Batten Down The Hatches!

   I am sitting here listening to the windows rattle as yet another storm system blows through the area.  Bat, the cat, and I are snuggled down while the storms shake the Little Bayou House.  So far, we have been fortunate with only straight line winds and lots of thunder and lightning.  Tornadic activity is all around us, however, so it is a bit nerve racking, to say the least.  Hopefully, this will pass soon and without much damage to anyone.  It is highly reminiscent of a tropical storm.

  I was out earlier today taking a few photos of the azaleas and spirea.  Neither of these will fare well through this wind.  We were only able to enjoy them for a few days but we DID get to enjoy them.  Life is funny that way.  Things come and go quickly.  Be safe, friends.  Be safe.

Its Here!

  Even though we are experiencing a slight bit of cool weather, I think spring is in full swing here on the Bayou.  That is one thing about living in the Deep South, our seasons seem to have a mind of their own.  We endure our couple of weeks of winter chill, then hop right back into summer.  Mother Nature is fickle enough to drop a few surprises along the way but, for the most part, warm is the word. 

  With that lovely warmth comes a burst of color.  The azaleas and spirea are in full bloom!  With the wisteria and citrus blooms dousing the yard with their heavenly aromas, the color splash blends right into the mix.  Early this morning, I could not help but take a leisurely stroll about the yard instead of the rapid pace hike that usually occurs.  This stroll allowed me to soak up every bit of Lady Spring's glorious contribution to the yard.  She must have worked overtime!  Lord have mercy!  The place is splendid!  

  After dillydallying around in the gardens for a good half hour, my play time had come to an end.  It was time to get back to the grind of staining those flooring boards.  What I imagined would take a couple of days at most has turned into a two week ordeal and I am only half way finished.  Each plank takes six coats of stain and clear finish so my painting hand is getting a workout!  I think tomorrow will find me toting the planks out into the garden so at least I can enjoy the beauty while I work.  Happy (Early) Springtime from the Deep South!

Bridal Wreath

  Ever since I was a little girl, the Bridal Wreath shrub was one of my favorites.  It still is.  From the graceful branches to the tiny, rose-like flowers, this shrub is a showstopper!  The entire bush is covered with snow white blooms every spring.  It can be showcased as a single plant or planted in a hedgerow to really make a statement. The bush that bloomed forever in my yard was given to me by Pop.  He had separated one of his bushes not long after Mark and I built the Little Bayou House. One morning, he brought a portion of the bush over and helped me plant it. So you can imagine my sadness back years ago when a hurricane decided to take my Bridal Wreath shrub with it when the tidal surge retreated back into the Gulf of Mexico.  Hurricane Katrina did more than damage or destroy homes, she took memories.  Or at least she tried to take mine.

  Not long after we cleared the debris, my sister brought a small portion of a bush to me.  This, also, was a start of one of Pop's bushes.  I babied that small sprig until it was strong enough to be on its own.  Now, the thing is gorgeous!  Yesterday evening, Mark and I took a hike to enjoy a bit of the spring weather. Our walk took us around the side of the house and on to the Bay.  Just before we reached the board path, the Bridal Wreath greeted us with all of its glory on display.  It was gorgeous! Being situated on the top of the hill, we could see the bright blue of the Bay behind our glorious white bush!

  Bridal Wreath is actually Spirea.  The common name of Bridal Wreath comes from the long sprays of flowers that can be fashioned into head adornments.  Years and years ago, it was not unheard of for a bridal party to wear wreaths of Spirea on their heads during the wedding ceremony.  I can only imagine how beautiful the maids and bride must have been!  The tiny rose shaped blooms and bright green leaves would make a gorgeous headpiece!  Folks of today just have no creativity!

A horse..err..flower of a different color!

My new Spirea made from a cutting!  

The Spirea..commonly known as Bridalwreath..is blooming.  Last week, I could not even tell the bush was living and this week...booom!..there are white flowers everywhere!  Surely, this means spring is here!  I have long associated this bush with spring and Easter.  Why, you may ask?  I have no clue..just always have.  Perhaps it is because of the colors!  Ok..I know..Spirea is mostly white.  Mostly!  Mine does not stay white for long!  Ever since I was a little squirt, these flowers would be pinks, blues, greens, yellows and..well, white!  Why and how?  It was a learning situation for us as kids.  You remember..."A plant draws water up through its roots and stem all the way to the leaves and flowers."  Boring!  Unless...you were around creative adults that did not care if you made an occasional mess!

All that is needed to make multicolored Spirea blooms!

Now, back to the tie to Easter!  These fabulous colors were acquired through food coloring or better known to kids as Easter Egg Dye!  Mom never used food colorings much any other time of the year but at Eastertime...watch out!  We always knew when Easter was near simply because Pop would bring a box of the colorings home from the store!  Woo hoo!  Easter was on its way!!!  On the farm there was usually plenty of eggs for us to dye so Mom would boil up a heap of them!  Then with the kitchen table covered with newspapers, the whole family would gather to dye eggs!  This usually went well, until Pop would invariably start showing us how to dye half of an egg one color then hold it upside down in another color!  Two-colored eggs were much more interesting than single-colored eggs so we all had to try and eventually our cups of dye resembled mud!  Mud-colored eggs do not have the same attraction as the beautifully hued eggs that were dyed in clean dyes.  Still, it was fun and no eggs were any worse for wear.  That Easter Bunny would come and hide all fifty or so (sometimes more!) eggs even the murky, muddy ones! And we would eat deviled eggs and potato salad for the next week!  But..now I have rambled far from the Spirea!

And we are finished!  Today's dyes do not do nearly as well as the older ones.

That same dye that was used to make pretty eggs for the Easter Bunny also made pretty flowers for our table on Easter Day!  Mom would try to salvage the dyes to use for the flowers.  Spirea, being snow-white, was the bloom of choice..plus its habit of blooming early made it even more desirable!  She would pick a lovely bouquet of the long sprays of tiny,  rose-shaped flowers.  These were brought inside but not arranged in a vase right away.  The leftover dyes would be poured into canning jars which were taller than the egg-dying cups.  No extra water was added.  The branches of Spirea were divided among the canning jars of dyes with just the cut tips of the branches in the solution. Then it was just a matter of waiting for the stems to draw the color up into the flowers! Usually in just a few minutes, the flowers in the darker dyes would start to show a slight tinge of color.  Within a couple of hours, the tiny white flowers would change to the colors of the dyes!  If left too long, though, the flowers would wither and start to drop from the branches.  (Perhaps those food dyes are not so healthy for us either even though they are claimed to be safe for human consumption!  Wither and dropping?  Hmmm?)  Just in the nick of time, Mom would retrieve her flowers and arrange them in a large vase!  This would adorn our table for Easter dinner!  Throughout the meal, a dusting of tiny, multicolored petals would be showering down upon the white tablecloth!  It was magical!  So..the Bridalwreath is associated with Easter..and Easter Egg Dye..and food dye stains on the tablecloth..and Mom..and happy times as a kid!  It is no wonder that I like these flowers!