Time

No post for this week.

When I was a kid, I told my Dad I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. His reply, "If you want to be a writer, then you must live a life worth writing about."

That's what I am up to. Photos and stuff to come soon.

Thanks for stopping by.

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

Walking

I am currently taking a PE class on line. PE, on line? How do you take a physical education class on line? Well, we had to take a prefit test, then we must walk or run a certain amount of time at least three times a week. We have to monitor our heart rates to ensure we are going fast enough to do us some good, yet not killing ourselves. We have to turn in log sheets each week. The kicker is, we will take another fitness test at the end of class, our grades depend on our improvement.
For me this isn't really a hardship. You should know by now that I love to walk. Especially here in my woods. My sweet Hubby goes with me. We walk fast and watch the heart rate for the first part of the walk, then slow down after I have met my requirement for the day. The camera comes out (of course) when we slow down. This little seed pod was laying by the road, just waiting to be photographed. I don't know what it actually is, but it is tiny and delicate. It was the only one we saw that day. All of these photos have been taken in the last week. We have gone from below freezing to nearly 70.
I have two rosemary plants. This one has been planted outside for nearly a year now and is doing great. I have a second, younger plant that I grew from a cutting that I obtained in Charleston. The younger plant is in a pot that can be brought in when the temp drops too low. In the spring, I will plant it near the older plant. my hope is with two plants, I will get blossoms. The rosemary does bloom and it is quite pretty. If I succeed, I will show you photos. O.K? This piece of twisty stick is one of the local vines. I am not sure what type, they are all over and get quite thick.
I posted a picture of the mistletoe not long ago. This particular patch is closer to the ground so I could get a better shot at it. The moon is a bonus.
We have a lot of little red birds quite near the

house right now. Of course, they are camera shy. They are the color of cardinals and sing prettily in the evenings. We often see them when we are on our walks. When the camera comes out they whisk away. They are two small to get from much distance and they are way more patient than I am. ( I have of course tried waiting quietly so they would forget I was there, no dice.) I will keep trying. In the mean time, this next photo is a different kind of red bird. When we were in Britain, they called lady bugs, Lady Birds. This little guy has been wintering in my house and it evidently got warm so he woke up. We try to discourage them as we do like to
be cozy. I don't think it is good for them to be awake but I don't know. Any lady bug experts out there? I do know they are good for my garden.
My Sweetheart spoiled me again the other morning with fresh baked goodies. He makes the very best cookies! These were peanut butter oatmeal.
The daffodils are as you can see still in bloom.
There are several different places in the yard where they are clumped together. These are under the Pecan tree. (It is a lovely old tree, but it does not put out many pecans this late in it's life and the squirrels always beat us to those.)
The last two pictures are from a later than usual walk. The sunset was glorious. It is almost time to head out again. Let me know what you think of the frames this time.
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

Signs of Life

We are deep into January. It isn't too cold most of the time, and last week's snow is highly unusual. The weather can seem a little bleak. This morning as I look out my windows I see mist in every direction. The mist is damp and cold, but it gives the illusion of distance. Are those mountains out there (not really, just rolling hills and the shadow of trees)? Even on the bleakest days, I am still surrounded by beauty and character. Some of the frailest of people, turn out to be the strongest. Like this old tree, it has obviously been through a lot, yet it is still strong.

One of the reasons I write this blog is to take a mental break from school and work. I don't

usually discuss either here, however, this post is about hope. The personal kind, not the public and commercial kind.

I am a Medical-Surgical Nurse and I often work with patients who probably won't make it. Some days are rough. I will not discuss individual patients,

their privacy is sacred. What I will say is that

sometimes the sheer frailty of the body brings out the majesty of the spirit. I am constantly amazed at how kind the average person is when either they or their loved ones are seriously ill. That gives me hope.

January is a bleak month to many people. there isn't enough sunshine to keep us happy. Seasonal Distress Disorder has been studied for years. Mother nature seems to be holding her breath. Autumns glories are gone, the holidays are over. Snow isn't fun anymore and spring seems so very far away.

Yet, we are still surrounded by beauty. Evening sunlight in the tree tops. Early morning frost patterns on the ground.

I have mistletoe growing high in the oak trees.

If the oak leaves did not fall, we would never see it. I did not even know it would grow here, but there it is.
Moss and likens grow year round. They provide color and texture to my rock garden when the little flowers are sleeping.

I live in the woods. Pine Beetles have destroyed many trees in the local area. Last summer we had to decide whether we should have our pines harvested, or watch them all die. We had them harvested. We still have a lot of trees, but our personal woods are much less dense. When the leaves fell off the remaining trees, our woods seemed even thinner. Nature here does not give up. Some pines have been replanted in nice straight rows. Many more have sprung up voluntarily. Seeing these little beauties at the side of the road
reminds me that even a forest can grow again.

There is an old saying, I believe it is Chinese, that tells us "Every once in a while, you need to get a rock in your shoe. Then you will appreciate it when you don't have a rock in your shoe."
Maybe the bleaker aspects of January are to remind us of just how lucky we are.

Besides, it is no fun stretching out in front of the fire, if it isn't cold outside. I hope you are as cozy as I am right now, and I hope you feel as lucky as I do.

BRRRrrrrrrr!, but Cozy.

We have had some truly awsome sky's lately. I just can't stop taking pictures. I am not sure what I will do with them, any suggestions? This is one of the clearest. Perhaps I should do some scrapbook pages with sky and clouds. this one is on the way to Augusta.

Bit of a surprise this morning. My Sweet Hubby informed me when I woke up, that it was snowing. I didn't believe him at first (He likes to tease me). He wasn't teasing this time. I got dressed as fast as possible and ran outside with the camera.

I am glad I didn't have to
go to work this morning, it is so pretty. I don't worry about the drive, even in the worst of weather. My "Trusty Steed" will keep me safe (love that little pickup).

At one point the snow flakes were so big and fluffy I managed to catch a photo of them falling. Here they are against the Smoke house. There was a fat and fluffy little bird out next to the buiding also. As I approaced the building, I heard a rustling noise. I
came around the corner and it was sitting on the saw horse. Now usually I would have had the camera
ready for the shot, but, I had the lens cover slid shut to keep the lens dry. As you can guess, by the time I got the cover open and the camera aimed, my little birdy was no where to be seen.

I walked around to the front of the house. There were a couple of birds playing under the magnolia. They were too far away. As I walked around the tree, they hopped in the opposite direction. After circling for a few minutes, I gave up. I did take a couple of photos of a little bird next to my pickup.
They are also too far away. Guess they don't feel like having their picture taken.


The Gargoils didn't mind having their photo taken (they never object to anything). I have two, one on either side of the walkway. Both were wearing a light coat of snow this morning.

The thermometer on the porch reads just below freezing, but it doesn't feel that cold. It is January and here in South Carolina, this is the deepest of winter. I don't mind. I don't like the cold, but I love
to be cozy. We have plenty of wood cut for the
fireplace and my sweet Hubby makes a great Teddy Bear.

Just in case the cold depresses or winter seems like it will stay, Mother Nature has provided a promise.
Little shoots of Daffodils, there are hundreds of them under the old pecan tree. Some are just peeking through, some are almost ready to bloom and some are already making a corner of my living room a bit warmer.