The Egg

 I never would have thought  a boiled egg (or any egg for that matter) could have such a profound effect on me but one has given me a great insight on just how nice folks are.  (Note here...I said folks and not people.  Folks are those who are family even if they are not related to you.  People...well...people can be related and still not be family.  Just my point of view.)  Anyway, back to that boiled egg and the niceties of life.  Mark and I have always made it a point to share whatever we have.  This was something taught to us by our parents and grandparents and we have carried it along the best that we can.  There have been times when our pantry was quite bare but, somehow, sharing was still top priority.  Mostly we shared with the elderly or those that were down on their luck.  Now that we are among the "elderly" we figure that our duties shall not go the wayside.  We still find those in need and share our "wealth".  It is the neighborly thing to do.  I figure that you cannot gripe about the sorry state of humanity if you are not willing to do your share to better it.

  That egg, however came about because of that sharing.  One sweet lady always finds a way to return the bounty.  Whenever we bring something to her, she sends something home to us.  Since she has chickens, we usually get fresh yard eggs!  There is nothing better!  Today as I was whipping up some pumpkin/pecan bars for Son, I brought out the eggs.  All was going well until the third egg.  It felt a mite odd to the touch and even odder to crack.  Yep, that egg was boiled!  Our sweet friend had inadvertently included a boiled egg with the fresh!  I had to sit down and giggle over that boiled egg!  Oh, sweet lady, I adore you!  When giving the eggs, she was surely not going to give a partial carton!  That, my friends, is what makes folks...well...folks.  They are just plumb nice.

  After finding the boiled egg among the fresh, I have decided that I want to be a "Ms. Teresa" when (if) I reach the age of 90.  I want to be kindhearted, generous and a bit quirky.  I want to give folks happy surprises along with every day gifts.  I want to brighten others days and give them reasons to giggle.  I want to be a "Ms. Teresa". 

Something Else Southern?

   It is a southern thing.  You hear that often with everything from blessing folk's hearts to eating grits and fried mullet.  It is a southern thing.  While some people think we are a bit backward, we really do not care.  We do our own thing, love one another and live life to the fullest.  We are just happy to be alive and if that is confusing to you...well, kiss my grits.  Who cares?  

  One thing that I was told was pretty much a southern thing by a cousin who lives way up north, is the fact that if visitors ever comment on our garden, they have set themselves up to receive whatever caught their eye.  We give.  We almost over-give.  Armloads of vegetables or fruit are pushed on anyone who comes.  The same goes with our flowers.  Compliment a flower garden and you are bound to be the recipient of cuttings, small plants or seeds. We don't care who you are or where you came from, when you leave, you will be loaded down with something!  No one can leave empty-handed. It is a southern thing...we share...a lot.

  Pass-along plants are a thing much like hand-me-down clothes.  One of the favorites down here is the Confederate Rose.  This is not a rose at all but a member of the hibiscus family or mallow family.  It is one of those plants that is easily rooted by a snippet of stem.  Stick it in some water and a few weeks later, you have a sapling.  Then, it is not long before you have a nice sized shrub that will be covered with lovely saucer-sized blooms during the fall.  Just about everyone down here in the Deep South will tell you their story about receiving a cutting from someone's garden.  The tales are about as interesting as the shrub, itself.  We take pride in giving credit where credit is due.  It is a southern thing.

Its A Neighborly Thing

   A while back, I mentioned how the color orange seems to be tied to a lot of things during fall.  Leaves, pumpkins, the moon, persimmons, etc. all are related to fall in one way or another.  This afternoon, I noticed yet another...orange...or oranges in this case.  The citrus trees are starting to show the ripening of the fruit.  In another week or so, we will have more citrus fruit than we can use. The excess will be carefully picked, wiped clean and boxed to bring to our elderly friends.  A lot of them remember growing citrus trees in their yards and a sampling of the fruit brings a lot of smiles...both theirs and ours.  Sharing the bounty from our gardens is something that I learned from growing up on the farm.  Pop sold his crops but if he found someone in need, he never hesitated to load up the old truck with bushels of produce and share it.  He often would bring enough for a family to can for the winter.  It was/is the neighborly thing to do. 

  Since the trees are so heavily laden with fruit, Son had to build props for under most of the limbs.  Had he not done so, there was a huge chance that the trees would have broken by this time.  Come January, all of the citrus trees will need to be deeply pruned to prevent this from happening again.  A good pruning helps the trees to remain healthy.  Pruning, fertilizing and carefully watching for mildew or black spot is all done before the next buds show.  

  Today, I started collecting boxes to be used in sharing the oranges and making my list of names so I will not forget anyone. Once again, folks, it is the neighborly thing to do.  In this day and time, it seems that greed and neglect has become the norm and helping others has gone the wayside.  Be generous, folks, be kind.

Don't Toss It!

  Lately, the dehydrator has been in constant use.  We have all had a craving for dehydrated fruit snacks and since they are easy to make and healthy, it seems only natural to make them.  Today, apples were pared, cored and thinly sliced.  The dehydrator was filled to the brim and set to going.  The house smells wonderfully wintry with the scent of apples!  Next, citrus peels will be dried for use as orange zest.  Gallons of that will be dried and pulverized for later use.

  When loading the dehydrator, it occurred to me that the apple peelings were tasty, too.  Not wanting to even waste them, I gathered the whole lot and dumped them in the crock pot.  To this a bag of cranberries from the freezer and a two cups of sugar were added along with about a cup of water.  The crock pot was turned on high and it, too, spent the morning smelling up the house.  Once the peels were tender, everything was blended until smooth and then jarred.  Come morning, this apple/cranberry butter will be mighty fine on some fresh baked buttermilk biscuits!  One jar will be kept and the rest shared.

  Back on the farm, nothing went to waste.  It was instilled in me, so very long ago, that it is shameful to waste anything that can be put to good use.  I have a hard time not being appalled at those who think tossing usable stuff in the trash is a good idea.  "Waste not, want not" has always been taught as a thrifty way to be.  I suppose those folks who find it easy to trash anything have never had a need.  I would just as soon find a use for things.   No, I do not need more jelly, jam or butters but some of my neighbors do.  Sharing is a good thing, folks.  It is a good thing.  Do it.

Anyone Want Some Chives???

  When something in the garden grows well, it only seems right to share it.  As far back as I remember, it has been a family thing to share plants.  Granddaddy used to tell me that if I wanted plants to do well, I needed to give part of them to someone.  Well, the chives are doing well.  Want some?  These things are doing far too well!  I was telling Son, just today, that I need to be a chive farmer!  I am sure there has to be a need for one!

  Several years ago, I planted a small packet of seeds and that was a beginning...a beginning to being overrun by chives!  They are everywhere!  It is bad enough that they multiply by spreading and making new bulbs but each fall, they make umpteen billion seeds to strew the place over.  To be totally honest, I can only use so many chives even though I like them.  Chives, chives everywhere and more to come once those seeds hit the ground.  It won't be long now before the entire place is covered.  At least, the bees love them...and moths...and a myriad of other bugs.  I guess they are good for something.

Azaleas...Not Just A Bush...A Memory!

  The weather is quite perfect....if you are a plant.  The warm, foggy nights keep things at just the right condition for plants to grow and grow they are.  As I was out walking the old dog, Mr. PJ, I came across the one part of the yard that is not cluttered with construction material from our ongoing battle with termite damage.  The lane that leads down to the main road is lined with azalea bushes and these appear to be nearing their peak bloom time.  As we meandered in the midst of the bright blooms, it almost seemed to transport us to some mystical, magical place.  Of course, the entire Bayou is sort of a mystical, magical place but when you throw in a whole slew of azaleas that tower above you head, it is perfectly exhilarating.

  Azaleas are often thought to be strictly a thing found in the Deep South.  Our places are dotted with the bushes or lanes are lined with them.  During the springtime, nigh on every yard has at least one bush and most have dozens or even up to hundreds depending on how old the homestead is.  Interesting thing is that these are mostly nonnative plants!  The azalea was first brought to the United States from Asia around 1830.  Word is that a plantation in South Carolina was the first known place to use the bushes in their landscaping.  From that time on, the popularity spread like wildfire and now the azalea has become synonymous with the Deep South.  Granted there are a few native azaleas but none look much like the showy blooms we now know.  

  Another interesting fact is that most locals are quick to share their plants so there is not a lot of need to "buy" bushes.  If you want some, ask.  Someone will definitely have "a few layered".  Most locals know to throw a brick, log or shovel full of dirt on a low lying branch to root them.  If a need arises, there are plenty to share.   In fact, every bush on the place here has come from an old homestead.  My grandparents and parents gave us some as did several aunts and uncles.  Sharing plants used to be the thing to do when a young couple married and set up household.  It is sad that the custom has almost gone the wayside now.

  My mystical. magical place in the midst of the azaleas brought back many happy memories of the folks who supplied our yard!  The sweet scent of the blooms will definitely draw me back down "Memory Lane" a few more times before the blooming wanes.

Just a Good Day of Fishing

  Once again, Mark and I were on the pier at daybreak.  To be honest, this is our favorite place to be at any time of day but sunrise is always the best!  After yesterday's nice catch of ground mullet (Southern Kingfish), he and I decided to give it a go again.  There is nothing tastier than a good mess of fried fish especially when those fish are fresh!  Seafood is one of those things that he and I can eat most every day of the week and never tire of it.

  This morning started off with a bang.  He had two poles out..one with a menhaden and the other with a shrimp.  I had two..both with shrimp.  He was fishing bottom while my shrimp simply floated on top.  One good sized trout started the morning off nicely and things progressed from there.   Seven trout and one large flounder later, we were ready to head back to the house.  

  The only thing strange about this was it seems that we were the only one catching legal sized fish!  Several of our trout were in the 16 inch range, while our smallest was nigh on 14.  We were told that the other fishermen were catching small 8 inch fish which are far below the acceptable size as keepers.  I am not sure just what we were doing differently than the others but I am sure glad that the fish decided to like our baits!  Seems that the Good Lord gave us more than enough and now we have plenty of fish to share with others.  What a great day!

Its the Little Things

  Every now and again, I am awestruck by such a simple thing as the view from the pier.  While most every time I am on the pier, the view is spectacular, sometimes it is simply breathtaking.  A few days ago, Son and I headed to the pier to check the small skiff.  It had rained all night and we needed to make sure the pump was still working. While there, the sun popped through the clouds just long enough to bring a bit of a smile to my face.  This, my friends, was a harbinger of good things.  I am one that truly believes when we find something that brings a bit of joy, it can only increase during the day.  

  My day proceeded and with no ill happenings occurring during the entire day.  My sister-in-law came to spend the day and we caught up on everything between then and her last visit.  A tasty cup of herbal tea, good conversation and best friends can never make for a blah day.  Of course, nothing was accomplished other than a bit of serenity.  

  Look for your own bit of joy early in the morning.  Feel it throughout your body and soul.  Breathe it deep within you.  Then, when this joy consumes you, share it.  Let it multiply during the day and bestow it on those around you.  It will come back to you and bloom, filling your day with complete happiness.  Try it!  It does, indeed, work!