Chased By Clouds!

   Lately, it seems that I post a good bit about the weather and that is merely because the weather for the past few months has kept me from doing much hiking, gardening or critter watching.  Being indoors is just not fun!  I was definitely not made to be a "lady of luxury" who lounges about the house all day.  After just a few hours, the stir-craziness starts to set in and my escape is imminent.  This morning was much the same.  That escape came with a short trip to the pier.  Nothing much was found to be interesting except that strange eastern horizon.  Even though it was well after sunrise (about 7am), the sun was not its usual bright and perky self.  In fact, it was pretty much covered over by a strange golden fog.  It appeared that our clouds had fallen down low and carried with them some funky smog(?).

  The time spent on the pier was not enjoyable as it usually is.  With the copious rainfall of late, the mosquitoes seem to have multiplied a billion-fold and I had forgotten any repellent.  The stroll was cut short as I rushed back to the Little Bayou House to escape the clouds...the one on the horizon and the one made up of a swarm of biting pests.  Maybe being inside would not be so bad, after all.

Storms, Herons and Boredom

   I am grasping here, folks.  It has been two days since I have been able to roam the hillside and woods.  The storms seem to be everlasting so I am stuck inside much against my wishes.  When I do sneak outside for a few moments, it is to grab something from the garden for our meals.  (It is like going to the grocery store without ever leaving the Bayou!)  But, I am rapidly going stir crazy!  I need to be outside!  I am not sure how other folks can stay in their homes day in and day out.  

  A few days back, however, that sunshine was inviting me to get out and garden.  While most of the vegetable plot is in full swing, I am still revamping the other parts of the Small Gardens.  Storms and laziness on my part have put them into shambles.  One of the projects was to concrete the drainage ditch that I dubbed Pebble Creek.  The nigh on 70 ft of slope ends with Puddle Pond.  (Yes, these were named when I was confined to the Small Gardens for so many months.  Imagination, folks. It is called imagination.)  Son and I tackled the job and finished just before this round of storms.  This is another small pond dedicated to the frogs.  There are no fancy-schmancy exotic fish here on the Bayou.  It is either bull minnows or frogs.  I opted for the frogs since they help with pest control.  As I was cleaning up our mess from the concrete job, I stuck a heron decoy near the pond.  The decoy (along with two owls and a duck) was a deposited here by a past hurricane and has resided somewhere in the yard since.  It is only fitting to have it by Puddle Pond for a spell.  

  Once I get caught up on the chores, I plan to give our plastic bird its own makeover.  It definitely could use some paint and some new legs!  In the meantime, I figure the bird can stay where it is.  It wobbles with the southerly winds and sort of looks halfway real at times.  Maybe I need to toss the duck in Puddle Pond so the heron can have a friend.  Friends of all sorts are good.