For several years in a row, hurricanes and tropical storms battered the Bayou. The cleanup was hard work but with steady toiling, most would be done before the next round of storms. It is something we have to deal with if we wish to stay on this land. I love my little bayou and the surrounding woods enough to endure whatever is thrown at me. Only once in my entire life of living in the area have I ever had second thoughts about staying in the Little Bayou House and, by that time, it was too late to leave. Hurricane Katrina was a force to be reckoned with on her terms. While we were dealt a severe blow, we persevered. And to those who rode through Hurricane Camille and claimed it was "the storm of the century", Katrina proved just how wrong that judgement was. It was far worse. I can say that...I rode through both.
One of the downsides of doing hurricane cleanup is that you really do not have the opportunity to fret over what is lost even after the storm. When plowing through the mountains of debris, it seems highly pointless to worry over a small plant or garden area. You just want the debris gone. So, gardens and even wildflowers disappear. After the latest storms, this bothered me a lot. I missed the natural look of the place. So...I headed back to higher ground behind the house and did a bit of scrounging. There, the plants survived. I was elated and dug many to refurbish the pathways.
Of my finds, the woods violets are favorites. I dug several clumps but was careful not to purge the places where they grew naturally. The plants flourished in their new home and are gracing the place with the beauty of their blooms. Never have there been so many lovely purple blossoms scattered about the hillside! This all reminds me so much of the old farm place where Pop had violets growing by the acre. Between his old shed/workshop and the chicken house, thousands of violets were left to grow to wild abandon. He kept the place mowed except when he saw the violets starting to bud. Then, he let them bloom and reseed themselves. There were so many blooms that this area could actually be seen by cars passing in front of the property. Many people would stop to ask what was blooming. Pop was always happy to share information and a few plants.
Just yesterday, a sweet friend brought up the memory of Pop and his violets even though he has been gone for some thirty years. She was a teacher at the local elementary school and took the road past the farm to work every day. Stephanie said that when the violets bloomed and word got out at the school, a lot of teachers rerouted their trips home so they could view the "Sea of Purple" growing in the backyard of the old farm. How sweet that she remembered and how sweet that she shared the memory with me. The thought made the violets blooming on the path so much more precious. I am glad I was able to replant after the storms. Hopefully, we will have a few years of calm so the violets can take hold and fill the yard and I can have my own "Sea of Purple".
