Almost eight years ago, I had a rather chilling experience. A tall pine tree next to the marsh edge had had been killed during Hurricane Katrina (some seven years earlier). Since the tree was far away from the Little Bayou House and since we had so much else to worry about at that time, the tree was left to rot away on its own. It was at the eight year mark after the tree's demise that I came across a rather unusual item in the middle of the tree's trunk. A shard of bone had been obviously "preserved" by the tree's growth and was not revealed until the tree collapsed. When I found the bone it was gleaming white in the late afternoon sun as if it was calling to me to examine it. I picked up the bone not knowing whether it was of a bayou critter or if it was of a human. Holding the bone shard, I had the intense feeling that I should not just toss it to the wayside. My intentions were to let Darling Daughter, Elizabeth, look at the bone as she had taken courses in anthropology in college. She did not live on the Coast at the time but I felt perhaps she would be able to tell me a bit about my bone find when she made a visit. Sad to say, in the hubbub of every day life, the bone was stowed away and promptly forgotten. In a mass "spring" cleanup, I found the bone once again and still have questions. It still feels wrong to toss the bone without at least making an attempt at identifying its source.
When I found the bone this time, I asked Son since he was spearheading the cleanup of the storeroom where I had stashed the mystery piece. He studied the piece for a while and made the remark that it honestly was the right size to be a bone from a human but he had no idea. Of course, he is a math major and not an anthropologist so his guess was about as good as mine. Now, that Elizabeth lives on the Coast, it will be far easier for her to examine the bone and steer me in the right direction but, being an old lady, the brain is a bit scattered. She was actually here today and I forgot all about my questions about the mystery bone and why it was in a tree. Bayou Mysteries abound and this has to be one of the most intriguing and in a way, gut-wrenching. I guess I need to find someone that may do DNA testing on it to determine its origin. Hopefully, it is a critter....hopefully. Why does this bone keep reappearing??
While cleaning house today, my vacuum cleaner bumped into a small barrel and sent it rolling across the floor. After retrieving the runaway keg and replacing it on its stand, a thought rang through the brain. My kids get me the oddest gifts! Yep, this aging barrel was a gift from my oldest son. He and his family live on an tiny island way out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean but somehow he managed to come across this little oddity. After thinking it may come in handy with his occasional "brewing" he tested it for leaks. Sure enough, it was not watertight nor any other liquid-tight. It could not be trusted to hold his brews so what else was there to do other than....send it to Mom. (I actually received this as a Christmas gift!)
The little barrel rates right along up there as a favorite gift with the likes of a broken antique typewriter and a zoetrope from my daughter and the clock-repair kit from my youngest son. Each year, they outdo themselves with the oddities they find to send to Dear Old Mom. While a lot of mothers would be miffed or, at least, confused at receiving such things, I am as happy as a lark with the gifts. Why would I want any of the above? Well, they are things I can use! My kids know that I am always in a big search for items to use as props or decorations for the Annual Clue Hunt on the Bayou and, when they find something unusual, they nab it for me! I have the best kids!
The little runaway barrel would have been a perfect prop for last year's hunt since it was pirate themed but I am quite sure it will find its way into some nook or cranny in the next hunt come October. I am not sure where...or how it will be used but it will make an appearance. There are so many possibilities that my head spins! The runaway barrel had perfect timing, too! Our plotting of the next hunt has begun and the search is on for props! October will be here before I know it so I have to get a jump on things! Well...I have this barrel...now, how can I use it??
For the past week, my cousin has been telling me of some pretty odd finds in her yard. She lives up north and after the snow melted around her house, she went out to do some yard work. One of the first things found was a spoon. Not thinking much about it, she put it on the porch rail. Later when she cleaned the spoon, she realized that it was not one of hers. Then, she found a jacket that did not belong to her. It was stuffed under a log. A few days later, a robe sash was on the ground in the middle of her yard. Odd finds that sort of unnerved her a bit. We talked a bit about the items and came to no conclusion why the items were in her yard.
Today, an oddity was located on the Bayou. Although the item was recognizable, it was the placement that was confusing. Son was sweeping the leaves from the rooftop when he saw something glinting in the sunlight. When he swept it free from the leaves, he found it to be a knife! Why was a knife on my roof??? This particular knife is a filleting knife that we have long kept on the pier. For years, it remained stabbed in the top of a pier post. We kept it there to be used when cutting bait so were not worried about the knife being exposed to the elements. To find it on top of the house was a tad weird, however!
Son and I have about come to the conclusion that the knife was picked up by one of the ospreys that mistook the handle as a fish. Once the bird flew a ways with the knife, it realized that it was not a fish and promptly dropped it. It was mere coincidence that the bird was directly over the house when the knife was released from the talons. Kerplunk! It fell right down on the roof!
The assumption that an ambitious osprey may account for our find of a knife and a large bird could possibly explain the spoon and robe sash at my cousin's house. The jacket stuffed under the log, however, is a bit befuddling! Weird stuff happening!
