*southern love

If you are in Camden County (and other areas of the south) you will see the trees adorned with this moss.  I know many say it is a parasite for the tree, but it actually doesn't take any nourishment from the tree, it is more of an air plant. However, due to the burden of the moss, it can cause a tree not to get ample sunlight needed to grow properly and the weight of a heavy load can cause the tree to be more susceptible to wind damage.   Many also would say that the trees look creepy to them with the moss hanging out, to me it just looks like my hometown and brings me a nostalgic feeling.  My husband and I have been gone from Camden for 26 years now but both of our parents remain there.  These pictures are from my visit a few weeks ago. This tale is told about the Spanish moss that hangs from the Live Oak Trees of Southeast Georgia - 

As the story goes; there was once a traveler who came with his Spanish fiancée in the 1700s to start a plantation near the city of Charleston SC. She was a beautiful bride-to-be with long flowing raven hair. As the couple was walking over the plantation sight[sic] near the forest, and making plans for their future, they were suddenly attacked by a band of Cherokee who were not happy to share the land of their forefathers with strangers. As a final warning to stay away from the Cherokee nation, they cut off the long dark hair of the bride-to-be and threw it up in an old live oak tree. As the people came back day after day and week after week, they began to notice the hair had shriveled and turned grey and had begun spreading from tree to tree. Over the years the moss spread from South Carolina to Georgia and Florida. To this day, if one stands under a live oak tree, one will see the moss jump from tree to tree and defend itself with a large army of beetles. (taken from Wikipedia)

*new morning

morning, breaking dawn

beginning, a fresh start

 

 a clean slate

new mercies (EVERY MORNING)

day break, sunrise

 daybreak - both an ending and  a new beginning

 joy

 new adventures

 

This morning when I got up to see Henry off to school, the fog was thick.  I love getting up at this hour each morning, just before dawn and watching the sun rise. This has not always been my story.  I would have much rather stayed in bed and snoozed as long as I possibly could in years past.  Of course the animals (chickens, goats, rabbits, dog, and cats) wont allow it either, so it is not as if I have a choice!   I hope each of you have an amazing day! 

Shared at.........................................

*whats up

Happy Fall Ya'll!  My mother arrived here two weeks ago so I have been enjoying her. Her stay this time has come to a quicker end than she had initially intended due to her concern for her furry feline's medical needs. Today she packed up her little car and drove back to Georgia.  When I say no leaf was left unturned, I speak in the literal sense!  Momma loves to work in the yards with raking being on of her favorite things to do. She raked, piled up and loaded up wagon load after wagon load for the garden.  I told her just the other day that upon her leaving we would have to write her a check for all the labor she put in.  The property looks amazing.

The past few weeks we have had more unusual fungus growth about the property.  This time it was mushrooms in multiples!  They were growing in the cracks of the trees, the roots of the trees, and all over the ground.

I love the way each of them are so unique. Interesting.

Since our last Chick-Inn report there has been some activity, some ill activity that is. We have now killed a snake (rat snake) in our coop, lost one of our Barred Rock hens to something, and killed a opossum around our coop.  Some of our chickens have started to molt a bit and of course the egg production has slowed down a bit as well.

A new rabbit litter is due this week! (we have two does that are ready to deliver) Our first litter is still living - we decided to let them mature a bit more before butcher day.  Can't wait to take pics of those new little critters to share with you all!

Our vacant NC home is CLOSING tomorrow, we signed legal documents today and will be sending them over night via UPS today.  It is such a blessed relief.

I have some new sewing projects that I hope to share with you soon!

*daylight is coming

These two pictures were taken early one morning on my quick drive to take Henry to school.    I am constantly arrested by God's beauty all around me and I love to share such beauty on my side of the world!  Since my camera was not in the car with me, I used the camera on my Droid. I was quite pleased with the capture!

The dawn is breaking.  Thankfully He IS our rear guard!

(~we currently have a working offer on our home in NC, appraisal, inspections etc ensue. If all goes well, the new owners will take possession in less than a month!  Thanks to each of you who have prayed over this along with us!)

*thanks tropical storm Lee

A few days ago we were visit  by many bands of rain which left our dry dusty ground saturated and for that we are grateful.  We were spared of any damage, thankfully.  Our power was out for a short while because of a fallen Oak on our street, we took advantage of this time and played a game of Life!  Before we were able to finish the game the power was back on.

For weeks prior to TS Lee coming through we had been under Fire Advisories, unending.  We have piles of branches, debris etc that we need to burn but have not been granted a fire permit due to the dryness.  We were in need of the rain, and boy did we get it.   We did not have any big plans for Labor Day 2011, so the wet weather did not bother us one bit.

Here are a few pictures from today, a different story from the past three days.

I was riding along and just could not stop looking at the majesty before me. It is glorious! Isn't it?   I sort of felt like Ann Voskamp must have, the night she chased the moon on their farm that evening that she spoke of in her book, One Thousand Gifts. I have even been know to chase a sunset down, or should I say try. I have driven over the hills and through the wood to grasp a better view of the sun going down on more than one occasion.  These photos are all straight out of the camera, no editing at all.   Have a great week!





Shared at Behind the Camera.

*childish things

As a little girl I remember such things as sharing a weed with my sister, Lori.  In fact, I had forgotten about this strange habit my sister and I practiced when we were young girls until just the other day when I saw them growing on the side of the county road.  I said to my mother who was in the car with me, "Do you remember when you taught Lori and me to chew on those weeds right there?"  She looked at me with correcting eyes, and with an alarming voice said, "What?"  "You chewed on those weeds when you were little girls?"  She denied teaching this to us, so I assume that it was my older and wiser sister who started this delicious habit.   On the way home, I stopped and picked a few of them to chew on.. to, you know.. take me back to that time in history.  It is funny how certain taste or smells can take you back to a place in your past.  The taste of the "weed" did just that for me.  My mother was somewhat astounded by my actions.

Above is the weed I was making reference to.  It must be indigenous to the south, because I have not seen this since I left Georgia as a young woman.  I must admit, it was a sweet reminder of simpler days gone by.

The following day we were traveling down a road that had an opened field with a fence around it. On this fence was honey suckle growing rampantly here and there.  I looked at this plant with fondness as well, remembering once again one of me and my sisters childhood escapades. We would pull the blossom out of the stems and suck on the honeysuckle.  Once again my mother was surprised to learn of this strange habit we practiced as children.  I sent a message to my older sister, Lori to ask her if she remembered these things.  She responded saying that she did, but was choosing not to at that moment.   I think I will introduce weed eating to Kierstyn (Lori's daughter, my niece) when she comes for a visit in just a few weeks.  We will see how that goes over.


Speaking of childhood memories, here is one other from my childhood days:

Here you see me and my baby sister, Bridgette.  These little chicks are about the same size as our second set of chicks that we currently have.  It looks like they were just getting their pin feathers in as well.   I suppose chickens, pigs and such are at my roots- that's why raising them and having a farm style life comes so naturally in my now adult life.  I am eternally grateful for the opportunities that God has provided us with. 

*out where the ocean meets the sky

Today Henry and I went to the beach. The weather was rather cold and breezy, but the Gulf Coast delivered beauty as it does again and again.  The Gulf is amazing with varying shades of crystal clear blue water.  I am always wowed by the beauty that greets me each time we head to Navarre Beach or Destin Beach. 

We paid $1 to walk on the pier which was quite windy to say the least. There were several people there today fishing, but this past weekend we saw many on the pier fishing. Can't wait to take my nephews and Henry here in the summer for a day of fishing.

When we left Erilyn this morning I thought we were heading to a stylist who could cut and put some shape into Henry's mop hair, but he said he was not ready to get it cut yet.  So, we put that off until a later date.  He had his skate board in the car, so  he pulled it out while we were in the parking lot at the pier and worked on a few tricks.