Seasons

I was taking pictures of Volkswagens yesterday and I almost stepped on these. A sure sign of spring. They are a lovely little surprise. Perhaps I should plant a few in my yard for next year.
Another sign of spring, the ladybugs are waking up. Did you know that they like to hibernate in big old southern houses? We see one or two at a time throughout the winter but in the spring, they wake up and need to be escorted gently back outside.

We planted this Daphne a few years back. It is a very slow grower. This is the first time we have had more than one or two blossoms on it. It lost most of it's leaves in the ice storm a few weeks ago but it is blooming anyway and if you look closely you can see that the leaves are starting to grow back. When ever we have owned a house that is important to us, we have planted one next to the front door so that visitors will be greeted by the lovely fragrance.

With all these signs of spring, I wanted to take just a minute to appreciate the last of winter a little more before it is gone. I will miss natures lace, the dark, bare tree limbs against the sky are so graceful.

See the van, it shows the scale of these wonderful trees. You can really see their graceful forms. They will be beautiful when they are covered in leaves, but it is a different kind of beauty. This seems so very peaceful.

Walking to the mailbox. Our mailbox is out on the main road. I love the walk no matter what the season. Right now you can hear several different kinds of birds singing and off in the distance, on the left hand side of the path, that little black spot is a feral kitty. We think she may have babies near by. She is all black and very shy. This is a good place for ferals to live.

On the wing, we see these guys a lot. It is rare that one flys close enough for me to capture it digitally. I wonder if it is easier for them to hunt when the leaves are not out yet?

These tiny guys like to hide when I pull the camera out. I love to listen to them sing. I took this on the way home from our walk the other day. Notice the pink sky? I am surrounded by beauty!

The sun is setting and it casts a pink reflection on the front of the house. I just can't help wanting to take more pictures. Winter is chilly, and I miss the green, but it has it's own charm. I will enjoy spring, it is one of my favorite times of the year, but I will miss winter. Thank goodness snuggle season isn't over yet.

I leave you for now with that sunset I was just telling you about. If you stand on my front porch and look off to the left, this is what you will see. Hope you like the view.

Kat

Anniversary

On May 18, 2008, I posted to this blog for the first time. The first posting did not have any photos, the next several had one or maybe up to three, but not as many as there are now. My early posts were shorter, and more frequent, sometimes 3 in a week. They have gradually grown to their current size and number of photos and these days, I usually post once a week. In honor of my one year blogaversary, here is another look at some of my favorite things and pictures.
Photoshop Elements Flower Fairies
Winter Sunset over the old Summer Kitchen

Tea

Strawberry Pancakes

Spontaneous and her new toy

Squirell

Rosie and Ruth

Polaroid Land Camera

Backyard

Houston, we have liftoff

Study Buddy

Mountain View

Shy Visitor

Old Propeller from Slide

Charleston Fountain

Home made "Challa" bread

Thanks for joining me,

What is your favorite photo?

Kat

Wild weather,

We had quite the storm on Friday night. I was at work when they notified us that our area was under "Tornado Watch". For those of you who don't live in tornado areas, watch means that conditions are right for tornadoes to form, warning means a tornado has been spotted.

The lightning started when I was on my way home. When I pulled up in front of the house, the lightning was continuous and right on top of me! When I turned off the engine on my little Tacoma, the hair on my arms and back of my neck stood up. (Yikes!)

I sat there till it calmed a little, there was no way I was getting out of the truck in that. I wasn't really frightened, it was kind of a rush. The light show was amazing. I have seen plenty of storms before, but I had the front row seat for this one.

After a few minutes, the hair on my arms and neck relaxed and I made a run for it to the house. No sooner did I get inside the door than it cut loose. Hail started coming down like mad. (We have a metal roof so it can be noisy) poor spontaneous hid under the table. Our power flickered but came right back and stayed on. The first three photos show how torn up my big magnolia and some of my Iris got.

The next two show some of the debrie that was blown onto the steps and the porch. What a mess.

After the storm, my bees are busy.

This morning when we got up, I went out to check the damages. I took photos, (of course) my poor little pickup has several fresh dimples on the hood and my sweet heart's car has some quarter sized dings on top, none appear to have damaged paint. (I can live with dimples, paint damage causes rust). The kids car was sitting right next to them and does not appear to have any damage. The porches are a mess, but we don't have any broken glass or other major damage. This morning, all is calm, the birds are singing and the cat is once again content.

Hope your weather is good and that you are also content.

Kat

Maxfield Parrish Lighting

We found this seed pod, on a walk of course. It
looks like something from outer space.

The lighting was amazing the other night. The

evening looked like it was waiting to be painted

by Maxfield Parish.

One of our lovely trees.

About half of my current crop of Camellias look

normal, the rest were caught, at their peak, by

the frost. They are perfect, but for the color.

This stately old tree guards the entrance to my

driveway.

My old barn, again. I just love to photograph it.

Can you see the cat? This is natural. I don't know

why this tree was cut. It is next to the road where

we walk.

I will admit to being a bit of a spoiled gourmet. The

kind folks at Earth Fare in Augusta make it even easier.

Their cheese counter looks like something you might

find in Europe and they are happy to let you taste

before you buy. They make it easy to be brave about

trying new things.

More Goodies!

Jennifer, the Specialty Manager, is knowledgeable

about all the cheeses and she is teaching her staff

well. Have I praised them enough? The cheese

really is that good.

We should try something new often. It is good for us.

If not cheese, go try something else new.

Have fun and have a great week.

Kat

A John Denver Morning

It is what a friend of mine calls a "John Denver Morning". The weather is cool and crisp with a bright, clear quality to the light. Of course the fact that we live in a forest and are surrounded by pine trees, just adds to the John Denver mood. The Rocky's are famous for the Aspen trees but there are a lot of pines too. Mostly Ponderosa Pines and Lodgepole Pines. Here in the Piedmont of South Carolina, we have a lot of Loblolly Pines. They are also referred to as Plantation pines. (No, I don't know this kind of stuff, I had to look it up. I do however have the books to look it up in.) The local pines do not look or smell quite the same as the Rocky Mountain pines, but when the sun shines through them it still makes me happy.

We may not have Aspens, but we do have Shag Bark Hickorys and big old oaks with garlands of mistletoe and Ivy. We also have quite a few Cedars that smell oh so good even when they have not been cut.

The Rockys dwarf the Smokey Mountain range by size alone. The two ranges are very different. If you camp high in the Rocky's on a summer night you will think you can touch the stars. The sky seems to be a big bowl turned upside down. It is the deepest cobalt blue and it is just barely out of reach. I have never seen the stars so close anywhere else. The air is thinner so if you are not used to it, it can literally take your breath away. The first two photos this week are tree photos I took here in South Carolina, one of our Shag bark hickories and a Big Loblolly Pine. I may have posted the pine photo before. I quite like it.

The next two photos are the Rockys. I took them last summer on vacation. Then I re posted one of the Smokey Mountain photos from early fall for comparison.

I was born and raised in the Rockys. Ogden Utah is quite literally built in the mountains. Driving through there in the winter when there is snow on the roads is quite an adventure. You can not get from here to there without driving through some high mountain passes. (That is why we don't visit in the winter.)

Back to my point. This lovely morning reminds me of the Rocky's. (Although they are a bit colder than us this time of year.)

Yesterday we drove to Greenville for the day. (We listened to John Denver on the way.) We went out to dinner at The Indian Palace on Pleasant Ville Road. The food was just right. I had a non vegetarian Tali, spiced mild. I would strongly recommend it.

Thursday we were in Augusta for an appointment at

the VA. On the way home we stopped at Earth Fair to pick up some cheese. Jennifer was there and she as always helped us pick up some delicious treats. It is easy to be brave about trying new cheeses when they let you taste them before you make up your mind. We wound up with a "Tilsit German" an aged "Pecorino Pienz" and a "Hirtenkase Rustic". If you like strong cheeses, you should try these.

Another one of my favorite things this time of year is Citrus fruit. They are not to expensive and they sure perk up my mood.

The penultimate picture is the best way to start a weekend morning. With a good pot of tea.

I have been experimenting with different ways of presenting my photos on the blog. That is why they are framed and not all the same. Please let me know what you think. Which photo is your favorite? Should they be framed, or unframed?
Last but not least, a picture of me.
Have a great week.
Kat