And now for the 5:00 news from Mayberry by the sea.....the long marsh road that leads to Sullivans Island was lined on both sides with a vast verdant green marsh that stretched on forever like the Carolina blue sky above.......I have travelled this road for over 40 years now and it never gets tiresome....as a child when returning home from trips this view and the smell of pluff mud always told us we were home......the broken coastline of South Carolina...a corridor for mammal and bird migrations.......Mayberry by the sea is seeing many changes these days......the island is becoming a safe haven for wildlife....the emergence of woodstorks and canadian geese.....deer and coyotes in the past couple of years...an occasional alligator in the surf.....the knowledge that we are visited by Great White Sharks during the cold winter months....butterfly migrations in September and bird migrations during the spring......and the latest to arrive are pigs in the forest that is reestablishing itself just behind the dunes and between the houses....this forest is a microcosm that hosts a wide variety of flora and fauna....but is always under the threat from homeowners just behind these dunes that want to cut the forest down so that they can have an ocean view......they say that everything in Texas is big but those Texans didnt get the memo that we have Palmetto bugs(roaches)the size of Jeeps...and out mosquitos the size of cats.....and if the fire ants here were that size they would rule the world.....why do I say this?....because the huge colony that lives in front of my studio must be a super race of bionic fire ants.......after being eaten alive clearing the vines that have taken a decade to grow along the wrought iron fence I declared war on them.....the ant killer said on the bag that not much was needed to kill the entire mound but I went nuclear and poured the entire bag on top of it and then let the rain from the thunderstorms drive it in to seal my victory...that should do it......Goodbye you $&%^$#$%^&*ers!!!!............this morning I returned to the scene of the crime to work on the studio inside...as I stood in the bed where this colony was I was admiring the morning sun rising through the towering clouds coming in from the sea......I murmured to myself a take on the famous line from the movie Apocalypse Now.......I love the smell of fire ant poison in the morning...smells like...VICTORY!......thats when I felt a tingle on my feet to discover they were launching a counter offense and the brain told the legs to Retreat!!! Retreat!!!...and the legs didnt get the message at first and told the brain wha?..wha?...What??? the brain repeated...retreat stupid ass!....and then instructed the hands to start slapping like a maniac....the hands told the brain......Im On IT!.....and then started slapping and swipping and brushing away in a spastic fashion and the kabuki James Brown Ants in your pants began and I was amazed I didnt blindly stumble into the road like a mental patient going berserk right into a bus or something..........fire ants are a formidable foe...they keep biting even after death it seems and you never get all of them at first....you can slap and swipe with your hands for an eternity and there is always two or three more hidden ready to strike......when the last one was vanquished I walked inside with my feet on fire......shaken but not beaten.............but Im not complaining......I had a block of time to work on my new project filling the cracks and nail holes with spackle before painting it..........each day brings gifts and upon returning to Mayberry by the sea to work I have had many gifts that have fulfilled me and warmed my heart......its a great feeling when riding my bike ELVIS down the road and having so may people wave and greet me in such a friendly way...I didnt know they knew I was gone but they did and their friendship and kind words were the greatest gifts of all......since returning I have:......seen the ocean and walked into it for the first time in two months......feasted on fried shrimp and fried shark with friends on their porch ...had one of the best conversations with a rock and roll icon.....a two hour talk that flowed like water......patrolled the streets at dusk looking for the next great scoop......went to High Thymes and the Café medley and sat and watched the sun set on Back Street Creek......realizing that sometimes you have to leave something to fully appreciate it when returning to it.......I am not rich in the bank but I am rich with life and that makes me a wealthy man....Mayberry by the sea....the edge between human civilization and the wilderness of sea....
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 22:14:26 +0000
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