SUNDAY STROLL - DECORATION DAY

Come with us as we enjoy a leisurely ride through the countryside to see what catches our eyes and causes us to stop for a closer look or maybe start rambling conversation on the meaning of life as reflected by whatever caught our attention.

Here is an example of possible conversations, crossing a bridge, reading the clouds, the blue of the sky -- each filled with possibilities and metaphors.

Nothing stirs the imagination like a river, here the Cumberland River gives us flowing with the current, being adrift without an oar, river songs from childhood and on and on we could go.

I love this picture, it shows rain on the left and mist rising from little streams on the right. And a favorite story my father told my brother and me was his mother's story that these rolly hills in Kentucky and Tennessee were "Tater Hills". God had a bushel basket of potatoes (God size) and as he sculptured this part of the world he dumped that basket out and the potatoes rolled here and there and become hills of earth and hence the soft rolling little hills of our countryside.

Carved out of this mountainside of rock were two mines, we stopped and looked but saw no coal and it really doesn't look like a typical rock quarry, so we weren't sure for what reason these two openings were created. But, the possibilities were endless.

Part of the rock face here shows what I think is curious and that is the sheer stubborn nature of plant life. Trees are growing out of the rock and they can grow very large and the roots reach deep and secure. And yet, I can buy a sapling and with loving care plant it in a rich environment, watering and pampering it with loving aspirations and it will wilt and die. Who can explain the lure of freedom in natures heart.

For reasons of unknown origins we love Thistles and always ooh and aah when we see them along the roadsides and now is their time to shine.

Small Tennessee towns appeal to our small town hearts and we wanted to include the visual of the heart of a county seat with a peek at the courthouse spire and clock tower.

With a greatful heart for all who serve to protect our way of life I note here that tomorrow is Memorial Day and so I close with a southern tradition of decorating the graves with memorials of flowers and flags. Here it is often called Decoration Day.

To stroll with other folks head on over to The Quiet Country House.

SUNDAY STROLL - LITTLE THINGS MEAN ALOT

This week I was in the mood to look for the pretty little flowers that might get missed in the shadows of the vivid and showy blossoms. These little Bluets are early arrivals to the yard, The clover head may give you a hint to the size of the petite Bluets which actually have a blue shading to the petals.

I'm think these dainty little beauties are called bed straw. Correct me if you know better.

I laid the acorns here to give scale to the Partridge Berries. The two little flowers on each plant become scarlet berries in the fall.

These mild mannered little brownish flowers are the equivalent to a plain caterpillar that becomes a beautiful butterfly. The flowers here are Hearts a bursting and in the fall are garish orange and pink wonders of seed pods. Stay tuned until fall to realize how this shy flower becomes a glorious showgirl.

In keeping with the Little things theme I saw this gathering of fungus that couldn't make up it's mind to be a mushroom and spread itself into little bits and pieces of wild abandon.

My first of the season Stella D'Oro miniature Day Lily is my segue to a few larger plants that I couldn't pass by.

We have been waiting to see the seed leafs appear in anticipation of finally growing a Cotton Plant. It may not look like much to you, but Hubby is thrilled. Now if the Tobacco will show itself, he will be delighted. His Sorghum is sprouting and his childhood farm memories are soon going to be realized.

There is nothing tiny about these Sunflowers but in relationship to their promised 12 feet of growth they might fit my category of small.

I can't help myself, the woods are full of the gorgeous Mountain Laurel and I will close by sharing their beauty with you.


I wonder who else strolled today. If you are curious as well go on over to Aisling's blog and find out.

SUNDAY STROLL - IN THE PINK

Flowers and a spicy scent put me on the path for this stroll.As you view these Pinks I want you to think 'cloves'. I am charmed by the sweet little flower which must be in the carnation family. They are always worth a kneeling down to take away a whiff or two. And so I looked around for more PINK and found....

Zinnias

Corral bells

Mountain Laurel

Peonies

A few lingering Bleeding Hearts

Newly hung baskets of Fushia

Locust tree,

and

I must jump off the beaten path for a quick peek

at a vibrant accent color of yellow -

the lovely and charming Iris .

I wonder who else is taking folks for a stroll today. Check out
Aisling's Country Home for other outings.

PICTURE THIS NATURAL CREATIVITY

What is made of paper, houses a queen and her court and really needs the secure support of more than a little spit attaching the eventual great hall to it's support system? This funny looking item hanging from a garage door looks very odd. A ball with a tube hanging down. It is a curious creation that was started in the wrong place. We found two of these 'out of place' starter houses, each hanging on one of our buildings.
We finally saw the builders buzzing around and realized that wasps or hornets were busy doing their spring chores and starting a new nest to house their queen and provide home and comfort for their colony of hornets. Generally they build in among bushes or trees, securing the nest within the branches and twigs.

Years ago after a killing frost and the end of a cycle for the wasps who owned this nest, Hubby rescued this specimen before the winter winds and heavy rains destroyed it. It hangs in his wood shop a wonderful reminder of the amazing creativity of natures small home builders.

SUNDAY STROLL - MUDDY POND

Yesterday we got busy cleaning and clearing and planting our little plots of flowers and food, having decided we wanted Rhubarb in our mix of garden stuff, we had to go searching for the plant. Tennessee is not ideal for this cool weather produce, but we have been here 12 years and really missed those homemade Rhubarb Custard Pies. So off we went in search of a hopeful source for this wonderful pie plant. We live in the country and headed farther afield out into the rugged hills and vales of our mountain top.

We were going to see if the Mennonites who had moved from the north country of Pennsylvania had a southern tolerant Rhubarb plant we could buy for our garden. The community is called Muddy Pond and has a humorous story attached to the move from the north.

It seems these strange Yankees came to rugged Tennessee to search for cheap land and fell in love with the hills and hollows of an out of the way place where the terrain was almost straight up and down. The local landowners considered the land worthless for farming and used it to turn hogs loose in the spring to forage and then be rounded up in the fall for slaughter. The locals had a good laugh as they thought they had pulled a good one over on the hapless 'carpetbaggers' who probably would fail at taming the wilderness and have to go back north, a defeated group. The religious community had the last laugh (if they are willing to smirk a bit) because many years and much labor later they have a thriving farm community that attracts all of us outlanders to their stores, farm products and wood porch furniture. They are actually a thriving tourist attraction as well as the prosperous farmers they become in whatever part of the country they choose to cultivate.

Our first stop was the Greenhouses and we got our Rhubarb. That made us happy. I already had shopped at the Monterey Garden Club plant sale and our local Hardware store so we didn't need more plants for now. But you can't walk away without browsing a little.

Next stop was the leather shop where DH took his ease while I played Photographer.

I was so caught up in the buffalo pulled Amish Buggy that I didn't even go inside to inhale the fine leather fragrance and admire the saddles and all things leather that lure the Tennessee horse crowd in the door.

The general store has bulk foods and Fried Fruit Pies and I always stock up while I am in the neighborhood.

We still had a mission to finished because DH also wanted to plant some Sorghum seeds. Sorghum for the unenlightened is a sweet cane that can be pulverized and squeezed for the juice that is then boiled like Maple sap and rendered into a syrup or molasses. It is -nectar of the Gods - to many a southern 'born and bred, died in the wool, butter'n'biscuit with Sorghum slathered all over- maven'. It is DH's desire to be able to grow the cane and be able to break off a section for the sole purpose of chewing the cane and savoring the sweet juicy morsel.

I sure hope it lives up to his childhood memory of what it tasted like.

After procuring his wonderful seeds from one of the farmers we were headed home to put our precious plants and seeds in the ground.

Thanks for coming along for a tour of our countryside.

To see more and to stroll more visit Aisling's blog to see who else is out and about.

SUNDAY STROLL - THE RAIN CAME

With a prayer in my heart for all the folks devastated by thunder storms, floods and tornadoes west of us here in Tennessee I offer a more gentle stroll with softer rain and winds.

Autumn brings falling leaves, but look what comes down in the spring.The Dogwood flowers have presented themselves in all their glory and now the wind and the rain are helping them shed their petals to allow the seed pods to grow and flourish.
Seed pods bring new life and here are the Maple Helicopters that have been blown from the trees to spiral down and bury their heads in the ground as best they can. Given half a change my neighbors yard would sprout a gazillion little Maple trees. So would the street if the asphalt was a little more porous. As luck would have it, only the seeds that were blown out and far from the trees actually have a chance to germinate.


These Sunflower seeds fell out of hubby's hand and now have popped into view thanks to the combination of sun and rain

The Wild Geraniums are beginning to show their pretty little faces.

Corral Bells rise up on long stems to wave a greeting to all who care to stop and admire them.

I strolled over to the edge of our yard to admire the neighbor's Weigela that helps define the property line.

The bush next in line is the wonderful old fashioned Snowball Bush.

Back in our yard I take a close look at the Peony to make sure our little worker ants are teasing the buds into bursting into bloom. I'm not sure just how it all works, but I've always understood that the bud will not open without the attention of the ants. So I always look for ants on my peony plant.

More Sunday strolls are happening and the pathways start at Aisling's home.