My "Step" Plant

  The spring has been quite rainy.   We get thunderstorms nigh on every evening which is fine by me because I sleep well during storms.  I figure that my chores for the next day are easier as I do not have to drag the water hose around the gardens to give the plants a drink.  Those clouds do a fine job...better than what I can do.  Besides, there is something soothing about rain on the rooftop and wind that rattles the windows just a wee bit. So, I sleep...soundly and peacefully.  The other night, however, it was particularly rainy, rather windy and lightning was putting on a fantastic show through the south windows I had just settled in with the cat snuggling near me when I heard an odd thud.  Hmm...wonder what that was?  I sat up and strained to hear over the raindrops pelting the roof.  I heard nothing more and almost started to think I imagined the noise.  I looked at Bat, the cat. He stirred a bit then snuggled a little closer.  He did not seem concerned so all must be well.  Bat is pretty good at keeping me informed about what should be investigated and, obviously, a thud was not a threat.  The cat snuggled, the storm raged and I slept.  All was well in the Little Bayou House.

  I was busy canning plums the next morning so did not get to find my "thud".  It was not until two days later, that I discovered the source of the sound.  The wind had knocked down one of the hanging potted plants next to the French doors. The arbor surrounding these doors has a great structure that allows for hanging plants to be draped everywhere!  Well, the wind must have not appreciated the decor because one of the arrowhead plant was now a "step" plant and not a hanging one.  The small chains were broken causing the plant to plop right down on the step.  It looked quite at home there, so  it will stay.  My "step" plant is doing nicely...in fact, it looks much healthier since it fell.  This makes me wonder if perhaps the other five should come tumbling down!

The Wind Did It!

   For the past week or so, the lane has been breathtakingly beautiful.  The azaleas have been in full bloom and putting on quite a show!  The heavenly scent made me want to pause with each walk about the place.  These bushes are as full of memories as they are blooms.  Each one was carefully dug from under the existing azaleas from the old homeplace, from aunts' and uncles' places and from any number of neighbors. The bushes are old...from back in the day when plants were shared and not hastily bought.  Everyone shared!  Even folks you did not know were more than happy to "give you a start" if you admired their yard.  Those were the days, folks.  Those were the days when everyone was kind, giving and helpful.  

  Now, however, like the days gone...the azalea blooms are gone.  For the past two days, stiff southeast winds have plagued the poor flowers.  Most are piled in heaps beneath the bushes instead of gleefully hanging on their stems.  A carpet of pink now lines the driveway.  

  These winds are to be around for a few more days so undoubtedly more blooms, leaves and limbs will come tumbling down.  The yard will need cleaning yet again.  Folks, enjoy things while you can...nothing is permanent and will soon become a memory that will rattle around in the dark, cobwebbed corners of the brain.

Wind, Bees and Flowers!

  The area was supposed to get a lot of rain last night and today.  Areas around us did...we did not.  We got wind. Tonight, thankfully, thunder rolls and showers come and go.  I am ready for a good soaking rain on the gardens.  If this happens, a couple of hundred little plants will be set in their "growing" spots in the morning.  The cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli plants really need to be spaced a bit further apart than I had sowed the seeds but it would have been pointless to transplant them during the drought.  So...we (the plants and I) wait on the rain.

  This morning, I headed to the pier to check the skiff and any fishing gear.  The winds were picking up a bit so it is better to take care of things before it gets too rough.  It was on that quick dash that I had to stop and watch a bee.  Yep, even during iffy weather, I watch the critters.  At the end of the pier, there is a lovely groundsel bush with its poofy white blossoms.  Right in the midst of the bush, there was a single goldenrod branch. I had stopped to admire the beautiful "floral arrangement" when I noticed another goldenrod branch had tilted over the end of the pier.  That was where I found my lovely, little friend.  The bee was hunkered down among the flowers to escape the wind.  While the blooms gave the bee something to grasp, it was still having a wild ride.  The whole thing was bouncing around with each gust.  At one point, the wind lulled and I was able to photograph the bee.  The bee, however, had a different idea.  After just one picture, it up and flew to the oak tree and nestled in among the lichens.  There, it would be safe from the whipping winds.  And I headed back up the hill to the Little Bayou House.

Naptime!

   A couple of weeks ago, I was ambitious to the point of wearing myself to a frazzle.  I had so much energy stored up due to still being in isolation...yep...still.  While the world is moving...I am stuck.  That being stuck on the Bayou led me to believe I could redo the yard and the Little Bayou House singlehandedly.  Guess what...that is stupidity at its best.  I was going from 4am to well past 10pm.  Great progress was being made until I nigh on collapsed with sheer exhaustion.  Since then, life has come to a grindingly slow pace.  It is not fun being lazy, my friends.  I am not wired that way.  Now, although my brain says "Go!", the body is like "Nope...not happenin'."  I am having to listen to the body.

  I did manage to wander the hillside again late this afternoon despite of the stifling heat.  I wanted to go back behind the greenhouse to check the wild yucca plants as there were two ten foot tall shoots that were full of buds.  I knew it was time for them to be opened and I was in hopes of getting a photograph of this marvel.  Well, I got my picture but I had to laugh.  My yucca blooms were in just about the same shape I am.  They are tired.  

  The wind and rain from the storms of a few days ago knocked both heavily bud-laden stalks over.  The two were laid neatly onto the wheelbarrow that was still left where I last worked.  I admit...I was lazy and did not retrieve the wheelbarrow.  That will wait for another day since now it is being used as a resting spot for the lovely yucca blooms.  Don't mind them.  The yucca plants will be ok...they just needed a nap!

Cristobal, you can leave now!

  Well, Tropical Storm Cristobal came to visit the Bayou and is stirring up a tad bit of trouble before he makes his exit.  Yes, I do know that the storm "officially" made landfall in Louisiana but, like I said before, that put us on that right side...the side you do not want to be on during any tropical system.  Why?  Because in any typical storm, that upper right quadrant (our side in this case just like in Hurricane Katrina) is the side that catches the brunt of the wind, tidal surge and rain.  The area that is impacted by the right side of a tropical system in the Atlantic Basin, is in for trouble.  We got trouble by the buckets!  Rain...lots and lots of rain fell on the area and that created flooding and wind..sometimes gusting nigh on to hurricane force, pushed even more water into our area.  In fact, as of this writing, the rain gauge reads a little over 8 inches. This flooding is not going to go away for a while.  Here on the Bayou, we are lucky.  We live on a hill that overlooks the Bay and Bayou.  While the tidal surge came and is slowly receding at this time, the rain filling the creek that empties into the back of the Bayou is causing trouble for those behind us.  Here, the rain slides off into the Bay.  Others are not so fortunate.  The water from rivers, creeks, ponds and any low spots just pools and then floods into houses.  Not good.  

  The pier seems to have taken a beating and planks have wandered off to parts unknown.  Those will have to be replaced.  Hopefully, (I cannot tell yet as water is still covering it) the base structure of the pier is still intact.  Planks can be replaced with a little hard work.  The gardens look a whole lot worse for wear.  The wind has pretty much tattered the plants.  Again, with a little hard work, those can be replaced.  Son and I worked throughout the storm to keep things together.  Several times, we had to brave the pelting rains and high winds to hoist the skiffs a bit further up the hill until we finally just chained the boats to a sturdy oak tree.  Enough of that!  

  Tomorrow will find us with more rain and occasional fierce winds but hopefully the storm surge will be down.  Cleaning up the debris line across the front and side yards will have to wait until Cristobal decides to make a full exit.  As I am writing, the winds are still rapping at the windows and rain is continually pelting the rooftop.   Some of these storms just refuse to leave!

Sweeping the (Forest) Floor!

  I will say this about the weather on the Bayou, as of late.  It has been windy!  In fact, it has been windy and rainy for almost six months now.  Only a few days each month are sunny.  This is ok by me, however, as I am always up for a bit of rain.  The wind goes along with it so I accept that as well.  It is true that complaining about the weather has never changed it, so I say just go with what you are given.  No problems.

  While out behind the greenhouse this afternoon, a light swishing noise caught my attention.  What in the world could that be??  It reminded me of a broom being used to clean the floor.  Standing still, the sound led me to the source. Yep.  It pretty much was a broom sweeping the floor.  A branch of a yaupon shrub was being flung back and forth by the wind.  As it was bouncing around, it was doing a fine job of sweeping the forest floor.  A wide path was devoid of any fallen leaves!

  The wind once was, at one time,  a significant source of power for so many things but now has been replaced with more convenient methods.  The sweeping motion of the branch brought thoughts of how windmills and sails make use of this free energy source.  Folks used to use ingenuity and make use of what was on hand but those days have gone the wayside.  Now, let there be one short power outage and people are in a tizzy.  Sometimes, I think the times without all of our modern day conveniences was a lot better.  We are all spoiled and perhaps a bit lazy.  Maybe this branch was trying to tell me to get busy and rake the leaves.



 

Just Amblin'

  Yesterday, Mr. PJ (the old dog) and I meandered in the azaleas.  He loved nosing around in a "new" territory.  He is not often allowed to wander down the lane as I do not wish to have him near the main road.  His instincts and reaction times would not serve him well in the path of an oncoming automobile.  So we normally stay far from the lane.  However, I figured that as long as I was with him (which, lately, is always), it would not hurt to give him a new place to explore.  He and I, both, loved being in our little hidden world.  For a while we were completely surrounded by the ten foot tall azaleas.  I think the escapade did him good as he slept soundly during the night following our short, amble.

  This afternoon, the wind was blowing something fierce.  Mr. PJ decided that he wished to stay on the southeast side of the house since it is obvious that he loves wind.  Our walk (which is no longer a vigorous hike due to his health) took us through the east arbor which has a rambling Cherokee Rose sprawling across the top.  This rose was planted here by Son a few years back and I love the thing.  He and I were on a hike far back in the creek bed when I spied a few of the rose vines.  I made mention that I had always wanted one for the yard even though they are considered to be an invasive species.  (Perhaps this is true as the woods are filled with the rambling roses.)   It was only a few hours later that Son called me out to see my new rose!  I am still thrilled with this beauty and, today, it proved to be a bright spot in the midst of a storm.  The top of the arbor is filled with the heavily scented white blooms.  

  The Cherokee Rose is one of the first roses to bloom in the rose garden each spring, although its history is a bit sketchy.  It was brought to the United States in 1780 and soon became naturalized.  It acclimated to the Deep South so well that it soon became invasive and now fills the wooded areas with its brambles.  Early spring, however, those thorny brambles put for a glorious show of white blooms.  From a distance, a lot of folks tend to believe that these roses are dogwood blooms but they are far from the same.  The dogwood is actually on a decline on the Coast and in recent years, there are few to be found.  Not so with the Cherokee Rose.  It is everywhere...and it is also in my yard!  I love it!

  While Mr. PJ sat with his nose to the wind, I pushed my nose in the center of several of the roses!  Our short walks are beginning to be a tad more interesting than those during the gray days of winter.  There is a lot more to see now and the old dog does not have to amble far for me to find something mesmerizing.  There is a lot of magic on this old Bayou of mine!  Hopefully, this wind will not tear up all of the azalea and rose blooms and there were still be plenty to enjoy for a few days.

Thank Goodness for Brothers!

  When it rains, it pours.  For the past month with the heat, we have been wishing for rain.  The afternoon thunderstorms become a welcome treat even with the high winds, thunder and lightning.  Now that the rains have started, they are nonstop.  This makes me happy regardless that a few of the storms have been rather formidable. 

  Late yesterday afternoon, the winds picked up and lightning bounced around the Bayou like no body's business. Two more pine trees received powerful strikes which will most likely kill them. Then last night, I heard the telltale sound of wood creaking.  Fearing that the tall pine that stands near the house might come tumbling down, I eased my way into the small entryway to peer out into the darkness.  A lightning strike in the distance eased my thoughts of a tree falling on the house.  The pine was swaying but not appearing to be breaking.  About that time, another creak and a crash to the west of the Little Bayou House.  The next lightning flash allowed me to see what appeared to be the top of a tree at the end of the lane.  Well, at least it was not on the house!

  This morning, I found that it was not the top of a tree but rather a huge hickory limb that had come crashing to the ground.  Thankfully, it missed the power lines by a mere few feet!  Ok, so that had to be removed.  Tugging on the limb did nothing but tire me but it was not long before I heard the chug, chug, chug of a tractor.  Thank goodness for brothers!  My brother laughed at my lack of progress and informed me that it was times like these that tractors are useful. Within minutes, he had that half of tree moved and all was well.  Until....creak, groan, creak....He and I looked up in a nearby pine tree.  "Looks like we might be moving another branch tomorrow if this rain keeps up." he said.  Yep, I do love a good storm but not as much as I do brothers!

Sittin' Tight

  I truly feel for the folks who were (and still are) in the path of Hurricane Harvey.  This storm was a rainmaker and has left behind so much damage.  Here on the Bayou, we were blessed not to have been hammered by this storm.  We did receive copious amounts of rain and, today, the wind has been blowing a gale but this is nothing compared to what could have been.  

  This afternoon as the winds continued, I took the dog out for a jaunty run.  He is doing well and seems to enjoy the cooling breezes that come off the Bay.  We usually make our way down to the pier but, this afternoon, I nixed that idea.  I could see the confusion on his face as I called him back for another hike around the hillside.  My intentions were not to deprive the old dog of his favorite place but to not disturb those already in place.  The pier was being used by some little terns as they tried to weather out the storm.  The birds were hunkered down and sittin' tight.

  The little terns are usually in flight about the area but the stiff winds were a bit hard on their wings.  They sought refuge on the piers and sat facing the winds.  Storms are tough enough on wildlife without me intruding in their space.  Instead of heading to the pier, Mr. PJ and I walked the hillside until another shower chased us inside.  The birds did not have that luxury and had to sit in the downpour.  Poor babies!

Homebound or Flitting About?

  Whether "homebound" or "flitting about", you have to set roots somewhere eventually.  When it comes to either, seeds are pretty miraculously adept.  How remarkable is it to be able to set up a life wherever you stop long enough to establish those roots.  What I call homebound seeds are those that drop directly under the parent plant and then "worm" their way beneath the soil to set up housekeeping. There, the seeds usually sit dormant until the right conditions come to them.  If the ground is moist and warm enough, the seed will start to split and a tiny root will finger its way out of the hull.  That tiny, wispy root will take in nutrition and soon swell enough that the seed literally bursts open.  The stem shoves its way outward and roots sprout along the sides.  As the stem lengthens it pushes the seed toward the warm sunshine.  Finally, when the stem shoves through the soil, it will shed its seed hat and let the leaves unfurl.  

  The flitting about seeds are those that, one way or another, wind up far from the parent plant.  Some seeds "fly" while others hitch a ride.  Seeds like burrs grab ahold to fur, skin or clothing to be scattered about the countryside.  Other seeds hitch a ride via critters eating them and then...well, pooping out the seed in a different spot.  These seed types depend on outsiders to help them find a new home.  Other Flitting About seeds fly.  The "flying" seed are well equipped with fibers or winglike tabs that allow the wind to lift them.  It is not unusual to see clouds of seeds being carried by the breeze.  

  Today as I was trimming the jasmine vines, several seed pods burst open spilling their little feathery seeds into the wind.  A mad dash was made to capture as many of the escaping, runaway seeds before they were carried off to the woods.  It was my desire to let them sprout in flowerpots not in the underbrush.  While the jasmine is beautiful and smells wonderful, a woods full of it might not be the happiest of places. The vines would choke out other small saplings and create a mess!

  The two types of seeds found today were both planted back into the gardens.  The homebound seeds were from the Four-O'clock that bloom in midsummer throughout fall.  They grace the evening and nighttime with their delightful aroma and neon bright blooms.  The flitting about seeds were, of course, the jasmine.  They bloom early summer to midsummer and, like the Four-O'clocks, make the yard smell incredible.  I am glad I salvaged the seeds!

Raging Storms, Backwards Steps and GOURDS!

  For some time now, it seems as if I move backward a lot more than I do forward.  At night before I sleep, I ponder all sorts of things that I need to do come the following morning.  I have good intentions but, for some odd reason or another, I never seem to even start.  One day, the washing machine refused to spin so I worked on it a bit until my finger became smashed beyond any use, so I went fishing.  Another day, the old Bayou Queen, Ms. Put, (the old cat) fell ill and needed attention.  You can probably imagine what the day entailed with that so there is no need in elaborating.  After cleaning up behind her for most of the day, I went fishing.  Then last night we had storms.  Torrential rains, fierce winds and....a leaky roof.  Well, there went the plans for decorating the Christmas Tree.  I did not go fishing, though, as the weather was still misbehaving a tad.  The roof was tended and hopefully drip, drip, drip will not be heard tonight as we, once again, are going to be under the gun weatherwise.  The old Bayou will be a wild place again tonight. Thunderstorms will roll through right about high tide.  The south wind will push the tide even higher so things on the pier had to be secured. The possibility of even more severe weather than last night could be interesting.  No drips, please!

  All of these distractions have kept me busy to the point that nothing...nada...zilch has been done on my mental list and surely, creativity has gone the wayside.  Today, however, I had inspiration!  A very nice lady inquired about some of my painted gourds.  I was bound and determined that I should start painting once again.  Other things can wait!   The gourds were all scrubbed clean and paints, brushes and gourds assembled.  It felt good to be back again.  My artistic side was in a giant slump until this.  

  Thank you, Ms. Marilyn, your kind words have inspired me to create! Perhaps now those backward steps won't seem so heavy and I can bounce forward with eagerness each morning!  Let the storms rage....I have a project!

Severe Summer Storms!

  It was hot.  Stifling hot.  Not a breath of wind hot.  I usually do not complain about the weather no matter if it is icy cold, pouring rain or just plain old hot but I did today.  I did not complain to anybody else but I did spend a good bit of time muttering about how sweaty I was and how I wished it would come up a good thunderstorm.  It did.  Well, sort of a thunderstorm anyway. 

  Late evening saw me heading to the pier in hopes of cooling off a bit. Perhaps a bit of a breeze was stirring down there that was not reaching the house.  On the way down, I marveled that there was only one small. poofy white cloud in the whole sky.  I figured we were in for a hot, dry summer because the storms lately have been moving north of us.  I sat for a few moments before deciding that the wind was not going to cooperate. It was when I turned to go back to the Little Bayou House that I saw the entity that had taken over the north sky.  Wow!
  
  Black clouds were swirling in a large circle and drawing closer and closer with each passing second.  Before I could even get to the shoreline, the storm was overhead and the winds were threatening me with pushes and shoves.  It was all I could do to race toward the house. For a few moments, reaching it seemed doubtful. This was one fast moving system!

  As soon as the screened door slammed behind me, all of the windows in the house started rattling.  Papers, curtains and even pamphlets were being tossed about like an mischievous imp was ransacking the place.  A vase of gardenias toppled over and spilled water on the rug and framed photographs fell to the floor.  This storm was strong even inside the house!  I raced around slamming down windows, latching the casement windows and closing doors.  This thing was wild!

  Outside, the winds wreaked havoc on the garden.  Tomato plants were ripped from their cages and potted plants toppled.  Limbs started cracking from the straightline winds.  From the window, I could see birds being slung about like ragdolls.  

  This storm came out of the blue to smack us.  We had no warning that anything this powerful was going to hit us.  Still, even with all of the potentially dangerous winds, something good came from the storm.  The temperatures started to drop.  Our suffocating heat was being relieved even if it was just for the evening.  And the rains came.  Soft and sweet to start but with promises of more to come. But the rains came.  I am thankful.  And I am thankful for the strength of the Little Bayou House and the shelter it provides.

Be Careful What You Wish!

  For a while, (well, all spring), we have had more than our share of rain. It seemed that it rained most every day and sometimes all day...and night.  The ground was soggy and made for some rough gardening. Still since I love rainy days, I did not complain.  Besides!  With all of that rain, the temperatures stayed relatively cool.  It was nice!  Then summer hit!  Today...wham!

  For the past week, no rain fell on the garden.  The plants that had survived the deluge, now seemed to struggle even more with the heat. This afternoon, I could not help myself.  I dragged out the hose and started watering everything in sight.  I hated to see even one wilted leaf. This seemed to be an ominous harbinger of what might be our summer. Hot and dry.  I made the passing remark several times earlier that "I sure wish it would come up a thunderstorm!"  Be careful what you wish, my friend, be careful what you wish.

After the storm.

  Late this evening, a thunderstorm did roll across the Bayou. With it came lightning and some really high winds.  As I sat in the living room staring out the window at the Bayou, I suddenly heard a strange grinding noise. Uh, oh!  I knew that sound.  That, dear folks, was the sound of a pine tree being twisted by the wind.  I could hear the green wood splintering as the tree twisted and turned.  Then, snap!  Down came the top of the tree.  The wind had twisted off the tree just about twenty feet up from the ground.  Crash!  It landed in the top of a nearby tree.  Well, now!  That was interesting to watch!

  Now we have a dilemma on our hands.  The tree broke too high to reach with the chainsaw and with it dangling precariously in the other tree, it is far too dangerous to try to bring down.  I suppose the tree will have to stay put until it rots or another gale flits through the area. Perhaps the next storm will bring it to the ground. Until then...stay safe, folks!