End of Fall on North Mt.

North Mountain Is a Beauty of Nature

“Keep close to Nature’s heart...and break clear away,

once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a

week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.’

~John Muir

Sunday started out as a beautiful day, but by mid~afternoon the dark sky was moving in quickly. Bud and I decided if we didn’t hit the road just then, we would miss our views of the county from North Mt. so off we went. I was fascinated my the single little leaves stuck in trees...up high and down low. Each had its own personality. By the time we were ready to leave, the rain droplets were singing a little tune as they hit the dry leaves. and the temperatures were dropping. Even though there was no blue, this gray sky was a tranquil and beautiful one.

While looking through some of my pictures tonight, I found these two of Eloise and her close friend, Sage, up where we were at the North Mt. Overlook a month or so ago. They are so cute and have been together here at the house so many times she’s like like a second granddaughter. Buddy gave her that cute hat with the ties.I just couldn’t resist adding their photos to the page. 

This post is linked with:

 Scenic Weekends 

 Mosaic Monday

End of Fall at the Homeplace

Happiness Is Living in the Country

Today was so beautiful. The temperature was perfect. There was no wind, and the sky was bright blue with some scattered clouds to add a bit of fluffy white. I took all of these pictures in front of the house and out in our front field. The BIG hill you see is our land. We have 7 acres up there filled with timber which we will not touch.

 

Yes, here is our "Bridge to Somewhere".

The creek our "Bridge to Somewhere" crosses.
Its name is Kerrs creek and the area 
where we live is know as Kerrs Creek.



 Our front yard just above the creek.


 
And, here is another of the front yard.


Here’s our little outbuilding where I keep everything
 I cannot fit into a house without any storage. 

This is our front field where we used to have cows. No more! No more goats and ponies. Just Jack, the dogs and Trouble, Bud’s cat.

That’s the BIG hill behind. As children, the kids loved to climb up it and then slide down. Then when they all came home a few years ago for my birthday, they FORCED me to do it, too. Well, that was

the last time. Thought I was going to have a heart attack going up it is so slick and steep, and then coming down was worse. The clincher is and was that day...when we got down we had to walk across the darn creek with lots of water in it. No fun for this old gal.

They can beg until the cows come home, but I will NEVER do it again unless they can find me another easier way to get up and down. 

Jack couldn’t stand it. He just had to get in the picture. If you look down the center and then to the right,you can seethe mountain we see from the house in the winter. 

I was looking for a quote to go with this post, and I came across this sometimes hilarious and other times poignant bit of farmer’s advice. Hope you like it as much as I did. There are some good lessons to be learned from it.

An Old Farmer's Advice

* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong. *

* Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.*

* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.*

* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.*

* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.*

* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.*

* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.*

* Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.*

* It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.*

* You cannot unsay a cruel word.*

* Every path has a few puddles.*

* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.*

* The best sermons are lived, not preached.

* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.*

* Don't judge folks by their relatives.*

* Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.*

* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.*

* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't bothering you none.*

* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.*

* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.*

* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.*

* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.*

* Always drink upstream from the herd.*

* Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.*

* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.*

* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.*

* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.*

* Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.*

~Unknown

This post is linked with:

 Our World Tuesday

 Outdoor Wednesday

Skywatch Friday

My Love of Pink

When I’m Down Pink Uplifts Me 

“The Possible’s slow fuses is lit 
By the Imagination."
~Emily Dickinson

NF DAM~ Digital Art
Wordless Wednesday
Little Things Thursday
Six Word Saturday

Camp Maxwelton's Green Barn

Go to Maxwelton~Learn about Life

“Making memories with FRIENDS is not a waste

of time. It’s a lifetime moment that we’ll surely

TREASURE when an old age comes.”

~Author Unknown

The Barn at Camp Maxwelton, Rockbridge Baths,VA

This picture is from my archives dating back to 2011. All three of my Maryland grandsons attended as campers and then as counselors. All of the counselors for both the boys' and girls’ camps are former campers. A fellow teacher of mine (high school biology, Lee McLaughlin, and his wife and sons continue to run the camp his daddy started years ago ~ 1951 we think. Here boys learn about love for one another, gentlemanly behaviors, sportsmanship, honor, compassion, and reverance as well as rafting, hiking, cooking a pig all night long for the 4th of July, mountain biking, horseback riding, wall climbing, archery and shooting...and the list goes on and on. Families send their sons generation after generation and many return there for their weddings. Camp Maxwelton is loved by all who have ever been there ~ camper or visitor ~ and especially Buddy and me. Even though our grandsons are now in and out of college, we are still welcomed there with open arms and enjoy our visits. The barn continues to look exactly like this today. It is a beautiful, well kept structure that stands out like a diamond in the rough. Now, they have a fourth generation coming along to carry on this wonderful camp.

This second little quote makes me giggle. It is definitely my grandsons and me. Buddy is a way different story :-)

“I hate camping, but I love summer camp.”

~Zooey Deschanel

This post is linked with:

Tom’s Barn Collective
NF DAM ~ Digital Art Meme
Good Fences
ScenicWeekends

Two Ducks and Some Chicken Houses

Walked and Looked

Saw Two Ducks

“Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, 

my thoughts begin to flow.”

~David Thoreau

This house is on my walking route, and I took the first picture about 3/4 of a mile from home on a quiet back road.

This one was taken quite a while later as I was dragging my old body home :-)  It’s about a 3 mile jaunt. I think my two fine feathered friends were tiring just looking at me huff and puff so decided to go back in and take themselves a rest. Needles-to-say, it took a while longer before I would hit the couch!

The Chicken Houses

This is a funny story....I hope you get a good giggle.

Buddy and I were about to start raising chickens for their eggs so he went down to the lady who owns this home and asked her if we could buy a few of her chickens. Her reply as best we can remember was...and this is pretty darn close...

“If I sell you all my ‘cheekins’, 

I’m not gonna have any eggs to sell.”

Needless-to-say, we bought our ‘cheekins’ elsewhere :-)

This post is linked with:
 Shadow Shot Sunday 2
Six Word Saturday

Waiting Patiently

Cardinal Waiting Patiently In It’s Tree

“Use what talents you possess.
The woods would be very silent
if no birds sang there,
except those that sang best.”
~Henry Van Dyke

This post is linked with:

  Camera Critters, NF DAM ~ Digital Art, 
Wild Bird Wednesday, Saturday Critters

Fruit Loops vs Cheerios

This post is linked with Signs, Signs

A Happy Half Day at Fairfield Elementary School

Today I subbed a half day in Fairfield’s kindergarten for a teacher who had been bitten by a spider and needed to go to the doctor. I had such fun on a yucky, rainy day. Some of the pictures are from inside the building,  others were taken through the big windows, and two were taken on my way home this afternoon. I could not go outside to take any pictures because the door would have locked, and I would have been stuck out in the rain. ALL DOORS REMAIN LOCKED AT THE SCHOOL FOR SAFETY! Sadly, this is our new world.

This is another one of the little murals in the halls. It is precious and I think a nice one for "Monday Murals".

Three cute little cows... there were lots more, but these were my favorites. Do you think these will qualify for “Saturday Critters”? I think they are pretty cool and whimsical critters, myself and would love to have one at my house :-)

This is the coolest, colorful hanging fence.

My creative “Good Fence” for the week.

And here is another take on it.

This is the gardening area which is located in the center of the school. Even on a yucky day it is very inviting. This is where the “hanging fence” is located.

 As you can see, it was still very foggy and raining when I was driving home. The Department of Transportation rock pile I post last week is on the left.

Here is a closer shot of my favorite tree. This gives you a totally new view of it. These are my contributions to “Outdoor Wednesdays"

This post is linked with:

Outdoor Wednesday

Good Fences

Saturday Critters

Monday Murals