Even In Winter

We seldom have snow. I can plant almost year round. Hubby bought some end of season bulbs for a song and gave them to me for Christmas. Only a gardener could appreciate such a gift. I'll be planting those as soon as possible. We planted winter rye this year to offset the gray woods. I added a cycad to my house plant collection after a trip to Lowes. There's always bird watching.

Birds of Tennessee

The River

You know a dream is like a river 
Ever changin' as it flows 
And a dreamer's just a vessel 
That must follow where it goes 
Trying to learn from what's behind you 
And never knowing what's in store 
Makes each day a constant battle 
Just to stay between the shores 
And I will sail my vessel 
'Til the river runs dry 
Like a bird upon the wind 
These waters are my sky 
I'll never reach my destination 
If I never try 
So I will sail my vessel 
'Til the river runs dry 
Too many times we stand aside 
And let the waters slip away 
'Til what we put off 'til tomorrow 
It has now become today 
So don't you sit upon the shoreline 
And say you're satisfied 
Choose to chance the rapids 
And dare to dance that tide 
And I will sail my vessel 
'Til the river runs dry 
Like a bird upon the wind 
These waters are my sky 
I'll never reach my destination 
If I never try 
So I will sail my vessel 
'Til the river runs dry 
There's bound to be rough waters 
And I know I'll tke soome falls 
With the good Lord as my captain 
I can make it through them all 
And I will sail my vessel 
'Til the river runs dry 
Like a bird upon the wind 
These waters are my sky 
I'll never reach my destination 
If I never try 
So I will sail my vessel 
'Til the river runs dry 
Lord, I will sail my vessel 
'Til the river runs dry 
Yea 

Garth Brooks

Mockingbird,

drenched though he may be, discovered the Burford holly berries on the deck. They usually hang out in the front of the house where there is more sun and a telephone pole.

The Cloud

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers, 
From the seas and the streams; 
I bear light shade for the leaves when laid 
In their noonday dreams. 
From my wings are shaken the dews that waken 
The sweet buds every one, 
When rocked to rest on their mother's breast, 
As she dances about the sun. 
I wield the flail of the lashing hail, 
And whiten the green plains under, 
And then again I dissolve it in rain, 
And laugh as I pass in thunder. 

I sift the snow on the mountains below, 
And their great pines groan aghast; 
And all the night 'tis my pillow white, 
While I sleep in the arms of the blast. 
Sublime on the towers of my skiey bowers, 
Lightning, my pilot, sits; 
In a cavern under is fettered the thunder, 
It struggles and howls at fits; 

Over earth and ocean, with gentle motion, 
This pilot is guiding me, 
Lured by the love of the genii that move 
In the depths of the purple sea; 
Over the rills, and the crags, and the hills, 
Over the lakes and the plains, 
Wherever he dream, under mountain or stream, 
The Spirit he loves remains; 
And I all the while bask in Heaven's blue smile, 
Whilst he is dissolving in rains. 

The sanguine Sunrise, with his meteor eyes, 
And his burning plumes outspread, 
Leaps on the back of my sailing rack, 
When the morning star shines dead; 
As on the jag of a mountain crag, 
Which an earthquake rocks and swings, 
An eagle alit one moment may sit 
In the light of its golden wings. 
And when Sunset may breathe, from the lit sea beneath, 
Its ardors of rest and of love, 

And the crimson pall of eve may fall 
From the depth of Heaven above, 
With wings folded I rest, on mine aery nest, 
As still as a brooding dove. 
That orbed maiden with white fire laden, 
Whom mortals call the Moon, 
Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-like floor, 
By the midnight breezes strewn; 
And wherever the beat of her unseen feet, 
Which only the angels hear, 
May have broken the woof of my tent's thin roof, 
The stars peep behind her and peer; 
And I laugh to see them whirl and flee, 
Like a swarm of golden bees, 
When I widen the rent in my wind-built tent, 
Till the calm rivers, lakes, and seas, 
Like strips of the sky fallen through me on high, 
Are each paved with the moon and these. 

I bind the Sun's throne with a burning zone, 
And the Moon's with a girdle of pearl; 
The volcanoes are dim, and the stars reel and swim 
When the whirlwinds my banner unfurl. 
From cape to cape, with a bridge-like shape, 
Over a torrent sea, 
Sunbeam-proof, I hang like a roof,-- 
The mountains its columns be. 
The triumphal arch through which I march 
With hurricane, fire, and snow, 
When the Powers of the air are chained to my chair, 
Is the million-colored bow; 
The sphere-fire above its soft colors wove, 
While the moist Earth was laughing below. 

I am the daughter of Earth and Water, 
And the nursling of the Sky; 
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores; 
I change, but I cannot die. 
For after the rain when with never a stain 
The pavilion of Heaven is bare, 
And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams 
Build up the blue dome of air, 
I silently laugh at my own cenotaph, 
And out of the caverns of rain, 
Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from the tomb, 
I arise and unbuild it again. 

  
Percy Bysshe Shelley 

We Are Made One with What We Touch and See

Plant Life Winner

Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards

WILDERNESS TRAIL

Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina, USA

by Lori Kincaid

Hot Springs, North Carolina, USA

We are resolved into the supreme air, 
We are made one with what we touch and see, 
With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair, 
With our young lives each spring-impassioned tree 
Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range 
The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change. 

With beat of systole and of diastole 
One grand great life throbs through earth's giant heart, 
And mighty waves of single Being roll 
From nerveless germ to man, for we are part 
Of every rock and bird and beast and hill, 
One with the things that prey on us, and one with what we kill 

One sacrament are consecrate, the earth 
Not we alone hath passions hymeneal, 
The yellow buttercups that shake for mirth 
At daybreak know a pleasure not less real 
Than we do, when in some fresh blossoming wood 
We draw the spring into our hearts, and feel that life is good 

Is the light vanished from our golden sun, 
Or is this daedal fashioned earth less fair, 
That we are nature's heritors, and one 
With every pulse of life that beats the air? 
Rather new suns across the sky shall pass, 
New splendour come unto the flower, new glory to the grass. 

And we two lovers shall not sit afar, 
Critics of nature, but the joyous sea 
Shall be our raiment, and the bearded star 
Shoot arrows at our pleasure! We shall be 
Part of the mighty universal whole, 
And through all Aeons mix and mingle with the Kosmic Soul!. 

We shall be notes in that great Symphony 
Whose cadence circles through the rhythmic spheres, 
And all the live World's throbbing heart shall be 
One with our heart, the stealthy creeping years 
Have lost their terrors now, we shall not die, 
The Universe itself shall be our Immortality!. 

Oscar Wilde

Wild Lands

Indiana Jones

You may have heard of Indiana Jones, but what about Indiana Black?

We'll be mulling wine in this beautiful pot later today.

O Christmas Tree

Christmas Joy

is the love we all share.

Tender Tennessee Christmas

A Star,

a star dancing in the night

Messiah

We're off to the symphony tonight for Handel's Messiah.

Bonsai

Zamia furfuracea/Cardboard Palm

Vince Gill and Chet Atkins

Miss you Chet

Caccini Ave Maria

Sumi Jo

Gold and White

on the door.

A Good Laugh!

A few minutes with Mrs. Hughes and your holiday stress melts away.

I'll Be Home For Christmas/Michael Buble

Pecan Balls

Mild Weather

I finally finished decorating the tree. Mild weather had me outside for several days.

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

Mary Did You Know

Christmas Everyday

Bianca Ryan

The Christmas tree went up yesterday. Today, decorating will ensue.

Cardinal Rescue

I found a female cardinal incapacitated on the ground that had obviously flown into our window . They often recover quickly but she did not. She could cling to your finger and her eyes looked alert but she did not move at all. I thought the warmth from my hand might revive her but no. After about fifteen minutes, I brought her inside and put her in a little cage. She still didn't move at all but watched my movements and could turn her head a little. After about an hour, she started jumping around in the cage. Fearing she would injure herself in such a small enclosure, I released her on the deck. Good luck little bird.

Amy Grant and CeCe Winans

Titmouse

always finds newly placed seed first.

Grownup Christmas List

Goldfinches

have more subtle color in the winter.

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Elwoodii'

grows slowly and is hardy in zone 6.

Peanut Pumpkin Seed

are drying. I'm sending them to a fellow gardener who grows pumpkins.

First Christmas Decorations

are Nandina berries outside

and a cute ceramic snowman inside.

Happy Birthday, Roger!

Ornamental Cabbage

gets more colorful with each frost.

The Secret

Evergreens

Plant them in containers for winter greenery.

Gold Fantail

because of milder weather, is out and about today but as deep as possible without disappearing.

Swimming Pool to Goldfish Pond Conversion

The Shadow of Your Smile/Kenny G

Tiny Pond

with spitting frog is full of leaves.

Test Your Botanical Knowledge
This large shrub/small tree produces large, red, leathery-skinned, many celled, edible berries.
Answer

Michael Buble

is coming to our area in March of 2008 and I'll be there.

Dogwood flower buds formed in late summer endure all winter and bloom in the spring about Easter time.

Photographic Art

Frosty Morn

Light the fire.

Duck

was our Thanksgiving entree,


but I forgot to make his picture... and he was so pretty.

What A Wonderful World

Thanksgiving

The garden is transforming into soft winter gray. The cold has arrived but inside it's warm and I am blessed.


Come, little bird. Your feast awaits.

Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of thy redeeming love

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by thy help I come
And I hope by thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Prone to wander Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for thy courts above

Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
Prone to wander Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for thy courts above

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be
Let thy goodness like a fetter
bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for thy courts above
Seal it for thy courts above

Architectural Elements

Attention is called to the step which is always a bit of a surprise, by decorative architectual elements.

L'AUTOMNE

Gratitude

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~Melody Beattie

Fall Tribute

Best Autumn Color

came in mid November instead of October this year. Stormy weather contributed to the ground being colorful also.

What do you get when you cross a bonsai artist and hosta?

Beauty

Scallops With Linguini

and shrimp sauce served with Parmesan toast was the results of Chef Roger's inspiration. He can make that again!

Test Your Botanical Knowledge
Two foot long, broad, glossy, evergreen leaves of this plant are hardy to zone 7 and is a favorite of flower arrangers. Used in the shade in mild areas and indoors as a carefree plant, otherwise.
Answer

Ordinary Miracle

White Oak

Seven to nine rounded lobed leaves

turn brown or brownish red in the fall. Helpful in identifying the trees are the unusual smooth patches on furrowed bark.

Veteran's Day

Last week, while traveling from Orlando on vacation, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together. After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home. No, he responded. Heading out I asked? No. I'm escorting a soldier home. Going to pick him up? No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq. I'm taking him home to his family.

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days. I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do.

Upon landing in Buffalo the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom. 'Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign.' Without a sound, all went as requested.

I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American. So here's a public Thank You to our military men and women for what you do so we can live the way we do. author unknown

America

Beneath this hallowed ground lay those who suffered and died for freedom.
Names carved in stone of the sacrificed, mourners remember.
We honor them, those from the distant past to those who now serve to keep us free.

In Honor of Veteran's Day

Turkeys

take it easy in the shade for a moment and then move on into the woods. We spotted these turkeys on our way to White Bluff to pig out at

Take The Edge Off

hardscapes with ferns as Lydia has done in her beautiful garden.

After, with hubby's help, removing another dead shrub , I planted the bulbs I purchased in September. Cheers! Later is better than never.

Autmnal Emotion

Wild Turkeys

Once in a while wild turkeys stroll through the back yard. This tree is about a mile from our house. I think they roost in it.

Pelargoniums

have been moved to a sheltered position because of an expected freeze tonight. Hopefully, we may enjoy them a few more days.

Autumn Landscapes

Fall Colors

Dogwoods have formed next spring's flower buds and the leaves are turning more and more red each day.

Baking

Nothing is better in the fall than warming up the kitchen by baking a tasty treat.

Test Your Botanical Knowledge

This native small tree/large shrub has leafless gray branches covered in red berries during winter providing food for wildlife.
Answer

Are Deer Browsing

on your favorite plants?

Use