Tiny Bird, Huge Spirit!

   A couple of days ago, Mark and I were resting after a full day's work of debris cleanup.  As we get older, we find that this takes longer and longer to do and we require breaks more often.  We sat in the wicker chairs under the old oak tree while sipping on cold lemonade.  This seemed to be the perfect way to spend the afternoon!  While we relaxed, Mark called my attention to some tiny birds far up in the treetops.  They were busy little rascals!  I could see enough without the glasses to tell they were sort of olive green but not much more.  When he asked what type they were, I could only throw out a few options.  Perhaps a type of warbler or a pine siskin or maybe a kinglet.  The birds kept busy for the rest of our "sittin' time".

  Today, I strolled down to admire the work Son and I did on the debris pile.  As I meandered the cleared spot, a tiny bird came down to visit.  The bird busied itself just an arm's length from me so I had a pretty good view of details which helped me to identify it.  This 3 and 1/2 inch long bird was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet!  Aww, the sweet little bird's visit was the boost I needed today.  If this wee bird can be so cheerful after going through the hurricane without shelter, I surely can face whatever is thrown at me! 

  Sometimes, we have to find a sign that everything in our world is going to be put right once again.  I look to nature as I have trust in the critters to have far more commonsense than most people.  The tiny kinglet was my sign.  Its eagerness to live life to the fullest was inspiring.  I felt honored that the bird felt the need to visit.

Finding Peace Amid the Chaos

   In this crazy, mixed up old world, sometimes it takes a lot of patience just to get through the day.  My few encounters with people make me more appreciative of the solitude that I can find on the Bayou.   Down here, there is no drama.  I can slip away from everyone who pretends they care but only when it suits them.  I can avoid those who are only "friends" when it benefits them.  I can even steer clear of extended family members who are all for "taking" and never "giving".  The Bayou allows me peace from a discombobulated society.  

  This morning as I was meandering about the hillside, the sun was high in the sky.   I had spent the morning indoors taking care of neglected chores.  My stroll took me through the mounds of hurricane debris and neat stacks of salvaged lumber.  It wound around the hillside to the back of the Little Bayou House and to Pebble Creek.  As I crossed the tiny footbridge, I was greeted by the sign that was a gift from my dear, true friend.  She and I have known each other since we were mere tots and she pretty much knows me to the core.  The sign "Ruthie's Refuge", while sweet when she presented it, struck a cord this morning.  Even though, the place is in a state of chaos (as is the world), it is, indeed, my refuge.  It is, indeed.  

 

If Crape Myrtles Can Do It, So Can I!

   I find it rather uplifting to know that a simple  stroll through the gardens can be healing.  Yes, the fresh air and exercise go a long way in making the body well but just being outdoors in a peaceful spot can heal the mind and spirit.  Today was not good.  It was not bad but still not good.  I felt lousy from the get-go but still felt as if I had chores to be done.  I have never been one to just be idle.  Lounging about the place actually makes me feel worse so I struggled to find the energy to tackle a few tasks.  Not only was my body lagging, my brain was awhirl with worries about family members.  It seems that the old Morton Salt advertisement holds true.  " When it rains, it pours." I figured that  perhaps doing something would take the mind off of many things.  

  Along about midday, thunder started grumbling just north of us.  I turned to see huge black clouds bearing down on the Bayou and figured I had best get myself back indoors.  Just as I reached for the back screen door, a flash of pink caught my eye.  Well, storm or not, I had to stop for a photo!  The crape myrtles were blooming again!  Those crazy bushes had already bloomed once this summer but were now popping out with all sorts of buds!  The hot pink frilly clusters were waving like banners with the hefty storm breezes.  "Look at us!  Don't go inside!  Look at us!"  I did.  I braved the lightning just to see something that I have seen a thousand times over.  By the time I started taking the photograph, a slight drizzle started falling.  

  Seeing the renewed buds along side of the spent seed pods gave me an odd feeling of renewal.  Regardless of my current condition, there is new hope on the horizon.  Somewhere out there with those storm clouds is my "get up and go' and my peace of mind.  The crape myrtles told me so.  

Puddle Pond is Back!

  The hard work is paying off.  I am finally starting to see results from about a week of shoveling gravel, digging holes and running tubing.   I had decided to dig out the gutter drain and turn it into a "fake" creek with a small pool at the end.  Since we live on a hill, getting the water to run into the tiny pond was easy enough but digging the gravel drain to put in a liner was a ton of heavy work.  Old ladies should not be doing heavy work.  I found out this after just the first day!  Every muscle in my body was sore!  Even muscles that I did not know I had were sore!!  The days after that initial go were not too bad.  I guess I became used to hurting and did not feel it as bad. 

  All of this hard work came about because of a sweet friend.  Ann came by with a gift of a garden sign dubbing the place "Ruthie's Refuge".  Well, you cannot have a sign calling something a refuge without it at least being a soothing place to be.  I have long wanted my little "babbling brook" back ever since it stopped flowing several years ago.  The liner went bad in what I called "Puddle Pond" and I had no time nor energy to replace it.  Ann's encouragement kicked me in gear and things are getting accomplished finally.  

  Now, all that is needed is the aesthetic touches that will bring this part of the yard to life.  A bit of lighting, some flowering plants and maybe a pretty bird feeder are next on the list to find their way into the "Refuge".  Then, I can pull up my comfy wicker chair and enjoy being in my own little happy spot.

Fall Spiders!

  Fall has just got to be right around the corner if for no other reason than I am ready.  Down here in the Deep South, we don't "get" fall like everyone else so we "make" fall.  Wishful thinking can do amazing things!  As soon as August ends and September rolls in, we immediately "fall" everything! Decorations are put up, spices are hauled out and, oh my, the leaves start to change colors!  No, wait.  That is not here.  We have leaf color only it is green.  That green usually hangs around until about January but our wishful thinking doesn't mind.  It is fall.

  Today, I found another giant orb weaver spider.  A huge, palm-sized beauty had strung her web between the groundsel bush and a pier post.  This was yet another black and yellow garden spider like the shed door guardian.  I love these gigantic spiders simply because, while they appear intimidating, they are rather docile.  I also love them because they are harbingers of fall!  Yep, Pop always said that finding these spiders and the huge webs meant that fall was right around the corner.  Pop was smart with the ways of nature so I am grasping to his bit of wisdom here.  My spiders herald fall.

  As I was sitting admiring the beauty of the latest spider find, I pondered if Pop was on to something. The best thing I could do was look up about the critters.  Sure enough, it seems that the spiders stay hidden until they are ready to mate and lay eggs.  The female spins her large web and waits for a suitable husband to wander by.  After his visit, she usually eats him for dinner and the proceeds with weaving a lovely cocoon for her eggs.  This golden orb will house her babies until the next spring.  Fall is the egg-laying time for the orb weaver spiders.  Ahh, good to know!

  So, Pop was right once again.  The "Fall" spiders are coming into view so all is right with the world.  Those of us that have been fall ready for the past few months are happy to know that "our" time is nigh!  Happy Fall, y'all!  Let me go check for fall colors...yep!  The Fall Spiders are here with all of their beautiful hues!

Finding the Strength

  Sometimes when things are a bit rough and you find yourself fretting over what is not in your control, it is easy to lose sight of how many blessings are at hand.  Right now, I am dealing with a few things that seemingly have no satisfactory ending so it feels only that there are worse times ahead.  These things are not able to be "fixed" and weigh heavy on my mind.  For several months, I thought I was handling the situations well but, today, that idea all came tumbling down around me and made the day look dismal.  It felt that I was alone in my struggles.  I needed an "escape" so I headed out the back door to just breathe.  It seems that a bit of solitude can really put things back into perspective so I hiked my new path.  It did not take long for the mood to lift so I headed back to the Little Bayou House.  I was still perplexed about how to handle things and still saddened by the inevitable outcome of the situations but, at least, I felt that I could face what was to come.

  My stroll back to the house took me past a few flower gardens and into the east arbor.  It was at the base of this arbor that I was taken aback by the sight of a single bloom.  A daylily had burst forth with all its beauty.  How had I not noticed this before?  Three times, I had passed through that gate earlier in the day and not once had I seen the flower.  I knelt down and cupped the bloom in my hands and, strange as it seems, felt strength being poured into my soul.  I smiled.  With a renewed spirit and a happy heart, I could face the world again.  Throw me your best shot, Frustrations!  I've got this.

  You see, that daylily was a gift from my precious daughter-in-law.  No, she did not mean it to be the end-all cure for the world's woes and, as matter of fact, it was not even a true gift just a sweet gesture.  She just happened to have extra daylily rhizomes and called to see if I wanted some.  Long story short..I was truly thankful for her thinking of me.  The daylilies were a bright spot that I could turn to in my down times.  Today's bloom was perceived as a sign that I did, indeed, have the power to prevail!  Joanna will probably never know how her small act of kindness has been a light during so many dark times but, then, she is pretty amazing and makes the whole world a brighter spot by just being herself.

Counting Them All

  There are a lot of phrases that are spouted by those well-meaning folks who give ill-timed and not well thought out advice.  People spiel out some platitude that they think will cure all problems.  These things don't.  At times, they make things worse.  Things like "No one said life was fair." or "This too shall pass." are a few that come to mind.  While perhaps given in good faith that all will be well afterward. it is not often the case.  At this point, I fully admit to using a lot of platitudes myself but not often as advice to others.  Giving out advice is not my strong point. My use of these is more as a way to kick myself in gear.  And one of my favorite things to tell myself comes from Pop..."It will all come out in the wash."  I keep telling myself that and, well, it usually does.

  Today's platitude (which, for those who are not up on the word, is an overused moral statement) for myself is "Count your blessings."  Yep.  I guess we all should do this but rarely do we.  It is one of those things that we throw out there when things are starting to be a bit daunting.  It is supposed to make us feel better knowing that we have "things".  So, with the current struggles here on the Bayou, I found myself thinking that I should do just that.   To start with, I could rattle off the ones every person does when faced with the question of daily blessings.  House...check.  Clothing...check.  Food...check.   Family...check.  Yeah, this was getting a bit redundant. All of these are things to be thankful for but, at the same time, I needed something that made me feel better in the moment.  

  As I wandered about in my miniature hiking area due to the old dog's health, I pondered what my blessing for the moment was.  I have seen this area a thousand times or more in the past year alone,  It is hard to decide what is earth-shaking enough to be listed.  Then it occurred to me that earth-shaking is not necessary.  It just had to be something that was there only for me...at that time...at that place.  And it was. 

  At that very moment, the clouds separated and the sun peeked through.  I was graced with the view of a perfect sunrise over the Bayou.  A small opening in the tree row near the marsh allowed me to be witness to this phenomenon.  Had I been a few steps to either side, I would not have seen it.  Had I been deep in the woods near the creek bed, darkness would have still surrounded me. Had the old dog, Mr. PJ, not felt better this morning, we would have never made it this far down the hill.  This was my sunrise.  IT was my blessing for the day.

  Although we sometimes overlook things because we see them on a daily basis, they happen for a reason and they happen just for us. The timing, placement and thoughts all had to be perfectly aligned for me to see the sunrise in a new light.  (Yep, pun intended there.)  This lifted my spirits and gave me strength to face the day.  

The Sign Says...

  It is amazing how the human brain works...or sometimes overworks....or sometimes does not do a lick of working at all.  Mine, lately, has been bouncing back and forth between being in overdrive to having stalled at the corner waiting for the light to change.  During those frenetic times, it seems that I am trying to build mountains out of molehills.  Bad part about this..I am succeeding.  Those mountains in my brain appear to be insurmountable.  I become increasingly aggravated by things that are never going to be under my control and wish to ditch it all and hide under a rock until the problem passes.  In some ways, that may not be such a bad idea.  Still, I can't.  Regardless of the task at hand, my nature is to not quit.  So, I push myself to face things head on.  

  That is not to say that I do not need reassurance that things are going to be fine and dandy.  So, like so many others, I start looking for signs for that bit of encouragement to carry on.  This afternoon as I walked the old dog about the hillside, my brain was in a turmoil.  Today was one of those days where for every two steps forward, I took ten backward.  The whole day made me tired...just tired.  Once down near the marsh, Mr. PJ stopped dead in his tracks.  He stood sniffing the north wind as if something was about to happen.  Then...a grape leaf fell from the sky.  It dropped as softly as a downy feather just a few feet in front of him.  Weird.  We were far from the grapevines.  In fact,we were under an oak tree.  It then dawned on me that perhaps this was my so-called "sign".  The leaf was bright yellow and in a the shape of a perfect heart.  

  If you ever delve into symbolism of colors, you will find that yellow means happiness, energy and positivity.  Hmmm...yep, that would be a pretty good sign to accept.  Instead of dwelling on the confusion battling it out inside my head, I need to focus that energy into something positive.  This should be something that is realized without the "sign" even though one never hurts to reinforce the idea.  If it takes a grape leaf to set things right in the mind, so be it.  

Leave It To A Bird

  Every now and again, a person needs to step back and take a breather from what he is doing.  Things can come to a grinding halt if they begin to feel overwhelming.  Remodeling is a lot like that.  What starts as a minor touch up of paint soon becomes an entirely consuming ordeal.  My situation started when the siding was being replaced near the front door.  Son asked if I was particularly "attached" to the windows or could he remove them.  They were rotted from exposure to hurricanes and the high humidity found on the Bayou.  Once the windows were removed, it led to the door being ousted as well.  Then, the whole shebang of redoing the inside was set in motion.  For the past two weeks, I have spent every waking hour, it seems, on the top of a ten foot tall step ladder.  You do what you have to do.  This morning, however, I needed a break!  I just could go no more.  So, I took a hike to gather the thoughts.

  As I sat on the pier at daybreak, I had the revelation that I was doing it again.  I was "playing it safe" and trying to satisfy everyone else's idea of what is acceptable.  I figured that if I am going to be happy, I need to step out of that safe zone and do what makes me happy.  That is easier said than done, though, and I needed some reassurance that my decision was the right one.  Just at that moment, a heron flew in to sit with me on the pier.  I had been photographing the bird as it sat on my brother's pier and never expected the bird to come so near.  So...the bird and I sat just a foot apart enjoying the dawn of a new day and a new experience.  Neither of us made an effort to move or to acknowledge the other.  We just sat. 

  Was the bird telling me that my decision was correct?  Was it trying to tell me I was ok just being me?  Hey, if you ask for a sign, you take whatever you get.  In my mind, the bird was definitely an omen that things were right with the world.  Now...back to work.

Oh Nuts! Murphy, GO AWAY!

  It has been a month of wrongs.  No matter how I try, it seems that old "If anything can go wrong" Murphy's Law has been in full force here lately.  First, the dining room chandelier went bad.  Mark took me down to get another but that one wound up in a corner of our living room so the dining room is still "lightless".  Then, after a bit of daring me, the washing machine stood up to its threats and stopped doing the spin cycle.  Oh, great!  Hand wringing clothes is not bad but when it comes to blankets and such, I draw the line! Next on old Murphy's list was my stove.  Yep, the burners started going out one by one.  Being the frugal sort, I kept insisting that I did not need four burners anyway.  Then it was "no one needs three burners" and now with another slowly dying, I will soon be down to one burner.  The guys might have a long wait for their supper.  Add to that a refrigerator that has now made its debut as a heater and you can see my predicament. It seems as if I need to go appliance shopping.  Poor Mark!  Then to top it all off, my laptop has a bug.  Nope, it does not have a virus but sure sounds like it has a swarm of bees buzzing around inside it. Son, being our computer tech dude, checked it and said that the fan has gone bad.  Well, that is just not fun at all!  So, as a whole, the month of May was just about filled with catastrophes!

  My brain was reeling with all of the weird happenings as I was out weeding the okra.  Geez!  Something just has to give!  Somewhere, somehow, something has to happen that is good.  I figure that the month of June has got to be better....or at least I hope.  Anyway, as I was down on my knees and up to my elbows in Horse Nettles, I figured I would look for a sign that things were going to improve.  Not thinking I would find some neon-flashing marquee sign hanging in the garden, I looked for anything that could be a positive.  I found weeds.  I found ants.  I found stinkbugs.  None of those seemed to be a promising sign so I searched a bit harder.  Nothing.  

  A bit later, I pondered the past month again.  This time, I was sitting on the yard bench in the cooling breeze.  A bit of sewing needed to be done and it was just too hot in the house.  As I sat in the breeze whipping that needle back and forth, it hit me.  If I have to search for a sign, then it really does not count!  To be an absolute omen, it has to find me, not me find it!  Ok!  Now that we had that settled, I felt more at ease and kept sewing.  Once I completed my project, I stood to head back inside.  There, right at my feet, was a happy!  I found my sign that all was good.  A hickory nut had been split in half by my step and the insides formed the perfect heart!  Yep, this was a good omen!

 In short, I suppose we all look for signs or omens of things to come. Whether we believe in them or whether we shrug them off as just a coincidence, matters not.  What does matter is the fact that we cannot completely leave our lives to happenstance.  If we want things to be better, then we have to get up, get to work and make things go the way we want.  It just takes a bit of hard work...not a broken hickory nut.

Ridiculousness!

  Sometimes I worry about the logic of folks or maybe it is the lack of logic that frets me so. Although, I am not always the brightest crayon in the box, I do try to use a bit of commonsense and it seems that is something that is a rare commodity these days.  Just plain old horse sense can usually get you through the day without too many slip-ups.  I must say that I recently witnessed a great lack of sapience with some workers that were doing a job near the Bayou.  Not that this caused any serious problems but it did give me some fine giggles for the day.

  A crew of workmen were cutting the limbs from trees that were overhanging the power lines.  Every few years, they will actually drive down our lane trimming the branches.  This is all well and good since storms can swing those limbs around enough to down the lines. When the crew got to the point of the lane that branches off to the Little Bayou House, they blocked the lane enough that no vehicles could enter or leave.  This was fine.  I rarely leave the Bayou and few visitors come.  When I first noticed the bright orange truck, I was fully aware that the lane was impassable.  I did not need the orange warning cones to be placed between the house and truck.  That seemed nigh on overkill!  Well, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and just made the supposition that it was protocol.  I would occasionally glance out the window at the progress of work.  Imagine my surprise when I saw four more cones set out in the lane!  Now we had a total of eight cones warning me that a truck was sitting not seventy-five feet from my door!  There were four small bright orange cones and four green and yellow cones!  Alrighty then!  My giggles began right then and there.  

  Then came the icing on the cake!  Those workmen decided that I needed more warning signals!  Right behind my son's car, they placed a huge sign proclaiming "Work Area Ahead"!  Now, go figure!  I really could not imagine anyone not seeing that truck but to add the cones and sign was amazingly inane!  My giggles took over and I did not get another chore done that whole morning!  Since there was only about a dozen small branches that needed trimming, I figured that the work would be completed before noon.  Oh, was I wrong!  It took the crew well into late afternoon before they accomplished their goal.  I must admit that they did a fine job of leaning against the bright orange truck!  

  I know that the service provided by these gentlemen is necessary but it does appear that their lack of commonsense overrides their productivity. (Although, it did provide for quite the amusing day for me!)

A Southern Girl Experiences Ice!

Day three of the mess of ice.  I say "mess of ice" because that is what it is now.  No more pretty white, snowlike stuff blankets the yard.  Now there are patches of slick, brickhard stuff that will make you fall in a moment.  I have learned quickly that it is far safer to step in the slush than to ever worry about keeping the moccasins dry.  Of course, that does have the downside of making the feet like little chunks of ice but at least I have held my balance throughout the course of this storm.  Today's much warmer temperature did indeed melt a bit of the ice but still much is to be found about the yard and on the board path.  I did not realize that in the backyard, the ground beneath the fruit trees is a good three inches thick still.  Mark and I ventured out back to check the trees only to be met with some good old fashioned slipping and sliding!  It was sort of fun! (Perhaps I would not say that had I fallen but a few hasty grips on low limbs helped tremendously!)

To show just how deep the sleet built up on the north side of the house, I took a picture of a small garden sign that one of the kids stuck in the ground years ago.  The thing is supposed to read "Secret Garden" underneath the pretty embossed flowers.  The letters are about two inches tall with a nice border going around that part.  From the picture, you can see that the "Secret Garden" must be quite secret!  Even the bottom six inches of the sign has become hidden!

 

And then there is my prized sapling!  Poor baby is covered with icicles almost as large as the tree itself!  I have had folks tell me in the past that coating a tree with ice intentionally will protect it from being damaged by the frigid temperature.  Well, I did not do this to my poor tree but Mother Nature must have thought it would be a fine thing to do.  The tiny tree bravely stands supporting the weight of icicles with a circumference the same size as its trunk!  I sure hope this little one survives.  I sure hope all of the fruit trees survive.  It definitely has been hard on them this year.

 

One of the things that struck me as being a tad weird was just how green the tiny mosses were even when subjected to temperatures down in the teens.  With everything else in the yard either coated in ice or burned by the cold, the moss stands out as a bit of loveliness.  Perhaps mosses have a built in antifreeze system or something but none were the least bit damaged by the cold.  I am now fully considering carpeting the yard with moss instead of grass!

By tomorrow, the ice should be gone and we can gather more firewood for the next winterlike weather to hit the Bayou.  Some kind folks are saying that this should be as soon as midweek.  Well, I will take it as it comes and remind myself to make sure to check the persimmon seeds this next fall. This years examination of the seeds is holding true.  The spoon shape inside predicted cold, snowy, icy weather and I must say the seven seeds are dead on track.  Persimmon seeds do not lie!

Hold it!

I am in Georgia with my new granddaughter, Mary Ruth and enjoying every minute.  We will head home later this evening and my heart will remain here..it will be hard to leave.  While I was here, my sweet daughter-in-law, Joanna, graciously allowed me to take pictures of most anything I wanted.  She is a jewel!

One of the things that made me smile is a plaque in the nursery.  I had seen this before because my niece, Eva, bought it for the baby shower we held back at the Little Bayou House.  I liked it then but now it holds a whole new meaning.  "A mother holds her children's hands a while, their hearts forever."  This is so true.  My mom held onto my heart for a lifetime..she still has it even though she is no longer with us.  But..I think this saying could possibly be reversed as well.  A child holds onto mom's hand for a while but; for any mother worth her salt, that child will hold her heart forever.  I stood looking at that sign and thought of my son who is now a father.  He will forever hold my heart.  He is my firstborn and has made me so, so very proud. My daughter and youngest son also hold my heart.  Each, in their own way, is so perfect.  This holds true for my daughter-in-law and son-in-law..they, too, hold my heart. I love them dearly. Now, I behold my granddaughter.  Another child that grasp my heart in such a tremendous grip that nothing..nothing will ever wrest it away.  It is so amazing that each can hold my entire heart..my entire love..and yet, I have plenty left to share.  So goes love..the more you give, the better you feel.

The plaque hangs in the nursery but would do well to be etched into every parent's mind.  Show your children the love they deserve and you will hold their hearts forever and they..yours.

Looking on the Bright Side!

Today was a dreary, dreary day on the Bayou.  The end of the 2012 seemed to be fading out instead of going out with a bang!  I awoke to grey skies, I gathered firewood under grey skies and Ms. Ez and I hiked under grey skies. Not once did Ole Mr. Sun poke his head out to brighten our day.  All of this greyness made me cold.  The temperature was not bad at about 50 degrees but I suppose it was just because the sun was not out to warm me that I felt chilled the whole day through.  The fire in the woodstove burned brightly and I pulled on an extra sweater but to no avail.  So!  I baked!  If all else fails, heat up the oven and bake cookies!  There is just something about the aroma of freshly baked cookies to warm up the place!

All of this greyness brought about a case of the mullygrubs as Grandmother used to say.  Once I finished the outside chores, I puttered around inside the Little Bayou House.  There are just so many cookies one can bake without tiring of even that job!  With my chair pulled up to the window overlooking the Bayou, I sat and stared..pondering the coming year.  Was it to be as bleak as this day?  Surely not!  As I lounged about, a bit of brightness suddenly appeared in the room!  On the opposite wall, a bit of a rainbow danced with delight.  What was causing this?  There was no sunshine to beam through the window!  I knew that my prisms and crystals often caused rainbows to play about the room but that was on sunny days not grey, dismal days!  The rainbow of colors stayed for quite some time but only in that one spot.  None of the other prisms nor the crystals were forming any rainbows at all.

Perhaps this was a sign!  If not, at least I will think of it as one!  It is a happy sign!  Just in time for the beginning of the year.  I shall take this as an indication that even in the darkest hour, there will be some light..some good will be lurking among the bad..a smile hidden among the scowls and frowns.  If a prism can seek out the tiniest speck of light and cast beautiful rainbows upon the wall, I should be able to find something to smile about each day despite of how dreary I may think that day is!  Yep..it is a sign..a sign for the new year.  With the dawning of a new year, look for the smiles, the kindness, the goodness, the rainbows.  They are there...blessings if we seek them.

The White Feather

I have always been one that can find a meaning behind most everything.  Sure, there is the "logical" or even the scientific reason for things that happen but if you look hard enough, sometimes there seems to be some ethereal explanation as well.  And if it is some "otherworldly", heavenly or spiritual thought that helps us cope with the daily stress of living...then I say, so be it.  I prefer it that way to be honest.  There is some comfort to be found in saying that something is a sign..a message from the beyond.  These messages or signs can ease the mind and let us as feeble humans have hope.

Late this evening, I headed to the pier.   As strange as it may sound..the pier is my refuge in the storm!  I feel at peace there.  With the sun setting low in the western sky, the Bayou was cast with a warm, reddish hue.  A soft breeze kept the mosquitoes at bay, so sitting was quite pleasurable.  It was quiet..almost too quiet.  None of my bird friends were to be seen, there were no mullet jumping, nor were there the usual squabbles between raccoons.  Quietness seemed to engulf the entire Bay..just stillness..peaceful stillness.  At first, I thought this was a tad unnerving but I soon began to realize that it was what I needed..peace and quiet to salve the turmoil of the day.  As I was sitting there staring at the clouds that were changing colors with the setting sun, I noticed something floating down toward me!  This, too, was morphing through multiple shades of pinks, red, and oranges as the sun's rays hit upon it.  After what seemed an eternity of me watching, a feather softly landed on my right shoulder.  A single white feather of about four inches in length had fallen from the sky.  I had not seen any birds at all so I pondered the source of the feather.  Perhaps this was one of those messages from above.  I sat holding that feather for some time before I realized that the headache that plagued me since early morning, had eased.  My mind was peaceful, all stress had been lifted.  Perhaps this could be explained by the fresh air or quiet time but I want to believe that it was more the feather.  Earlier today, I read something that my niece, Heidi, had shared with me.   Was it pure coincidence that this snow white feather lit upon my shoulder?....I like to think not.

~ Psalm 91:4  He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. ~

Your Smile for the Day!

Several years ago, Mark and Joanna gave me a little sign that proudly states.."Smile..it confuses people!"  I love that little sign as it states a true fact with a bit of whimsy!  Most folks, if they see you smiling for no apparent reason, do believe either you are up to some mischief or are a bit wacky in the head (or both!).  That said, I try to do it often!  Actually, I have a lot to smile about..a wonderful family, comfy home, true friends, plenty to eat, devoted pets and my Bayou!  So I smile!  Smiling is good for our health and it promotes a good feeling to not only those receiving the gesture but also those giving it.  It has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that people who smile and laugh are healthier and live longer than those who go through life with a scowl upon their face.  So I smile!

"Smile and the world smiles with you!".."Wear a smile, one size fits all!".."Smile..sunshine is good for your teeth!"..all of these quotes should be used as bits of advice to each of us.When you think about it, the state of the world today might be a lot better if only folks would genuinely smile more.  It is hard to be rude, disrespectful and just downright mean if you are sporting a true-felt, happy smile.  As Mother Teresa once said, "Peace begins with a smile." I am so thinking this brilliant lady was on to something!  Down here in the Deep South, we all give smiles and a happy "Hello!" to everyone we meet.  If the courtesy is returned it is usually met with a full conversation filled with a lot of "Bless your heart".."You Sweet Thing!" and "My word!" exclamations but the friendliness is always there. The other day, I was out and about paying bills and picking up a few things at the local dollar store when I started noticing how contagious smiles are. It seems as if you smile at someone even if they have the most dour look on their face, they have to return the gesture.  I must say, though, that a person can definitely tell who was born and reared in the Deep South as others just don't "feel" the part!  Perhaps they are absorbed in deep thought or maybe society has some folks afraid to be friendly with one another.  Who knows?

I do think that the world would be a lot better off if only more folks would make the effort to be a bit friendlier.  (My sweet sister-in-law greets everyone, friend or stranger, with a broad grin and a hug.  Now just how much more Southern can you get!)  Maybe if the world made the effort to be a tad more "Southern" and expressed a bit more hospitality, peace could be attained.  Again...who knows?  So, in doing my part..here is your smile for the day!  If you can look at a bright, yellow sunflower and not feel a tad happier then, well, you just ain't trying hard enough!  Bless your heart! You just might need a hug, you Sweet Thing!  My word, cheer up and smile!

A "Sign"? Or just a Photo Blip?

I was out and about long before dawn this morning. Miss Sunny, the puppy, kept me up most of the night with about a million and one trips outside to do her business. She drank just about enough water to fill the Bay..which is good..but all that water had to go somewhere, so I was in charge of chaperoning a puppy to her designated latrine area. About 4am, I had enough, withdrew the water bowl, threw a blanket over her crate and headed to the pier. It was still dark when Ms. Ez and I made our way to the bench. She had been quite exasperated by the constant whining but went with us to the oak tree each time. I think she felt it was her duty to serve as protection against any boogeymen, banshees or rabid coons! Ms. Ez is a great dog! The guard duty wore her out as well so when we reached the bench, she climbed up next to me and fell asleep...peace at last!

I sat in the dark watching the eastern sky brighten with the coming dawn. There was a goodly amount of cloud cover which meant a nice sunrise was soon to be. I did not want to miss a minute of it as these light shows start my day with a bit of serene beauty. At first there was just a glimmer of red above the pine tops but this soon became vibrant reds and oranges against the dark sky. I sat in awe as the pine trees became emblazoned with fiery brilliance! The scene brought to mind the burning of Atlanta scene in the all-time epic movie "Gone With The Wind"! My active (or overactive) imagination flipped back in time to the Civil War, Tara and Scarlett. How terrifying it must have been for folks to see their whole towns being obliterated by fire. Back when Mark and I were first married, we lost our home to a fire. There was nothing left. I could relate to Scarlett on my own level at that time.

This morning, though, I took picture after picture of the ever-changing horizon. Even though the scenery evoked thoughts of devastation, it enthralled me. I was captivated by something that dwelt only in my vivid imagination. It was almost frightening at times even though a certain beauty prevailed. And Ms. Ezzy slept through it all..just like a dog to enjoy peace while I was hassling with those pesky brain images!

When I got back to the Little Bayou House, I immediately transferred the pictures to my laptop to see if I had captured any of the magic that happened with the breaking dawn. I had...and more. With all the thoughts of fire, devastation and turmoil that roiled through the imagination, came a sign. I perceived one picture as a token that all was well with my little world. In one picture, a brilliant cross appears in the water. I had not seen any such cross while on the pier nor were there any lights that could have created a reflection in the water. There was no moon out, the sun was not up yet and most of the lights in the area were too dim to create such a brilliant image. True, this may not be some Heavenly Promise but to me it portended peace. I guess we can see what we want in things and well, I wanted serenity for my Bayou. I took this as a "sign", so to speak, that the day was going to be great..that peace would reign on the Bayou..that my "Paradise" had once again been found in my backyard!....God is good!