Spring in February

 Will there even be a winter?

It's over 70 degrees here on the mountain today. Started off the day with my daddy and my cousin having to repair a leaky faucet in my daughter's bathroom. (You haven't had fun on a late Sunday night til your kiddo comes into your room and says, "There is hot water running in my bathtub and it won't stop!") Up here, we only call in the professionals as a last resort. One quick trip across the mountain to town and we are good to go!

It was too beautiful out there to stay inside! Look at this sky:

Excuse the satellite photobomb on the left. I love living in a clearing in the woods. We have our own little private world here.

After picking up sticks that January's storms left in the yard (finally the mud has dried up), I worked on my raised beds. I need to get them cleared and ready. Today I pulled weeds and straightened them up a little. 

It felt so GOOD to soak up this sunshine! And I was wearing SHORTS, y'all! I can't believe it is this hot in February. I took a little walk around the yard to look for signs of spring.

I found these baby buttercups. Look at those little buds!

This one sat alone underneath a tree. I have gathered all my buttercups (daffodils to some of y'all) from old home places out in the woods. They aren't native to the area but came with the first settlers. Finding them in the woods is like looking through a window back in time. They show us where a home place once stood. A woman planted these with pride. A family once lived on each of these old home places, their faces now lost in time. But the buttercups return every year. Never take them all--just take a few. They will increase in number year after year.

One last photo today. I got bit by a blackberry bush when I was trying to take a picture of this one. This means I have weed-eating to do this week, evidently.  Wild blackberries are great, but they will take over your yard if you let them. 

I have more pics, but I will save them for my next post. Time to see what needs cookin' for supper.

By the way, do you call them daffodils or buttercups?

A Trip into the Woods

We decided to take a Sunday evening trip back into the woods.  We went off our land on an old woods road and rode out past a few other places.  That's one good thing about living here- as long as you aren't hunting, no one minds if you're just passing through.
This road is so old- my grandmother was born on a farm back in these woods back in 1911.  Back then, this was the main road and all this was farmland.

Sad to say, but much of the land back here has been clear cut.  It looks awful. At least I could use this as a chance to talk to my daughter about being good stewards of the land, and about greed.

I just don't see how a child can grow up whole without a healthy appreciation for nature.  We need to teach our babies to love the earth and its creatures. I love seeing the wonder in her eyes when we get out and explore.

Here are some deer tracks we found. There were also what appeared to be wild turkey tracks and some smaller bird as well.

The sun was setting. Time to head back to the house and have supper. Goodnight woods. Goodnight animals. Sleep tight.

A Cold, Grey Day

I'm just not a winter person.  I can't stand cold, grey days like this.  I caught myself looking around outside and thinking, "Ugh". But then I thought, wait- nature is beautiful.  Every season has it's own beauty.  I decided to take a walk and take a few pics.  If nothing else, I needed the fresh air. It rains almost every day now, so we can't get out much.  Nothing like a short walk to change your attitude and give you a new perspective. Mother Nature is beautiful. She changes with every season.

 A view of Devil's Hollow

Another view from my side of the hollow 

 Rosie the pony sharing her sweet feed with a rooster.  They eat together every day.

My best buddies.  They love to walk in the woods. 

Black Giant hens 

White Leghorn Rooster

Picnic in the Pocket

It's been such a beautiful weekend! I can't stand to be indoors on pretty days. We decided to make a trip to the Pocket Recreation Area (near Villanow, GA). This little place is often overlooked, but it is a wonderful place to take your family for a camp out, or just for  day. I'm a firm believer in bringing kids up with a love and respect for nature. Too many kids today are couch potatoes. They've never been hiking through the woods. They've never played in a creek. That, my friends, is a crying shame. If you want to see your kid light up with a smile, take them to your nearest state park or recreation area. Explore. My family is lucky enough to live out in the country. Still, it's good to get out and explore new places. It's good to get away from it all as a family and just... be.

 What kid wouldn't love to splash in this creek?  This place is really clean..and peaceful. Although, in the summer, I would recommend coming on a weekday if you want to avoid larger crowds. There were kids playing here and there, families grilling and just hanging out.

 This is a waterfall on the John's Creek trail. Not too hard of a hike..but we did encounter one water snake and quite a bit of poison oak......Still, there was no one there but us.

 We saw this turkey near Lake Marvin. Actually, there were two, but one was camera shy.
The best thing about this place is that, for a day visit, it is FREE! (Camping is a whopping $10 a night.) If you want to spend some valuable time with your kids or grand kids, visit this place, or a place like it. Watch them play. Watch them laugh. Teach them about taking care of nature. I guarantee you that you will get as much out of it as they do. And they will carry the memories forever.

Peace. :)