Here Today...

   Years and years ago, my granddad rooted a small branch of a Night Blooming Cereus for me.  The plant flourished and was soon putting on quite the show with its late night blooms.  Then came kids and the poor plant was sorely neglected as my attention was diverted to child rearing.  Somehow, the plant survived all of those years with little to no care other than protecting it from the cold.  After the kids were grown, I was able to turn my attention back to the gardens.  Time and weather (hurricanes) had wreaked havoc on most of the gardens but the cereus lived on through it all.  It was time to bring the plant back to its full glory.  I started rooting and sharing the plants with anyone who wanted one and potting dozens to keep.  I also spent much time enjoying the summertime blooms...albeit late at night.  The blooms are gone by daybreak.

  The odd timing and shortness of bloom-time got me to pondering (as I am prone to do about most everything, as of late.)  Perhaps, just perhaps, this plant is here for a reason...if you are inclined to seek the purpose of all things.  With the huge, 8 inch, frilly flowers representing the beauty of life in general, the shortness of bloom time could be a reminder that all things should be enjoyed in the moment.  We should take the time to be grateful for what we are granted...WHEN it is granted.  What is here today, may be gone tomorrow.  Folks, find time to be thankful for all things for nothing is guaranteed.  Life, itself, is fleeting.

Chasing Away The Mulligrubs

  As hard as the past couple of years have been on all of us, we still have a lot of reasons to be thankful.  I admit that things have been rough...they have been not to my liking here, either.  The isolation is taking its toll on my emotions and mental well-being.  While it is not easy, I tend to drown my dejection with work.  It is not hard to find chores to be done so it is a win/win situation.  I forget about the woes of the world and accomplish things that have been neglected.

  Today's first chore started at 4am.  There were 16lbs of shelled pecans that needed canning.  Normally, I would have just tossed the majority of the nuts in bags and in the freezer but both chest type freezers are filled to capacity with seafood.  Nope...ain't no nut worth tossing away a shrimp.  So, the pecans were canned and can sit on the shelf for the duration until they are needed.   After doing these, there are still 5lbs that will be used in baking between now and Christmas.

  After the canning was complete, I headed outside to start building a "temporary" greenhouse/winter garden area.  This will hold the night-blooming cereus plants and enough tomato and bell pepper plants to tide us over until spring.  By the time my work for the day was done, the doldrums had left for at least a little while.  No, it did not solve the many problems facing us but it did give my brain a break.  I am just thankful that I am able to get out and do something...anything...to keep the mulligrubs at bay.  (Wow!  I have not thought of mulligrubs since my grandmother passed.  She always used the term.  Ahh, Grandmother!  Another reason to be thankful...memories.)

Thankful For One Photograph

  Since Thanksgiving falls in November, this should be an entire month of thankfulness.  Well, to my way of thinking, the entire year should find us being thankful even for the smallest of gifts.  I am thankful.  The past couple of years have been trying, to put it mildly, but....I am thankful....always.

  This morning as I eased my way down the pier, I was in awe of the sky in front of me.  There was scant clouding which made for the perfect spot for the sun's rays to bounce around.  Wow!  This was gorgeous!  Then I remembered...my camera was not being overly happy, as of late.  The cantankerous thing was often not willing to take photographs.  Why I still insist on toting it is quite questionable...still, it was in hand.  I tried, it worked....for one photograph.  I have one photograph of the sunrise but, oh, wow!...what a beautiful picture.  I am thankful.  I am thankful.

Short and Sweet

  If you can say one thing about weather with a fair amount of certainty, it would be that it is fickle.  Never assume you know from one moment to the next how it is going to be.  Our spring and early summer was wet.  We had far too much rain and folks were starting to be flooded badly.  Here, it ran off into the Bay so we stayed high and dry.  Others were not so fortunate.  Then, that fickleness kicked in and we went from mild temperatures to scorching hot....and dry.  The gardens started to wither under the searing sun.  If the heat did not get you, those dratted mosquitoes, who were pleased with the watery spring, would attack and try to finish what the heat did not complete.  Working outdoors became miserable!

  Early yesterday, I dragged the water hose around trying to save what plants I could.  Everything got a tiny drink with a promise of more to come.  As much as I knew the plants needed a good soaking, the mosquitoes were eating me alive!  With the final squirt of the hose on the turmeric plants, thunder could be heard in the distance!  Really??  I turned to see dark clouds and rain!  Glorious rain was coming up the hillside from the Bay!  Needless to say, I got caught in the rain shower but was so appreciative of the cooling effect, I made no effort to rush indoors!

  

  The shower lasted only a few moments but it cooled things significantly.  The plants were happy with their double dousing and I was just as happy even if I was drippy!

Southern Serenade

   It seems as if there is a big uproar about the emergence of millions of cicadas due this month around the nation.  So?  Is that a bad thing?  I hear everything from "They kill the trees." to "They invade my house." or even "They are too loud."  So?  First off, cicadas do not kill trees.  Granted the adult females do lay their eggs in trees but the larvae eventually fall to the ground and burrow under.  What they do to trees is sort of a natural pruning which is actually good for trees.  Secondly, the critters do not "invade" houses.  They may crawl up the side as a means to let their wings dry and then to allow them to take flight but they really do not want to be inside.  That would serve no purpose to them.  If any do get inside, they probably flew in when someone left a door open or, occasionally, one may hitch a ride on someone because they simply landed and did not get off in time.  Being inside is counterproductive to them as they are only seeking mates. So unless you have caged cicadas inside, no other one wishes to be there.  Good thing about cicadas, they do not bite nor sting!  In fact, the critters do not have a mouth to bite with, in the first place so before that gets started, we will put a nix on it.  In the unhappy (for them) event that one does find itself stranded inside your house, do it a favor and simply pick up the critter and gently put it back outside.  In return, I am sure it will be happy to sing a song just for you.

  As for being loud, yep!  They can be deafening!  Their calls are often compared to about a billion electric saws being used at the same time!  This amuses me as I would much rather hear the cicadas sing than saws running in the middle of the night.  True, the singing is loud at times but be thankful...you can hear!

  Speaking of cicadas and their loud calls, if you live in the south, that is pretty much a yearly occurrence and not this thirteen or seventeen year thing.  It happens EVERY SUMMER here and their calls are not looked upon as something bad.  We accept it.  We take pride in our lovely creatures.  We appreciate them.  Of course, our annual emergence does not compare to the prediction of billions but, hey, they are only temporary so give them a break.  They will be around for a few weeks then, poof!, they are gone!  They will be back underground and go unnoticed until the next go round.  Like I said, folks, instead of fretting and trying to kill the critters, be thankful you are around to witness such an event.

It Only Takes A Moment

  My realm is still limited to the small gardens but, hopefully, that will soon change.  My strength is returning by leaps and bounds which means that my limitations will be exiting by leaps and bounds soon.  I have had enough!  It is time to roam the Bayou again and find my critter friends.  I am sure they have pondered my absence and may have missed me just a wee bit.  I know I have missed them enormously!  

  This morning, one of my favorite bayou friends sat patiently on a pier post.  It was quite clear that he wanted breakfast.  Moe, the heron, has been coming for almost two years to eat small mullet and menhaden that I catch in the net.  The bird has become tame enough to take fish from my hand.  That bond means the world to me and not being able to share time with the bird weighs heavy.  I NEED to be back on that pier!  Moe, I promise it won't be long!  For now, however, I have to be happy with a long-distance photograph!  

  It is funny how we take things for granted when times are good.  A simple walk, going fishing, even viewing the sunrise seem commonplace things that we are assured to always have.  Sometimes, life has other plans and things go awry.  Folks, be happy in what you have.  Be appreciative of every step you take, every sight you see, every sound you hear.  Things can change in an instance and then you long for your "humdrum", everyday life.  Just be thankful. 

Simply Thankful

   As usual, many things battle for space in the brain as I meander about the hillside.  Here lately, my hikes have become slow strolls due to the health of the old dog. He moves slow so I move slow.  There is no need to hurry if it causes him not to enjoy his time outside.  We spend time together purely because we like each other but, as of late, he never wants me out of his sight.  So, instead of fast-paced hikes where I would leave him far behind, we stroll, take time to see things and often stop to rest.  He needs our time together as a reassurance that I will always be here for him.  I need our time together simply because he has been so faithful.  But, as I said, many things have the chance to pop in and out of the thoughts on these long, slow walks.

  This afternoon being as tomorrow is Thanksgiving, it occurred to me that I am thankful for the chance to move slow.  I am thankful for life being slower paced than in the past.  I am thankful that, as a kid, I was able to lie on my back in the cool grass and watch the clouds float by overhead.  I am thankful that the old dog, Mr. PJ has given me the opportunity to do it again.  I am thankful that he came to the Bayou to be a part of the family.  I am just thankful for life and what all is here.  

The "Art" of Being Thankful

  The holiday known as Thanksgiving is all but forgotten in our lives. Sure, we all expect to overstuff ourselves with turkey and trimmings on the big day and we have a tendency to spout how grateful we are for material things but just how much do we really celebrate this day?  It is sort of just wedged in between two other days that are a bit more popular...Halloween and Christmas.  Halloween is exciting!  It is the up and rising holiday of the age. With costumes, decorations, trick or treating and parties galore, it keeps us occupied for a month.  Then, there is Christmas!  Trees, decorations, gifts, plays, carols, manger scenes and glad tidings to all...it is no wonder that we can hardly await the big day! The festivities start the day after Halloween and continue for nigh on two months.  In between the two, we wish to rest....not celebrate.  My thought on the matter is this.  Do we really even know how to be thankful? Are any of us really adept at the art of being thankful?  Probably not.

  This calls for some restructuring of our thoughts.  Thanksgiving is just as important as any other holiday sandwiched into the calendar of events but it is that art of being thankful that many of us have forgotten. Do we know how to appreciate whatever we have been given?  Mark's grandmother taught me something long ago.  She would wake in the morning giving thanks for another day, she would sing praises all day long and then give thanks again at night before retiring to bed.  Her day was spent being thankful.  Not that she had a lot...she did not.  She lived close to poverty level by her choice.  She had earned her way through life and was truly appreciative of what she had even though it was meager at times.  She had learned the art of thankfulness.  It seems that some folks are forever wanting more.  They need a bigger car, fancier house, nicer clothes, flashy jewelry and such to make them feel important.  Our society sees that as success.  This is so wrong. Happiness is success...the other is nothing more than "bling" used to cover our insecurities

  To be truly thankful, we each need to do a bit of soul-searching and realize that no matter what we have, it can disappear in a blink of an eye. None of us are promised a single day, a next meal or even another breath.  Life is fleeting...happiness is even more elusive.  To be truly happy, one must be at peace with oneself and see that no matter what life hands us, we should give thanks.  Our very existence is a gift and for THAT, my friends, we should be thankful.  So look inside of yourself and find that deep feeling of gratitude for life, for love, for daylight, for darkness and for everything in between...not just for one day or even for one month but for a lifetime.