My Good Luck Charm!

   For the past few days it has been sunny and that meant yard work.  I am trying to reclaim all of the mulch that the torrential rains took from the gardens and put down near the marsh.  Hauling it back up the hill is proving to be my undoing as I live in a state of soreness now.  Old ladies are not supposed to push a wheelbarrow uphill twenty to thirty times a day.  I do. I am paying for the effort.  My body is telling me to stop but the weather says "Get it done now because I am going to take a turn for the worse come the weekend."  It is that old adage of "Make hay while the sun shines." at play here.  Good news is that I only have about forty more loads to haul.  Hopefully, I have it secure enough this time that the rain does not decide to mulch the marsh again.  If it does...it can stay...I do not care.  While doing all of that raking, loading and hauling of mulch, I discovered the "motherlode" of millipedes.  It seems that the critters are in mulch heaven under that stuff.  They are fat and happy!

  I was thinking about the millipedes and decided that was to be my research project for the evening.  (Learn something new and all that.)  Anyway, after finding out all the life-habits of the critters, there was an article on symbolism and life totems or spirit animals.  Ok, so that stirred a bit of interest!  It seems that millipedes are the symbols of good luck, energy and health.  Well, now!  I think I shall just have to adopt a millipede as my good luck charm! (Or all of them!)  I sure could use all three of those things.  If you follow my lead, just make sure to adopt a millipede and not a centipede.  First off, those critters can bite!  Millipedes just sort of musk you but centipedes can pack a wallop!  Also, while millipedes represent rather nice things, in most cultures the centipede is a symbol of evil or death.  Nope, don't want that following me.  So, millipedes are where it is at, folks.  Happy little campers there!  I will keep them.

Who Makes Up These Things???

  It is sort of humorous how tales change from person to person.  I am supposing a lot of it has to do with cultural backgrounds but a lot is hearsay.  My interest in the critters of the Bayou leads me to do a lot of research.  Not only do I delve into the lives of the critters but into their symbolism as told by folklore.  Many times, a critter is pretty much universally recognized by one idea of what it represents.  Owls, the world over are seen as a representation of wisdom.  The same with eagles (all sorts) as they are widely seen as "strength".  Cardinals are a symbol of a connection with the "afterworld".  And so on.

  Today's critter research involved the woodpecker.  This fine bird should be the symbol for preparedness.  When times are plentiful, they store seeds and nuts for later use and build several exits to their tree hole nests as an escape from predators.  They are prepared to face what may come.  But...this is not what they symbolize!  According to research, woodpeckers represent a balance between goodness and vigilance.  They are letting us know that we should be aware of our surroundings but not let caution keep us from doing good.  Another source stated that a woodpecker sighting is a declaration that we should protect what is dear to us.  Yet, another says that a woodpecker's drumming is a heralding of death.  Finally, one source proclaimed that a visiting woodpecker brings good luck.  It seems that the symbolism of a woodpecker sighting changes with whoever sees the bird.

  There is a Red-bellied Woodpecker that visits the feeder (also known as an upside down table top makeshift feeder) each day.  The bird loudly announces its arrival before dropping in to scare off most other birds.  Only the cardinals will hold their ground and eat alongside of the woodpecker.  The Red-bellied will eat a dozen or so seeds before carting off dozens more.  The seeds are being stashed in the bark of a pine tree down the hill  Whether or not this bird will retrieve those seeds this winter is questionable.  A wily squirrel has been watching the bird's every move and may just be crafty enough to steal the seeds.  

  Whatever the woodpecker represents, I am happy to have it come to visit.  I love hearing the calls and drumming.  I love the fact that they nest nearby and bring their little ones to the feeders when the babes fledge.  Life is good/

Dreams of Birds and Tranquility

  It is sort of ironic that a Great Egret was circling the pier early this afternoon.  The bird flew in three large circles around the entire Bayou (and pier) before coming to land in the midst of the marsh.  It is not uncommon to see the egrets but having one circle around me after having a dream about one last night was a bit...well...soul-stirring.  In my dream, a Great Egret flew in to greet me on the pier as they often do but this one came to my side and gently laid its head on my hand.  Its wings were wide-spread and its beautiful white feathers gleamed so brightly that I could hardly look at it.  Then, the bird flew straight up and out of sight.  When I awoke, my heart was racing and I felt as if something was on the verge of happening.  In view of my love for the critters of the Bayou, perhaps the dream of an egret befriending me was enough to move me but seeing the bird today has caused a good bit of pondering. Was there some deeper meaning to the dream?  Was the bird trying to tell me something?  If one is to go around looking for images and signs, they are sure to be there, yet, I was not looking.

  It has often been said that there are deep meanings to our dreams.  An appearance of a Great Egret has been associated with a new beginning.  That an preceding task set before you has been completed and that a new prosperous, peaceful life is ready to be attained.   In other words, it is time to stop living in the past and get on with the future.  The battle before has been won the hard way and now a life of peace is at the threshold.  While a lot of folks do not put much trust in dreams, one can only hope that something like this one holds true.

  Then, there was the actual bird flying in circles around me and my home.  The large, white egret flying around and around the Bayou with me as the centerpoint was purely fascinating.  I like to choose that the bird in the dream was foretelling of peace and prosperity and the bird doing the flying was letting me know that this tranquility was to be found where I live.  The Bayou has always been my little piece of paradise so this comes as no surprise. Then again, the bird may have been just trying to decide where would be the best place to catch supper.  Who knows?  It is something to ponder, however.

The Sign Says...

  It is amazing how the human brain works...or sometimes overworks....or sometimes does not do a lick of working at all.  Mine, lately, has been bouncing back and forth between being in overdrive to having stalled at the corner waiting for the light to change.  During those frenetic times, it seems that I am trying to build mountains out of molehills.  Bad part about this..I am succeeding.  Those mountains in my brain appear to be insurmountable.  I become increasingly aggravated by things that are never going to be under my control and wish to ditch it all and hide under a rock until the problem passes.  In some ways, that may not be such a bad idea.  Still, I can't.  Regardless of the task at hand, my nature is to not quit.  So, I push myself to face things head on.  

  That is not to say that I do not need reassurance that things are going to be fine and dandy.  So, like so many others, I start looking for signs for that bit of encouragement to carry on.  This afternoon as I walked the old dog about the hillside, my brain was in a turmoil.  Today was one of those days where for every two steps forward, I took ten backward.  The whole day made me tired...just tired.  Once down near the marsh, Mr. PJ stopped dead in his tracks.  He stood sniffing the north wind as if something was about to happen.  Then...a grape leaf fell from the sky.  It dropped as softly as a downy feather just a few feet in front of him.  Weird.  We were far from the grapevines.  In fact,we were under an oak tree.  It then dawned on me that perhaps this was my so-called "sign".  The leaf was bright yellow and in a the shape of a perfect heart.  

  If you ever delve into symbolism of colors, you will find that yellow means happiness, energy and positivity.  Hmmm...yep, that would be a pretty good sign to accept.  Instead of dwelling on the confusion battling it out inside my head, I need to focus that energy into something positive.  This should be something that is realized without the "sign" even though one never hurts to reinforce the idea.  If it takes a grape leaf to set things right in the mind, so be it.