Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Monday, October 29, 2012

Life on the Cumberland Plateau

Our little home  during Fall (2012)
As you probably know,  life for us has been VERY busy lately....  First was the big trip out west in September.  That was followed by my son's gorgeous wedding.  THEN---we went to Ohio to do some hiking with our good friends, Neal and Patti...  After coming home from Ohio,  we enjoyed a weekend here visiting with cousins/family/friends who were visiting in the area.

Then,  if all of this hasn't been enough,  we took off to the Smokies last Tuesday to see the Fall colors....   In between all of that ---this is a busy time of year for us in our yard.  We both have spent many hours (with many more to come) blowing/raking/mowing leaves.... Autumn is a pretty season and I love it ---but when those leaves start coming down,  there's alot of work to be done. 

Anyhow---to make a long story short,   I apologize for not visiting your blogs very much lately...  I do try to keep up--but it's not easy.  There just isn't enough hours in the day right now!!!!! Oh Well..... Life moves on no matter what!!!!

Today I will show you a few pictures I took in and around our yard on October 23.    AND--I'll share a few pictures of our visit with  my cousins/family on October 20/21.   Hope you enjoy seeing more of our crazy lives here in Fairfield Glade --on the Cumberland Plateau.  Be sure to click on the photos for enlargements.

I take alot of pictures of our little home --and love to compare them during different seasons of the year.  We had a 'quick' Fall here this year.  Trees seemed to stay green for a long time but turned quickly when they did turn ---and even though there are some reds and yellows around,  the primary colors right now are the browns/golds....  I won't say that we have had a beautiful Fall here ---like we saw in Ohio or the Smokies, but nevertheless,  it is still pretty!!!




Thought you'd enjoy seeing my little Fall decorations up close and personal.   Can you see the big ceramic pumpkin on the porch????  I got that one on a visit to Kroger's one day.  The employee there was setting up a pumpkin display --and accidentally dropped some of them.  We stopped to help him pick up the pieces.  This one only lost its lid ----so he gave it to us FREE of charge.  I bought some Fall flowers and put in it for decorations... Neat, huh?




Here is our pretty Maple in our front yard... I love the colors of the Maples in Fall.




Here is one of the MANY Burning Bushes in our area... This is a very popular bush and there's at least one in most every yard!!!!!   They are gorgeous in Fall.




AND---here's a picture of our front yard looking up the hill/street.  Note that there are a few more ROSES still blooming.  That is our neighbor's big white house in this picture.  Note the leaves on the ground.... That was AFTER we raked and blew them!!!!! Those leaves are really coming down now, just like rain... ha ha




As I said above,  we visited with two of my cousins and their families twice weekend of Oct. 20/21.   This picture shows all eight of us enjoying a meal together at the Cumberland Mountain State Park Restaurant on Sunday, Oct. 21.  We had a wonderful time together.




Here are my two cousins,  Carol (Michigan) and Bonnie (Florida).   Carol and Bonnie are 1st cousins since they have the same grandmother.   I'm a cousin on down the line since their grandmother is my mother's mother's sister.... (Figure that one out!!!!! ha)




Bonnie,  Betsy,  Carol
Finally here is a photo of the three of us cousins...  Since I have so little family left,   I love these gals ---and enjoy being with them so much.  Tennessee is a great place for us to meet since one lives in Michigan and one in Florida!!!!!!




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Last Blooming Roses from our Yard 2012
LATER:  On Saturday,  October 27,  because VERY cold weather was coming our way,  George cut most of the remaining ROSES which were blooming in our yard --and brought them all inside...  I love having them inside --but hate to see Fall end.  We'll have to wait 'til Spring in order to have more rose blossoms...  Sigh!!!!

Hope you had a great weekend.  After such a warm (almost hot) week last week,  someone opened the freezer door--since it is MUCH colder this week... But--I love it!!!!  They even mentioned the "S" word (SNOW) on our TV weather report Saturday night... YIPES....  BUT--I'll stay warm--all snuggled up next to a big roaring fire in our wood-burning  fireplace!!!!

Have a great day.

Hugs,
Betsy