New Neighbours

The house across the street has been for sale for quite a long time. The owner, who has moved out, stopped by the to check on things the other day. He walked over to me as I was collecting mail, to tell me he has a serious buyer - and is hoping the sale will close next month. This causes much curiosity about our new neighbours... Shall I go over and ask to borrow a cup of sugar or an egg a few days after they've moved in? (Ha ha ha - I promise I won't!) Mr. R. - the seller, told me the buyers are South African folk - yay!

If you sit on our couch and watch telly (as I've been doing these past few days, nursing this dreadful cold...) this is the view from the window, except more cropped of course, because of the window frame. I love the live oak trees on our front lawn - there's a "twin" to the left of this one. The little puff ball - spidery things you see in the tree is Spanish moss starting to grow. I thought it was a parasite, but on consulting the fount of all knowledge - Wikipedia - it's apparently an "air plant." It's not harmful to the trees but when it grows in abundance, it slows the trees growth, blocking light to the leaves. When these self-sustaining little bundles fall to the ground, I love picking them up and studying them - they are amazing plants. But I've since learnt that once they fall, they become home to chiggers! Not good! Quaint folklore also surround Spanish moss - I copied and pasted this from Wikepedia...

In Charleston,South Carolina; the following tale is told: A Cuban came to the area with his Spanish fiancée in the 1700s to start a plantation near the city. The most striking feature of the bride-to-be was her beautiful, flowing raven hair. As the couple was walking through the forest to reach the location of their future plantation, they were attacked and killed by an army of the Cherokee tribe, who were not happy to have these strangers on their land. As a final warning to stay away from the Cherokee nation, they cut off the long, dark hair of the bride-to-be and threw it up into an oak tree. As they came back day after day, week after week, they noticed that the hair had shriveled and turned grey and had also spread throughout the tree. Wherever the Cherokees went, the moss followed them and would eventually chase them out of their homeland of South Carolina. To this day, if one will stand under a live oak tree, one will hear the moaning of the woman and will see the moss jump from tree to tree, defending itself with a large army of beetles.

In Hawaii,the introduction of Spanish Moss has made it so common that it has acquired the common name "Pele’s hair" after Pele the Hawaiian goddess.