“For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.”
Psalm 96:5-6 ESV
There are no skies quite like the skies of October. My first October morning out and about was totally clear and very still. It is usually breezy here but everything this particular day was at ease. A few geese honking, but mostly quiet, so not a bad way to begin my favorite month!
A summer photo of Pam’s dad that we’ve shared before, but it’s a pic we believe reflects his kind, easy spirit. If you have followed Everyday Living for a while, you’ve no doubt seen posts where we’ve featured him or shared his story. Many of you check on Mr. Davis, asking how he’s doing. Pam tells him and that thrills him.
We celebrate, as he turns 94 today. He is unable to get out these days, but still lives alone at home and doing very well. Pawpaw dearly loves his family…two children, three grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. Happy Birthday to Pawpaw!
I can usually talk my way into a photo from Pam when she is working on one of those fancy posts with all the pretty stuff on display. I have to assist in moving things about to earn the rights to a pic, but it’s worth it. I wanted a fall scene, but could only show my pumpkins, as the table in the background is part of tomorrow’s Monday Morning Blooms which is top secret!
Since we’ve been focused somewhat on “harvest” the last few weeks, I decided to introduce my autumnal-log. (Too early to think about a yule log). The bounty of the log consists of natures preparation for the harvest, gathered as I walked about in the yard, woods and fields. We find magnolia seed pods, dogwood berries, sweet-gum balls, hickory nuts, walnuts, acorns, sunflowers, persimmons, and buckeyes. There was an abundance of items available but my log was overflowing!
Now on to a slightly different operation. The soybeans are ready and the harvest is underway. One of our local farmers, who farms hundreds of acres, was kind enough to invite me to watch and photograph any of their harvest work. The owner laughingly said his only request was to not be in any pictures!
I admire folks that know how to grow stuff. My friend is very patriotic and flies flags on all his equipment. Of great interest and historical significance is the white, two-story mansion you can see through the dust. It is an antebellum plantation house, built in 1835. It is one of the oldest homes in our county! Maybe we can do a future post that features the home and its history. I need to visit the owner!
A different kind of October morning with fog along the mountain tops and none in the valleys.
Someone asked if we ate any of the pumpkins that are part of the fall decor. Since those are not really best for eating, and they also remain outside for weeks on mostly hot days…we don’t consume them. But, there are a number of creatures around that seem to find them tasty. This is the first one to get soft and smelly so it was time to start this year’s pumpkin graveyard. I will put all of them here eventually and coyotes and others will have their choice of colors and styles. I was surprised to find several stems from last year’s retired pumpkins still lying around!
October is peak goldenrod month and it has always been my favorite wildflower. Do I favor goldenrod because it is such a part of October, or do I favor October because it brings us an such abundance of offerings like goldenrod? I don’t think it matters either way!
While on a walk along the lake at the wildlife park I found a new meaning for the term slime. A button bush with its autumn buttons shows up well against a slime green background.
An area of shallow stagnant water stands beside a portion of the path opposite the lake side. Extreme drought can dry it up some but most of the time water is present, kinda swamp like. However, it does not normally appear as green pea soup. This turtle has a green coat on its shell as it dries in the sun. I suspected at first that the shallow water was undergoing what is called fall turnover. To me, our temps at night have not been cool enough to cause that phenomenon so I am really puzzled. I’ve not seen it this color before.
The residents don’t seem to mind dipping in the water and coming out with a new coat of paint. I hope to drop back by in a week or two and see if this clears up. This adds a new wrinkle to the definition of the common green turtle! You might think it would have a bad, or at least a strange odor, but that is not the case!
It is time to move on from slime to a view that is maybe sublime. Many of our readers mentioned that they never have the opportunity to see cotton growing. I mentioned I would try to get some photos of this year’s crop as it was nearing harvest. I took the drone over to a nearby field and went up about 100 feet to get a birds eye view. The Appalachian foothills are in the distance.
I waded into the edge of the field and I actually prefer this cotton view against that blue October sky and with white clouds to match! (And even a vapor trail)
You can see why picking cotton by hand would be a prickly endeavor!
A few hundred yards from the “slime” area, this was the view along the boardwalk on the same day. Quite a contrast!
Jewelweed, sometimes called touch-me-not, is native to a lot of the country and is very abundant in low, moist areas. Native American tribes such as the Cherokee used jewelweed for a number of ailments. When the seed pods are mature, the slightest touch will cause the seeds to scatter, hence the “touch-me-not” name!
October evenings are cooling down and the days are noticeably shorter. Only 4 weeks until we rotate back to standard time. A few of our afternoons last week, like this one, were partly cloudy. Our long range forecast for this week shows all sunny days with a couple of nights in the upper 40’s. But, we all know about those long range forecasts!
Have a pleasant 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
Maryann says
Good Sunday morning everyone. Yes Fall is starting to settle in here in Pennsylvania our temperatures are in the low sixties in the day, very low forties at night. We noticed our Husky’s coat is getting thicker in preparation for the colder weather, and some people say there is isn’t a Creater! Jewelweed is a good remedy for poison rashes. So cotton grows in the shape of a ball? October is my favorite month also. My favorite seasons are Fall and Winter. God bless Pam’s father.
Rita C at Panoply says
Happy birthday to Mr. “PawPaw” Davis! I’m sure Pam has a wonderful celebration planned to celebrate him!
Butch, your fall log is beautiful! And I love the fields of soybean and cotton. Do try to get the story and a post on the 1835 antebellum. That would be so interesting!
Have a good week.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
A very Happy Birthday to “PawPaw Davis. October is indeed a lovely month in your area. Love your autumnal log filled with your walkabout harvest.
Roxanne Bernard says
Good morning Butch and Pam. A very Happy Birthday to Mr. Davis…he truly represents The Greatest Generation. I love the Fall Log idea and think I shall make one myself…so many interesting things have fallen in our yard since the hurricane. Butch, every morning I check my Cornell migration data which has been recording anywhere from 500k to over a million birds; the night of the storm it was zero. For a few days after I had more hummingbirds than I have ever seen, but now they seem to have disappeared. Everyone please continue to pray for NC. The suffering is unimaginable.
Clara says
Happy 94th Birthday to Pam’s Dad! We hope he has a wonderful birthday! The sky shots are beautiful. The harvest log is a nice centerpiece. The 1835 home would be a great post! Even though we see cotton and soybeans on a regular basis, I always enjoy seeing pics of it. It’s part of our heritage here in the southern USA. Every region in the USA has a crop it seems. We enjoyed the apple harvest in New York and seeing potatoes harvested in Idaho, etc. That green pond will hopefully clear up soon. Enjoy your day. Clara❤️
Dianne W says
An FYI, the small critters eat the pumpkins as well and pumpkin seeds act as a dewormer for the critters!!
Maristella says
Happy Birthday to Mr. Davis! God bless him. Stunning photos and sweet post. Thank you for your encouragement.
Jenna says
Happy Birthday to Pawpaw! Love the autumnal log filled with your forest findings Butch, and the teaser photo of pumpkins for Monday Morning Blooms~ That slime green water looks nasty! The cotton fields are beautiful. It is getting dark so early now, I already miss long summer days. I hope you both have a great week ahead!
Shannon@Belle Bleu Interiors says
Good morning Butch and Pam! Happy Birthday to Pam’s dad! I enjoyed all of the photos from nature. The cotton fields are so pretty. We have a few fields not far from our house. I wish you both a most wonderful Sunday and peaceful week ahead.