First snow of the year!

December 17 and we got our first snow of 2016. Only 2-3 inches, but it sure is pretty. (Of course, I'm not the one out shoveling it.)

Critters in the yard

Mid-December and one thing we really enjoy about this yard—especially in winter when we can see into the trees—is all the birds and squirrels and geese and other critters we get to enjoy just outside our windows.

December and we're STILL raking leaves!

I don't remember the leaves ever staying on the trees so late in the year!

Planting tulips...an exercise in patience

These tulips were a gift from my Club Deb friends in honor of my mom. We got them planted in the nick of time (I hope!) before the ground freezes and keeps them from settling in in time to bloom this coming spring.

Foggy November morning

I love it when a morning fog hovers over the creek behind our house. It never lasts for long, but so magical for the brief time it is happening.

End of October

We found this barn red gate at a garage sale for $5. It matches the deck and makes a perfect backdrop to the orange cosmos (which came up wonderfully again this year!) and also offers a touch of privacy between the space beneath our deck and the space beneath our next-door-neighbors'.


Cuddled our youngest granddaughter on a chilly October morning. A bittersweet time. The kids were home for an unexpected visit for my mom's memorial service (see the lovely flowers sent to the service on the table). So thankful my mother is in Heaven after a few difficult years, but at the same time, it's hard to imagine a world without her in it.

Mid-October glory

It's been a very early and very pretty autumn. Mid-October found us sitting on the deck every chance we got. And watching the trees change slowly, but surely.

Evening color in the garden

September 20 and everything is so pretty, thanks to abundant rain and a bit cooler weather. Makes us sad the days are growing shorter with less time to enjoy the outdoors!

The rail pots have done SO well this year!

 

The orange cosmos came back wonderfully. 

The story of how we got our orange cosmos here...

Watering is one of evening's pleasures!

Summer's end...

Inches and inches of rain have made the end of summer extraordinarily beautiful here in mid-September.

The back deck is once again my favorite place to hang out when the rain or sunshine don't chase me in, but we can enjoy it even from the kitchen table.

Rail Pots

The last week of July, and it's too hot to sit outside, but the deck still looks beautiful. The rail pots are finally starting to fill out. They must like the triple-digit temps.

June's end, spring's end

 The Spring of 2016 was one of the earliest, prettiest, and most pleasant I can remember with plenty of rain, mild temps (until just recently) and just generally wonderful. Now we hunker down to survive the hot summer, by far my least favorite season.

A favorite sitting place, but now that everything is getting pretty, it's mostly too hot to sit here. :(

Our first tomato of the year was early! But yummy!

Lessons from a family of robins

We've had the uncommon privilege of watching a pair of robins build their home and start a family. I'm ashamed to say that I was annoyed to see the twigs and straw appear in the hanging pot I'd so carefully planted with caladiums and begonias on our front porch.
But remembering a nest of mourning doves we'd watched in the same planter the first summer we lived here, I relented and let the nest stay. What a delight it's been this past few weeks to witness each step of the amazing process.

 
I'm reminded all over again of so many truths:

 • If God cares for even these little birds who toil so hard to make their home, how much more does he care for His people who are called by His name?
 
 • The mommy and the daddy work together to build their home, protect the nest, and feed their flock. God sets the lonely in families. He never intended us to go it alone.

 • The best things in life require a lot of patience, and they can get pretty messy while you wait. But oh, how worth the wait!