Winter walking in the Southern Woods, Feb 2012.

We went for a walk in the woods.

The temperature was mild,

the day was lovely.

See for yourself.

Cheers,

Kat 



Guest Photographer, (My Sweet Husband) Wordless Wednesday

Time travel for Thursday.

There now,

don't you feel a little cooler?

Have a great day,

and stay cool.

Kat

A little bit of winter and a little bit of spring.

 A very good friend of mine had an idea, I thought it was a good idea. So we jumped into her little car and headed north. North? In the winter? Yeah, sometimes you just have to do something silly.
We spent the weekend in Cherokee North Carolina. The drive was amazing! So pretty. 

                                                                 Snow by the roadside.

                                                                 Our trusty ride. 

 The Cherokee Casino is full of hand carved native art. This line of masks caught my attention.

Meanwhile back at home, our road doesn't have any snow, but it does look cold.  I love our walks, we find all sorts of surprises.

Last, but not least, the first of our Camellias has bloomed!

Cheers,

Kat

Moody winter woods and Summertime Saturdays

 As promised, here are a couple of moody wintry pictures of my woods.

It rained all day yesterday and is starting out wet today.

Can't you just feel the chilly damp?

There isn't any snow (thank goodness) but it is the kind of cold that gets into your bones.

How about we warm it up a little?

Since I love Summertime Saturday Afternoons, lets make each Saturday this month a summertime post.

Tell me a summer story, write a summer poem, post a summer picture.

We have a bit more winter to get through, lets warm up the weekends at least. 

Here is my first entry.

Doesn't that just lighten your mood?

If you decide to play, leave a comment with a link to your post so we can come check it out.

Cheers,

Kat

A little bit of winter

Usually I try to save the best for last, I think this is one of my best ever photos, I couldn't wait to show it off. It is not framed as my daughter insisted it was too good to crop. She is an artist and I value her opinion on such things so here it is in all it's glory.

You have met the tree we call our Guardian, this one is our Ent. Can't you just see how he is bending over to tell something to one of the smaller trees? He lives towards the back of the property, out near the barn.
We had an ice storm last week. Lucky for me, I was off that day and none of us needed to go anywhere. It was cold and clear. The lighting was brilliant. My Sweet Hubby and I went out to the barn to bring up more wood for the fireplace. It was literally freezing out there. I had my camera in my pocket and I just could not resist. So I snapped away while my Sweet Hubby laughed at the crazy lady (took my gloves off so I could hold the camera better) and then started to point even more interesting things out for me to take pictures of. This bird, and several of his buddies were singing away like it was spring time.
The ice, with the early morning sunlight glittering on it, almost looks pink. As if the trees are wearing overly elaborate tiaras.

This is our well house. My Sweet Hubby built it. See the patterns in the frost on the roof? Can't you just hear the grass crunching as you walk up to it? You know I don't like the cold. But I just could not resist the pictures.

Even the pines got into the act.

Close up of one of the smaller pines. While we were out looking for photo ops, we discovered a spot quite near the house where two or three large somethings had been resting. Probably deer. I of course, took a picture of the spot, but you can't really tell what you are looking at. All the same, I like the idea of sharing our space with wildlife.

Mother nature must have been in a good mood, even an old piece of bark turned into something special. Ice storms here can be very bad news. One year, right after we bought the house, we lost power for three days. No heat, and the flu for the chimneys was frozen shut. Miserable! We were very lucky this time.

It was a good thing I went outside when I did as the ice did not stick around. The cold did. It was a perfect day to stay indoors. Once I got myself thawed out, I did not venture back outside for the rest of the day.

A few mornings later, we woke up to this. It is the view from one of my kitchen windows. More the usual winter start. The mist didn't really lift till almost noon. So what do we do when it is cold and miserable outside? We make ourselves comfy inside.

We have extra toasting forks, care for a marshmallow?

Spontaneous knows just what to do when it is cold, stretch out in front of the fireplace and make cute faces at me. Have you ever seen such a comfort loving animal?
Hope you are as cozy as she looks. Spring will be here before we know it, I am going to enjoy my "Snuggle Season" for as long as it lasts. Got to go put some more wood on the fire.

Kat

It's not always sunshine,

It is not always sunny here, but it is always lovely. I am going to put some mail in the box, want to come? It isn't actually raining right now, just misty and dripping.
My friend Linda at Are We There Yet?? loves trains. She posted some great train and covered bridge photos the other day. (Hers is another of my favorite blogs) I didn't get up early enough to catch the train going by, but I do think there is something romantic about empty tracks. These are especially atmospheric this morning. Don't you feel it? You could go anywhere from here.

This is the view from the main road. You can almost see our house from there in the winter. It disappears in the summer when all the leaves are out. You can always tell when someone goes down our road for the first time, they slow way down as they pass the house. Some even hit their brakes or back up for a better view.

This is the view on the other side of the main road. That old building has been empty for years. I wonder what it's history was.

All this damp has brought out the resurrection fern. The guardian looks as if he has put on a woolly sweater.

The old Summer Kitchen looks rather romantic in the winter mist.

Yet another view of the barn (can you tell I love it).

My Rosemary and Lavender are loving this weather too. I will plant more lavender this spring, I waited to see how well it would do.

The creek is flowing nicely. The temp this morning is a balmy 37 degrees Fahrenheit (that is about 3 degrees Celsius, Fahrenheit sounds much warmer). I don't mind the weather at all this morning. I don't have to go anywhere. My Sweet Hubby has built a fire in the fireplace and breakfast is on the table. After I eat, I have a paper to write, but for now.....

English Muffins Ala My Sweet Hubby.

Have a lovely day.

Kat