They're Gone...

   Each summer, a Carolina Wren will make a nest in my greenhouse/swamp shack.  This year, she chose a galvanized tub filled with huge pine cones that I had saved for my sister-in-law.  How the tiny bird squirmed her way into the midst of those prickly cones, wallowed out a spot large enough for the nest then build that nest without me noticing is quite the feat.  But...she did.  Then, she laid 5 beautiful, splotchy colored eggs and began her "sit" time.  Several times, I came close to accidently upsetting her but she held her spot and after a couple of weeks, she hatched her brood.  Then came the chore of feeding those 5 hungry mouths!  She and the male bird were constantly flitting in and out of the greenhouse/swamp shack.  I was careful to avoid the area as much as possible.

  At one point, it was necessary for me to retrieve some gardening tools that were just a couple of feet away from the nest so I took the opportunity to check the babies!  Those little rascals were already getting too large for their comfy home and were pushing each other out to the edge.  I knew it was time for them to make their first flight within days.  I, also, knew that Mr. Bat, the Bayou Prince Cat, would be an indoor kitty for a few days.  I was determined to let those little cuties learn the art of flying and foraging without the interference of a cat.  

  Sure enough, the birds made their exit the very next day.  It was a drizzly sort of day so the cat did not complain (much) about being cooped up inside.  He got extra treats, the birds took their first flight and all is well.  The greenhouse/swamp shack now seems empty so it is a good time for me to clean it up a bit.  The birds still come to roost near their snug nest each evening so that area will stay the same for the time being.  Happy flying, Little Ones!  I am glad your mama chose the safest place for your upbringing!

"F" is for Finn!

   I am a bit behind the times with this post but these winter storms, along with marmalade making and cutting firewood, have been keeping me quite busy.  Supposedly another storm is to swoop down this way tomorrow.  I think that one is named Indigo so we have had a few since Old Finn dropped by the Bayou..  (Also, naming these storms makes things easier.  Just like the tropical systems we usually get, having a name tagged on a storm makes it far easier to remember.)  Anyway, it was just before Finn came whipping through the Bayou that I was frantically moving stuff from the greenhouse (used as a place to display the Christmas village) to the upstairs.  The greenhouse is just an old outbuilding that I claimed and was in the process of redoing as my "Swamp Shack" when the idea hit for the village.  Mark always enjoys setting up the town so this was an ideal place for this year. But...those tiny ceramic houses would not stand a chance if Finn decided to demolish the greenhouse/Swamp Shack.  So I toted a whole town upstairs to be stowed away in the closet.  It was while I was upstairs that I noticed the "F"!  Peering out the window, at the drippiness, a perfect letter "F" caught my eye.  Was this some sort of sign that Finn was not going to play nicely?  Was Finn just announcing his arrival by flashing his initial for all to see?  What in the world was an "F" doing in the crape myrtle tree?  I had to investigate.

  After taking a photo through the window and screen. I trotted myself downstairs, out the backdoor, through the garden plot and to the crape myrtle trees.  Yep.  There was an "F" being proudly displayed on the branches but it had no mystical reason for being there.  Apparently, the visit of Ember had knocked down some oak leaves and haphazardly placed them in the branches of the crape myrtle.  There, they dangled for me to see as I peered through the upstairs window.  Nothing magical...no omen...nothing more than oak leaves that were hung by a previous storm.  My brain just sees things a bit differently than what other folks see.  Things like this are interesting enough for me to dawdle around while awaiting a storm just to get a photograph.  

Bye, Bye Greenhouse!

   Way back a few years, one of the first repair/building projects Son attempted was to turn a walk-through arbor into a greenhouse.  This was no easy task as the arbor was only 6ft wide and built on a slope. Still, he thought it could be done and, so, he did it.  He extended the width by adding more posts and cross pieces, used reclaimed windows that were given to us and some corrugated plastic roofing.  I loved my little "rough" greenhouse and so did my plants!  We all were happy campers with the time spent there together. This greenhouse also became an integral part of each annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou for the next 8 years. It was everything from a conservatory to a blacksmith shop!  Then came Hurricane Season 2020 and its incessant battering of the place.  We seemed to catch more storms that year than in any other.  One in particular lent a bashing to the greenhouse and my heart was broken.  Other things were more important at the time so the repairs were delayed until this month.  Since the roof and windows took a beating, Son decided to build a "temporary greenhouse" for the plants and a "swamp shack" for me.  A permanent roof replaced my light, airy, clear roofing and windows were reconfigured.  Goodbye, Greenhouse.  Sad...happy...all at the same time.

  While the little building is a work in progress, I did decide to put a coat of paint on the outside.  The rough planking reminded me of the old, cypress planks on Pop's shed so I tried to match the paint to what I remembered it looking like.  It is not perfect but once it weathers, it should be close.  Son still has to complete the back window and then do something with the floor but, so far, the little shack is giving me a whirlwind of ideas of how it is to be used.  One thing is for certain!!  The menfolk around here are NOT going to pile it full of their clutter!  Swamp shacks should be interesting not filled to the brim.  So long, Greenhouse.  You were perfect when first built but had seen better days.  Hello, Swamp Shack!  You and I have a lot of planning to do!

Transformation Time!

  It is hard to trash a place!  Literally, it is hard to wreck a perfectly nice place.  I know.  That was my job today.  Why?  The answer is simple...the clue hunt, of course!  The greenhouse always seems to be involved in the clue hunt.  It is one of the easiest places to use as an outbuilding without a lot of  "moving out" of stuff.  During the summer months, the greenhouse is basically empty other than a few empty flower pots, some potting soil and maybe a few tools.  Plus, it can be transformed into just about anything that is needed.  So far, it has been a blacksmith's home, a conservatory, a boathouse and...get this...a greenhouse!  This year, it is to be a swamp witch shack.   With the clue hunt just a couple of weeks away, the decorating has begun.  To become the shack, the idea was to cram as much stuff into the the place as a swamp witch may need.  She definitely needs things like herbs, gourds, traps, pots, pans, a wood-burning stove, utensils, a few skulls, maybe some lichens and mosses and ferns, and, of course, a bunch of oddities that make folks scratch their heads in thought.  I have those...all of those.  Getting all of that stuff crammed into the little greenhouse is a trick, in itself!  I have resorted to hanging stuff from the ceiling!

  The chore is almost done and I cannot share the "big reveal" but, for now, a quick snapshot before a thunderstorm trapped me in the greenhouse for the entire afternoon was all I could get!  So...here is to trashing the greenhouse in preparation for the clue hunt and all its fun!