'Tis The Day After Christmas

It's the day after Christmas, and all through the house,
All the creatures are stirring, even the stuffed grouse.
The dishes were washed in the kitchen with care,
In hopes that Miss Flo soon would be there.

My husband is snuggled all warm in our bed,
While visions of rice planting dance in his head.
And, Xena with her ball, and Blaze with his bone,
Have eaten their breakfast and now can just zone.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my chaise to see what was the matter,
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
To open the french doors and threw up the sash.

The newly-risen sun on the dewy marsh grass,
Gave off kaleidoscopic colors of freshly-made stained glass,
When, what to my wondering eye should appear,
But, Sara and her dogs; -- oh, what a dear!

With her high snake boots, and dog whistle in her hand,
I knew that it must be time for her little band,
To rush through the old oak grove and dove field across the way,
They had time to get there, with nary a neigh,

For the owners with their horses were not quite up yet,
They were still washing and grooming and leading with reins, I'll bet,
So the dogs tore off, tails all a-wiggling,
To look for other creatures, to play, romp, do some diggling.

There were fire ants, chiggers, and plenty of snakes,
Mole crickets, toads, possums, even armadillos for heaven sakes!
So they rolled and they romped and they jumped and they jived,
Until Sara felt that she barely survived,

All the fun and the excitement of the field that they had,
She wanted them home before they had a chance to be bad.
So, whistled she did and they came running around,
Obedient hunting dogs they, not some dumb kind of hound.

I looked again out my window, and what should I see,
But a gander of goose, and egrets flying --with glee.
When I looked in the sky, I could hardly believe,
So many different birds, that I went to retrieve...

My camera, my binocs, my phone and my bird book,
So that I could see and record and have a good look,
Because the beauty of these birds had to be captured,
I was totally and completely and fully enraptured.

Kites, and terns, and long-billed white ibis,
Squawked and warbled like a low-country Imis,
Great blue herons, plovers, woodstorks and ducks,
Turkey vultures, falcons, and eagles, what luck!

Songbirds, and spoonbills, and sparrows and all,
Flying up, up, up, with nary a fall,
'Til they flew out out sight, beyond my vision,
Of that I am sure, there can be no derision.

So I looked into the water, and what should I see?
But, a dolphin and her babies, feeding at sea.
She breached and she splashed and she made the fish jump,
So her babies could feed and eat a fish-lump.

They splashed and they squeaked and they swam and they fed,
Until at last they had eaten enough of their bread,
So off they swam...
Down the creek, through the bay, to the sea..on the lam.

I watched until I could see them no more,
And, turned back and I then looked to the shore,
Where I saw tracks, new and deep, in the sand,
What was it, who left those tracks on the land?'

'Twas the 12 point buck, the one that men wanted,
The one hunters stalked and chased, but were still haunted,
By the elusiveness and stealth of the hearty strong buck,
Who left them feeling all bereft of good luck.

For they waited and sat in their stands way up high,
To see that strong buck when he chanced to come nigh,
But they waited in vain for that buck in the field,
For he never allowed them their hopes for a yield.

And, so, from the Lowcountry, all verdant outside,
Where folks tend the land with a great deal of pride,
We wish y'all a Merry Christmas-time,
And, we hope you enjoyed this new festive rhyme.

Seriously, hope y'all had a very Merry Christmas! With love from the Bubba-ette...

Driving Horses

This morning I went for a horsecart ride.

At 9:30, I went to Brenda's house to take a ride on her 1890 horsecart with her two horses. She calls it "driving horses." Aren't they beautiful?


We -- well, actually, she -- brushed and groomed her horses, harnessed them up to the cart and off we went. Down to the docks, over to Scott's Neck and into the hunt fields. It was a beautiful day. We walked, trotted and made our way through the roads, trails, fields.


There is something about experiencing nature from a horsecart. You just see things differently than if you were in a car. Or even a bike. For me, it's even a different sense from running or walking through these fields. Maybe it's because the horses are doing the work, and their effort leaves me free to be completely open to the sensory experience -- the way the air smells, the warmth of the sun on my skin, the clumps of holly in the woods. What a magnificient day!

Thank you Brenda!!