Outdoor Carpeting

  I admit that I am not a big fan of carpeting.  While the hardwood floors in the Little Bayou House may be cold in the wintertime, it is sure a lot easier to keep them clean than to shampoo carpet.  Give me a broom, a mop and bucket and I am good to go.  Trust me, living on a bayou accounts for a lot of mud being tracked inside so that cleaning is a never ending chore.  Of course, I do not lay claim to being a nitpicky house cleaner since I have far too many other things to do and most of those things are a lot more fun.  Carpeting (to me) is a grime trap just waiting to happen so I have ditched most of it in exchange for wood flooring.

  Still, I have to agree that "outdoor" carpeting is fine.  Not that man made junk that people insist on putting over everything from garage floors to decks but the nice, natural sort of carpeting.  Down the hill where the old dog and I like to hike, there is one place that has the nicest carpet of pine needles that you would ever want to see.  I am not nitpicky about the yard either. A stark yard barren of any natural element is boring, to say the least. I prefer my place to be as it was intended and not look like some destitute desert where plants are not allowed to grow, leaves cannot fall and critters are not allowed.  Wild and free suits me to a T!  The pine needle carpet stays put and I admire the beauty.  This particular spot is nigh on six inches deep with the layers of straw.

  The pine  needle carpet serves a dual purpose.  Not only does it keep the land from eroding, it also provides shelter to numerous critters.  Insects, lizards, toads, small rodents and even snakes seek refuge there during the cold winter months.  They are all welcome since I figure the carpet might as well be utilized in every way possible.  To me, that makes it the perfect outdoor carpet!

My Warm, Fuzzy Feeling

  Occasionally, there is something that just gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.  While most folks find cutesy knickknacks, thoughtful gifts or photos give them these feelings, my little 'happies" come from knowing the Bayou is a healthy place.  If the critters are doing well, then the overall health of the place must be in a good spot.  My warm, fuzzy feeling came in the form of a heron.

  Yesterday morning just after daybreak, the old dog needed to take a run down the hill.  As we were nearing the old oak tree, a young heron lit in the top of a nearby pine.  Even though the bird seemed to be rather large, its surroundings proved that to be a misconception.  When the bird landing in the fresh pine needles, the comparison between its overall stature and the length of the needles was quite striking.  The needles were nigh on a third the length of the entire height of the bird!  This was a tiny bird as herons go.

  But that heron made a big statement.  If the herons are reproducing in the area and the little ones are staying nearby, then the Bayou, itself, is healthy.  There must be clean water, sufficient nesting sites and plenty of food for the birds to be here.  Obviously, the Bayou is meeting the needs.  My warm, fuzzy feeling need was also met!

Cleaning the yard one pine needle at a time!

  With only two runnings of the clue hunt yet to do, I am able to start turning my attention to other things.  Of course, those "other" things are crafts!  The recent storm not only pelted us with much needed rain, it also knocked down a fine layer of pine needles.  The lower part of the yard is carpeted with the things. While out taking a hike, I spied the pine needles and was inspired.  Dropping to my knees, I started gathering the needles into neat piles.  These would come in handy.  I have a contract to make ten gourd bowls and the needles could be used to twine about the top.  Each year, I try to include a few gourds with the pine needle edging just because I love working with them. The next week or so is supposed to be filled with rainy weather so gathering the needles now will give me plenty of supplies to use later.  If the rain holds off, I shall be found out in the yard on my hands and knees again tomorrow.  (Who said that art is not work? Not many folks clean their yard one pine needle at a time!)

  After gathering several hundred needles, I settled in to working on the gourds. The cleaning took several hours.  Getting the drudgery finished now will allow me to have fun while the rains pound the rooftop! Plus, if I have extras, I can practice my pine needle weaving and also create a few pine needle vases. Sounds like a fun week ahead!

Finding the Enchanted Woods!

  It was such a beautiful day on the Bayou that I had a bit of a "spring" moment.  The cold and drear is set to return tomorrow and follow for the week after.  Today, however, saw me clearing out the greenhouse in preparation for seed-starting.  Michael helped me to assemble some neat wire shelving that shall hold the seed trays and any other items that are needed in the early gardening stages.  While he and I were busy enjoying the sunshine, the birds were busy making nesting plans.  It dawned on me that one pair of birds was making a lot louder noises than the others.  Time to grab the camera!  A pair of eagles was on the wing with their courtship!  

  Since the birds were doing most of their wooing over near my brother's place, I traipsed across his yard.  As I did, the majestic birds moved even further west.  Now, they were over the overgrown homestead that used to be my aunt and uncle's place.  Well, a bit of brush never bothered me before, so it sure was not going to bother me now!  I pushed back some vines and entered under the small pines.  

  Wow!  If the birds were not still screaming overhead, I could have fully forgotten why I had stepped in here in the first place.  An Enchanted Forest wrapped around me and brought such a unearthly feeling over me.  I stood totally captivated by the beauty.  A heavy carpet of pine needles covered the ground.  This used to be green, green grass of their lawn.  Small pine trees just above my head shaded the sunlight sending bright beams to the mini-forest floor. Birds were twittering and darting from branch to branch. A lone squirrel fussed at me from a distance.  I had intruded into their space but I was too awed to ease back out of the forest of young trees. This place was breathtaking if you are a nemophilist like myself.  Even though, I was there for only a short time, I felt as if I belonged.  It was almost as if I had come home.  

  Now for that fine word...Nemophilist...I had no idea that there was even such a word to describe someone like me.  I happened upon the word late this evening and curiosity got the best of me.  The dictionary defines the word as such...Nemophilist-(n)-a haunter of the woods; one who loves the forest and its beauty and solitude.....Yep, that pretty much describes me...especially in woods like the Enchanted Woods that I found today.  How ironic, yet how appropriate, that I discovered the Enchanted Woods and the word that describes my love of the forest all in the same day!

Gourds, gourds and more gourds!

Today, I remembered that I did not post pictures of the latest gourd lamp. I finished this one a few days ago and have already started another! I must say that my order for lamp parts and wire was rerouted and has wound up somewhere off in the wild blue yonder. Somewhere..somewhere, there is a box of wires, sockets and chains sitting in a shipping warehouse that has my name on it. I suppose it will eventually arrive but until then, I purchased several lamp bases and will have to be happy with those.

This lamp is bright "peacock" blue with the "eye" feathers painted on the sides. The shaft of the feathers are beaded as well as the "eye". I am quite pleased with the outcome!

This next gourd lamp is going to be a bit more complex than the previous one. It is a much larger gourd so I can add more design and many more beads! It should be interesting to see just what the eccentric brain doodles on this one! Hopefully, it will be as pleasing to the eye as the others.

This last gourd is one I did several months ago, but it fit the theme of the post! The gourd was a commissioned piece so it was shipped out immediately and now resides in Canada! My difficult part of this gourd was finding the pine straw for the top rim. I resorted to gathering fresh, green needles and letting them dry by the fireplace for a few days before attaching them to the gourd. This made me start thinking that I needed to find some source of pine needles for future use. Ha! When I took down the pine garland after Christmas, I carefully stripped most of the needles from the branches, dried it and stored it in plastic shoe boxes! The amazing thing about this is that I was able to recruit help in stripping the needles from the branches! Great amusement! I now have a great supply on hand for any future gourds! (Plus! The pine needles smell great when the boxes are opened!!)