Velvety (Mountain) Ripples...

Through the Trees

Velvet Mountain Ripples Against the Sky

Stunning ripples of mountain
peaks recede into the horizon
and are 'gentle on the eye.'
Taken yesterday on a typical Saturday
sightseeing car ride in the Appalachians
(before the snow flew!)
:-)

Blizzard Conditions...

Carolina Wren

Woodpecker

The High Country of the Appalachian
mountain range is well known for its
rapidly changing weather conditions.
It was 45-ish yesterday with some rain
on and off and this morning it is less than
15 degrees with winds gusting to 45 M.P.H.
(easily!) The wind blew to 50 M.P.H.
throughout the night and of course, we have
the blowing snow with it that was promised!
Everything is closed...except the backyard bird feeders!
(Today, it was quite hard to catch the birds on the feeders
as they are twisting in the wind constantly, causing me
to eventually give up! I will venture out later on
and procure some good winter photos, I am hoping.
Some of my best photos (I believe) are of winter, here.
It is not much use to go out now in the blowing wind
and snow to try and photograph, however.
But I will admit, I am tempted! The constant
howling wind is a put off, though.
I am thinking thank heavens
that I am not in Alaska!)

Gray Quiet

Far Away Hill in the Morning Fog; All is Dark

75 Foot Tree Flanked with Climbing Ivy (Still Green)

My thoughts are quiet and well grayed down today,
like the outdoor color that awaits me. As I leave the door I surmise
that this is a warm winter day. It is wet but not too awfully cold for this walk.
The well muted color in the wood all around is causing me to forget--
what summer's dense greenery even looked like.
As I turn back for home, I lift my weighted feet up the hill.
Plop, plop, go my own feet, heavy on the pavement.

Waiting.

Morning Song

If I could fly, I would be, the best and biggest part of me.
If I could run, I'd find the sun just as it lifts off of pine tree rungs.
If I could jump, I'd jump the moon, in a pink sky on a day in June.
If I could sing, I'd sing the birds into harmony--and they'd know the words...
If I could race, I'd race the wind, and sail up and then up, as the day begins.

All these things, I'd like to do--if I could spend my time with you.

Sensual, Saturated Color!

Ornaments in a Bowl

Tangerine Sunset (in the Mountains)

Strange, Wild Flower

Cacophony of Butterflies

Wild Tiger Lily

Pretty in Purple

Glassware Beauty

Golden Girl

In these chilly temperatures
(it was a full 'almost 11 degrees '
in the mountains this A.M.)
all of the animals are 'finding the sun'
and basking in it until...they fall off to sleep.

After her Romp...

the real 'snow queen' Ginger takes her
place resting on the picnic table.
What a doll!
(If only she could brush herself,
now--that would be a real dream!)
lg

I Awoke...

this morning
to snow piled on the
(outside) of the window screen.
Much like a child (as I grew up ice skating
in a myriad of snowy, cold Wisconsin winters...)
I eagerly stood up out of bed and peered over the
windowsill to see what 'might have & must-have' transpired!
It's always a blast--for me to find snow. I can't help myself;
in this matter I am truly a much helpless child! Here are
the shots (today) of what I am calling a 'belated and a
well awaited Christmas snow!'

I absolutely love the gray, smoky white and purple-
blue hues that accompany the snowy kind of weather event.
It transforms the world into a dreamy kind of a place...
[Yes, I am a helpless romantic kind of girl when it comes to
the weather's colors that seem to transform parts of my world.
Aren't you, too? (The way I see it is...we need --all
of the help that we can get--to stay on top of things
{well, as they are...} here. Yeah.)] :-) Bottom:
The hill down; take a look and can you find my oldest
collie dog (Lakhi) just running right off? The cold weather
invigorates these dogs, big time! They run and they hop and
they scamper with their big hair just a flying in the wind.
The big hairy collie dogs luv-luv s-n-o-w. Did I make my point?
I mean...they 'want to' stay out in all of this powdery snow mess
(and no matter how hard that it is blowing...) a LOT longer...
than I do! Middle Two: Two shots of the quiet woods
in their light snowy morning splendor. See the 'extreme' hill
in the hollow? I love the sloping terrain there, and how the
trees still manage...to grow straight UP in spite of the
almost 60-70 degree slope they often seem to stand on!
What gives? Top: The sight out of my window
screen in this morning's light (my favorite, of course.)
Let any and all
of your --childhood dreams--
manifest
themselves.
:-)
And remember to
dream BIG;
that's my advice,
at least.
lg
:-)

12 Celestial Photos to Celebrate 2012!

Garden of the One Thousand

Garden of the One Thousand

There are one thousand voices in the little waterfall

and within it one thousand children’s voices echo as they call.

Quicksilver runs fast in the waterfall--along with it liquid gold;

and there is a life-giving joy in the water that brings a comfort to one’s very soul.

There is sunlight streaming in the waterfall; much like one thousand glistening gems.

There are twigs and leaves in the waterfall, adorning one thousand twinkling hems

of children’s garments who play in the waterfall, as they jump and they dive in and sing.

Their hearts beat out wildly in the waterfall--and get me to wondering.

Above, there are one thousand windswept glories, across an ageless summer sky--

and one thousand pulsating stars out at night that give a bling on their course as they pass on by.

And up above it all there is a hollow, with one thousand budding streams

that join together to make a waterfall, impractical as it may seem.

At the top--there is a tree with one thousand roots that travel down.

They twist and with every turn that they make, they make this, much hallowed ground.

And the dreams of most all are stored up there, and now and again, down they fall--

right from the heavenly altar of the tree through the little waterfall.

I Was Met...

by a wall...of clouds. Last week on the foggy morn,
my husband convinced me to take some time and
go on up to the Blue Ridge (it is about 3.5 miles or so
away to this spot.) I am always vastly amazed by the
changing conditions I am privileged to be a part of
here. I think that is why I find it so compelling to be
here (in the Appalachians.) You be the judge.
Bottom One: I call this "Where Are the Mountains?"
It is a 'long view' of just where mountain ranges taper off...
but, wait...where are they? If you look very closely,
in this shot, you can see the very faintest trace of the road
lit up by (sun) light. Here is the journey. :-) Middle One:
The Journey (Up) Top Two: My view of the clouds
(as they have now totally obscured the Parkway.) It seems, from
the shots, as if I am flying (in a plane) but I am actually standing
just on the rise of the road, above. Please do enjoy
these images. :-)

At this juncture in time,
however, I can't help myself but to wonder and to
link these photographs of obscured images to what
the up and coming new year (2012!!)
now holds for us.
God bless you (too.)
lg

Jingle, jingle, jingle

Jingle, jingle, jingle...you can hear those sleigh bells ring.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

(music and words by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane)

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

Let your heart be light.

Next year all our troubles

Will be out of sight.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

Make the Yule-tide gay.

From now on our troubles

Will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,

Happy golden days of yore.

Faithful friends who are dear to us

Will be near to us once more.

Someday soon we all will be together

If the Fates allow.

Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow.

So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Merry Christmas everyone!

lg :-)