The New Year

The Gate of the Year

Minnie Louise Haskins

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'

And he replied,
'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'

So I went forth and finding the Hand of God
Trod gladly into the night.
He led me towards the hills
And the breaking of day in the lone east.

So heart be still!
What need our human life to know
If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife of things
Both high and low,
God hideth his intention."

Snow picture from last year.

 

Happy New Year!

REMEMBRANCE

Her first day of school

Getting her Nursing Degree

Marrying her sweetheart

Grandma with her children and grandchildren ~ Christmas 2008

She was a godly example of a wife, mother and grandmother.

Grandma celebrated the birth of her Lord in His very presence this Christmas. We love and miss you.

 

Yvonne Cook Fox

March 7, 1920 ~ December 23, 2010

Wise Men Still Seek Him

The first creche David I bought over 40 years ago. It has been with us every Christmas since. It is a small, humble, rather plain little manger scene, but still my favorite.

................. but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

CHRISTMAS ON CYPRESS KNEE SWAMP

The busyness of the past two weeks has left me with little time or energy to publish a post or even Visit my favorite blogging friends. I took a few minutes yesterday to take some pictures of Christmas at our house. Just in case you wondered....

we ARE having Christmas this year!

I Pray Your Christmas is Merry and Blessed and Filled with Family and Friends!

Over the River

We were unable to go home to Mississippi for Thanksgiving and won't be able to go for Christmas either, so this past weekend my daughter & I made a quick trip for a visit. We were only able to stay a day and see just a few family members, but in this case, some was better than nothing! We stopped at the Mississippi Visitor's Center in Vicksburg for a quick break. The weather was beautiful, and the flag was flying as usual.

We found some landscaping has been done at the Visitor Center. Some of the older trees and shrubs have been replaced with a tidy bed and sod. I am not sure I like it better as I miss the Altheas and other mature trees. These bright green benches are a new addition also......hmmmmm.

I suppose they will grow on me as well as the new landscape. This is a great place to take a break.

 Beautiful view of the river and 24 hour security for travelers.

On to grandma's house we go, and find it all dressed for Christmas.

A pretty Christmas table is set for the family dinner.

We always take a walk around the yard, and despite below freezing temperatures, this amazing Rio Somba rose is still blooming and beautiful.



Buds are still forming and waiting to open.

This handsome fellow next door came to the fence to say howdy.



A lovely spot to sit and enjoy the outdoors.

 It is near a little pond that is formed from a natural spring that flows from the hill at the edge of her yard.

And of course, birdwatching from the breakfast window as we have our morning coffee is such a joy!



This little guy was not bothered by us at all.


Time to leave came all too soon. Highway 25 to Jackson is a pretty drive through the countryside. This picture was taken through the car window but you can see how peaceful it is. I will miss being home for Christmas, but I am thankful for the sweet (short) time we had this past weekend.





Holiday Preparation

It has begun!

GIVING THANKS

 It may be I am getting old and like too much to dwell
Upon the days of bygone years, the days I loved so well;
But thinking of them now I wish somehow that I could know
A simple old Thanksgiving Day, like those of long ago,
When all the family gathered round a table richly spread,
With little Jamie at the foot and grandpa at the head,
The youngest of us all to greet the oldest with a smile,
With mother running in and out and laughing all the while.

May your Thanksgiving be blessed with family, food and wonderful memories!

Verse from the poem  Old Fashioned Thanksgiving by Edgar Albert Guest

November in Dixie

One afternoon after I left work, it was such a beautiful day, I decided to drive up to Dixie to see if I could find any pretty trees in fall color.  So far, not so much……..

But, as always, I  found plenty of beauty. I spent about an hour wandering, just enjoying the blue sky and fresh air. Here are a few things I happened across.

This pretty view of the bayou with some cypress trees in color.

Here are those cotton fields, no cotton, but neat rows lined up ready for the next planting season.

As I was driving down the levee, I saw this fellow grazing in the afternoon sun.

He was not alone…….

He was accompanied by his family. This cute baby kept sticking his tongue out at me.

 Maybe he didn’t like having his picture taken!

Some lovely cows were also munching on the grasses along the levee. Most of them ignored me,

 but this lady was a little curious. I just love her bangs.

What fun! Those round bales of  hay make a colorful turkey to celebrate Thanksgiving.

 How could anyone drive by this and not smile?

Old Glory waving in the afternoon breeze and in the background, some beautiful fall color.

I headed for home refreshed, the stress of the day somehow had disappeared as I was out and about enjoying this beautiful world God has given us.

 Just one of the many things I have to be thankful for this season.

Foggy Morn

"The fog comes on little cat feet."

This line from the poem Fog by Carl Sandburg comes to mind any time I wake to a morning like this one. Here is a look out my window with fog hovering over the swamp.

It is soft and quiet, and moves as stealthly as a cat.

Fog takes the hard edges off the world for a while. It was a serene and peaceful way to start my day!

The fog comes on little cat feet.

It sits looking over harbor and city,

On silent haunches and then moves on.

                                        Carl Sandburg

Father Tim is Back

I have never given a book review on my blog before, but I have just finished this wonderful

Father Tim book by Jan Karon. I highly recommend it!

It is an easy read, set in Ireland, funny in places, sad in others, a wonderful story of family reconciliation.

If you are a follower of the Mitford Series by this author, you are probably already reading it!

I was hooked with the first Mitford book and have been an avid follower of Father Tim, Dooley, Puny, Uncle Billy & Rose and of course Cynthia and Violet the cat and all the others whose lives became so real through the talented pen of Jan Karon. I have missed them as I would old friends and I loved catching up with them once again. I hope this is not the end of Father Tim's adventures!

Fowl Family

Have you ever found something that you fell in love with the moment you saw it?

This sweet little family had been rejected by others at an auction, but immediately found a place in my heart.

It is time worn, a little chipped in places, but that makes it all the more dear to me.

They have the sweetest little faces, and even though the color and glaze is not perfect, it's that imperfection that attracts me.

They have been around a while as evidenced by the crazing in the glaze, but I imagine for a time, they graced someone's kitchen and brought a smile to a lady's face every now and then.

 So now they will live in my kitchen for a while and I do admit, they bring a smile to my face too!

VETERAN'S DAY

In honor of all our veterans, who served our country to ensure the freedom we so cherish,

many giving the ultimate sacrifice.

 We say thanks.

Veteran's Park, Shreveport, LA

A WALK IN THE SWAMP

The busyness of this time of year has been more pronounced than usual and I haven’t had much time to stop and catch my breath or capture any moments with my camera.

This afternoon, I took a little walk through the swamp. We had some rain last week and it is finally cool enough that I don’t worry as much about snakes.  I thought I would share a couple of pictures with you.



Nothing in particular, just things that caught my eye like these pretty leaves. We have very little leaf color this year so these stand out.

 
A piece of a dead tree among the millions of leaves.



A reflection of the dock, sky and trees. The seeds and the layer of leaves  add another dimension.
 
Behind my neighbor’s house are swamp flowers in abundance. I have been planning to take pictures and haven’t had time. Now that it has finally rained, it is too wet and swampy to get in close.  Just imagine a swamp full of these pretty yellow flowers.

I apologize for the quality of these pictures. The wind was blowing and the light fading so they are not as sharp nor the color as clear as usual. I enjoyed the short time I had outdoors so much, I decided to share anyway.  I hope you enjoyed it also.

LEISURE

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like stars at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

                                       William Henry Davies

I have been reminded lately how important it is to take time to notice the beauty around us.

Hope you make some time to "stand and stare" this weekend.