Dragonflies and Haints

Dragonfly

This is one of the many dragonflies that hover around the pond. I can remember my grandfather calling them 'witch-doctors' when I was growing up. I am guessing that was some southern colloquialism derived from the American Indian since it appeared to me many words he used seemed to have come from the American Indian. Another example would be the word 'Haints', which is what he would refer to when telling ghost stories or relating to a rising fog.
More information on 'Haints': "...Blue ceilings are popular and have been popular in the South for centuries. “Porch ceilings have always been blue in the South,” says Lori Sawaya, an independent Principal Color Strategist. “People continue to paint their porch ceiling blue because that's what their grandmother did, and that's what her grandmother did.” But many Southerners suggest that blue porch ceilings originated out of the fear of haints. Southerners, especially in the area of South Carolina, have a name for the ceiling paint used on porches – the soft blue-green is referred to as “Haint Blue.” “Haints are restless spirits of the dead who, for whatever reason, have not moved on from their physical world,” says Sawaya. Haint blue, which can also be found on door and window frames as well as porch ceilings, is intended to protect the homeowner from being “taken” or influenced by haints. It is said to protect the house and the occupants of the house from evil..."

Reference: www.sherwin-williams.com