To prepare Joseph for the first ever Christmas, an angel appeared in a dream and began to give direction and explain a few things…
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.””
Matthew 1:21
A peaceful sunrise and a calm morning welcomes December!
Many of you have never heard of Alfred Hitchcock or the 1963 film, “The Birds”. In the horror movie, groups of birds randomly attacked people. I paused momentarily here and wondered what it would feel like if all these decided to converge on me at once. I read that a trainer actually trained large groups of birds in order to capture some scenes! Thankfully, my group of birds had only bedding down for the night on their minds. If you don’t know about him, look up ole Alfred Hitchcock. A strange one in my boyhood recollection.
To work off some pre-holiday calories I went to the gym to get a good aerobic workout with all my friends! I guess they have taken social distancing very seriously! To the next level I would say.
Our local turkeys apparently keep an eye on the calendar and know when Thanksgiving Day is passed. They love a rainy day and on this occasion literally surrounded the house. As best we could count in several directions we had about 50 birds in the yard. I wonder if Mr. Hitchcock’s trainer could tame this bunch?
Autumn refused to give up quietly this year and we were treated to some unusual and vivid color late one afternoon just at sundown. Occasionally the clouds are just perfect to give that eerie reflection of light that gives everything an “afterglow”. We are sure at times you’ve witnessed this.
The golden glow only lasts for about 5 minutes and if you aren’t ready to step out with a camera you will miss the peak.
Our coral bark maple has never looked more beautiful.
A waxing moon is up early in a clear autumn sky. We’ve been reading about a very interesting conjunction of planets that will occur later in December. Maybe a good future topic to learn more about and discuss in the next couple of weeks??
With Christmas less than 3 weeks away, we thought it time to bring on a little cheer with some greenery, lights…
…gifts…
…and goodies!
Good tidings to you and yours. Have a delightful week!
”Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”.
Hebrews 13:8
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace,Life and Linda
All the pictures are lovely as usual. But that Coral Bark Maple! Gorgeous. I wonder if it would grow in Northeast Florida?
Nancy, thank you. If maples grow in your area, I would think the coral bark would do fine. Happy Sunday!
Lovely images and thoughts. I remember that Alfred Hitchcock film. Errie!
I would love to learn more about the conjunction of planets. I enjoy the moon phases very much.
Your coral bark maple is exquisite.
Blessings to y’all this week.
If it is a clear night, this event should be visible. It last happened in the 1200’s. Thank you and wishing you a blessed week, Bonnie!
The turkeys are thriving in your area. So many of them . We have them at the farm in SD. I love to watch them head toward their roosting spot in the trees in the late afternoon. God again provides. Now Alfred Hitchcock nearly scared me to death In one of His shows and that was the end of watching anything he did. Not one of my favorite memories Butch. Eek!
Oh, I agree Alice. Hitchcock scared me as a child, never liked his movies. Happy Sunday!
Wishing you comfort and joy this season and always.
Thank you Jeanie!
Your blog brings such a wonderful way to start my (and for many others, I’m sure) day!
Thank you Lois. Wishing you a wonderful Sunday!
Wonderful capture of the week, and now the second Sunday of Advent. I love that strange look of the late autumn mysterious light. And yes, the Birds scared the bejeebers out of me! I am excited about the prospects of Jupiter and Saturn aligning on the winter solstice – a first in 800 years! I hope we can see it readily in our area at a decent hour! It is said to be the Christmas Star or Star of Bethlehem! Have a wonderful new week, Butch and Pam.
Thank you Rita. I hope we have clear skies that night. I have also read that it is the Star of Bethlehem. Wow, 800 years has been a long time since this happened. Have a wonderful Sunday!
Alfred Hitchcock was so scary! The Birds movie has stayed with me for years! Why is it that particular movie has such an impact? The glowing twilight shot is magnificent! The colors are so vivid. Your coral bark maple tree is absolutely gorgeous this year. We’ve been decorating for Christmas lately and it’s a job! Every year we say we’re going to do less but that doesn’t happen. 😂 In fact, we do more. We decorated the screened porch this year since the temps weren’t too bad. Enjoy your day! Clara❤️
Oh Clara, I know your Christmas decor is beautiful. I am trying to make it more simple this year, just don’t know if I am succeeding! Wishing you a lovely week ♥️
I watched The Birds around Halloween time. I had no idea they trained some of the birds! How interesting! I love your beautiful photos. I hope you have a wonderful week!
Thank you Michelle. Wishing you a lovely week!
A beautiful post, as always. I remember Alfred Hitchcock. My mom loved him, if you can imagine that. I thought he was dreadful. You had a treat seeing so many turkeys. We often see them on the hills in groups of three to five. Your Coral Bark Maple is a glorious sight. I know you treasure that tree.
Wishing you and your family a beautiful day and December days to treasure.
Thank you Sandra. Wishing you a lovely December week!
Yes, we had that interesting play of light at dawn and dusk a couple of times. I think of The Birds often when I see a tree full like that, LOL!! It was one of the first movies where the end didn’t have a happy resolution. HItchcock was the master of making you shiver long after the movie was over.
I wasn’t a Hitchcock fan. Wishing you a lovely week!
Beautiful post for this Sunday morning! I hope you both have a blessed week ahead!
Thank you Shannon. Blessings~
the coral maple is stunning, our Japanese red maple is currently brilliant red, so beautiful! To this day I get chills when I think about Hitchcock’s The Birds, that was one life changing movie for sure! I hope your family has a lovely week, stay warm and enjoy all the holiday sights!
Jenna
Thank you Jenna. Wishing you a lovely and cozy week!
Wonderful pictures! Blessings and hugs!
Thank you Maristella!
Hello Folks!
I just shared with sweet man about the 50 turkeys in your yard! He said… “Good for the Turkeys!” Meaning… he’s glad they weren’t on someone’s table! Lol!
That Maple is fabulous…
And yes… The Birds movie is quite clear in my Memory Banks! Which reminded me of our recent trek across the nation. In Texas right outside of Amarillo we started seeing black dots in the sky. At first we thought they were Starlings… but they were not. As the dots got closer we saw they were Canadian Geese. There were thousands upon thousands for miles. We literally pulled aside at one point to witness this phenomenal migration! I have never ever seen anything like it.
The conjunction of planets is going to be something to look forward to. I hope to have my tripod set up in the back yard…!
Happy Sunday Friends! Fun post!
Thank you Nancy, the turkeys were out the days leading up to Thanksgiving, but they knew they were safe. I hope the geese weren’t flying here, our river and lakes have been overtaken by them in the last 15 years. I can imagine that was a sight to see thousands migrating. Happy week, my friend!
I do know what you mean about that eerie glow – you captured it beautifully! So, so pretty!
Thank you and blessings, Cheryl!
When we were dating, my husband ran the old Charleston planetarium. For his Christmas show he proposed and demonstrated how the conjunction of planets could have been the star in the East that led the Wise Men. Then for the children’s finale, he had Santa zoom across the night sky in his sleigh! I’ve always enjoyed Alfred Hitchcock movies, but The Birds sure scared me as a child!
I hope we have clear skies in order to see the conjunction of planets. Wishing you blessed week, Roxanne!
It is always nice to walk around your garden and watch how it changes with the passing of the seasons. I mean mainly the place in your garden that I love is where the children are in that fountain … it is very beautiful …
Fall always is and with winter very close, it seems even more so.
It is a privilege to be able to have a space as beautiful as your garden and see how it looks at each time of the year.
a hug
Dolores
I truly love your gardens, and that coral maple–WOW! I’m 70, so I remember well those scary Hitchcock movies and weekly shows. Thank you for always sharing such lovely pictures and Bible scriptures. Hugs!
Thank you Bobbi. I love sharing God’s Word and His beauty. Hugs!
I’ll show my age and admit that I remember “The Birds” well! It was pretty terrifying at the time. When I see a scene like the one you captured, I always think about that movie, too. All your photos are lovely, by the way!
Thank you so much Donna. Have a lovely weekend!
Pam! Your photos are so gorgeous – no matter which season! Thank you so much for sharing all this beauty with us. It’s a perfectly wonderful end to my workday to take a few minutes to wander through your lovely world! See you next time!
Thank you so much Barbara for your sweet comments! Happy weekend…