Fog over the ponds at sunrise, on Paris Mountain.
A magical morning on Paris Mountain.
Misty Morning on Paris Mountain
winter2016
Cooters in February
If there is a predator around here for the turtles, I don’t know what it is. When it gets warm the Cooters come up to sunbathe. They crowd onto every available floating piece of log. There were probably about thirty more scattered around the pond when I took this picture. Attempting to get any closer usually results in them all sliding silently back into the depths…
Carolina Chickadee
This Carolina Chickadee is looking before eating, so as not to be eaten…
A few weeks ago now we had a snowstorm on Paris Mountain. All sorts of birds flocked to our eclectic collection of feeders, but especially the chickadees and cardinals.
The bird feeder in this zoom photo is hanging in a tree in our front yard. We can watch it from a kitchen window, about thirty feet away. The chickadee doesn’t like to pose for pictures. Continue reading
The Carport Project
We’ve been talking about a carport since we moved here, and 2016 became the year to do something about it. Well Mr. Mims, he’s doing something about it, and I’m the cheerleading section. The spot for the carport is between the chicken coop and the shed, and some landscaping issues are meant to be solved in the process. Continue reading
Lavender in Winter
There are many flowers and smells and sights to gush about in the spring and summer, but some plants offer pleasures year-round. Lavender is perennial and evergreen. Lavender leaves smell just as strong as the flowers. If you rub the leaves between your fingers the scent will stick with you for awhile. The leaves are a grayish-green in winter. I have both the English and French variety growing. In the winter time you can’t really tell the difference between them. Continue reading
Spring in the Woods
Part of our homestead is a wild and wooded area. There was already a footpath when we arrived almost seven years ago. The path is a semi-circle that curves around the spring that feeds the two ponds on our property before spilling into the creek that will eventually flow into the Reedy River. Continue reading
Running Creek
The snow that knocked out Paris Mountain power last weekend, and left neighbors stranded on opposite sides of fallen trees, can now only be found running in the creeks to join the Reedy River and the rush of Falls Park.
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Snow and Folk Art
Yesterday we had a little snow, and they suspended all after-school activities right away. Down here a little snow and ice is scary to most people, but they want me to drive my kids to school in all kinds of rain and wind. This rooster roosts outside the kitchen door in snow, sun, rain and wind alike.
Growing Food Blueberry Blossoms in January
These blossoms will never mature into berries….
The warm weather has fooled most of my flower bulbs to start sending up shoots, which will most likely die in the freeze forecast to visit us in the next few days. The blueberry bushes that I prize so highly after six years of growth have been similarly fooled. Continue reading