Tiny Bits of Magic!

   Most folks who know me have serious doubts about my sanity, I am sure.  I tend to live in "my own little world" and block out the woes of the world.  People take things far too seriously and never allow themselves to cut loose and dwell in a fantasy land for a while.  Maybe I am totally wrong on this.  Perhaps others live in a fantasy world full of strife, conspiracy theories and unrest.  Maybe...just maybe...my Bayou is the "real world" and here is where real life takes place.  Then again...there are those who have doubts....which is fine by me because I do not have to be bothered with inane problems that can never be solved.  Mysteries...on the other hand...do not NEED to be solved!  They need to be enjoyed for what they are and that is it.  Mysteries and magic of the Bayou are all it takes.

  On my hikes about the place, I can find endless mysteries and copious amounts of pure magic.  (That is another fallacy being spread about.  Most say that magic has to be made.  Nope...it happens.  It just happens and is there for the fortunate to find and enjoy.)  This morning led me far down behind the canebrake where I was in hopes of finding mosses and ferns still intact after our bout of freezing weather.  The mosses were fine but the fern fronds were brown and withered.  This saddened me as the creek bed is one of the few places left wild.  It is full of magical happenings there!

  One point of beauty simply was found underfoot.  Fairy Footprints!  Yep, those tiny, white flowers were popping up everywhere!  These are some of the first wildflowers to bloom each year after winter starts to wane.  They do not seem to mind overnight frost as long as the days warm.  In fact, they do not even mind the shady nooks of the creek bed...those places overshadowed by underbrush or leafy oaks.  This groundcover is also often called Roundleaf Bluets or simply Innocence.  I call it magic for no other reason than the smile the blooms can bring to the face and the joy to the heart.  Find your magic, folks.  Find it...I promise, it is not something that needs to be made...it is already there.

Inconspicuous!

   Most folks have a tendency to overlook things simply because something a bit showier is catching their attention.   Expensive clothes, loud music, the huge house are all of the things that draw attention away from a sensibly dressed person, a bird song or a cottage.  It is just human nature.  Speaking of nature, the same holds true there, as well.  For instance, the bright red cardinal will stand out against the tiny brown wren, a rose will overshadow a wee bluet and a dolphin will surely garner more attention than a bull minnow!  That said, I tend to shy away from the elaborate things in life purely because of the attention.  I am a person that lives a much simpler life than most so it is understandable that I cherish what others deem as mundane.  I see the beauty in most everything...simple or elaborate...plain or gaudy.  Everything has its place.

  I thought of this while out back behind the canebrake.  The rains had stopped just enough for me to slip out for a few moments.  It was there that I spied the American Beautyberry bush.  Normally, this is something that most only recognize in the fall when the lengthy canes are dotted with clumps of magenta colored berries.  The bush is truly a showstopper and can be found wild just about everywhere.  Like I said...it is a showstopper in the fall.  During the rest of the year, it goes unnoticed even though there are lovely pinkish lavender blooms that precede those berries.  The blooms are so tiny and so pale that most folks never notice them.  I do!  In fact, that was the one reason I dared to sneak to the back even under the threat of being caught in a thunderstorm.  The blooms always make me smile.  American Beautyberry is truly lovely year round...often overlooked during the spring but beautiful just the same.

Marsh Confetti

   I awoke this morning with sore muscles from the hard work from yesterday.  I really had no intentions of getting up before the crack of dawn but old habits are hard to kill.  So...I was downing the first mug of coffee at 4am.  Since it was still pitch black outside, household chores were on the agenda.  Laundry...done.  Sweeping...done.  Mopping...done.  Pumpkin...processed and in the freezer.  Well, now what?  I peeked out the back door to see the eastern sky reddening.  Time to head to the pier.

  The sunrise was amazing as most are this time of year but what caught my eye was the confetti that had been strewn over the entire marsh.  Tiny white chips were all aflutter among the spikes of marsh.  The brightening sky had filtered just enough light through the marsh to set the saltmarsh asters to gleaming.  These are actually a light purple in color but, against the inkiness of the morn, they appeared to be white.  Marsh confetti at its best!  Thousands of the tiny flowers could be seen across the entire marsh.  This is just another one of the things that make mornings enjoyable.  

Grass Flowers

   I often find tiny flowers in the grass around the hillside.  Since I am not one that has to have the perfectly manicured lawn, I leave them grow where they may.  In fact, I love them.  Often these are what my mom called "Little Blue Eyes".  She was not far off from the actual common name which is blue-eyed grass.  The plant is only about 4 inches tall and the bloom is as tiny as a pea!  They are lovely, little things!  Years ago, I photographed the blue-eyed grasses as often as I found them.

  Yesterday while out in the back of the property near the creek bed, I noticed a tiny yellow flower.  Yep, I am quickly down on my knees photographing the wee bloom.  As I inspected the flower, I realized that it was almost identical to the blue-eyed grass bloom yet it was yellow!  I guess there truly is a first time for everything since I have never seen a yellow-eyed grass!  It called for a bit of research and, yes, it is called yellow-eyed grass and is kin to the blue-eyed grass.  How about that??

  I am seriously thinking of transplanting a few of both types into a pot or some small pan to have a miniature plant garden. There are so many wonderful wildflowers that go unseen simply because we are in such a hurry to get where we are going that we never take the time to really look at things.  Maybe life here on the Bayou just moves at a slower pace than other places or maybe I just do not fit in with the fast moving crowd.  I observe.  I take the time to really see things.  It is great.  Try it sometime.  You may be amazed at what all you have been missing.

Miniature Wonders!

  There is an amazingly beautiful world beneath our feet.  Gardening and hiking both can bring us closer to that incredible place...the "Land of Miniature".  This is a place where things often go unnoticed because we are too busy with what is far easier to see...the large, flashy world at eye level.  It only takes a moment, however, to discover and fall in love with the wee things that are trod upon during our day to day meanderings. 

  A few days back, the garden beckoned and I heeded the call.  There were some twenty or so tomato plants that were in dire need of a larger growing spot than the tiny seeding pots.  The shovel was put into action as I spaded up yet another garden plot.  While doing this, I could not help but "go around" a few of the tiny weeds that had sprung up recently.  I am sure Pop would have thought I was daft for leaving weeds where tomatoes should grow but Mom would have been tickled pink.  The "weeds" were what Mom called Little Blue Eyes and they always held a special spot with her.  She had told me several times that when she was a wee child, she was allowed to pick those "flowers" but not the ones in the gardens.  She was even given a tiny vase just for her special flowers.  Later, I picked the wee things for Mom.  She used the same tiny vase to hold them on the kitchen windowsill.  My kids did the same for me.  As moms, we never grew tired of receiving bouquets of weeds.

  I am sure that eventually, the Blue-eyed Grass Flowers will fall to the hoe but, for now, they shall stay in between the tomato plants.  Hopefully, they will go to seed and scatter themselves willy-nilly throughout the garden.  I am good with a few "wildflowers" here and there amongst the veggies.  They make life interesting.  I do not fit in with the well-organized folks who have to have everything perfect.  A little bit wild and wonderful is more my style!  Grow, little flowers!  Be happy!