Tree Fish!

   I have a friend who is one of the most amazing photographers.  His eye for beauty and his ability to capture the moment is uncanny.  We have never met in person but share an interest in preserving nature and recording what is there before it is gone forever.  I stand in awe of his ability.  He is also highly interested in "seeing" things in his photographs.  He introduced me to the word..."pareidolia" which is a fancy word for seeing faces (or other objects) where there are none.  While David taught me the word, my granddad had long before taught me how to see the things hidden in plain sight.  I really had no idea there was even a name given to this.

  Yesterday morning, I found the perfect spot to photograph the eastern horizon.  From where I stood, the skyline was perfectly framed by trees.  The contrast between the pitch black area under the trees to the softly illuminated opposite shore was nothing less than enchanting.  All sorts of things flew around in the brain.  There were stories to be told about the Bayou simply from this point of view! 

  It was not until I viewed the photographs a bit later that my eye caught the "fish" in the trees!  The leaves of the hickory tree were quite eaten by caterpillars but it was the placement of the holes that was intriguing.  A lot of the leaves resembled fish!  I had a whole school of little fishies in the treetops!  Yep, this pareidolia is contagious!

  Just a little background here.  Years and years ago, seeing faces (or other objects) where there were none was actually thought to be a symptom of psychosis.  In other words, if you went around seeing things that were not there, people thought you had lost touch with reality.  Then, it was found that it was a pretty normal thing and became widely accepted as just human nature.  Since I am one who sees a lot of things that others do not, I am glad to hear that it is pretty normal.  (It may be the only normal thing about me!)  Anyway, I am glad to know that I am not the only one that does this and I am glad to know it has a name.  I am also glad the caterpillars ate the hickory tree and not my cabbage plants!

The Shadowy Door

  Ever since I was a child, I had an interest in shadows.  For some reason, I was drawn toward what others found unsettling.  Whether it be the shadowy path in the woods or hand shadows cast on a blank wall, they appealed to me.  I wanted to know more about these fleeting bits of beauty.  What caused them?  How did the shapes change so rapidly?  Why were others so frightened of being in a shadowy area?  The allure did not fade as I aged.  In fact, I became more obsessed with the idea of shadows being cast for my enjoyment and for no other reason.  I will often stop whatever I am doing to watch shadows as they constantly weave a story as the sun moves across the sky.

  This afternoon, I flung open the french doors to let the warmth fill the living room.  Son has "winterized" our window screens and that included the two screen doors on the south side of the house.  A mirage of shadows astounded me.  Hundreds of leaf shadows were cast on the back side of the screen door panels.  This was odd because there are no trees nearby except for one on the far side of the doors.  These shadows were being cast from trees far from the house!  With a stiff northerly breeze shaking the treetops, the shadows danced across the screen doors with wild abandon.  What a beautiful sight to behold!

  Shadows are often used in reference to an ominous presence.  Some feel that shadows are the harbingers of something evil due to the fact that they are the absence of light.  To me, the shadow pictures bring peace.  There is nothing more calming than watching the ever-changing ballet of darkness and light.  It can be mesemerizing! Yeah...probably just me.

Perfect Order

  Every now and again, Mother Nature just loves to remind us how she has things in control.  While we tend to believe that all of the wild is just that...wild, Mother Nature often tames that energy into something quite peaceful and beautiful.  Amid the chaos comes tranquility.  There are constant reminders that there is a perfect order.

  Down behind the greenhouse, a tall water oak tree stands proudly against the winds of the bay.  This tree is a good three feet in diameter and probably stands forty feet in the air.  Each year, squirrels nest in this tree so there is a constant showering of small twigs as they trim the branches to line their nests.  This is also along the path that I take the old dog on his daily walks.  Mr. PJ loves the new smells of the wildlife that passed this way the night before.  The squirrels, however, do not even attempt to dodge the dog as they realize that he is too old and tired to give chase.  They do occasionally drop branches from the treetop and seemingly try to smack the dog with them.  Luckily, each branch has missed him and he goes about his business unaware that there are rogue rodents out to irritate him.

  One such branch came twirling to the ground almost like a mini helicopter.  The falling was chaotic.  Round and round, it went until finally plopping to the ground. When it alit, the leaves spread perfectly in a fan shape.  The coincidental landing was one of those reminders from Mother Nature.  The frenetic turmoil in which the twig twirled as it dropped caused the leaves to flare out in calm precision.  Amidst the chaos comes order...neat, sublime and in tune with nature.  All is good!

I'll Take It!

  Autumn!  Ahhh!  The bliss!  Chilly nights, colored leaves, brisk breezes, sweater nights!  I think this is just about perfect!  Except on the Bayou these things will come a bit later if at all.  While other folks are happily proclaiming that Fall is almost here, I am still going barefooted and sweating in the sweltering heat.  The thought of wearing anything more than a short sleeve shirt brings groans from those of us this far in the Deep South.  We can only wish! Still, Autumn comes tomorrow whether the weather agrees or not.  

  On my short hike in the yard at daybreak (very limited due to the uncooperative leg), I did come across one bright spot that is about as fall-like as we are going to get at the moment.  A single red leaf had fallen from a Black Gum Tree in the front yard.  Time to get out that rake!  The leaf being backlit by the rising sun looked like a bright flame rising from the grass.  Its glowing red enthralled me to the point that I wanted to keep the leaf forever in this state.  That ain't gonna happen, folks.  By late evening, the sun will have turned the leaf to a crispy brown and my little bit of Autumn will have burnt out like a match.  Vanished into thin air!  Gone.  Maybe another tomorrow?

  I have heardtell that you can "preserve" fall leaves by soaking them in glycerin.  Perhaps I should attempt that but then, I may not truly appreciate the "single" red leaves that I find occasionally.  Too much of a good thing can spoil the magic in something found for a moment.  Preserving the leaves will be a good project to do with the grandkids if they are ever here in Fall, maybe, but that will be a long time coming.  Instead, I will take my one little bit of Autumn and be happy in it.  I will take it when I find it.

Well Hidden in Plain Sight

  Living on the Bayou, I have learned one thing.  If nothing else, I have learned to watch where I step.  While it is not often that I find a snake on my walks, occasionally I will cross paths with one.  We will both hesitate long enough to give each other the "once over", as my grandmother used to say.  After making sure neither of us has plans of harming the other, we go on our merry ways.  It is a rare occasion that I will kill a snake or any critter, for that matter.

  Recently, another critter and I shared the same path.  This one was so well camouflaged that I almost missed it.  A small toad was in an area that is filled with gravel to catch the runoff from the rooftop.  The glorifed drain runoff fills with leaves and needs to be cleaned to work properly.  With all of the rains that  have been pelting the Bayou, this chore could not be postponed.  So I tackled it.  Armed with a rake and little else, I started clearing the debris from the long ditch.  Had the toad not hopped, I would have never noticed it.  The critter blended so well with its surroundings, when I photographed it, I still had trouble finding it!  

  Check the photograph!  I promise, there is a toad in there!  This was my happy find for the day.  Yep, toad frogs and snakes do, indeed, make me happy.  I am just glad that a snake did not find my little toad friend!  Maybe his camouflage works!

Where There Is Smoke.....DON'T BREATHE!!!

  The "Big Cleanup" of the yard is still underway.  Today, the rose garden was cleared and trimmed, fig trees "un-mulched" and about a billion acorns and hickory nuts were raked and carted off down he hill.  There, the nuts can feed numerous critters for the next few weeks but will be out from underfoot.  There is nothing worse than stepping on a hickory nut and taking a slippery slide down the hillside.  It is best that the nuts are out of the way.  As all of this was being done, my little burn pit was chugging out smoke from leaves and twigs.  The garden area was sometimes quite thick with the smoke but since we had a stiff north wind, the smoke was soon sent flying over the Bay.  Occasionally, a heavy fog would roll back in off the Bay making it difficult to tell if the smoke was the problem or if the haze was fog.  

  About noontime, I began to notice that the area was becoming quite obscured by the white haze.  Hmmm, fog?  Smoke?  Maybe a mixture?  It was about that time that my brother called asking if I smelled smoke.  Duh??  Of course!  I even smelled of smoke myself! I had been burning leaves all morning but it did not make sense that he should smell my little burn pile.  He was north of me and with the wind blowing everything south, the smell should have followed.  That said, he informed me that he could hardly see anything down his way and he thought perhaps there was a woods fire north of him.  That's it!  A woods fire would account for all of the heavy smoke but that did not bode well for his place nor the Little Bayou House.  Again, that wind was blowing everything southward...right on top of us.  A quick trip to the pier, proved that whatever was burning, it was truly huge.  Everything was blocked from view. 

  After a bit, a call to the fire department was met with "Its a controlled burn.  Everything is ok....just do not drive, stay indoors if the smoke gets too thick and, well, don't breathe."  Huh, don't breathe?  The first two directives were pretty logical advice but that last one had me pondering the smarts of the person taking the calls.  LADY!  I HAVE TO BREATHE!  

  The smoke lingered for the rest of the day even though my little burner died out. Even tonight, the air is thick with the stench of the smoke. Whew!  I am glad that I did not cause all of that!  My little burner cannot wreak that much havoc!

A Little Bit of Autumn!

  While most of the country is basking in the glory of fall colors, here on the Bayou, we have to be content with what we get.  That is very little in the way of brilliant foliage.  Usually by the time the leaves change from their summer greenery, they are already dropping from the tree limbs.  I find more color on the ground than waving from the treetops.  This is probably due to our lack of cool air and our copious amounts of rainfall. Factor in the high humidity that tends to make mush out of just about everything and you will understand why I am thrilled to find any bit of orange on the hillside.  Later on, the hickory trees usually give us a bit of gold and the stray maple may just pop a bit of red but while everyone else is oohing and ahhing, I am wandering about hunting anything reminiscent of fall.  While I love winter, I am in hopes of a least a bit of autumn to grace the area.

  My hike was short today.  Since Ms. Ez, the Bayou Dog, is not longer with us, I just cannot get the "feel" of a good hike.  I am taking baby steps to adjust to her absence.  I did wander down to the persimmon tree to grab a snack before the possums eat all of the fruit.  Here, I found my tiny sliver of the season.  What leaves were left on the tree were golden...sort of...maybe?  These leaves would just have to do.  I was satisfied that autumn had made an appearance at least.

  Speaking of persimmons, the "weather-forecasting" seeds predict an unusually cold winter ahead for us.  Knives and spoons were seen inside with the images of knives being dominant.  I guess I should prepare for a "stabbing cold" few months.  To be sure, I did compare my findings with the "Old Farmer's Almanac" and, sure enough, they agreed that Son and I had better start laying in a supply of firewood.  Perhaps this winter will be a good time to catch up on crafts, reading and baking.  Brrr!

It is all in how you look at things

  I was out and about a bit late this evening when I noticed how the August heat was taking its toll on all living things.  Birds and squirrels are flocking to the birdbath, rabbits are hanging close to the shade trees and, speaking of trees, the trees are suffering.  Instead of the pretty reds, yellows and oranges of fall, this year we are going to be graced with brown.  Brown and crunchy will be the theme of treeland this year.  Unless, we get a bit of early cooling, things are not likely to change.  The trees seem sad which, in turn, makes me sad.  The Black Gum trees are laced with dead or dying leaves...brown and crunchy.

  Then again, it is all in how one looks at things.  While brown leaves may not be quite as attractive as the brightly-hued ones, the trees are still just as lovely...given the right light.  As the sun started to set in the west, it cast a golden glow on the eastern sky.  It was not the fiery red of some nights but more of a soft aura.  The same tree that I was inspecting earlier, once again, caught my attention.  Now, instead of being brown and sad-looking, the tree was in its glory!  Backlit by the golden sky, a silhouette stood out in perfect beauty.

  Sometimes in life, things or people are a lot like that tree.  We often cannot see the glorious sight of what is before us because the crustiness of wear and tear are hiding it.  It is times like this that we need to change our perspective.  With all of its ups and downs, life is good.  Look for beauty in all things.

The Hunting Dog!

Ezzy is supposed to be a Labrador Retriever..mostly..or at least some. She has the appearance of the breed at least but is definitely not a full breed animal. Somewhere down the line she inherited some..ummm.."non-Lab" traits. This is A-OK by me as I have no desire to "show" her, I just need a companion while out and about the Bayou. She is a companion alright..sometimes, almost too much as she still thinks she is a lap dog! If you have ever tried to hold a nigh on 65 pound dog, you will know that it is not a likable task.

Today, I decided it was far to pretty to be stuck inside so I took aim at the mountain of leaves that had filled the hotbed or cold frame. This area needed to be cleared in preparation for my tomato seeds! I raked and raked until I had quite a pile of leaves scooting down the hill. Ezzy kept bringing me her ball and I would toss it down the hill for her to fetch. This went on for a bit until she tired and plopped down to rest. Soon enough, my pile of leaves covered her baseball! Oh, no! What was she to do??? Her ball was missing! She dove into the pile! She wallowed around in those leaves looking for that ball! Her nose was poked into the pile until the entire head was covered. Finally, she located her ball and brought it to me. She was proud as punch that she had retrieved it! Hmmmm....well, now.....again the ball was covered!

This fast became her favorite new game! My hunting dog was hunting...sort of! Ezzy would sit patiently for me to rake the leaves over the ball and then, once the command was given, she would pounce on the heap! With leaves flying in every direction she would tackle the mound. Her head would swing back and forth in the heap until she found her prey!

Now as I continued to rake, the leaf pile grew and grew. Still, Ezzy had no problem smooshing the leaves around until she found her toy. She knew it was in there somewhere! Rake, rake, rake..."Find the ball!"..POUNCE!..wallow..wallow..wallow..tah dah! "Looky, Looky! The ball..the ball! I found the ball!" She was one happy camper! She played hard..so hard that after a bit, she simply collapsed in a heap herself! She held onto her ball, though, as if it would disappear fully from sight. Perhaps she was afraid that the leaf pile would grow far too mountainous!

I did not get a lot accomplished even with the hour or so that I raked. Leaves still cover the yard in copious amounts but Ezzy seems to think that this was the best day ever! She had fun and I got a good bit of exercise, so I suppose that is all that matters. Some days..you just have to play! Rake..rake..POUNCE! Rake..rake...POUNCE! Whew!

More Random Thoughts!

Every now and again, my brain cannot seem to hold all of the thoughts that are bouncing around in there! It seems that no sooner does one idea pop in than another is pushing it out! There just does not seem to be enough space! I thought today's post would be of some of these random thoughts..maybe you can ponder on them for me.

First..why oh, why can an artist never paint a rainbow? The vividness of the colors..the beauty of the spectrum would be a dream come true for anyone that could truly capture it on canvas. Try as I might, any attempt to paint such idyllic wonder would never compare to the real deal. I guess only the Master Artist can paint with light in the sky..it just makes the rest of us dream..imagine..keep trying.

Another ponderable, wasp's nests! These papery thin constructions are almost indestructible by weather! There has been a vacant nest in the palmetto bush for almost a year now and it is still in perfect condition. You would think by this time something so thin and fragile would have completely disintegrated! Another thought..how do the wasps create something so perfectly symmetrical? They do not go to engineering school to learn this. Ponder the thought..what if someone studied the methods of the paper wasp and could create a home or building that withstood the elements as well as these hives. Amazing!

Thought..how can the most fickle creature ever to live steal your heart? Take Ms. Put, for example, she is the most standoffish animal to ever walk the face of the Earth (or at least, the Hill on the Bayou) but can lower the blood pressure just by doing something adorable! She is demanding, contrary, intimidating and at times totally frustrating..I sure would not change a thing about her!

Does one little bright spot in a cold, grey winter day really make you feel warmer? Do the colors of red and yellow make the brain send warmth signals to the rest of the body? These two little leaves..one red, one yellow.. brightened up my day today. I spied them on a six inch tall sapling near the mulch pile as I was gathering kindling for the fire. The colors reminded me of flames.

Stare at this picture for a minute..or a few seconds..have you ever seen so many swirls in one piece of driftwood? Wouldn't you have loved to see the tree? I have been staring at this thing trying to figure out just what direction the limbs must have grown. What is the top..bottom?? What caused this tree to be so twisted? Perhaps a hurricane? Where does driftwood actually originate? How far does it travel?

Is it my imagination at work again or is there a perfectly formed "8" in the eye of this old oyster shell? Is this some strange omen? Or mere coincidence? If I was the superstitious sort, I am quite sure that I could read some sort of eerie meaning into the finding of said shell. Should I?? Or should I just let it go that this oyster was at one time a budding mathematician? Hmmm????

Speaking of eerie..the letter "e" jumped out at me today! Literally..jumped out at me! I was out gathering the kindling that I spoke of earlier and a vine flipped off the arbor for no apparent reason other than to make me ponder! The letter "e"! Now was this some divine sign? Hehe..the vine..divine..ok, ok....anyway..I suppose I could read something in the letter "e" dropping in on me like that but I think I am pondering way to much!!!

Last but not least..what is it??? I love this picture! Again, if too much emphasis is placed on the unearthlyness of the photograph, all sorts of things come to mind! Was there some ethereal meaning behind this or is merely a fluke? Is this something alien or some computer-generated image? To be honest..it is the moon. I was out taking shots of the moon the other night and Ezzy, the dog, bumped my leg at the perfect time to totally either mess up or create the best photograph! I have to admit..I do sort of like it! Perhaps I should be pondering why sometimes mistakes in photography are great shots!