Hydrangeas

From the yard:

Oak Trees and Spirits

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This oak tree is on the side of the old dirt road on the property. Oak trees are so majestic, and I often wonder about the stories they would tell if they could only speak. Or do they speak? My mind certainly weaves tales of what the oak has witnessed. This property was once part of a Legare family plantation. The house seen in the background was a sharecropper's cabin after 1865. We use it now for storage, but what was its purpose before the war ended? Was this oak tree part of that setting? How many hurricanes has the oak experienced? The huge knots that have been left behind by decayed or ravished branches and the large exposed roots on the ground beneath make me believe that the oak has been here for quite some time and is older than its trunk size reveals. Did people of other times sit beneath its limbs and wonder exactly what I am wondering now?
                 There are presences on this land. There are no evil feelings here, only good. It is as if these spirits realize that we love the land as much as they must have. I have felt them while walking in the woods, in the cabin, and by the barn. An elderly gentleman rocks in his chair in the upstairs of the cabin seen here. I have heard him rocking and after questioning the prior owners, I believe he is their grandfather who was born, lived, and died on this property and in this house. If this tree could only speak to me...

Southern Dewberry

The Southern Dewberries have started blooming, but it seems to me that they are later than they were last year. Though the blooms are pretty, they are prickly. The little dewberries usually show up about a month after the flowers, and the berries are edible though I've never tried them.

Ferns

Spring is definitely here...the Marsh Ferns and Southern Lady Ferns at the edge of the swamp are making their appearance. Soon the water will not be able to be seen from the house because the ferns will have taken over. The swamp will appear to be non-existent except for the sounds of wildlife, the hum of mosquitoes, and the roar of the frogs. I love the ferns, but I will dearly miss the austerity of the swamp's winter clothes.