“Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
Romans 12:13 ESV
After a 15 degree morning with wind chills in the single digits, Friday afternoon turned out to be sunny with only light breezes. Still quite cool, but nevertheless I felt the need to head to Little River Canyon and do some roaming. This view is just over 20 miles from our house, so why not?
Grace’s High Falls is a little gem which is seasonal. My February visit allowed me to catch the falls in action. I guess it was actually “being a falls”. We often visit this area in October for the awesome autumn beauty and it is rare to see water that time of year!
The rocks had grown a beard. Another sight that I’ve not seen before in the canyon. It’s all about timing. Had I waited for a warmer day, I would’ve missed this particular display of nature’s beauty!
It is impossible to tell in this photo, but some of these icicles were 2-3 feet long. Zooming in to get a good look is nice, but can also fail to capture the magnitude or size of the subject. I couldn’t get very close to this bluff!
I made a U-turn when I passed this old house on a rural county road near the canyon. And again, to know the stories, the lives, the hardships, the happiness, and the history behind this scene would give us a glimpse of the days spent here as real people experienced everyday living. I suspected this was owned by the folks that resided in a new house on the front of the property. No one was home so I couldn’t ask, and did not wish to snoop around on someone’s property! There appeared to be plenty of signs to suggest I not trespass!
While on the subject of something old…Today’s throwback takes us back exactly 2 years from today, our 50th wedding anniversary, February 23, 2023. Such a wonderful memory of time spent with family and friends! We are blessed to be hanging around 2 years later, and with a very new family member, Daniel James! If you missed “50 Golden Years”, you are invited to join us.
“You don’t have to have pen and paper to write a love story”
~Butch Richardson
We decided to begin celebrating Anniversary #52 a few days early because Thursday was crabcake night at a favorite restaurant. Crabcake with haricots verts, potatoes, and beurre blanc. Pam could pronounce it, and also managed to eat every bite.
When you cannot come to an agreement on a dessert, then sharing is no longer an option. In such a case, two desserts must be ordered to maintain a peaceful table. I had coconut pecan cake, with vanilla bean creme anglaise. Pam indulged in lemon meringue tart, lemon curd, and Swiss meringue.
Sharing seems to be the norm until the food becomes scarce. Right now everything is peaceful but I can see the feeder is getting low. I will need to replenish soon before a hockey game breaks out!
Last season the Autumn Fire Sedum bloomed very early and we couldn’t figure out the cause. I decided that maybe I trimmed the old growth away too early so I passed it over this year when I started my February pruning. I see now that leaving the old growth changes absolutely nothing. This plant is stubborn and determined to do as it pleases! Hence, Pam has recommended we rename this plant to Butch’s Sedum!
I cleaned out some of the planters and assessed their condition in preparation for April. I called these “planters in waiting”!
I was told recently by an acquaintance that I needed to drive across town sometime and see a senior living complex that was under construction. He knew we had a grandson named Wyatt Lee and was talking about the coincidence. I thanked him and went on my way. To be honest it isn’t a coincidence, this is the last Alabama project I put together before retiring and I named it after our WL. Hopefully, weather permitting, it will be completed soon and we can take Wyatt to the grand opening before too long!
I ran across this amazing old pine and thought, what resilience, a real survivor! This reminded me of a bit of news I heard during the week that was of particular interest to me since we had our anniversary coming up today.
A couple in Brazil was recognized last week as being the longest living married couple on the planet. They celebrated their 84th anniversary near the end of last year. Manoel is 105 and Maria is 101. Nine of their 13 children are still living. The grands, great-grands, and great-great-grands total 121. I get our 4 mixed up! Can you imagine? When asked the key to such a long marriage the couple had a one word answer, “love”!
I pushed my way through brush along the lake shore and finally came near the waters edge. The thick brush was alder. The male catkins stood out among what otherwise, at a distance at least, seemed like dead bushes and shrubs. Many people look at plants like alder, which puts out male and female catkins in late winter before leaves appear, as an indicator of spring being “just around the corner”! The reproductive cycle is already underway!
Male and female catkins are both found on the same plant. The smaller female catkins can be seen here. Pollination will occur when the time is right, mainly assisted by the wind. Creation is more than amazing! I wish we had moose in our part of the world. This alder thicket would be a moose hangout this summer!
It could be said that a hydroelectric dam is not necessarily a wonderful thing to have in the landscape. But this powerhouse has been in operation over 60 years. A blinking light in the top of the tower can be seen from our house. We are only a few miles down river from the Weiss Dam powerhouse, but I have to drive about 20 miles to park near here and walk out to this point. Without this we might be living by candlelight. There would also be no lake …
…and no sunsets like this. Here I am on the other side of that powerhouse. It is a hike to get here. You can see the tower in the distance about 1 mile away!
Have a great week. March is coming on fast!
“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
Happy anniversary
Thank you Myrna. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
Happy Anniversary, Butch & Pam!💞💞
Looks like you’re in good shape for the start of spring planting with all those containers. I have a photo I took of my sedum sprouting from Feb3, after being covered in snow and ice all of January!
Here’s to at least 60 more years of the Weiss dam holding!
Our meteorologists are preparing us for March coming in like a lion….either way, ready for meteorological spring!
Thank you Rita. We too are ready for March so we can at least claim spring. Seems you’ve had a very cold and snowy winter in WV so we are sure you are ready for a change. Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
Happy 52nd anniversary❣️ I enlarged the anniversary photo to see Pam in her wedding gown. What a beautiful bride! I couldn’t figure Pam’s anniversary dessert had you not told. Both desserts look scrumptious. I don’t think alder trees grow in this area but really know,that’s an unusual bloom. And now WL has a sign in town with his name on it. The sunset picture makes me long for Summer. Happy and a blessed week ahead Richardsons.
Thank you Alice. I guess Pam’s dessert would’ve been a guess without an explanation. We are spending a quiet afternoon at home which is what we do a lot these days, and that’s not a bad thing. We will have more desserts after while. Have a blessed week!
Butch and Pam
Congratulations on 52 years! We know you’re thrilled that Daniel James is your newest family member. He’s a cutie pie! Wyatt Lee is fortunate to have an entire project named after him. The dam and lake are pretty in winter as well. We’re finally out of the arctic blast. I’m ready for spring just like the sedum! Enjoy your week. Clara❤️
Thank you Clara. The lake picture had a warm look but it was really cold that afternoon. It is warming though and we too are ready for a change. It has been an up and down winter as far as those arctic blasts. Maybe we are done with those. Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
Happy Anniversary Butch and Pam! The anniversary dinner looks scrumptious. Those desserts look delicious. My sedum started peeking out a couple of weeks ago. We have been covered in ice and snow all week with single digit temps. However, we are warming up today with highs in the 60s forecasted for the week. Fingers crossed spring is on its way. Seeing your collection of pots in waiting has me excited for spring planting. Enjoy your day and have a blessed week ahead!
Thank you Shannon. We’ve seen the news reports about all the snow, ice, and cold out your way. We know you are ready for a warm up. I think we have a low 70’s day coming up. It seems sedum peeks out early for everybody so I guess ours is ok. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
Happy, Happy Anniversary, and many more blessings together!! Love you both, Judy
Thank you Judy and we love you. We pray you have a blessed week!
Butch and Pam
I had to laugh at your comment on the hockey game breaking out, and read it to my husband who has been watching the games. Agree with Pam on the dessert choice, LOL! Such a hardship to have to eat the whole thing. We have those icicles on many of our waterfalls here in winter, they are so beautiful to see.
Thank you Carole. Hockey has been in the news a lot so that thought struck me while watching those birds. It seems we will see the icicles melt this week and we are happy about that. We hope you have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
Another Sabbath message filled with examples of fortitude, promise, rebirth and beauty….but
that message of love after 84 years of marriage holds some sort of record. Imagine remembering
the names and birthdays of 121 progeny…. Thank you, Butch, for all the hiking and climbing to
garner the great photos you share. That old house has a surreal quality and one can also share your wonder about the times and lives of those who dwelt there. “Ah, sweet mystery of life.” What a lovely revisit to your 50th Anniversary celebration. Your love is a shining example of
a love that could and would last 84 years, Lord willing. Celebrate it in the serenity and contentment that your union has fostered and been crowned by so ideal a Family. Great-
Grandma must be beaming…. Happy Anniversary…
Thank you Mary. I laugh about remembering names but it is true I call our little Daniel, “Wyatt” sometimes when speaking of him to someone…and that’s only 2 names to keep straight. I hope to keep hiking and climbing but the need for a knee replacement has me struggling to decide if and when. An old preacher once told me it’s better to wear out than to rust out. Maybe he had a good point. Have a blessed week!
Butch and Pam
Congratulations Butch and Pam…and thank you for allowing us to virtually go with you on your side trips. We get to go along in the comfort of our homes while you get to weather the cold and wind. Thank you for that. You have captured photos of those beautiful icicles on the waterfalls. So pretty. And I am envious of all your pots in waiting as ours are still filled with tan stems of tired ole’ plants and weathered potting soil. Those are on my “to do” list or perhaps more accurately my “honey do list”. LOL. What a tribute to WL…and something that will withstand time. Unless of course urban renewal or some such thing will bring bulldozers in and level it all. That is what is happening here in Florida. We are losing so much history of “old Florida” as developers come in and demo blocks and blocks of homes and businesses in the name of progress. (Some businesses and homes are not that old) sigh!
84 years of “love”….. oh the stories those two can tell. I would almost bet the best of their times were in the early years of raising their family.
Thanks again and Happy Anniversary to you both…
Hugs
Thank you Kari. We still have about as many more pots as you see that are as you say, still filled with old stems and tired soil. Our weather is improving this week so maybe we can get a few more ready to go. Mine is a definite “to do list”. A lot of places like Florida have really grown, all of the southern states really. Some old things definitely need to be preserved. Have a blessed week!
Butch and Pam
Happy Anniversary, dear friends! As always, Butch, I so enjoy your Sunday posts. Congratulations of the near finish of your last project before retirement. What a joy that must be. Of course, the name makes me smile! Happy, Happy Sunday! Celebrate each other every single moment!!!
Thank you Sarah. It is a blessing to have that last project here in our county. I was really pleased when they adopted the street name as well. We are both eating 2 desserts today while there’s an excuse. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
84 years of marriage, that is a loooong time.We are following right behind you with 52 in April. Your pictures really looked cold! Those icicles are spectacular. I waited a solid year for my pink camellia to bloom and it did not disappoint, only to have a few frigid nights turn the blooms to mush. That is so neat the senior community is named after Wyatt! My excitement for the week was to find a possum staring up at me from the can where I store pet food in the garage; not sure who was more freaked out, me or the possum! Apparently he went up to the woods and told his friends “Buffet at the Bernards” because John opened the door to let the dogs out a little while ago, and a young doe greeted him in the garage!!
Thank you Roxanne. It does seem like word gets around to all the nearby creatures when a food source is discovered. It’s as if there’s some way they communicate it. We need a different camellia according to Pam. Ours yields dozens of blooms but they aren’t the prettiest of blooms. There’s some variety we need…maybe the one you have? We have no possum or raccoon shortage here either. Have a tremendous week!
Butch and Pam
Happy Anniversary, dear friends! Congratulations on your new Grand! God bless you and yours.
Thank you Maristella and thanks for the wishes. We are excited about our newest family member. Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
Goodness, I can’t believe it’s been two years since your 50th Wedding anniversary Pam & Butch! It sounds as though you had a wonderful 52nd one! 😊
I love the photos of the falls Butch, they really are spectacular. And I would have chosen your dessert too Pam (a gf version that is), lol!
A marriage of 84 years, what a wonderful story, we just don’t know what God has planned for us & our spouse…do we?
Blessings to you both as you enjoy time with each other & your new grandie! Jennifer
Thank you Jennifer. You are so right, God’s plans are so beyond us. We read that the all time marriage record was a couple that were married over 88 years. We have had a blessed day today and we hope your entire week will be a good one!
Butch and Pam
Oh 52 years married. That is awesome. Terry and I have been married 44 years and feel so blessed. Happy Anniversary. Wishing you many more. I have been out of commission too with being sick. Terry was first one and then I got it right after him. We have some nasty virus’s going around up here. I am so happy to be coming back to life again. Hope you are feeling better too. Big Hugs for a healthier week ahead. Hugs. Kris
Thank you Kris. Lot’s of folks here have battled some nasty stuff lately. Pam has pneumonia now but better today. Glad you two are better. Maybe everyone will get over the hump and spring will show up and help out too. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
Happy, happy belated anniversary! Those deserts look so delectable and memory makers! And I smiled at “The rocks had grown a beard.” – oh so true!
Thank you Mary. We had desserts again today but I must leave them alone for a while or my only memory will be that of remembering when my waistline was smaller. Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
Happy Anniversary, dear friends! Here’s to many, many more happy years!
Another beautiful stroll. I also chuckled at “the rocks grew a beard.”
How neat to see that the senior living place is named after Wyatt! ❤️
The desserts looked delightful! The perfect way to end a perfect meal.
Thank you for such lovely pictures and excellent commentary.
Happy New Week to you both!
Thank you Nancy. We keep finding reasons to celebrate something so we have excuses for desserts. Those frozen beards will be going away as we are now having some very nice days…75 coming on Wednesday. We are ready but know more cold will slip in. Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
Happy anniversary Pam and Butch and here’s to many more! Those icicles are amazing to see – great shot. And what a fabulous story about WL and how cool to have a project named after him. Love the shot of the pots all lined up ready for planting – we’ve been having some fabulous spring weather here but it is still to early to say goodbye to winter. The sunset picture is gorgeous. Wishing you both a wonderful week!
Thank you Kim. We are surprised but very glad you are having some nice days. We are too, but as you say, it’s too early for warmer days to be around to stay for a while. There’s no need to plant most things outside here before mid April except for a few cooler weather plants. Most of our planters will have to wait a while. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
Yes! March did come on fast! I cannot believe two months of 2025 have already been lived and are now in the history books. Time onward marches, and it slows down for none of us. God help us make the most of every single day!
Thanks Cheryl. You are correct, each day is very precious, all different but all a blessing. We hope your Sunday was a good one. Have a pleasant evening!
Butch and Pam