be one, I will panic and try to cover my plants and promise not to push spring next year.  (I will, though, we both know that!)  For now...enjoy the weather, folks!  Get outside and do something.  You will feel better!

Winter...the time to garden!

   Early this fall, I put a lot of cabbage plants in the garden.  They are doing well and are making heads.  It won't be long before we can dine upon lovely, fresh cabbage.  In the meantime, however, we have been enjoying the mustard greens several times a week.  Those things grow so fast!  I, also, planted broccoli and cauliflower.  Broccoli has been in the garden in the past and has done remarkably well but I have never attempted cauliflower.  Well, I was surprised today to find that the cauliflower is heading right along side of the broccoli!  The fall/winter garden is doing amazingly well!  

  That said, it was time to add to the garden goodies.  Spinach and beets were planted today!  I have a few more seeds to put in as soon as I can get rows made.  Once the seeds sprout and the plants are about four inches tall, more of the (hurricane debris) mulch will be hauled up the hill and scattered under the plants.  Folks, never burn nor discard that debris!  Grind it!  Oh, my goodness!  That stuff makes incredible mulch and is improving the soil as it rots.  I will never again look at the debris line the same.  

  I did want to make mention that the home supply stores down here have no inkling of fall/winter gardens.  Seeds are sold "seasonally" which means nothing after August.  If you wish to plant after that time, you had better stockpile a few seeds, fertilizer and any other gardening supplies.  The employees looked at me like I was nuts when I questioned their lack of seeds.  Moral...buy early and don't depend on anyone there to have gardening knowledge.  Happy (winter) gardening, folks!  It's gonna be good!

It has to be done...

   There is something to be said about old things and old people.  We both have a lot to teach others if they would only listen before it is too late.  Time is of the essence.  There are only so many days that we can teach those who are to follow after us and, to be honest, most do not wish to learn what is offered.  Sadly, with time growing short, the knowledge will die without ever being  passed along.  Not that I have much to offer and it does seem to be moot point to be blathering on about it, but one can only wish that the wisdom that comes with age is not wasted.  

  I was pondering that point as I meandered about the pathways behind the canebrake.  Time is of the essence...why am I so adamant about passing along what I have learned from the critters and about the plants of the Bayou?  Who cares?  Not many.  Then, I came across a sprawling tree that for years when identified by the wrong name.  Once I learned of the correct name, I was elated.  I was also elated to find that the blooms are sought after by honeybees.  From that point forward, I was bound and determined to leave every Swamp Cyrilla that I find.  They shall grow wild and free and be a draw for the bees,  In this day and time with folks dousing everything with chemicals, the bees are suffering.  If the Swamp Cyrilla can help, then I am happy to have the trees.  Today, the tree was loaded with long strands of seeds.  These seeds told me that the bees had, indeed, visited.  Now, perhaps the seeds will sprout to make more trees and that circle of life can continue for the bees.

  It is small things like this that need to be taught to those who will take over our spots on this old earth.  It is not for those "ancient ones" like me who have limited time but for those yet to come.  These are tidbits of information that should get passed along before it is too late.  It has to be done.  Yet, the "teacher" has no "students">

Of Cabbages and...Good Intentions

   I spent the morning shoveling in the garden.  The place was a mess with all of the waning pepper plants and eggplants plus a ton of leaves dropped by the recent storm to hit the Bayou.  After pulling up all the spent plants, I started turning the soil.  Afterward, I made several nice, straight rows and felt good about my "cardio" workout!  I, also, had good intentions of letting it sit for a few days before attempting to plant a fall garden.  That did not happen.  Before I knew what was happening, Son was pouring fertilizer in the open rows.  Well, there was nothing to do but start stirring that into the soil.  Well now!!  The garden did, indeed, look better!  My rows were made and ready for plants in a few days!  Nope. It did not happen that way at all!

  Mark is still going a bit stir crazy from his recent quarantine.  Two weeks was far too much for this man! Since he came home, he wanted out!  So, he headed to the plant department of the local lumber yard.  "Get me 30 cabbage plants, a packet of mustard green seeds and a packet of broccoli seeds." That was my strict shopping list!  This man has a knack for purchasing far more than I need so I put "numbers" on the items!  Nope.  It did not happen.  Today was turning into a "Nope" day.

  The man came home with 72 cabbage plants and no seeds!  It seems that the garden center does not sell seeds after August!  What??  Whatever happened to fall gardening?  I was appalled!  He did, however, manage to pick up ALL those cabbage plants.  I guess he thought to grab them while they were still there just in case I decided to send him back for more.  Well, my grand ideas of a variety of plants in the garden does not look like it is to be.  The good intentions of planting later in the week did not happen, either.  After supper, there was still enough daylight for me to plant 32 of the 72 cabbages in the nice rows.  Now, I will have to scrounge in my saved seed supply to find if I saved any mustard or broccoli seeds.  I think...maybe...if those darn rats that invaded the greenhouse did not eat them!  I do have cabbages, though.  Lots and lots of cabbages!

  

How Many Seeds??

   Dotted here and there throughout the gardens, a bright patch of marigolds can be found every year during the fall.  I do not plant the seeds.  These are volunteers from the original plants.  Nigh on ten years ago, I bought a little box of marigold seeds from DollarTree not knowing if they would even sprout.  Well, every last seed sprouted!  Marigolds were everywhere!  Knowing I should dead-head plants to prolong blooms, I decided on a whim to save a few seeds.  My thinking was that if I saved the seeds from year to year, I would never have to spend that big dollar again. I saved seeds.  I saved pint jars of seeds.  That grew into quart jars of seeds that very first year.  Finally, I just gave up and let the plants do their own thing.

  The next summer, what do I see?  Hundreds of tiny marigold plants popping up in the gardens...and in the lawn...and even on the gravel path.  Marigolds were everywhere!  Now...what was I supposed to do with quart jars of seeds?  I definitely did not need to plant them so I gave seeds to everyone...the neighbors, friends, family members, complete strangers...anyone who would take them.  

  Fast forward here ten years and marigolds come up in the most surprising places. They are like little drops of sunshine that pop up to bring smiles. I still do the same thing about seeds. I dead-head the plants to encourage new buds and save the seeds.  So far this year, I have at least a quart of the tiny seeds and the plants show no sign of stopping any time soon.  Who knew that cheap seeds would give such lasting results?  I am seriously thinking of broadcasting the seeds over the entire yard and letting them grow where they wish.  No more cutting grass!  After all, I cannot cut down flowers, can I?  In all reality, I probably will collect enough seeds to do at least 5 acres!  These things are relentless!  This is perhaps the  best dollar ever spent!

Pumpkin Carving Time!

   I am probably the only person who looks at pumpkins as foodstuffs instead of decorations this time of year.  Mark came home with a huge pumpkin because the store had them and he was shopping.  If it is there...he buys it...whatever its is.  So, I got a pumpkin.  That is all fine and dandy except it is a wee bit early in the season and, well, this pumpkin was obviously in cold storage.  As soon as he brought it in the house, the thing started sweating.  Umm, a sweating pumpkin is not a good thing...at all.  When this happens, it means that the pumpkin will be rotted within the week.  There was nothing to do except salvage my prize!  Let the pumpkin carving begin!

  Son has an odd way of cutting the pumpkins for me to cook.  Without cutting the top or bottom, he makes about a dozen slices on the sides.  Then the top is cut out and each slice is merely plucked from the pumpkin.  Most of the seeds stay inside and he claims that it is easier.  Who am I to argue the point if he is doing the cutting?  Once Son pulled off a few of the slices, he was amused to find a plant growing inside of the pumpkin.  In fact, several of the seeds had sprouted!  This was yet another sign that our fine, fat friend would have withered before Halloween. 

  Now, the pumpkin is cut, cooked, pureed and stored in the freezer.  Two gallons of pumpkin puree is ready to be used in baking or cooking of some sort.  Mark has strict instructions to buy me another pumpkin from a roadside stand around mid October!  No more grocery store pumpkins that have been in cold storage!  It worked out alright, though, as now I have lots of yummy things to make!

Hurricanes, Petunias and Pop

  A friend recently told me that it was refreshing to listen to me babble since I seem to be able to find at least some small bit of good in just about anything.  I replied that it was for my sanity.  If I, like most people now, only see and spread the bad, this old world is a goner from my standpoint.  According to even a lot of my family members...everything is bad and they have no problem stirring the pot by posting stuff (even things not true because they are too lazy to verify) on social media.  This merely gives them a sense of self importance as obviously, there is nothing else to occupy their time.  Methinks they need a hobby of some sort other than trying to get folks riled. 

   But, back to my original statement of how I tend to look for blessings instead of curses.  I was out watering the gardens when a lone petunia bobbed its head sweetly at me.  "Good morning, beautiful!" I said.  I figured flowers, at least, are not troublemakers so having a conversation with one is a good thing.  The visit was nice but the dialog seemed to be a bit one-sided.  However!  However, that tiny petunia sure made me think of how blessed I am.  

  Years ago, Hurricane Katrina just about devastated the entire Mississippi Coast and that included my little Bayou.  The tidal surge covered everything in sight and wormed its way into the Little Bayou House.  Winds rattled and shook the house until I thought sure we were soon going to be on a roller-coaster ride northward.  The seemingly endless storm gave us all a renewed look at how precious life really is and how it should not be wasted.  After the winds subsided and the waters receded, the place was in such disarray that we were in shock for days...weeks...months.  We had no running water, no electricity, no way of exiting the Bayou area...nothing for two months.  The place had been ravaged so what did we do?  We pulled up our bootstraps and set to work  Around here, you do not wait on handouts or go around expecting help from anyone.  It does not happen.  Starting at the house and working outward, we cleared the ten foot deep piles of debris from against the house until finally we had a meager yard!  Oh, happy day!  

  It was after clearing a bit that I began to notice tiny plants sprouting where not even a sprig of grass remained.  Watermelon plants!  Cantaloupe plants!  Tomatoes!  Squash!  Beans!  The yard was virtually a huge garden!  Seeds washed in from parts unknown were now sprouting and flourishing in the yard!  The Good Lord was providing food for those in need!  We were able to share our bounty with those who came to the Bayou to ask for a meal.  We had plenty.  Then hundreds of flowers started blooming...everywhere!  Our yard and my brothers' yards were a sea of purples, reds, yellows and pinks! Those were given as food for the spirit!  It was an amazing incident that will not soon be forgotten.

 While the vegetables and many of the flowers were seasonal and never appeared again, the little petunia was a remnant of the blessings of that year.  Now, it serves as a reminder that out of devastation, beauty can appear.  It is there.  The little volunteer petunias show up each spring and earn a place of glory in the gardens.  To me, it is only fitting that the petunia was chosen to be representative of the glorious Hurricane Garden.  Pop always loved his petunias and had just this kind in his gardens.  His guidance still floods through in the form or memories.  "Always look for the good.  It is there.  Sometimes you have to wipe away the grime to find it, though."

Happy as a Goldenrod...

  Down by the marsh edge, I sort of let Mother Nature take her course and decide what grows.  It is obvious that I do not keep the impeccable yard that Pop did but I rather like the wild look of the place.  Granted the upper two acres is kept relatively cleared but the rest of the acreage is let be wild and free.  The critters need a place to feel safe and underbrush provides perfect hiding/nesting areas.

  While on this morning's hike, I came across the fluffy seeds of the goldenrod.  During the fall, goldenrod fills the marsh with such beauty and during the winter months, the seeds do much the same.  Actually, my hike took me there just at the right time because later in the day, rain and high winds probably scattered the seeds about the hillside.  Now, all that is left, is a bit of warm sunshine to come this spring so a whole new crop of the "weeds" will sprout.  

  While there are those who will argue that my idea of beauty is a bit frazzled, I figure that Mother Nature has much more experience about decorating the Bayou than I do.  When viewing the seed tufts this morning, it made me realize more than ever that seeing beauty is all in how you look at things.  The Bayou and I are a lot alike.  We are both a little unkempt at times but deep down, we are both happy as a lark...or goldenrod...happy as a goldenrod...if a weed can be happy.

The Unintentional Helper

  At least the seeds of the popcorn tree (also known as the tallow tree) are good for something other than making a billion new trees.  The invasive tree is notorious for filling up woods with seedlings that sap the nutrients from the soil and soon push out all other trees.  The same thing happens with the tree around the Bayou.  It is one of those plants that does not mind having its feet in the brackish waters so it will grow just about anywhere.  One has sprouted near the pier and has grown to be quite a good size.  I am told that I should pick the billion seeds so the tree does not spread like wildfire but that is literally impossible.  Now, however, a local resident has decided to do the job for me...and without pay!  This resident is happy with just harvesting the seeds.

  Early this morning, I heard the call of a pileated woodpecker echoing through the woods.  I was on the pier and could tell that the bird was coming my way so I sat waiting for it.  Its first stop was a tall pine at the end of the pier but it did not take long before the bird found the tallow tree seeds.  For a good ten minutes, I watched as the bird plucked seed after seed from the branches.  All I could think was, "You go, Bird!!!  Keep eating those seeds!"  Hopefully, the woodpecker will be back tomorrow and bring its entire family!

  Pileated woodpeckers are rather interesting birds.  Even though the bird can cause major damage to a tree, it is usually one that has already been compromised by insects, The woodpecker seeks out the insects by pecking rectangular holes in the tree's bark.  The holes can be so deep that the tree may topple if it was already weakened by the bugs.  When nesting, the bird makes sure to have plenty escape tunnels so predators have a hard time catching the baby birds.   Pileated woodpeckers will go so far as to choose a live tree and peck the bark around the entrance holes so sap will ooze around the opening.  This deters predators especially snakes.  Pileated woodpeckers...not only smart, they are helpful!

 

THAT is an herb garden!

  For the past few months, the gardens have fully been neglected.  Other obligations called my attention away from the weeding, tilling and planting.  We have no fall garden and will likely not see any fresh vegetables until next spring.  I feel guilty, in a way, but then, I feel too tired to fret over it much.  

  This afternoon, I took the old dog out for a slow stroll around the hillside.  He is not doing well and it is a struggle for him to walk much.  He does seem to enjoy the slow paced strolls with many rest stops along the way, however.  On one such rest, I piddled in the herb garden for a bit.  Chives are about the only thing that is thriving at the moment and, sad to say, I may regret the neglected patch come next spring.  As it is, I already have far too many chives, but each and every plant has gone to seed.  Thousands of seeds are being flipped to the ground with each breath of wind.  At this rate, the entire lawn will be chives soon enough.  Next spring will find me cutting chives instead of grass!

  On second thought, perhaps this overabundance of chives is not a bad thing!  Maybe my lackadaisical style of gardening has a bit of hidden wisdom!  Cutting the grass around here takes a good six hours of pushing a lawnmower and swinging the trimmer.  If the chives are allowed to grow where they may, my yard time may be cut a good deal!  Instead of mowing, I can leave the place be!  My reasoning?  I no longer have a lawn!  It is now an herb garden and we all know that you do not mow herbs!  Now, that is thinking ahead!

Tiny, Red Helicopters!

  Down behind the canebrake, there is a good stand of red maple trees.  Usually, these trees are still dormant during February and do not set their samaras until late March.  Our very short winter (which lasted a whopping four weeks or so) and the sudden onset of warm (almost hot!) weather has made most of the trees start to bloom and even set fruit.  The maples have the woods ablaze with their bright red samaras making the hikes back to that part of the property even more enjoyable.  

  Samaras are actually the seeds of the maple tree.  These are sometimes erroneously identified as flowers which is easily understood when viewed from a distance.  The paper thin, winglike structures have a hard seed at one end and are usually in pairs.  These wings and being paired allow the seeds to act like little helicopters when a good stiff wind knocks them from the tree.  The seeds are airborne for a quite a distance before sinking to the ground.  Their flight takes them far from the parent tree. This spacing lets the trees grow large and strong.

  Red maples are somewhat invasive as they make thousands and thousands of seeds each year.  Not too many critters eat the seeds like they do acorns and pine nuts.  The sheer number of seeds that germinate coupled with the trees' ability to grow in any soil type lets them soon take over a forest.  Here, there are many maples far up on the hill where the soil is dry and just as many down in the watery creek bed.  The trees have no preference where they take root.  Some even survive in the salty marshes.  

  My afternoon hike surprised me with the maple samaras but the threat of stormy weather tonight may see the trees stripped of their glory by morning.  The high winds and torrential rains will most likely have tiny, red helicopters flying all over the hillside!

Not My Idea

  Years and years ago, I convinced Mark to drag himself through some heavy underbrush to dig up a buckeye tree that was growing in the woods.  With shovel in hand, he beat his way through the thick undergrowth to where I had seen the small sapling.  What a husband!  To this day, that small tree is growing in the yard.  It gathers a good bit of interest although, I am not sure it was the brightest move to plant it here.  It seems that most parts of the tree are pretty poisonous to humans, some animals and even some insects.  Why is that darn tree so pretty???  This morning as I was out preparing for winter (or at least a bit of cold weather), I noticed that the buckeye seeds were dropping to the ground. I made a mental note to gather the seeds soon.  It did not happen today...won't tomorrow...probably not the next day but, hopefully, will once this rain stops.   I gather the nuts, not to eat but so they will not sprout and make a bunch more of the trees.  I wanted one...not a dozen.

  One interesting little legend attached to the buckeye seed was told to me by Granddad.  Whether this tidbit of information is true or not remains to be seen but it is quite curious.  It seems that Native Americans used to gather the buckeye nuts by the basketful and dump them in creeks or ponds.  The saponins that make the nuts poisonous, would leach into the water and cause the fish to die.  The hunters would then gather the dead fish to use as food.   It never dawned on me as kid but, today, I am not sure that I would want to eat a fish that was poisoned!  

  The toxicity of the nuts or seeds changes from one "professional" to the next.  Some say they are safe to eat if leached through water, others say that the nuts will surely kill you!  Personally, if there is any uncertainty at all, it is best not to ingest any and I am sure not going to kill fish with them!  That just does not seem right at all!

Homebound or Flitting About?

  Whether "homebound" or "flitting about", you have to set roots somewhere eventually.  When it comes to either, seeds are pretty miraculously adept.  How remarkable is it to be able to set up a life wherever you stop long enough to establish those roots.  What I call homebound seeds are those that drop directly under the parent plant and then "worm" their way beneath the soil to set up housekeeping. There, the seeds usually sit dormant until the right conditions come to them.  If the ground is moist and warm enough, the seed will start to split and a tiny root will finger its way out of the hull.  That tiny, wispy root will take in nutrition and soon swell enough that the seed literally bursts open.  The stem shoves its way outward and roots sprout along the sides.  As the stem lengthens it pushes the seed toward the warm sunshine.  Finally, when the stem shoves through the soil, it will shed its seed hat and let the leaves unfurl.  

  The flitting about seeds are those that, one way or another, wind up far from the parent plant.  Some seeds "fly" while others hitch a ride.  Seeds like burrs grab ahold to fur, skin or clothing to be scattered about the countryside.  Other seeds hitch a ride via critters eating them and then...well, pooping out the seed in a different spot.  These seed types depend on outsiders to help them find a new home.  Other Flitting About seeds fly.  The "flying" seed are well equipped with fibers or winglike tabs that allow the wind to lift them.  It is not unusual to see clouds of seeds being carried by the breeze.  

  Today as I was trimming the jasmine vines, several seed pods burst open spilling their little feathery seeds into the wind.  A mad dash was made to capture as many of the escaping, runaway seeds before they were carried off to the woods.  It was my desire to let them sprout in flowerpots not in the underbrush.  While the jasmine is beautiful and smells wonderful, a woods full of it might not be the happiest of places. The vines would choke out other small saplings and create a mess!

  The two types of seeds found today were both planted back into the gardens.  The homebound seeds were from the Four-O'clock that bloom in midsummer throughout fall.  They grace the evening and nighttime with their delightful aroma and neon bright blooms.  The flitting about seeds were, of course, the jasmine.  They bloom early summer to midsummer and, like the Four-O'clocks, make the yard smell incredible.  I am glad I salvaged the seeds!

I am pushing my luck!

  My sweet daughter-in-law sent squash seeds to me a few weeks ago.  Knowing that the pesky squash bugs just ruined every plant in the garden, I decided it would be best to wait a bit before planting these seeds.  There was no use in just providing another meal for the bugs. Then came incessant rains, excessive heat and a couple of injuries (my foot and Son's knee).  Things were delayed longer than I preferred but the seeds were planted in spite of it being a bit late in the year.  I figured that it was better late than never so the seeds went into the soil.  

  Days went by with no sign of the seeds sprouting.  Just a few mornings ago, I spied a dratted squirrel digging in the very area where I put the seeds.  Geez!  I cannot catch a break from the garden pests this year!  I shooed the squirrel from the squash rows only to have him snatch a ripe tomato just before he clambered over the gate.  Well, at least, he was not eating the seeds!

  This morning, a happy surprise greeted me!  Tiny squash plants were peeping above the soil!  I was elated but still have this sense of angst. Will there be time for the squash to produce before winter?  Will the looming threat of storms wash the plants down the hillside?  Will the bugs return?  I sure hope all of these worries are for naught and the squash do well.  It would make me happy to report to Joanna that her seeds were a success!  Wish me luck as I am pushing it here by planting these so late in the season!  I should be thinking about planting winter crops not squash!

And Poof! It Was Gone!

  I have been doing a lot of clearing of new pathways for the past few days.  After checking the area for any critters or nests, I push the battered up lawnmower to extreme measures.  Although the thing is barely a year old, I must say that it has seen better days.  While most folks use their mowers strictly to cut grass, I push mine up under brush to cut small trees, underbrush and huge clumps of palmettos.  If I am going to go to all the trouble of cranking that thing, I am going to push it until it hurts....and it usually does.  The poor thing has had bent blades, lost gas tanks and a broken frame.  Son repairs it enough for me to start again and I am off in a whirl!  

  All of this cutting has led me to find some pretty interesting things. Just yesterday, I pushed through a bit of brush to find a small clearing that was filled with white fluff.  While I am still not sure just what the original bloom looked like, the seeds resembled a mass of soft white feathers. My first thought was that the Cooper's hawk had made another kill.  Closer inspection led to at least a much kinder identification.  Seeds are happier than dead bird parts.  I decided to leave my "feather field" for a bit so I could show Mark on our next walk.  (Hubby knows that I have a warped sense of what is beautiful!)  I took one quick closeup photograph and set to work cutting once again. 

  By the time Mark and I took our late afternoon hike about the hillside, my "feather field" was no where to be seen.  Gone! Kaput!  Vanished! Obviously, a stiff breeze took the fluffy seeds elsewhere!  This....this may be something that I regret at a later date as I know seeds make plants, plants grow tall and I shall have to mow....again.  And to top it all.....I was never able to positively identify said plant!  Knowing my luck, this is one of those highly invasive species of plants that will soon cover the hillside and marshes with white fluffy seeds!  Uh, oh....

A Bright Spot during a Gloomy Day

  Every now and again, I come across a plant that just "won't give up". Years and years ago, Mark bought me a small rootstock of Aclepias Tuberosa better known as Butterfly Weed.  It IS a weed.  It is a weed that keeps on giving.  This is one of those plants, that once allowed to take root, literally TAKES ROOT!!  With a long tap root it is hard to remove them if you wish.  This same tap root also makes them hard to transplant.  It is a good thing that I really like the plant!  When we bought the plant from the nursery, I casually asked the plant dude if I could start new ones by seed or by cuttings.  I received a very curt NO! He was adamant that it would stay in the nice little clump that he was selling us.  Ha!  I have never met a plant yet that cannot be rooted in one way or another and  Asclepias is no exception.  Only I have no need to take cuttings of this plant.  It makes a lovely bunch of seeds that take flight on happy little, fuzzy wings.  These seeds are taking wing as we speak!  The hillside is a blizzard of white fluff this afternoon. So much for containment!

  The plant, however, is not just seeding, it is blooming!  Regardless of the recent freezes we have had, the Butterfly Weed is doing well.  Parts are covered with the bright blooms while other stems are loaded with the white fluffs of seeds.  I also noticed several seedlings already poking their heads out of the ground.  A new crop of Asclepias Tuberosas are on their way to filling the old tub!

  Asclepias Tuberosa is also know as Pleurisy Root.  This name is supposedly because Native Americans used it to treat the malady along with a lot of respiratory ailments.  I have not tried it personally so I cannot attest to any of the folklore that is connected with the plant.  I did, however, read recently where you sure better cook all parts of the plant before ingesting any of it!  According to a lot of sources all parts of the plant are toxic if eaten raw.  Or, perhaps just don't eat your Butterfly Weed!

Hope

  With the direction that most of the world seems to be heading, it is becoming more and more a relief to keep to the solitude found on the Bayou.  I can meander about the hillside in relative safety and, more oft than not, find a small bit of happiness along the way.  That joy might be in the form of a nest of baby rabbits, the sighting of the red fox as it slips behind the canebrake or even a tiny flower that has managed to take root and flourish in some tiny nook not meant as a garden.  I suppose it is all in the way you look at things and if you go out looking for despair, you will most likely find it.  On the other hand, go out looking for beauty and you are bound to not be disappointed.  Yep, sometimes it takes a bit of searching but it is there.  Mother Nature does not tend to leave things in disrepair for long. 

  Ms. Ez, the old Bayou Dog, and I hiked about a bit early this morning. There was still a bit of greyness lingering on the horizon but the day promised to be delightful.  I let the dog roam free this time as I was not in search of any elusive critter.  I was more out just to gather my sanity after being cooped up inside the Little Bayou House.  As she galloped ahead of me, I thought how delightful it must be to have not a care in the world.  She was a happy camper.  This is one time that the dog actually led the way and was not required to follow at my heels.  I do think she felt an air of importance with her freedom.  She headed down to the marsh edge under the old oak tree so I dutifully followed.  It was almost as if she was leading me somewhere and I felt it only proper to follow.  Once under the tree, Ms. Ez started sniffing the reeds as if to say "These are highly interesting!  You should take a look!"  So, I listened to her and proceeded to inspect the reeds.  "Alrighty then. These are just normal marsh plants, my friend," I told her.  Then I looked again.  Yep, normal marsh plants but in a way, not so normal. The plants were full of seeds.  They were full of hope for a new generation...hope of a fresh start...hope for tomorrow.  

  The human race would be much better off if we, as a whole, would learn to listen to our critter and plant friends.  A bit of hope for the future generations can be as simple as a seed...a seed of kindness...a seed of generosity...a seed of understanding.  In a way, it is sort of funny how an old dog and a weed can give better advice than most people that I know.  

The Spoons take it by (snow)storm!

 Last fall, I decided to test the "Old Wives' Tale" of weather forecasting by persimmon seeds.  Theory has it that a piece of cutlery can be found inside a sliced seed and that piece can predict the severity of the coming winter.  I dutifully sliced open seven persimmon seeds.  The inside of one was black.  Obviously, the seed was rotten so that one was discarded.  In the remaining six, one contained the image of a knife and five had spoons.  Hmmm.  According to legend, we were bound for a snowy, wet winter.  A knife represents stabbing cold, a spoon stands for snow while a fork means a mild winter.  Those spoons and that one knife did not bode well for the Bayou.  I was curious just how well the seeds' prediction would hold.  It did.  Actually, for the first time in years, we had snow...errr...ice.  Lots of crunchy ice blanketed the Coast not once but twice with lots of sleet and snow flurries dotted around the rest of the winter.  Yep, that is about as much snow as we receive this far down in the Deep South.  I was happy that the seeds did so well with their forecasting as now, perhaps, I could determine just how much firewood we would need to gather. 

  Once again, it is persimmon time on the Bayou.  I have a number of the wild trees dotting the hillside that provide me with plenty of leaves for tea, gobs of the marble-sized fruit for jam  AND loads of the large seeds for weather forecasting!  I decided today was the day to test a few more seeds.  Elizabeth and I sat at the table while I snipped the edges of a seed with the scissors.  This makes it easier to slice.  (Wild persimmon seeds are really hard!)  Once I succeeded in slicing the seed, she announced "Spoon!"  Well, alrighty then!  Spoon = snow.  I sliced the second seed.  "Spoon!" she said once again.  Hmmm..snow. Then came time for the third seed.  You guessed it, once again, she proclaimed "Spoon!"  All three seeds had spoons.  I sliced four more seeds and nothing varied.  All seven seeds contained spoons.  No forks nor knives ever even tried to show up in the seeds!  Spoons!  Seven spoons.  Oh, my!

  Well, once again, it is a matter of wait and see.  Will we have another icy, snowy winter ahead of us this year?  Who knows?  Still, to be on the safe side, Michael and I will start cutting firewood in the coming weeks.  Being prepared for the worst case scenario is always the best idea.  Fire up the chainsaw!  Where is the axe?  I am ready!