“May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!”
Psalm 29:11 ESV
A waning moon hangs over Lookout Mountain…Autumn is without exception a season of beauty and many picture perfect weather days. Pam and I are in agreement that this year the colors overall are not as vivid and brilliant as in the past. The maples in our front yard that provide expressive gold and orange leaves year after year have simply lost their leaves with little or no color. Could extreme dry weather be the “culprit” that stressed these and other trees???
Deciduous trees with leaves get a lot of attention when autumn’s changes arrive. But early morning light reveals that pines also have some color and some “falling” of their own to contribute to the season. A couple of windy days associated with last week’s cold front really brought down the pine needles. Many of these were in the yard the following day!
And, some ripe fruit is still hanging on, but sure to fall soon. I can usually find glowing eyes in this tree at night but haven’t spotted any lately. It’s all about timing I guess.
I was glad to once again be able to do some roaming on trails last week. I am always on the watch for a cabin in the woods. This one comes with a port hole to allow the occupants to search all the surroundings before stepping outside. Not a bad idea!
Doesn’t everyone at least occasionally dream of a secluded yet inviting cabin in the woods? Pineapples displayed are considered a welcome sign, but this resident went a step further…a heart shaped main entrance! Heart or not, I failed (on purpose) to reach my hand through the entrance to find out if there was a welcoming committee.
This is our own secluded country road that often takes us home. There are no “cabins” as such at the end of the road but that’s ok. One way leads to our house, and if you travel the way we are headed here, it leads to the home where 3 little people live (with 2 grown people). You might guess, this road is well traveled!
My plan to take Pam to her (our) favorite restaurant for her birthday was somewhat interrupted by a mean virus that we both ended up with. However, we refused to be defeated by the nasty bug and made our way to Bottega a few days later. So delicious!! I asked Pam to describe this dish…”One of my all-time favorite appetizers, Parmesan Soufflé with prosciutto, mushrooms, and thyme.”
Our Japanese Maples are now treating us to some beautiful color around the garden, and contrast great with so many other changes occurring, all without leaving the back yard.
Last Sunday I was certain that the last Monarch had probably passed through. Wrong again. This girl was spotted on the lantana on Monday morning enjoying the sunshine and 70 degree temps. By mid afternoon it was cloudy, very windy, and about 50. No butterflies to be found. I couldn’t blame them!
I wanted to get a couple of final photos for 2023, and too, we had not seen any Monarchs visiting the lantana. It is generally a favorite. And, I would definitely think this is the final day for these butterflies.
With last weeks cold front and a light freeze, this scene will likely change quickly now. We saw where many of you received snow!
Well, wrong again…no more butterfly predictions. The next day while cutting cosmos just ahead of the predicted freeze, what visited…a very travel worn female Monarch. Partial wings and faded color was not stopping this one from traveling south! My thought was to remove most of the blooming flowers and bring them in to enjoy as long as possible, in vases maybe. I changed my mind and decided to leave most everything alone until cold weather takes its toll.
Now I must say this is a little deviation from a normal SSS feature but I’m sorry, this is funny. I couldn’t help it. We’ve been passing this for about 6 weeks and I hated for y’all to miss out. Let’s face it (or perhaps we don’t want to do that), this depicts what we do encounter at times in our everyday living!
Some of the ornamentals downtown are displaying bright colors. The city crews were already putting Christmas decorations in place.
I have said it before, but I love a sycamore against a blue, fall sky. It’s the bark that is striking to me, not necessarily the leaves, but I like the leaves too! This tree is along the banks of the famous Turkeytown Creek.
I’m not sure if this is just a pre-Thanksgiving family meeting, or a planning session to come up with a strategy to deal with the low water level that is adversely effecting fishing! Maybe both since a shortage of fish would have an adverse affect on Thanksgiving. I doubt they would consider turkey!
Thankful for you all. Wishing you a splendid week!
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 ESV
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
Well, I think you may still be spotting monarchs at least for another week, as I saw one flitting about just yesterday here. Surely it was making its way South. 😉
Our fall color has actually been a bit better this year compared to the past couple. It was about this time last year my Hinoki cypress starting showing signs of stress (ultimately died). One thing’s for certain – God is ultimately in control!
Glad you could enjoy Bottega. Have.a good week.
We have a warm week coming up, so perhaps there will be monarchs. Yes, God is in control! Happy week, Rita
Dryness and night time temps (cooler = brighter colors) affect autumn tree color and intensity. Love your pic of the tree portal hole
Yes, thank you Gail. Wishing you a lovely week!
So glad you two are back up and running. That good meal will help. We’ve had a hard time with pine needles for the first time this year. They never fell as much before this year. We are definitely in a drought also. But because we didn’t have snow, rain or wind this October we had a beautiful Fall. The snow we had last week however brought every leaf down. Yard man came yesterday and got them all up. Love that country path that leads to grandma and grandpas house. Keep it safe from the world.
Pray for Peace in Israel.
Alice, I am so glad you could enjoy a beautiful fall. Yay for the yard man! Prayers continue 🙏🏻🙏🏻
The Nissan truck shot is hilarious! Glad you got to celebrate Pam’s birthday with a trip to your favorite restaurant. Our maple tree leaves are dried up and dropping as well without turning colors. The drought has to be the reason. We’re seeing a tiny bit of color in others but not as much as usual. We’re going back into the 80s again so maybe you’ll see more monarchs. Enjoy your day. Clara❤️
We have laughed every time we passed the mechanics 😂 We will have a warm week also
Wonderful pictures and great and precious Bible verse. Happy Belated Birthday to Pam! Best wishes.
Thank you sweet friend!
I was just thinking yesterday that the colors were not as vivid this year. I’m glad you got to have your birthday trip to Bottega, the Parmesan souffle looks amazing! Love the photo of the mechanics 🙂 So many lovely Fall photos and blue skies! I do wish we could get some rain…I hope you both have a wonderful week ahead~
Jenna
Jenna, we desperately need rain. Wishing you a wonderful week!
Pam
Glad you were able to celebrate at Bottega even if it was a few days late.
Love the later pics of the monarchs and the funny mechanics picture.
I enjoy your walks and witty commentary. You have a great sense of humor and are so observant of nature and life. Thank you for comforting scriptures.
Prayers for peace in the world. 🙏
Yes, prayers for peace, Bonnie. Bottega dining room was a treat!
Pam
Sometimes I feel like that Monarch with weary wings and faded color, but the
South perks me up as well. As ever, the photos seem spontaneous, but so well chosen and focused, with a seasoned aim. The bending mechanics are hilarious… love the mindset that dreamed them up. The road well-traveled
is like an invitation to enter and discover… and you had me at that Bottega
shot…yum and birthday blessings, Pam. Praises that you both are mending well. Joining hands in prayer for peace and enlightenment on this Sabbath.
Mary, I often feel like the weary looking monarch. I am glad you laughed over the mechanics!
Pam
Gorgeous fall color, and that Parmesan souffle looks divine! Hilarious photo of the ‘mechanics’, LOL! Thanks for the laugh.
Thank you, Carole. Happy Week to you!
Pam
Happy Sunday to you. I think last December’s extreme freezes caused all of nature to be in a jumble this year. I hardly have any satsumas on my tree and the figs were strangely small. No wonder the fall colors are also “off” this year.
Yes, last winter’s freezes and no rain for weeks has made the fall colors “off” this year
Pam
Yay, I am happy you got to enjoy Pam’s birthday dinner! The leaves here seem to be falling off the trees without much color. Last week it looked like it was “snowing” leaves with the gusty winds ahead of our freeze. There is a big fire burning up in the mountains of Henderson County, only 5% contained this morning. Prayers for the homes that are in danger. We desperately need rain.
Fire is a major problem with our drought conditions. Yes prayers for homes that are in danger! Thank you Roxanne.
Pam
Your trees make good caves for creatures. How fascinating thinking about what is living in them. All your pictures are gorgeous. Love the car mechanics photo lol! Hugs and Happy new week. Hugs. Kris
Thanks so much, Kris. You do have to wonder what lives in those caves!
Pam
Thanks for sharing your lovely autumn with me and I’m happy y’all celebrated your birthday at Botteg’s and the Parmesan souffle looks splendid! Best Sunday blessings to you both!
Thank you, Mary! Best Blessing for your week!
Pam
Beautiful fall color. Happy Birthday!
Thank you, Sarah!
Thank you Butch! – i love your Sunday blogs, such a treasure to read and the pictures are so beautiful.
Thanks so much!
One of the nice things about blogs is that when the leaves are all gone up here in the north, I can still enjoy the beauty of autumn thanks to you!
Thank you, Jeanie!
Lovely photos as usual and I always enjoy each and every one of them! The Monarchs are gorgeous and how nice that you kept the flowers for any stragglers. The photo of the mechanics is a hoot – just so funny. The color of our leaves was good here but I heard that they had faded colors similar to yours in parts of Ontario and the Atlantic provinces. I’m praying that you get some much needed rain. Have a great week both of you!
Thank you, Kim. Hopefully rain later this week! I look forward to your tablescape tomorrow!
Pam
My husband and I commented, too, on how the colors were not nearly as vibrant here in the mountains this year. But, the beauty is still there, and we are enjoying all that autumn has to offer! We will keep our fall decor outside until Thanksgiving, but inside, we have our tree up, and it is Christmas all the way! I can’t stop thanking God for allowing us all to live to see another Christmas season. He is so good to us!
How nice to enjoy your tree for a longer period of time. I may put up my dining room tree this week! God is good!