This morning, for the first time this year, I got into my golf cart and ventured up to the mailbox. I had letters that needed to go out and it is so pleasant outdoors so I was also tempted to ride through the vineyard and check on things there. The Muscadine vines are not leafed out but the buds look promising. The Niagara grape vine is still alive but not ready to prove it. I did pull some weeds and dried grass from around the cage that encircles it just to encourage it.
Some bright yellow blooms are all along the forsythia bushes which Bruce and Reed helped to plant. They will continue to grow larger and one day there will be a wall of yellow behind the vines near the entrance. There is plenty of separation between them so neither should feel crowded.
The two pear trees are putting out green leaves. I hope to beat the squirrels to some of them this year. I wonder if they are stealing them for the pit inside. But maybe they just like pears, or better yet, they are just responding to instinct - save anything for winter.
I am tempted to count the daffodils in front. The King Alfred are the tallest and with a paler yellow bloom they stand out against the deep yellow, shorter daffodils surrounding them. Nothing else is coming up in that bed but it will in time. What I am looking forward to are the Calla Lilies.
Behind the Cedar House and to the side, periwinkle is making a blue carpet with it's dainty blue flowers. That is a pretty sight to see where nothing else is blooming.
All around are surprises. The Daphne I planted at the northeast corner of the house is loaded with white, very fragrant blooms. I had to bend over to get the full effect of the fragrance and it was heavenly. I have heard that folks plant it by their door so they can smell it coming and going. Perhaps when the sun has a chance to shine on it the fragrance will come wafting up and around the bush.
Just a whiff of that Daphne had an intoxicating effect on me. It made me want to go out to the red camellia and cut more blooms for my table. I have other choices for a table arrangement at this time. The Saucer Magnolia is opening up and I saw some down low enough for me to reach. The lavender outside of the blooms with the stark white on the inside make it pure joy to see.
If you, where you are living have not yet seen the transformation that spring will bring, be patient. It will come and you will be as pleased and intoxicated as I am down here in zone 7. You too, will have a renewal of spirit and enthusiasm for the out of doors. If you have never planted before, please do, you are in for a soul satisfying experience.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Best Place to Live
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be spending the last years of my life in the state of Georgia. Over time, I have lived in Kentucky, Texas, Maryland and now North Georgia. The longer I am here the more I appreciate the climate, the towns, the medical facilities, the churches, the shopping available and the people who have lived here all of their lives. There are just enough new comers to make it interesting. A few towns have a Newcomers Club for any who need or want a group to help them assimilate.
My friend belongs to a group called "Meet and Eat". That is all they do. It gets them out and meeting new people and new places to eat. I guess it is unique in that it has no side issues, no need to keep minutes, or record of who is there and who is not. They look forward to seeing the friends they have made from previous meetings and having a different place to eat.
Another great aspect of this particular area is beautiful Lake Lanier. Many people have settled around the lake because they just like being around the water. We did have a drought two years ago and that effected the lake level for a while. Some had to remove their boats and folks with docks had to contend with moving their dock in and out. If you do not want to hassle with that, there are companies to do it for you. The many parks around the lake make for pleasant visiting to picnic. This is a free fun thing to do. Some parks are not on the water but offer interesting activities like paved paths for walkers while the children have playground equipment to enjoy.
Our winters are short and usually not severe. Our electric servers keep trees cut in anticipation of downed trees so power outage here is at a minimum. Some summers can be humid and make outdoors uncomfortable. When that happens folks have learned to stay in where it is air conditioned. Thankfully that too is short lived.
When the end of February comes we have delightful surprises all around. Ornamental trees start to bloom, daffodils pop up and bloom whereever they are planted. To see this happen so early in spring brings hope to the darkest heart.
Speaking of heart, we have the top heart center in the state in our town. If you are not blessed with good health and even if you are, any medical specialist you may need is found here. And if your heart - and soul - need nurturing we have all of the churches here that anyone could want. Some are huge, like 3,000 members and others are small with less than 100 members. A lot of them offer Day Care for young families and all have friendly, helpful members ready to welcome one and all.
If I have painted a rosy picture of our area it is just because it has so much to offer a law abiding, productive, population. Our sheriff and his deputies are present and ready to help, protect and counsel any resident who asks for it. I have never had occasion to be reprimanded by them, nor do I want to, but they are up to the task if needed.
One last thing,if you like growing your own fresh vegetables, the climate is perfect for that. If you are not a gardener there are summer markets and Pick Your Own farms waiting to see you. I have only touched on the tip of all the agreeable situations here in our area. If you are sick and tired of all the snow, and ice problems of the north, come south, we have the cure.
My friend belongs to a group called "Meet and Eat". That is all they do. It gets them out and meeting new people and new places to eat. I guess it is unique in that it has no side issues, no need to keep minutes, or record of who is there and who is not. They look forward to seeing the friends they have made from previous meetings and having a different place to eat.
Another great aspect of this particular area is beautiful Lake Lanier. Many people have settled around the lake because they just like being around the water. We did have a drought two years ago and that effected the lake level for a while. Some had to remove their boats and folks with docks had to contend with moving their dock in and out. If you do not want to hassle with that, there are companies to do it for you. The many parks around the lake make for pleasant visiting to picnic. This is a free fun thing to do. Some parks are not on the water but offer interesting activities like paved paths for walkers while the children have playground equipment to enjoy.
Our winters are short and usually not severe. Our electric servers keep trees cut in anticipation of downed trees so power outage here is at a minimum. Some summers can be humid and make outdoors uncomfortable. When that happens folks have learned to stay in where it is air conditioned. Thankfully that too is short lived.
When the end of February comes we have delightful surprises all around. Ornamental trees start to bloom, daffodils pop up and bloom whereever they are planted. To see this happen so early in spring brings hope to the darkest heart.
Speaking of heart, we have the top heart center in the state in our town. If you are not blessed with good health and even if you are, any medical specialist you may need is found here. And if your heart - and soul - need nurturing we have all of the churches here that anyone could want. Some are huge, like 3,000 members and others are small with less than 100 members. A lot of them offer Day Care for young families and all have friendly, helpful members ready to welcome one and all.
If I have painted a rosy picture of our area it is just because it has so much to offer a law abiding, productive, population. Our sheriff and his deputies are present and ready to help, protect and counsel any resident who asks for it. I have never had occasion to be reprimanded by them, nor do I want to, but they are up to the task if needed.
One last thing,if you like growing your own fresh vegetables, the climate is perfect for that. If you are not a gardener there are summer markets and Pick Your Own farms waiting to see you. I have only touched on the tip of all the agreeable situations here in our area. If you are sick and tired of all the snow, and ice problems of the north, come south, we have the cure.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Eight Women
Have you ever wondered what goes on in a church meeting with 8 women gathered around a round table? Well I can tell you what happened today. Our group is called Grace Circle. A group which meets at night has a different name. We usually greet and have coffee or tea, and our hostess supplies a treat such a cake, or coffee cake. At this point someone asks God's blessing on our meeting.
Then we have a business meeting. Today the new business was directed to one of our missions called Randy's House. This is a home for young men who cannot live alone for various reasons. We send them money each month and now are being asked to send supplies in small packages, like pop tarts, cereals, paper towels, etc. We decided to put a box (for receiving these various items) in fellowship hall where we will see it and be reminded.
When our leader is ready to begin the lesson she first asks each lady to tell about something good that has happened this past week. Several were happy that all of the snow and ice was gone. Our leader is from Connecticut and liked the ice and snow, and was happy to be able to stay in and catch up on five hours of ironing ! Another was happy that her daughter's eye surgery had been so successful and now she could see tree brances, read certain things, etc. One lady was very happy that a leak in her roof turned out to be a minor thing and easily repaired.
Then we got into the lesson which was from Revelations chapter 12: 1-12. Our teacher likes to have everything under control so she calls on different ones to read from the scripture then she reads from a paper interpreting what was just read to throw light on what the scriptures meant. When we had finished all of this she said that was all she had and were there any comments. That was a mistake as I always have an opinion. I was puzzled by the fact that God allowed Satan to have power to do things on the earth. To my way of thinking he has given Satan full reign at the present time, not only through the weather but by the hatred that is so vividely expressed in some parts of the world, as well as crimes against children, abroad and in our own country.
Our poor leader looked down at her books in front of her and sighed. Yet we all got into a lively discussion, no doubt releasing our own frustrations regarding the things which are out of our control. Individually and as a group we work to bring to life positive things for others here and in other countries. Sometimes it just needs to be said I suppose, that all is not perfect and we need to keep on keeping on to make things better. Still we believe that God's absence in our lives is what allows Satan to do his best work.
Then we have a business meeting. Today the new business was directed to one of our missions called Randy's House. This is a home for young men who cannot live alone for various reasons. We send them money each month and now are being asked to send supplies in small packages, like pop tarts, cereals, paper towels, etc. We decided to put a box (for receiving these various items) in fellowship hall where we will see it and be reminded.
When our leader is ready to begin the lesson she first asks each lady to tell about something good that has happened this past week. Several were happy that all of the snow and ice was gone. Our leader is from Connecticut and liked the ice and snow, and was happy to be able to stay in and catch up on five hours of ironing ! Another was happy that her daughter's eye surgery had been so successful and now she could see tree brances, read certain things, etc. One lady was very happy that a leak in her roof turned out to be a minor thing and easily repaired.
Then we got into the lesson which was from Revelations chapter 12: 1-12. Our teacher likes to have everything under control so she calls on different ones to read from the scripture then she reads from a paper interpreting what was just read to throw light on what the scriptures meant. When we had finished all of this she said that was all she had and were there any comments. That was a mistake as I always have an opinion. I was puzzled by the fact that God allowed Satan to have power to do things on the earth. To my way of thinking he has given Satan full reign at the present time, not only through the weather but by the hatred that is so vividely expressed in some parts of the world, as well as crimes against children, abroad and in our own country.
Our poor leader looked down at her books in front of her and sighed. Yet we all got into a lively discussion, no doubt releasing our own frustrations regarding the things which are out of our control. Individually and as a group we work to bring to life positive things for others here and in other countries. Sometimes it just needs to be said I suppose, that all is not perfect and we need to keep on keeping on to make things better. Still we believe that God's absence in our lives is what allows Satan to do his best work.
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