“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands.”
Psalm 143:5
A sunrise from this past week, but one year ago! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I will need extra miles on the treadmill this week for certain!
Rain moved in after dark on Thanksgiving but the day was absolutely gorgeous, about 65 degrees, with some interesting skies in the afternoon. We had family over, but not until later in the day, or it would have been possible to have “turkey alfresco”!
I made an x-ray of the sky and it appears this backbone has a condition known as a waning gibbous.
A lot of our pumpkins were bought from a local farm back in early September and they have fared very well. It is time to retire them however so I have begun to gather them into one location for one final showing. I am calling it “pumpkin’s last stand”!
Burning bush is popular for its fiery red fall color. We have a short section at the end of the house that grows like a hedge. Most winters I cut it way back, otherwise the plant does great with little or no care.
WL and his daddy enjoying some outdoor time last week in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I think maybe they were taking a break from their lumberjack duties? Not sure. I am confident however, that the Queen, Princess, and their mommy are just on the other side of the camera.
I was surprised last week that a tree we have previously featured still maintains a full head of hair. And a week later the leaves are even a deeper orange.
I have often mentioned that goldenrod can be found blooming from July until December most years around our neck of the woods. A real contrast here as a new stand of goldenrod is bursting with color as it grows in the middle of a kudzu patch. All the brown you see is kudzu. Kudzu cannot tolerate frost and browns up almost immediately after the first frost.
I really wanted to take a ladder and light and look down inside this old tree. It’s near an old house place that I remember seeing when I was very young. Let’s just say, a long time ago. You cannot see it in this pic, but an old electrical insulator is still hanging in this trunk so the tree was apparently once used as a utility pole! The spot is surrounded by thick briers (blackberries) and I could not get any closer. I was scratched and cut in numerous places just to get this far. Forgot to wear my hazmat suit.
Out local turkeys have no regard for Thanksgiving and visited us the same as any other day. These were the brave members of the flock. We often see 30 and 40 together but fewer in number on the holiday since they were testing the waters with the scout team. I read last week that in some places wild turkeys were becoming conditioned to people and are showing up in neighborhoods, parks, and playgrounds!
It is transition time, Thanksgiving stepping aside making way for Christmas. I have made my first run for greenery.
I am loving the memories that are stirring as this year we are doing some things to reestablish an old time Christmas. What did you do for a Christmas tree when you were growing up? We always roamed the woods near the house and cut a cedar tree. Most of the trees weren’t perfect but nobody cared about that. It was the experience that mattered. This cedar came right off the farm and is headed for a new home!
Time to unload and figure out a way to place it in a stand. A stand that holds water of course, so the tree can stay fresh as long as possible. An interesting note and another memory comes to mind as I view this pic. The home that stood here for decades was 2 story with a second floor front porch. For many years the family displayed a large, beautiful Nativity scene that we admired. I remember driving by just to look at the Nativity. So many people would ride by to enjoy that porch. I am sure many people who have been around our area for a number of years will also remember. It was literally only a few feet from this very spot! Fond memories.
And it looks like the ole cedar made its way to a country porch and is adorned with those old fashioned big colored lights! Love it! WL and the girls are excited to have an old time Christmas show up on their front porch!
BTW- have you heard George Strait’s song, “Old Time Christmas”? One of my favorites!
Wishing all of you a blessed 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
Love George Strait! Happy Thanksgiving and now on to….the favorite time of year.
Happy Sunday, Ruthie!
Lovely photos today! We would go to the farmer’s tree lot for our tree when I was a kid. My husband is allergic to evergreen sap so we’ve had an artificial tree for many years.
Thank you, Carole. We can no longer enjoy a real tree inside due to allergies!
Wonderful scenes and musings, as always! Have a blessed Sunday and a joyous Christmas season.
Thank you, Carla. Wishing you a joyous Christmas season!
Pam and Butch, The pics are wonderful as usual. Wyatt and Seth’s pic is so precious. The Christmas tree is so cute and memories flooded back of us decorating a cedar tree when I was a kid. You’re right, they were never perfect but beautiful with the old time lights, ornaments, etc. The tree is even more colorful and the skies gorgeous. We’re looking forward to seeing Christmas decorations and putting up our decorations. Happy Sunday! Clara ❤️
Don’t we love to reminisce of days gone by when everything was simpler? Happy Sunday, Clara ♥️
I so enjoy your Sunday musings and photos guys! I remember living on a farm and cutting down our Christmas tree (and how the cedar tree shed even though it would be considered ‘fresh’ by today’s standards.) LOL
My dad always insisted on a large tree and bubble lights, mixed in with the old fashioned big multicolor lights. As I got older, my job consisted of testing the lights to find out which were bad because if one went out…they all went out.
And on Dec 15th, Mom would start hiding “little” wrapped presents among the cedar branches and what delight we had each day as we jumped out of bed to see if another little gift was waiting on the tree for Christmas morning. Some days there would not be anything new, but what fun we had in searching among the brightly lit tree.The gifts would turn out to be simple small gifts, like a roll of lifesavers or a pack of gum (much like you would put in a stocking) but our stockings held oranges and nuts and candy on Christmas Day. Happy memories for sure.
Thanks again, loved the pretty skies pics.
Hugs my friends.
Kari
Thank you dear friend! Kari, thank you for sharing your sweet memories from childhood. We can all relate to those simple and special times. Those cedar trees smell so wonderful 🎄♥️🎄
Adorable post as ever! Have a blessed Sunday,dear friends! Love Wyatt and Seth’s photo!
Thanks so much, Maristella!
Wonderful photos and memories! Love the photo of the orange Autumn tree against the bright blue sky, stunning! We always go as a family to get our trees at a local nursery…not quite like going out in the woods and cutting one down, but the kids all run around and we have a good time.. Love the father son photo!
Jenna
Thank you, Jenna. It is all about making memories!
Butch, what happened to the house? It makes me sad to know it’s gone and only the fireplace remains. The tree stump reminds me of one I know that the owls raise their babies in. The skies are signs of things to come. I enjoy your pictures of them. Cedar trees are the only ones we ever had growing up. They broke me out but that didn’t matter I decorated it anyway and loved it. WL has on a plaid shirt to match his daddy. He should because he looks just like him. Have a great week.
Alice, it is a long story. The home was built before or during the Civil War. It was a beauty. We purchased a small part of the farm and as time went on we purchased more. The couple we bought from both died and the house fell in disrepair. Three years ago it burned to the ground. It was so sad for us. We bought the remaining land and gave the land the house was on to our son. He and his wife have built a beautiful country style home. He saved a portion of the old fireplace and the old barn is still there. Have a lovely week ♥️
Thanks For your reply. So many parts of out history are gone. Sad it burned but glad it wasn’t because of ignorance.
My pleasure, Alice!
The pumpkin stand in your garden is so eye-appealing.. Our burning bushes are bursting in color, but most of the trees have
begun to fade and undress… The skies remain photo-worthy. Little WL is such a charmer like his Dad … such a beautiful
family. Cedar is one of my favorite decorating appointment during the holiday and the coming week starts the process both
exterior and interior. I think the Victorian era could not be topped for its creative attention and ethnic honor to Christmas,
unless you consider the heart of a child in an adult recalling all the sensory impressions they knew in an era when Christmas began its hold on their imagination and memory. Such a glorious time, particularly in the setting up of the manger scene. Bless those who gave us those lasting gifts of memory. Happy Sabbath +.
So many memories flood my mind during the Christmas season. Enjoy your week dear one♥️
Love the cedar tree with big colored lights. Mike still wishes for colored lights! My grandparents always had a cedar tree cut from their land and bubble lights. The bubble lights fascinated me as a child.
That beautiful orange tree is amazing.
You should throw all your pumpkins on some of your land and see if any take root. Your winters are colder than ours so you might get a few baby pumpkins. I left mine out all winter and they were the same in May. Our winters are pretty mild.
Have a great week.
Thank you Bonnie. We have had several pumpkin vines come up and even grew some pumpkins, but the summer heat got to them. Have a great week!
Old Time Christmas is exactly what I love!
We are getting a snow blizzard as I type! We hope to get some pictures of the snow later today.
WL and Son look awesome in the woods!
I’m off to listen to Old Time Christmas by George Strait.
Happy Sunday!
Thank you, Nancy. A snowfall makes it feel like an Old Time Christmas. When do you leave that snow behind?
Love this post, Pam and Butch. The photos of the sky are amazing. The one reminds me a little of several jets that have left their trace on the sky. We lived only a few miles from Oceana Naval Air Station in Va. Beach, so we are accustomed to such lovely sky designs. Seth and Wyatt’s photo is grand – one for a frame. If you framed every photo I think you should, you all would have to move out and let the photos have your home.
Again, a lovely post. Have a wonderful week!
Thank you dear Sandra. We are a picture taking family! Wishing you a wonderful week my friend!
I love the scent and look of a fresh Christmas tree, but unfortunately I’m highly allergic. The tree looks so pretty with the colorful lights displayed on the porch. An old fashioned Christmas is the best kind! Hope you both had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Wishing you a blessed week ahead!
Shannon, we are allergic to the fresh if we bring them inside. But I love their smell. Thank you and wishing you a blessed week!
Oh what good memories of an old fashion Christmas. Me and daddy would go in the woods and find the prettiest cedar tree we could….me and mom would decorate with those big old fashion lights and tinsel from the dime store. Always love seeing pictures you post on Sunday. The tractor reminded me growing up on our farm. The good life!
Thank you Nancy for sharing your sweet memories with us. I remember the dime store tinsel. Wishing you a wonderful week!
I do love the tree on the porch! It’s a pretty one, too. We used to go to the tree lot. Once our family went to cut one down — it wasn’t pretty! The tree lot was a safer bet! But we did the cut-down a few years ago when a Japanese family was visiting — it was their first time and a memorable experience!
I remember the story of the Japanese family visiting! Thank you, Jeanie!
Such a beautiful, old-timey Christmas tree! I am sure those grandkids were super excited to see it on their front porch! Little WL is growing so fast. He looks just like his Daddy. God bless all of you!
God bless you and your family, Cheryl!
Beautiful pictures Butch and Pam! The ones of the skies are amazing and so is the one of Seth and Wyatt. Oh my goodness – those babies grow so fast. Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving!
You are so sweet, Kim. Happy December!