"I wanna go home!"

  First off...do you ever talk to inanimate objects?  I do.  If you do, would you mind telling me if you get any replies?  Again, I do.  Maybe not so much in words or sounds but in feelings, I guess.  To me, if you really get to know an object...especially one that has been through some trauma...an odd sort of aura emanates from it and that aura speaks volumes.  At least, it "speaks" to me.  Yeah, there are those who claim that I am weird or eccentric and those are the kinder folks.  Ask others and you will get some more "elaborate" descriptions.  But, back to "talking" objects...

  About a year and a half ago, my dear friend had a most devastating event happen to her.  While she and a friend sat talking, lightning struck her house causing a huge fire.  They both managed to escape unharmed but her house was a total loss.  Only a few items were salvageable with one being a clock.  The poor clock did not go unscathed as the finish crackled and the clockworks itself was full of soot.  So...what better place to bring a clock for the duration than to the home of that weird friend who kinda/sorta fixes antique clocks.  I immediately cleaned and oiled the clock.  The outer case could not be remedied much without devaluing the worth so I simply used denatured alcohol to even some of the finish.  Now...the test...I gently swung the pendulum and the gorgeous clock started ticking!  It worked!  After all it had been through, the clock still ran smoothly! The clock has been here since.

  Several times, I moved the gorgeous clock to a different spot in my living room from my work table.  I figured it deserved a better spot.  Perhaps the buffet!  There it would be showcased as the beauty it is.  Nope, the clock immediately stopped working.  Well, perhaps on the coffee table!  That lasted just about ten minutes and no more.  Well, maybe the bookshelf!  The clock was not having it.  Nary a tick could be heard.  Out of desperation, I set it back on the center of the work table.  Tick, tick, tick...the clock did not miss a beat. So...I asked it why?  Why will you not work anywhere but this work table?  You deserve better, my friend.  Then, in soft silence other than the steady ticks came the answer.  "I wanna go home."  My heart broke.  The clock had let me know that the work table felt the closest to going back home where it belongs.  It needed to go back to the loving care of my beautiful friend.  All of the other locations, though comfortable, were not home.  The clock felt like those moves were permanent.  It needs to go home.

  So...the clock will go home...back to where it belongs.  Slowly I glided my hand across the sloping back of clock as I whispered..."Soon...soon, you will be back where you belong.  I promise...I promise."  Sometimes, objects murmur, but this time the clock spoke loud and clear.  

Early Morning Happiness

   Our spring-like weather has put all of the plants and critters in a tizzy.  It is wonderful!  The gardens are a happy place once again.  This morning as I ambled back up from the pier, the scent of roses welcomed me to the Small Gardens.  Ahh, the Cherokee Rose had to be in bloom!  This wild rose blooms far earlier than any of the others.  After entering the garden from the south, the arbor was in full view.  Yep, the white roses were covering the entire top!  Happy!!! 

  This particular rose was one that Son had literally pulled from the ground years ago.  He and I had wandered far back into the woods in search of the rose when I spied the canes sprawling along an old fence. Weeks before, I had made the comment that I wish some would grow closer to the house.  Never "wish" anything around Son because, if at all possible, he will make it happen.  Thus, we went on a hike and a wild rose came home with us.  

  That was some twelve years ago and I am happy to say the rose is still doing well!  It has outlasted several arbors and is currently on the newest of these.  Son had to rebuild the arbor this past year.  Termites had eaten the previous one and the one before was damaged by a hurricane.  The rose, however, withstood it all!  This morning...I smiled.  The rose brings happy thoughts of a son's love and of endurance.  It doesn't get much better...does it?

Pink Accessories For Lady Spring!

  As rain pelts the rooftop of the Little Bayou House, one has to wonder if spring is already here.  The temperature sits right at 70 degrees and does not seem to want to make any slid downward tonight.  Perhaps later in the week, a cooler night or two may make an appearance but, for now, the weather is screaming "Spring!"  Not only are the temperatures higher than usual for February, our fruit trees have also decided that winter is over.  In fact, Old Man Winter never made it this far south and now Lady Spring is popping in for a visit.  Let's hope she brings a sweater or two just in case Old Man Winter is not through with us yet!

  This afternoon, a stroll about the gardens left me in awe that so many blossoms were on the fruit trees.  One in particular bothers me, however, as I was in hopes that the tree would have a nice crop this year.  In the east garden, a small peach tree is dotted with the dark, rich pink blossoms.  This tree produces the sweetest peaches that I have ever eaten.  Years ago, my uncle brought me a bag of peaches from Georgia and on a whim, I poked a seed in a flower pot.  (Now, I wish I had done the same with the whole dozen of seeds.)  The seed sprouted the next spring and grew quickly into a lovely tree.  After planting the sapling in the ground, it promptly made dozens of peaches that spring.  Last year, the tree was loaded but the squirrels and raccoons ate most of them so Son has promised to devise some system to keep the critters from raiding the tree if it makes this spring.  Now, I am not so sure that is going to happen.  If we get our late freeze that Mom used to call the "Easter Freeze", the tiny peaches will be ruined before they fully develop.  Mom always use to warn Pop about planting his crops too early because of this very reason.  He still planted and we wound up covering about sixty acres of small plants before nightfall.  At least, I am only worried about this one peach tree!  Yes, the rest of the fruit trees are blooming, as well, and, yes, they will freeze, too, but the pantry shelves have no peach jam.  I was in hopes that this tree would give me enough to remedy that situation!

  Even with the worries of losing the fruit, it was a pleasant surprise to see so many blooms on my walk today.  Usually, February is our grey month.  Grey skies, grey clouds, grey gardens...nothing has color but pink was the color today!  Lovely pink peach blossoms ruled the day!  The lovely Lady Spring chose to accessorize with pink blossoms!