Something Other Than A Pretty Face

   I admit that mycology is not my strong point.  In fact, I do not trust my identifying skills of mushrooms any more than I do a cottonmouth in the marsh.  There is just too much that could go wrong.  Oh, I can name a few of the stinkhorns merely by their stench but I leave the others to the experts.  This is probably a throwback to my childhood days when Pop would tell me to never eat a mushroom that I found.  So...I never have eaten a mushroom that I found.  Never.  Now I find that foraging for mushrooms has been and is now a rapidly growing hobby for many folks.  I admire them.  I purely admire those brave, knowledgeable folks.  I stand in awe of those who can confidently identify one from another.  My interest in the fungi is merely from a photographer's standpoint.  They are pretty, interesting and easy targets for the camera.

  I have a friend who is highly interested in learning this fine art.  This beautiful, young lady has taken to studying the mushrooms and even teaching her young daughters which are safe to eat.  So it was a no-brainer for me to ask her the name of a clump of mushrooms that I found growing in the yard.  They were pretty.  They were yellow.  Something ate them...not me.  That was about as far as I got with my idea of what they were.  Amy, on the other hand, told me that they were chanterelles...but "ask an expert before eating them!" she carefully added.  Then, she proceeded to recommend a group on social media that was full of these fine folk.  So...I posted my photo.  Amy was correct and urged me to grab my mushrooms and eat them.  Well, the torrential rains made that an undesirable quest for an old lady but I promised to look for more once there was a break in the weather.  Once collected...I shall try them since all these experts assured me they are, not only safe, but delicious.

  To be honest, I was pleasantly surprised at the genuine niceness of everyone in the mushroom identification group.  They honestly seemed to appreciate my request and, also, showed great interest in my pretty, yellow mushrooms.  Some went so far as to inform me how to prepare them and actually urged me to share more photographs.  That...I can do.  That...is what interests me.  So, I shall continue to photograph the Bayou and share with those who are keen on seeing it.  Thank you, Amy!  You have started something.  Always keep learning, folks.  Always keep learning.

A Smile To Brighten The Day

  Back when this whole quarantine thing started, I noticed on social media that a lot of folks were having a hard time coping with the idea that they had to stay home.  It seems that, even though we should be thankful we have a home, it is a struggle to be there for days on end.  I do not have that problem as the Bayou is where I prefer to be and I prefer to be there without other people.  But, back to those folks grappling with the prospect of being home-bound for a length of time.  When I realized they were only seeing the downside of things, I decided to post one photograph each day of something to hopefully lift their spirits.  I created "Thing of Beauty" posts and asked my friends to do the same.  It went over well with several following suit.  That, in itself, is a thing of beauty.

  Today, I posted a photograph of an Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus.  The image was particularly interesting to me as I managed to catch the first sun rays of the morning illuminating the bloom.  It was almost as if the yellow flower was glowing.  So, I used that idea to make a point about how each day is a gift and we should try our best to "glow" in appreciation.   That idea got me to thinking about how it is totally up to us how we start our days.  Yes, things do often go awry but our outlook determines how we deal with whatever is thrown at us.  Beginning the day with a positive attitude goes a long way in determining the path we will follow.  Going back to the quarantine, I refuse to look at it as a bad thing.  Folks are being forced to become family again.  Folks are being made to realize that not everything they "had to have" a few months back is even pertinent now.  Folks are sharing, caring and being generally nice folks.  Yes, there are those "people" (some people are just not folks) who are taking the wrong road and going off the deep end.  But those are the few....the many are being decent human beings.  They are glowing...something folks have not done for some time now.

  The cactus will keep on growing and blooming.  Hopefully, folks will keep on growing, blooming and glowing right along with the plant.  Life is only as good as you make it regardless of the situation.  No, a smile is not going to make the virus go away.  It is not going to repair financial problems.  Nor will it keep you from going stir crazy because you cannot be with your friends.  It will, however, make the day brighter...for you and anyone who is on the receiving end of your friendly gesture.  Be happy, folks.  Glow!

But I AM Social Distancing!

  Social media is a funny thing.  People who would ordinarily never seem crass can come out with some of the most unbelievable statements.  The other day, I was reprimanded for going fishing.  "You are supposed to be social distancing!  Too many people just do not listen.  Stop going out."  Well, to put it bluntly, I was shocked.  I thought I was social distancing as no one comes to the Bayou since this whole mess started.  In fact, very few folks venture down here, in the first place.  Social distancing has never been a problem for me from the git-go.    Of course, I have to give the person the benefit of the doubt as perhaps there was a misconception of where I live.  Granted, I do have neighbors but not "near" neighbors.  Other than a brother whose property adjoins ours on the west and some people I do not know on the east (on the other side of the Bayou), my only neighbors are critters.

  It tickled me to think that my friend refused to believe that by going fishing, I was actually following rules.  Not only was I far from anyone while fishing, it kept me from going to the grocery store!  The pier is my happy place.  It is one of the things that keeps me sane..at least somewhat! When there, I can literally feel miles away from everyone.   I find peace, happiness and occasionally a redfish for supper.  As for my "social media" friend, it is all good.  It would take something far worse to cause me anger.  In any case where folks do provoke me enough, I simply remove myself from any and all correspondence and call it a day.  Bam!  Problem solved.  It is far easier and better for the mind.

Times have sure changed

  Occasionally, I visit the social media world just to catch up on folks and their every day doings.  It is quite apparent that if you wish to find out anything, run through that "newsfeed" and it will all be laid out for you.  No one tries to have privacy any more.  Everything is there...what people eat, their choice of clothing for the day, their arguments, their pet peeves and even the color of their underwear.  Come on, folks.  Some things need to remain with you and not be plastered all over the web.  Granted, I pour out my heart on this blog but I have yet, and will not, post private things.  Sorry.  If you want that, you will have to go elsewhere....oh, try social media!  You won't find my private life there but you will find enough from others to make your head spin.

  Speaking of privacy and social media, modesty has also gone the wayside.  There is nary a bit of decency in some of the "selfies" posted.  To be honest, it is appalling not appealing.  This whole bit brought to mind a rather humorous occurrence so many years ago.  It seems that when my grandparents paid to have a photograph made of their youngest daughter in her early teens, there was some tension over the instructions given by the photographer.  Helen was a beauty and had on a lovely gown.  The photographer told her to pull down the ruffly shoulder straps for an "off-shoulder" look.  She was then told to look over her should in a "sultry" gaze.   My grandmother immediately went over, pulled the sleeve up some and told Helen to smile sweetly.  In the meantime, my grandfather had a "friendly" talk with the photographer about how Helen was far too young for that! The photo session proceeded and the results were lovely.  

  Today, parents acting like this would never fly.  I see parents dressing their preschoolers in more provocative outfits than what Helen wore that day but the world sees it as perfectly fine.  The kids' photographs are plastered on social media and everyone oohs and ahhs.  No one thinks of the message that these tiny tots are receiving through all of this.   It is no wonder that pre-teens, teens and young adults see nothing wrong with what they share with the world.  It is a wonder, however,  that parents cannot understand where their teenagers got the idea that it was ok.  Hmmm.  I guess I am just feeling my age and have an intense yearning for days past when modesty, decency and self respect were all considered admirable.  

Crusty Old Cake Pan

  There are times that I am totally bemused at how folks are today.  It seems that since the coming of social media, everybody has to be "perfect".  The hair always has to be fixed, makeup on and fancy clothes donned.  Kids have to have cutesy (and expensive) outfits, be neat as a pin and not have a smudge on them.  Houses have to be impeccable, furniture showy and rooms decorated in the latest trend.  No one would ever dream of having a bit of dirt under the fingernails from working the garden, show a bit of sweat from pushing a lawnmower or, Heaven forbid!, have a cluttered house.  Oh, get over it already!  Life was meant to be lived and enjoyed not be put on display to get oohs and ahhs from a bunch of people who really do not care one iota about you in the first place. Who (and why) are you trying to impress anyway?  Personally, I don't give a flip.  Yep, the Little Bayou House has way more stuff crammed in it than is logical, I have callouses from working (yeah, I actually do things) and, lately, I have been known to have dog snot on the jeans..a LOT of snot.  Deal with it or let me know and we can say our goodbyes.  I would much rather have one true friend who cares about the problems I am enduring than a hundred who cannot see that I need a shoulder to lean on now and again.

  All of this came to mind last night when someone on social media asked me to post a photo of my grandma's cake pan.  Why?  There was a delicious sounding recipe that called for the cake to be baked in a tube pan. What was a tube pan?  It seems that caused a bit of confusion with a couple of folks and my pan was to be the clarifying point.  (Now don't get me wrong here.  Everyone that was involved in the discussion are beautiful folks...inside and out.  I have yet to receive a bad feeling about any of them so this is not steered in that direction.)  However, when I took the photo of Grandmother's pan, it became apparent that the pan had been "used" quite a bit.  I inherited the pan from Mom who got it from Grandmother.  I was always told to "Never scrub the goodness off of the pan".  In other words, don't be so picky about how the pan looked.  As long as it served well as a bake pan, it did not need to be up to other people's standards.  I heeded the advice and let the crustiness linger.

  That bake pan started me thinking of how it is ok to be a little crusty around the edges if you managed to get the job done.  That pan has always turned out some of the best cakes I have ever tasted.  It may not be the prettiest but there is a lot of goodness to be had.  People need to be the same.  Stop worrying so much about the fifteen minutes of fame you get on social media. You can sit in your impeccable house with perfectly coiffed hair and expensive clothes all you want.  Me?  I would rather live a real life, with real people, doing real things.  In the long run, that is what matters. 

  After pondering the above last night, it suddenly dawned on me the lesson that Grandmother was trying to teach me.  It is ok for me to be me with all of my flaws.  I do not have to please anyone else.  Let the crustiness stay around the edges and enjoy life instead of trying to scrape it off to put on a facade to please others.  So, if you are hunting for me?  You will most likely find me looking a bit scruffy because I am busy.  You definitely will not find me sitting in my Ivory Tower trying to impress others.  It ain't happenin', Folks, it ain't happenin'.

Old Mr. PJ and the Daily Photograph

  Social Media is a wild place.  It can be a good way to keep in touch with friends and family.  Folks post photos of kids, vacations, meals and pets.  I mainly post pictures of the Bayou, critter friends and fish.  I also post a daily photo of the old dog, PJ.  Mr. PJ was left in my care by my son, daughter-in-law and my grandlittles.  Just before they left to go to live on the island, my little granddaughter asked me to send her a daily photo of her doggy.  "I am sure going to miss PJ." she said.  That brought tears to my eyes as I was just having the same feelings about her.  "I am sure going to miss my sweet Mary Ruth and Mark Charles."  I promised, then and there, that I would send her a photograph of her beloved friend, Mr. PJ, EVERY DAY and I have since that day.

  Social Media can also be a cruel place at times.  There are those who post far too much personal junk which they instantly regret.  There are bullies, fake friends and those who just straight up are mean.  But, then, those folks are the same way anywhere and everywhere so I try to not let it get to me.  I did, however, take exception to one rude remark.  While I am not offended as they have every right to say what they please, I admit that it did take me aback a bit.  Someone told me that I was posting "way too many photos of PJ."  They thought I should stop since it did not please them.  Ha!  Nope.  I made a promise and it is one I intend to keep as long as I am able.  They can overlook the photos, close their eyes or even "unfriend" me. Who cares?  Not me, that is for sure!

  I would drop the whole Social Media scene if it were not the only contact that I have with my grandlittles.  I miss them so very much and cling to every photograph that is sent my way.  It is hard to be a half a world away from family.  I guess I grew up in a time where family stayed together and I had dreams of having my kids nearby.  It did not happen but at least with technology, we still have a connection.  Mary Ruth and Mark Charles,  MawMaw will always send you pictures of your doggy.  He and I miss you terribly!

A Bit of Fakery

  Basically, the only contact I have with the Grandlittles currently is on social media.  It is there that I can see photographs of them and keep up with their current doings.  That is the major down side of having them live halfway around the world.  This is also where I post photographs of happenings on the Bayou for them to at least see how their dog, Mr. PJ is doing.  The old dog has settled in to bayou life rather well except he misses his family terribly.  They were his whole life and now that is gone so adjustments had to be made.  Poor old pup.  It breaks my heart at times.

  Anyway, who knew that one of those photographs would garner such interest.  Not because of the old dog (even though he was the star) but because of the background.  Mr. PJ had decided to take a nap in front of the french doors on one particularly dreary day.  In the photo, the doors take the stage and received a lot of nice comments.  I am supposing most folks think the window panes are true stained glass even though I tried to explain that they were merely a prop for the recent clue hunt.  For the Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou, Son and I come up with all sorts of weird ideas and clues.  We build some props...we alter some props.  The doors were an altered piece.  These are ordinary french doors on which glass panes have been "stained" in a certain order.  This order combined with another prop led the participating teams to a combination.   

  While the doors look pretty, there was very little work involved in achieving the effect.  A $1 roll of colored cellophane, a pair of scissors and a spritz bottle of water was all that was involved.  The cellophane was cut to fit a pane, the pane was spritzed with water and the cellophane was stuck in place.  Amazingly, the pieces stayed.  In fact, the first few were applied way back in July.  They are still in place.  No glue.  No special tools.  No perfected technique. Cellophane, scissors and water...that's it.  

  Folks were in agreement that I should leave the panels in place and I have to admit that I hated to part with my "stained glass" doors.  So...the panels will stay until the colors fade and perhaps, then, I shall spend another dollar to renew the look.  The doors do fit right in with the quirkiness of Bayou life!  (Plus, old Mr. PJ seems to like them!)  

Another Case of Mistaken Identity

  Folks mean well.  They really do.  It is just that sometimes their good intentions are misguided.  With the popularity of social media and the welfare of pets. people just get overzealous at times.  With just a bit of commonsense and patience, a bit of the urgency could be avoided.  Some of the "found pets" would rather not be found at all since they are supposed to be wild. Today, there was just such an incident where a well-meaning lady thought she saw one thing and it turned out to be something totally different.  The "swat crew" of animal rescue folks was called to retrieve "two beautiful, blue finches that are on the loose!"  After all of the hullabaloo that ensued,  it was decided that it was all a case of mistaken identity.  Social media on high alert!  Animal Rescue notified!  Two hours of searching for pet birds!  Nary a "beautiful, blue finch" found.  On the other hand, I have seen lots of Indigo Buntings flitting about the place!

  While not everyone knows an Indigo Bunting from a bedbug, it is sometimes wise to check things first.   Folks at the animal rescue place should have been aware that it is the season for these little birds to be moving through the area as they migrate.  They come twice a year, stop in for a few days then hurry on their way. 

  I had read the urgent request for help early in the day then set about painting the front door.  While I worked I had the windows all flung open to take advantage of the wonderful breeze that comes off of the water.  The sound of birds singing, squirrels fussing and waves hitting the marsh made for a pleasant work atmosphere.  At one point a flash of blue caught my eye.  I peered out the window and saw the "beautiful, blue finch" also known as an Indigo Bunting searching for seeds under the rose arbor.  Sweet!  Then, it dawned on me what had caused all of the commotion down the road a ways.  Bless their hearts, I felt for those poor folks in their never-ending quest.  You know fully well that the little buntings were oblivious to their no-show doppelgangers and were probably confused at being chased by good-hearted folks with their "birding" nets.  Come on, folks!  Get a birdwatching guide book if nothing else! So, here is a photo of a bunting as seen through the window screen.   It is NOT a tame finch!  That said, buntings and finches are related and this bunting is blue so this case of mistaken identity may be understandable....somewhat....but the panic involved in the search was a bit of overreaction...to say the least.

Social Media

  Back before we all became addicted to our electronic devices, we used to do a thing called talking.  This was a way of communicating our thoughts and feelings person to person.  We did not "chat" by typing. We did it with our mouths.  I can even remember a time when "Don't talk about this over the telephone.  We need to visit." was a phrase used when discussing something personal.  Now...it is all out there. Everything.....I mean EVERYTHING is put on some form of social media. Geez, Folks!  Whatever happened to a heart to heart talk?  Do you realize that no matter how many cute little smiley or frowny faces you put after a typed message, the true emotion can never be expressed?  

  I was deep in thought this morning as I sat on the pier.  I missed my kids and wished that they were back on the Bayou at least for a visit.  As I sat there, a whole mess of swallows was flying about snatching deer flies out of the air.  Suddenly, they all made a pit-stop on the pier posts. Each post had a single bird atop.  They were chittering and preening their feathers...all except for one.  One solitary bird made its way from post to post.  It would stay just a moment exchanging small-talk with the bird resting on the post.  Then, it would fly to the next post, repeat the action and move to the next.  This bird was "talking" with all of the others.  Whether it was spreading the most recent gossip (which seems to be what humans do on their social medias), congratulating the others on a job well done or maybe just liked all of the other birds..I shall never know.

  

  What I do know is that I miss talking with people one on one.  Other than one sister-in-law, Cynthia, not many folks venture down to the Bayou just to visit.  Let it come up a nice thunderstorm and she will be knocking at my door. "Lets have a cup of coffee and watch the rain!" she will say.  Then we will proceed to talk about anything and everything. This, my friends, is the way it should be.  Sitting at the kitchen table or in rocking chairs on a screen porch just talking, laughing, sharing is what is missing from our lives today.  We have become detached from true togetherness.  I miss that....I miss that.