”Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!“
Psalm 139:16-17 ESV
As the days grow longer, catching a sunrise means getting up earlier. I was out very early Friday and it was still quite dark. It appeared overcast, and I had no thoughts of getting a sunrise photo, just a little morning exercise. But you never know when the clouds will take a short break. This is also the area where the local skunk clan hangs out, but gladly there were no encounters this day!
This is the north Alabama version of Texas bluebonnets, or as close as I could find last week. Of course this field of henbit doesn’t compare to a field of bluebonnets, but it is still a nice late winter addition to an otherwise bare, former cotton field. I’ve not had the privilege of being in Texas when the lupines were blooming, but I would love to take a bluebonnet tour sometime. In the meantime, our weeds can be pretty in their own humble way!
A strange fog drifted in one morning from the river. It was clear along the ground and the fog lingered for a while about 15-20 feet above the surface. I decided to take a photo, and while doing so, I spotted something that resembled the shape of a cow in the distance. Can you see it? Check the center of the pic under the cedar trees. There should be no cow on this side of the fence, but in fact, a cow was out, and I had to get her back in, which wasn’t so easy. I can only imagine what damage a cow could have done walking around all night in the yard and garden! A little fence repair was required!
I was burning brush the next day and noticed I had a young, curious audience. They either wondered what I was doing or wanted to inspect one of the spots where the fence had been worked on the day before!
I walked slowly over while doing my cow/calf imitation. It works well. They will come to me most of the time. These are our neighbor’s calves. There are quite a few calves, some younger than this group.
An early bloomer around our area is the Japanese quince. It is one of those late winter flowering plants that blooms before it puts on foliage. I took this from my truck window. It was in a nearby yard where several were blooming. I see a lot of buds too!
Pam and I often eat our Valentine dinner at home…candlelight, and a beautiful table setting that fits the occasion. This year, the table was set as stunning and romantic as ever, but we decided to drop by Bottega Cafe for dinner, giving Chef PJ a well deserved break. The chicken scaloppine was Pam’s choice. I believe it’s the most popular item on the menu. One taste and you know why that is the case!
A male yellow-bellied sapsucker visits our remaining snowball viburnum every day lately. He is shy and moves around a lot, making it hard to get a photo. This particular woodpecker likes sap, hence the name, and makes a lot of circular sap wells in trees. Our other large viburnum died and had to be removed. I was already wondering about the health of this tree, and now wonder if the constant attention from the sapsucker is a sign that the tree isn’t doing so well. This particular woodpecker species does not breed here and is mostly a winter visitor. (It wasn’t nice, but as kids, one of the names I remember we called each other was “yellow-bellied sapsucker”. Pam had never heard of such.)
This is the place on the snowball trunk where I photographed the woodpecker. He has been consistently coming to the same spot for several days and has left fresh sap wells at the crime scene as evidence. I can’t help but think…this is not good for the tree??
Glancing back to one year ago last week…beautiful Montana, big sky country.
Some of the prettiest daffodils I’ve seen are these wild ones which pop up each year in a hay field just above the creek that is below our house. I am amazed at how these bulbs survive the mowing and tractors driving over the field often during the warm months. These have likely been here for many years! This was Friday, a pleasant 70 degrees, but nighttime temps over the weekend are predicted to be in the 20’s so I wonder how they will fare.
I took a fairly long hike last week on a rugged trail in what many call Noccalula gorge. This view gives a different perspective of the falls, and to me, an even greater sense of the power of moving water than the view from above!
As most of you are aware, my imagination is a bit out there at times…the base of this big boulder reminded me of the bow of a ship at the surface of the water as it moves through the ocean.
Tucked up under a rocky overhang was this leatherleaf mahonia. Quite a few of these plants were along the trail. Some people plant this as a hedge. From the looks of the thorns, I can understand it being a deterrent to outsiders. Some consider it invasive, but I think in Alabama it is mostly thought of as exotic.
I found a number of interesting things along Black Creek and hope to share a few more pics next week.
The fence in the shadows is very old and was here when we moved to the farm 45 years ago. Seth has done a great job of cleaning up brush and opening things up so we now have a nice, country, late evening view across the hill.
We pray you have a blessed week. Only 3 weeks until daylight saving time returns!
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 ESV
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
Yes, we called kids “yellow bellied sapsucker”.
I really like the picture of henbit
Thanks Gail. Calling each other sapsucker was more widespread than I realized. Have a good week!
Butch and Pam
Beautiful wild flower planted by our Father in Heaven. Never heard of henbit. The earth is waking up in your area. I’ve been to Texas when the lupine are blooming. Breath taking. Have planted them in between the boxwoods around our pond and I love they spread. The daffodils are a favorite and yes they live on many years. I love cows. These are calves that appear to be weaned, they are so sweet and love attention. You should sing to them Butch. Mahonia spreads two and I made the mistake of planting along a rock wall in our yard. Seth must be a hard worker like his daddy. Glad the weather level is up in your area. Glad you are able to go for longer and longer walks. Hope you two have a very blessed week.
Got to look for the chicken scallopini recipe in the book you gave me. Looks delicious.
Thank you Alice. Henbit and purple deadnettle are similar and are kinda pretty weeds that grow around here from now until November. I wonder what folks would think if they heard me singing to those cows? Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
Butch and Pam
I would think “who cares” and sing louder plus you sound like John Denver and you might just draw a crowd of humans.
It’s a sunny afternoon here. I believe I will head to the pasture and sing Sunshine On My Shoulders and see what happens!
Lovely photos, but I can’t see the cow amidst the fog. Glad you saw it though! The daffodils are beautiful. Ours are putting up leaves, but have not produced any buds yet. Love the sunset silhouette, that would be a show stopper in a photo contest.
Thank you Carole. The cow is very hard to see. Your daffodils probably aren’t far behind. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
I saw the cow! I missed seeing a grandchild this week. The falls are impressive . you are blessed with a variety of interesting natural features!
Thanks JoAnn. Good eyes to spot the cow. We are blessed with a variety of natural beauty. Have a good week!
Butch and Pam
I am always impressed by the way you find beauty in everything Butch, and your botanical knowledge! That’s funny about the cows, so glad you were able to get one back to the right side of the fence, that could have been a disaster! I love to see daffodils, a sure sign of Spring! Woodpeckers can really do damage, the photo of the tree is amazing. So glad you got to enjoy one of your favorite restaurants for Valentine’s Day! Have a great week ahead~
Jenna, thank you for your comments. We do enjoy having dinner down in your “neck of the woods”. And yes, a cow in the yard would not be a good thing. Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
I see the cow and the bow of the ship. The henbit is pretty. I do remember “yellow bellied sapsucker” as fighting words on western tv shows! We have daffodils blooming too! I love seeing them. Your walks always yield interesting pictures. I enjoy seeing the falls and the water. The sunrise and sunset shots are always beautiful! Enjoy your day! Clara❤️
Thanks Clara. Maybe we picked up the name calling thing from TV. I wondered where that came from. Thankfully I don’t recall it ever causing a fight. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
Ha Ha I remember kids calling kids yellow belly sapsuckers!!! Love seeing all the beauty in nature. The little calves are pretty cute to try and see what you were doing. Happy Sunday. Have a great new week. Hugs. Kris
Thanks Kris. I’m surprised to find out that the yellow-bellied sapsucker thing was kinda universal. The calves are always curious. Have a happy week!
Butch and Pam
Another triumphant glimpse into nature, Butch. Never heard of henbit, but what a lovely lavender blanket it provides. So glad the great escape was limited to only one of the romping calves.. Our quince are not up yet, and I envy the gallant spirit of your beautiful daffodils. I recall chanting yellow bellied sapsuckers back when…it is quite a catchy, musical phrase. One can almost hear the roar of your
falls in one’s imagination, as well as envision the bow of the ship. Leatherleaf mahonia sounds like
something grown in Hawaii… The photo of Black Creek brings a view of Sabbath serenity. Oh to have
a Bottega in this area… great excuse to celebrate every occasion dining out. The clearing at the olden
fence prompts a blessing upon the work of Seth’s hands ..just beautiful. I imagine most of us cannot wait for daylight saving time to arrive…the darkness seemed darker this year….and an early sun-filled
Spring should set things to right… Have a glorious Sunday….
Thank you Mary. The lavender henbit is a weed in the mint family that chickens are thought to enjoy, hence the name. And, I am so pleased to find out that so many of us used the sapsucker chant. I feel better about that now. I agree about the daylight time, it’s my preference. Have a fantastic week!
Butch and Pam
Thank you, really enjoyed this beautiful post and even giggled some! God bless you!
Thank you Sue. Glad you enjoyed and it’s certainly good for us to laugh. Have a good week!
Butch and Pam
Beautiful post! Happy Sunday! Hugs and blessings.
Maristella, thanks for your sweet comments. Have a blessed week!
Butch and Pam
That henbit is glorious — and what a wonderful sight you saw on your hike! Glorious!
Thank you Jeanie. The henbit is pretty but will grow in a lot of places we wish it didn’t. Have a good week!
Butch and Pam
thank you Butch for yet another beautiful Sunday tour. I couldn’t see the cow but having been raised on a farm and having a ranch in the early years of our marriage, I am very familiar with cows escaping their pastures. It always amazed me at how they could literally step through a 5 wire barbed wire fence. Repairing fences was a regular task. Yellow bellied sapsucker was used by us as kids…so familiar with that taunt also. Thanks for sharing God’s beauty.
Thanks Kari. You have cattle experience I see. I find that when forced they go back into their pasture at the same spot of their escape, helping to locate where the fence needs mending. I didn’t realize the sapsucker taunt was so widely used. Have a blessed week !
Butch and Pam
The fog picture is beautiful, and the picture of the falls shows the incredible force of moving water. We used “yellow bellied sapsucker” as kids, especially when I was dressed in my Dale Evans’ cowgirl outfit complete with six shooters!
We have bits and pieces of henbit but nothing like that incredible field. On more than one occasion I have looked out the window to see neighbors’ cows roaming through our yard too! Looking forward to daylight savings time, although I wish they’d just leave the time alone one way or the other. Enjoy your week!
Thank you Roxanne. I believe you should dig up an old photo of you in the Dale Evans outfit and share with all of us. A cow crossing your lawn is not a welcome sight but what about the kangaroo that was in your neighbors yard…That was quite interesting. I too wish we could stay on DST and stop moving back and forth.
Butch and Pam
Thanks for taking me on the scenic route this Sunday where beauty was found around every bend! Your Valentine dinner looks yummy!
Thanks Mary. Glad you chose to come along and for certain, the dinner was very yummy. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
I have to say that “yellow-bellied sapsuckers” was an expression used up here too. Who knew? I never stopped to question where the expression might have come from. Oh, that poor viburnam – I hope it survives. The pictures are beautiful – all of them, but this “still stuck in winter” here gal has definitely gravitated towards those beautiful daffodils. Surely spring can’t be far behind! Great rescue job of that wayward cow. Have a lovely week you two!!
Thanks Kim. I had no idea the expression about the sapsucker was so widely used. The daffodils do brighten things up and bring on anticipation of spring days. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
The Purple Henbit is gorgeous! The sunrises and sunsets are fabulous. But those daffodils are a wonderful spring surprise!
My mouth is watering from the chicken dish.
Thank you and Enjoy the rest of your week!
Thank you Nancy. That chicken dish is really good, I often choose it. Have a pleasant week!
Butch and Pam
I missed the “yellow bellied sapsucker” phrase but I had a Dale Evans outfit!
Lovely hike photos all week. The daffodils made me smile. We have huge tulip trees blooming in town and flowering quince in a few places which say February.
Loved your anniversary meal. I order that very dish when we go there which I wish could be more often.
Have a good week, Bonnie
Thank you Bonnie. There are a few flowering things that always pop up in February. I see that Dale Evans outfits were a big hit too. I never knew. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam