A Post, A Skink And Magic

   Son has often made the statement that I am easily amused or entertained.  He claims that my mind can find joy where others refuse to look.  To my way of thinking, that is how things are supposed to work.  We should not have to constantly be bombarded with artificial stimuli to keep the brain moving.   There is far more than enough to stimulate any brain without smacking it with only others' ideas.  My brain wanders in a different route.  I can find joy and beauty in just about anything.

  This morning, I sat in the garden with my first mug of coffee pondering the chore plan for the day.  With storms threatening to enter the Gulf in the next few days, my time would be spent hauling the planks that were salvaged from Hurricane Zeta up the hill a bit further.  Over two thousand boards had been de-nailed and stacked but were now needing to be restacked where possible flood waters would not reach them.  What a job!  But this morning as I sat sipping the coffee, my brain slipped off into a wonderland of thoughts.  Sitting in the garden can do that to you!  Ideas of new features for the area swirled with wild abandon.  Don't get me wrong, my gardens are about as hodgepodge as they come but that is the way I love them.  Suddenly, my eyes focused on a single post in the midst of the purple basil and wild ageratums.  Ahh, that is lovely!  The post has no apparent reason for being in the flower bed other than I thought it needed to be there.  So, I stuck it there...randomly but on purpose! 

  As I was sitting there, the post suddenly came magically came alive.  A quite large skink slowly made its way to the top then turned to go back down about halfway.  There it stopped to bask in the morning sunlight.  What is so magical about a post and a skink, you may ask.  Well, I had just recently thought it would be nice to have one of those ceramic lizards somewhere just as a point of interest.  Nope!  I do not need one.  I have the real thing and it is far nicer.  The Magic of the Small Gardens came into play once again.  There is no limit to the wonders of nature.  (Or perhaps Son is correct and I am easily amused.)

Ms. Toady and the Old King

  One good thing that has come from my being confined to the outdoor space of the Small Gardens.  It has made me aware of all the special things that are often hidden in plain sight.  In just the past four weeks of my realm being greatly diminished from the entire eight acres to a mere garden plot, I have discovered many interesting things.  Perhaps it is more the idea that I am appreciating things that I overlooked.  Small things are now stupendous.  There is not a day that goes by that I am not spellbound by an otherwise "normal" thing.

  Today, I found a toad.  While that may not seem to be earthshaking to others, the toad kept me fully entertained for nigh on a half hour.  Some may find that a tad ridiculous but, since my time is plentiful, the half hour was well spent.  I pondered the life of a toad...this toad...Ms. Toady.  The critter lives in the roots of an old oak tree that stands just outside the pergola that surrounds the french doors.  The tree is dying so many of its large roots are hollow.  In fact, the entire tree is hollow which makes for perfect dwelling places for so many critters.  The toad shares its root "cave" with a lovely old skink.  The skink was, at one time, the "King Skink" but he has been ousted by an upstart.  So, the toad very kindly let the Old King share her abode.  The two get along divinely and seem to have a great working partnership.  The toad, being younger, ventures further to hunt for prey allowing the Old King to stay near the doorway to their root home.  Also, the toad is active at night and wishes to settle in for rest during the heat of the day.  The skink is diurnal so vacates the root except when an escape is necessary.  It seems to be a win/win situation for the pair.

  Early this morning, I sat on the little foot bridge crossing the Pebble Creek.  The creek empties into the Puddle Pond with a delightful sound of water dripping over the ledge.  As I sat there enjoying life, I noticed the toad hippity-hopping from the Pebble Creek.  She was heading back to the root home for the day.  I thought of how her night had been busy catching the night bugs..many of which linger around the gardens.  Her belly was fat so pickings must have been good.  It gave me a sense of satisfaction knowing that the little toad was well fed and had a cool place to spend the heat of the day.  She and the Old King have an unusual friendship but it works.  I wish them both well.

The Old King

  For the past few mornings, there has been a visitor in the gardens.  A male skink has been trying to set his dominance over the other male skinks that live in the area.  This newcomer has decided that he should be ruler.  The upstart is boisterous, arrogant and is a big showoff.  Two mornings ago, this rapscallion decided to physically attack the older ruler of "Skinkland".  Mark witnessed the ambush and called my attention to it.  The newcomer was trying to overpower the older, weaker skink and was doing a pretty good job of it.  In fact, the younger, stronger skink had a "death grip" on the head of the old King.  It was not a pretty sight but I grabbed the camera to see if I could document this moment in the "wild".  Needless to say, when I stuck the camera close to the lizard fight, it gave the old lizard the opportunity it needed to cut loose and escape.  Our old ruler ran under the house, all the while, being chased by the rogue.  I figured the melee was over and soon forgot about the skinks.

  This morning, however, I noticed that the Old King had taken refuge in the hollow trunk of an oak tree near the house.  He had come out of a small fissure in a tree root and was trying to soak up a bit of sunshine.  The poor fellow looked a mite worse for wear after the battle.  He appeared weakened and almost saddened.  I suppose he had to relinquish his crown to the young whippersnapper and that did not set well.  His plight touched me as I could commiserate with the fact of getting old.  Life is sometimes not fair to lizard kings nor old ladies.  

  The Old King and I sat in quiet respectfulness for a good while.  Neither of us made the attempt to try to understand why things happen but we just shared a bit of peace.  After a bit, I reassured the Old King that he was still needed and offered him friendship.  I hope he has complete peace in his new dwelling spot.  I am not sure the New King will rule nearly so fairly as the Old King had.  The garden spot is changing.

Just A Relaxing Moment Between Friends

  It is no secret that I have a certain fondness for the critters of the Bayou.  We seem to share a deep friendship.  In fact, I like them a lot more than most folks.  People tend to dramatize everything.  They are too eager to get their shorts in a wad and stomp around like flipping brats.  For this reason, I prefer the company of animals.  You know where you stand with them from the get-go and they are as easygoing as one could want. 

  Take this morning, for example.  While I waited on the old dog to finish his business, I ventured to the shore end of the pier.  There, I watched as a broad-headed skink scampered about trying to catch his breakfast.  This skink had no problem with me watching his every move just two feet from him.  The skink knew that I meant no harm so he went about his chores without a care in the world.  Then, as the sun warmed the pier planks, the skink plopped down to soak up a bit of that warmth.  To assure that his full belly was on the board, he started twisting his feet up over his back.  First one, then another until all four were up.  The two front feet grasp each other as did the two back.  The skink was so sure that he and I could remain sociable, that he had put himself in a vulnerable position even though I was a possible predator.  

  The skink seemed to be letting me know that all is well between us and differences matter not when true friendship is there.  Life on the Bayou is good.

Encountering the WILD!

  Mr. PJ, the dog that has come to stay with us a while, is a funny sort of critter.  Perhaps, I am just used to the way Ms. Ez, the Bayou Dog used to be.  When Ms. Ez was still alive and roaming the place she never met a critter that she did not like.  She was always trying to make friends with any and all wild things.  To her, they were just another "play friend" and she loved them.  Sometimes, this was not the best of ideas so I had to coax her not to befriend things like moccasins, alligators nor coyotes.  It mattered not to her that they could potentially harm her.  She just saw the opportunity to make a new friend so she tried.  There was the time when she found a baby possum and so wanted to adopt it.  We discouraged that since the possum was fully capable of being on its on and was better off being wild. Another time, she tried to play ball with a turtle.  The turtle did not appreciate a baseball being shoved at it so, once again, I discouraged the actions.  Ms. Ez befriended a pair of baby mockingbirds that I was fostering and became their protector.  The list goes on and on.  But Mr. PJ, on the other hand, is not too overly fond of the wild things that roam the Bayou.  He loves to watch them but does so from a distance.  

  The other day, Mr. PJ came running down the hillside to join me on the pier.  I watched as he loped down the board path then came to a dead stop by the base of an oak tree.  He seemed to be a mite jumpy so I figured I had better check out the problem.  As I drew near, the old dog jumped back a bit.  Uh, oh!  Perhaps a snake was coiled up near the roots of the tree.   I hustled over to where the dog was and found him a jittery mess!  Then, I spied the culprit.  A skink was by the palmettos near the tree trunk and the dog had invaded his space.  The lizard was not backing down and kept jumping at the dog.  PJ was not the happiest camper on the Bayou at that moment!  He did not know what to make of this striped thing jumping at him.  

  After a few moments of me trying to convince Mr. PJ that the lizard would not hurt him, the old dog skulked off to eat some cogon grass.  The skink took the opportunity to crawl up on a branch to sun himself.  Nice going, lizard!  Ok, Mr. PJ, we have to practice this good critter/bad critter thing a bit! You need to know that there are critters out here that can be friends.

The Tale of Y

  Last week, my sweet daughter-in-law noticed that we had a lovely, albeit unusual, skink by the front door.  Joanna pointed out that the skink had two tails or at least an odd growth on its tail.   I had seen the lizard before but got nothing more than a quick glance.  The skink was fast to hide either under the steps or in the hollow tree nearby. Sweet Joanna, however, was able to get close enough to the lizard to describe the tail in detail!  By her description, the tail was more of a crooked Y than actually two tails. I needed to photograph the lizard so I could get a better view.

  Then a young friend of the family came calling.  "You have a two-tailed skink!" he said excitedly.  Christopher has been a life-long friend of Son's so he feels free to roam about the place.  Before he even announced his arrival at the Little Bayou House, he had already tried to capture the skink.  "He is quick and ran into the hollow tree."  Yep, that is my skink!  I really had to get a picture of that critter.

  This morning, Mark called my attention to the bizarre lizard.  This time, the skink did not dart away but sat on the steps as I photographed it.  Joanna was right.  The tail is not actually two tails but rather a rather pointy growth on the side of the original tail.  How did that happen??  Well, there are two scenarios that may have occurred.  One the tail was deformed while the skink was still in the egg.  Something could have damaged the egg slightly yet abruptly enough to disrupt the growth process.  Since lizards (skinks included) regenerate lost tails, this could happen even as the young skink is developing.  Once the tiny lizard emerged from the egg, the tail was already shaped.  Another possibility is that somewhere, somehow the lizard was hurt by a predator.  The "drop" mechanism kicked in and its tail was partially pulled off.  The "regenerate" message was processed and a new tail started to form at the injury site.  

  While a bit ungainly, the lizard will not feel any ill results from its unusual tail.  Obviously, the skink can still hunt as it is growing quite large.  It hunts by both day and night and has decided the front step is a delightful home.  I am elated as I love the skinks and their voracious appetites!  Bugs beware!  My Y-tailed Skink is on the loose and will hunt you down if you darken my doorway!

The Quick Escape!

  Watching the critters on the Bayou and surrounding hillside is a favorite pastime of mine.  After the chores are finished, it is not unusual to find me on my hands and knees staring at some critter.  A couple of days ago, it was another skink that caught my eye.  A gorgeous red headed skink was lounging on a groundsel bush limb in the edge of the marsh.  I had the perfect vantage point to watch the lizard while sitting in somewhat comfort on the pier.  The skink caught a few swamp flies before drowsing for a bit.  The bit of sunshine made me want to do the same.  It was quiet, hot and humid which made for a good resting time.  At least I was in the shade!  The lizard, however, was sitting out in the wide open as he dozed.  He had nary a care in the world....so he thought!

  My pretty skink almost met his pretty end by being lazy.  It was not long before a blue jay spied the lizard and decided that it looked a lot like lunch.  The bird was in a pine tree that sat right above the groundsel bush.  While the skink rested, the jay swooped down to make the catch!  Oh, my!  I have never seen a lizard move so fast in all my days!  The startled skink flipped off the branch and raced toward the pier.  If he could make it under the pier, he might be safe!  The blue jay was having no part of this and flew after the skink.  Twice, the bird flipped the lizard up in the air and, twice, the skink escaped.  Hurry, Mr. Skink!  Hurry!

  I am happy to say that the skink did, indeed, make it under the pier. Just in the nick of time, he darted under the pier and dove under some matted marsh. Whew!  The skink was safe, the bird was still hungry and I just witnessed a near miss.  I bet old Mr. Skink will think twice about snoozing on the groundsel bush again!

Helping a Friend in Need

  Some folks find it exceedingly strange that I care so much about the critters here on the Bayou.  I find it exceedingly strange that they do not care about critters.  The critters (regardless of species) are my friends.  I have often made the claim that I have more critter friends than people friends.  I prefer it that way.  There is no reason to be otherwise.

  Just recently, the tropical storm brought drama to the Bayou.  Not in the ordinary sense of damaging winds but rather to my critter friends.  A mama skink had laid her clutch of eggs under a board that was a bit too close to the marsh edge.  I fretted more over her wellbeing than my own. She was a stoic and stayed with her eggs until she could no longer.  When flood waters filled her nest and killed many of her already hatched little ones, she abandoned the nest.  Seeing the submerged eggs brought out the mother instinct in me and I scooped up the remaining eggs to move to the greenhouse.  Two little ones hatched during the transport but the eggs sat dormant and cold for days.  I had made up my mind to bury the eggs and move on with other things.  This morning with that intention, I went to the greenhouse.  I lifted the moss covering the eggs only to find that all but two had hatched!  The remaining two were also in the process!  I was elated!  My little family of lizards had survived against all odds!

  Yes, I do realize that the baby lizards will never understand the circumstances that surrounded their coming into this world and I do realize that they will never recognize me as the person who helped them out of their hard time but, still, I love each tiny one.  I did not do it for any other reason than I cared.  This, my friends, is what a bond is all about.  Regardless of the fact that the skinks will never understand nor appreciate what I did, I would do it all again.  My friends were in need....I was there.  Lending a helping hand is never a bad thing and if folks cannot understand that, it is their loss.  

And we have a BABY!

  The Bayou is still being hammered by the outer bands of Tropical Storm Cindy.  While she is not a terrible storm, as far as storms go, she is doing a grand job of messing up the area.  All eyes are focused on where this storm is making landfall and not where the damage is actually being done.  Here flooding is a major issue.  My rain gauge overflowed sometime last night at seven inches.  This afternoon, it showed another four.  It is still raining. Thunderstorms are rolling in from the Gulf and bringing waterspouts with them.  I spotted two in the Bay directly out from the pier.  Many more and much larger ones were filmed moving along in the Gulf.  Tornado sirens have been belting out their frantic tones since late last night.  Today, I counted eight different times that the warnings sounded.  Much more of the same type weather is expected overnight and into tomorrow.

  Earlier today, I headed down to the pier to pull the old skiff a bit closer to shore.  I did make my way down the pier part way but decided that going to the end was not the brightest idea.  About a foot or more water was over top and quite a number of the pier planks were missing.  One misstep and I would have wound up in the churning waters.  I played it safe and headed back to shore.  Once there, I checked on Mama Skink and her brood of eggs.  Surprise!  One feisty little baby was bursting out of its eggshell!  What perfect timing!  Mama Skink did not seem to mind me taking a few photographs of her little one before I eased the old plank back down upon the little family in the making.  I eyed the ever nearing flood waters.  Mama Skink was brave.  Her family came first and she was not going to give them up easily.  I said a little prayer that the waters would recede and she would be safe.

  Back in the Little Bayou House, I checked the tide charts and found that high tide was within the hour so perhaps Mama Skink had gained another day.  At least one little one had hatched and may be able to make a dash to the palmetto clump just beyond the nest if necessary. Tomorrow morning, the tide may be higher and that escape may be pertinent.  Just in case, though, I gathered a basket and brought the shovel around near the door.  If the surge hits the nest, I would at least make an attempt at a rescue.  I had come this far with the little family and would do whatever was in my power to help them during their time of need.  The remaining eggs, one little tyke and Mama would take a ride in the basket to the greenhouse.  It may not be the perfect solution but, at least, it is a solution.  I hope.

  In the meantime, to all those in the path of the storm, hunker down, stay dry and safe and be thankful that this one is coming in as a tropical storm and not a hurricane!  Happy times on the Bayou!.........And, yes, I have been writing a lot about Mama Skink.  It helps to think about something other than storms.  Besides, sometimes I think critter friends are the best type to have.

In the path of the storm

  With a tropical storm knocking at our front door, things could get a mite messy tonight and tomorrow.  The past twenty-four hours have seen us being pelted by a steady rainfall that was quite heavy at times.  Now that the sun has dropped behind the pines, winds are starting to whip the tree branches into a frenzy.  And this is nothing...compared to hurricanes.  Still, this "nothing" is not "something" to take lightly.  Preparations have been made and now we sit tight and await the outcome.  Once again, a storm is "projected to move into Louisiana" which means we get the right side of the storm....the "bad" side.  We, however, will not be in the spotlight and will, more or less, be on our own. 

  While I am not overly concerned with this storm other than the exorbitant amount of rainfall, I am fretting over one thing.  One of my critter friends is in danger of being flooded.  The mother skink that laid her eggs under an old pier board down near the marsh is probably going to be flooded out.  Her eggs will be ruined.  It makes me sad to think that she has been such a staunch protector of her brood only to have a storm come wipe out the entire family.   With rising tides and flooding rains, the poor lizard will most likely have to abandon her nest.

  Earlier this afternoon, I so wanted to brave the onset of the storm to try and save her.  Perhaps if I got a box...Maybe I should scoop up the nest with a shovel...I wonder if I can get her and the eggs into the greenhouse?....Maybe I should just let it be and let nature take its course.  I just do not know. 

  Off and on during the day, I fretted over Mama Skink and her eggs.  Not once did the weather clear enough for me to make a dash down the hillside to check on her.  When telling Son of my ideas, he simply asked me one question.  "Do you have enough boxes to save all of the critters that are nesting near the marsh?"  Point taken.  How do I choose one over the other?  Hopefully, the tides will not reach any of the critter nests on the lower portion of the property...hopefully.  

Just Do Something to Help....Anything is Better Than Nothing.

  Seeing any of the critters of the Bayou suffer makes me cringe.  I have a hard time letting Mother Nature take her own course.  Son always reminds me that I should not interfere with life and death situations as that is what keeps things in check.  "It all boils down to that "survival of the fittest" thing, Mom.  You cannot or should not change that."  I try...really I do.  It is just that sometimes things tug at the heartstrings a little too much and I have to at least make an attempt at rescuing a critter in a dire need.  

  As I walked up the board path today after fishing from the pier, I noticed that something was amiss with the old wooden bird feeder.  The roof was busted and the whole thing was tilted precariously to one side.  It actually was sitting on the ground!   Hmmm?  I could only imagine that a couple of coons had raided the feeder and caused it to bust.  Well, maybe straightening it would help?  As I moved the feeder, a bit of bright blue caught my eye.  Aww, poor baby!  The roof of the feeder had smacked down right on top of a baby skink!  At first glance, it appeared dead but then a slight wiggle proved differently.  What should I do to help a squashed skink?  Nope...I draw the line at mouth to mouth resuscitation!  Perhaps a few chest compressions?  Hmmm? No?  Well, maybe I should just let the critter be.   Couldn't do it!  I gingerly picked up the little guy and moved him out of the sun and away from the suddenly amassing ants. At least maybe we could avoid adding insult to injury.  The little skink was placed in the slightly curved leave of the Ruby Lily.  There, at least, it was in the shade and away from anything that wished to rip it asunder.  

  A while later, I gave in to the urge to check on my squished skink.  To my surprise, the leaf was empty!  Had the little fellow regrouped enough to slide to safety? Had some larger critter dined upon the baby skink? Had I helped at all?  Probably not but at least I tried.  Maybe that is all that is needed.  Maybe we should all try to make things better in this old world even if it is just a tiny bit.  Too many folks think that whining, complaining or arguing are methods of helping.  Nope....it is better to pitch in and do.  Just do.  Even a little bit.  It helps.

The Skink Tree

  Down back behind the canebrake, there is a tall oak tree that was marred during Hurricane Katrina.  Another tree was felled by the high winds and slammed into this tree.  The impact broke off one large limb and left a gaping hole.  The tree never healed completely and soon the wood borers took their toll on the tree.  While it still lives, the tree is mostly hollow.  Earlier this spring, I noticed that honeybees were starting to vacate the tree.  I had no idea that they had even built their hive in the tree but now they were hunting a new place to live. (I really need to get a few bee hives!)  Anyway on today's hike, I noticed that new residents had moved into the same hollow space that the bees were using as a door.

  On my hikes, I not only keep check of where I am placing my feet, I also peer into the treetops. One never knows what might be lurking amongst the leaves!  Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish critters from the tree bark, though.  I would have walked right past this tree if a bright flash of red had not caught my eye!  A lovely skink had scooted out of the hole in the tree and was sunning itself against the bark.  Ahh, that was quite a skink!  While photographing what I thought was a single resident of the tree, another skink crept out of the hole...then another and yet a fourth!  My goodness!  A whole colony of skinks had moved into that tree!  

  While all of the skinks had come out to soak up a bit of the last rays of sunshine, they soon changed into a feeding frenzy mode.  Ants were swarming.  With the ants flying through the air and landing on the tree, the lizards were feasting!  (Note...flying ants are mature ants that are leaving the original colony to start a new one.)  The skinks thought this was just fine and dandy!  Their supper was delivered to them right at home!

  I watched as the skinks ate their fill of the swarming ants and then, just before dark, made their way back into the crevasse in the tree trunk. Well, I guess it is good that the old tree is of some use and I am glad that the skinks are residents of the Bayou after seeing them eat so many bugs! Hmmm...I wonder what else is living in that old tree!  

The Wiggler

  Finally, we had a beautiful sunshiny day!  I took full advantage of it and painted windows.  Oh, the fun I had.  (And if you believe that, I will tell you a few more fine tales.)  Actually, I did not mind as these windows are for the greenhouse that my son, Michael, is building.  If I want a greenhouse, I have to expect to do a bit of work.  While I was painting, Michael came around the corner of the house and tried to hand me something. Something I learned long ago when I had little boys is to not eagerly accept all they wish to give you.  This still applies today even with them being grown men. I repeat...do not eagerly accept all that they wish to give you!  One never knows just what might be plopped in the hand!  This time, he tried to hand me a tail.  Yep, a tail.  He had come across a lizard's tail flip-flopping about on the porch and thought it might be great fun to hand the wiggling thing to dear old mom.  Oh, the joys of motherhood!  Ugh!  I declined the gift,

  After a bit, I noticed Nycto, the cat, sitting and very strangely staring at me.  Hmmm.  This I had better investigate.  She was up to something!  I could just feel it.  That was when I saw it.  By "it" I mean the large, tailless lizard!  Poor Broadheaded Skink!  That thing was huge!  Lacking its tail, it was still nearly six inches long!  Nycto had obviously "de-tailed" the critter as she tried to catch it.  Now the lizard sat pinned beneath her paw as she sat staring at me.  Hey, Cat. You caught the thing, now YOU do something with it!.  She purred softly at me.  The lizard slowly tried to slip from beneath the paw.  Even with my bad eyes, I saw the claws extend from the paw.  The lizard was impaled.  Once again, poor lizard!  I tried to shoo the cat away from her prize.  Nothing doing.  She was not in the mood to release the prey.  I tried to pick up her paw.  Well now!  That did not work!  The lizard was still impaled on her claw and no matter how it much it wiggled, the claw was not letting go!  Ok..ugh!  Here goes!  I grabbed the lizard and freed it from the cat's grip!  Doggone it!  That sucker bit me!  I was just trying to help and now I had a lizard clinging to my forefinger! And for a lizard, that thing actually hurt! I swung my hand back away from me sending the lizard sailing through the air!  At the same time, Nycto leapt after the lizard and impaled it once again!  There was just no winning here.

  Nycto played with the lizard for about an hour before I heard a familiar crunch.  Ugh, again!  She ate the thing!  Well, it served the lizard right! Karma was at work once again!  That lizard bit the hand that was trying to free it so it was only proper that the cat came to my defense!  The wiggler was no more.