It’s so gorgeous out today, and I just had to share some pictures that Graham snapped on his morning walk with Annie. (Where was I? Alas, I’m not a morning person, so, still in bed.)
I’m really hoping we get some fruit this year from our apple trees. I doubt we will, but you never know!
I suppose they’re just weeds, but I think they’re lovely.
The Japanese maple looks so vibrant in the morning sunlight.
Perhaps I ought to start waking up earlier, right? This is certainly a lot of color and beauty to miss in the service of sleeping in.
It feels like it happened overnight, and now here we are!
Redbud trees are my favorite. They’re native to the area, and I think every bit as lovely as cherry blossoms. To me, it’s not spring until the redbud trees bloom.
There’s actually a small festival near the town where I grew up. I’ve never attended, despite living so close for so long, and perhaps one of these days I should change that.
But for now, I’ll enjoy this beauty from the comfort of my favorite writing chair.
It’s feeling very much like autumn around here lately. The leaves have started to change in earnest.
And some have already fallen.
It’s hard not to be in a good mood with colors like this.
Especially on a Friday. 😊
A quick note, I’ll be taking a quick break through Monday to visit family, so I’ll be back and posting again on Wednesday, October 19th. Until then, I wish you all happy creating!
I used to be afraid of spiders, but now, living in the country, I look at them as friends. Well, mostly. I certainly wouldn’t want to meet the wrong spider at an inopportune moment, and some relationships work best with a little distance. But I find the ones that set up shop around our property to be largely unintrusive, and interesting, and honestly, sort of beautiful. And it helps that their webs keep the other bugs and pests away.
Now that we’re coming into fall, I’ve seen several.
Mostly writing spiders, which as a writer myself, I can’t help but feel a certain kinship with.
That’s strange, isn’t it? But we women have stories in us, and deep down, I think we’re all weavers and makers.
And I figure, outside in the fields and trees and such, I’m really in their territory, not the other way around. So, as long as they keep to themselves, I’ll do the same.
It’s officially spring here in my little corner of Virginia. Today, it’s lovely – warm and partly cloudy, a bit breezy, just wonderful. And, most importantly (to me, anyway): it’s redbud season!
That’s a picture from last year, when I posted about the beautiful little redbud tree in our yard. Right now, the blossoms are just getting started.
I love redbuds so much. I just think they’re gorgeous, and nothing makes me think of home quite like they do. And, super cool, the blossoms grow right on the bark.
I only noticed that a couple of years ago. Isn’t that funny? That you can look at something your whole life and still learn something new about it.
Anyway, I plan to enjoy the redbuds in bloom for as long as I can. Winter might be my favorite, but there’s plenty to love about spring, too.
March often surprises us here in Virginia with one last snow. But today, it’s sunny and not too cold, and I can feel the season changing. I love winter best, but there’s nothing quite like watching the world come alive again in the spring.
We’ve had a lot more snow so far this month than I thought we would, and it’s been so nice. Graham’s been out in the yard snapping pictures (including the little bird from my last post), and I just had to share this one.
This family of deer lives in the woods behind our house, and they’re…not the best neighbors. They eat pretty much everything, including the blossoms from our fruit trees, and they often get stuck behind fences. We’ve had to rescue them more than once. But, be that as it may, they sure are cute, aren’t they?
We had a really nice mini-vacation. We mostly stayed home – we hung out and watched movies, spent time with friends, and generally just relaxed – but we also decided to head down to Charlottesville for a couple of days. Graham had picked out some cideries for us to try, and he booked a really cute inn for a night. And then, on Monday, we took Skyline Drive home.
What is Skyline Drive? Glad you (maybe) asked! It’s part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and of Shenandoah National Park. It snakes through some of Virginia’s beautiful mountain terrain, and it boasts some of the very best views in the state. Like this one:
And this one:
And this one, too:
We took it slow and just enjoyed driving and chatting. We don’t often get the privilege of uninterrupted, distraction-free time together.
And then, at the highest point on the route, we ran into some fog.
Some very dense fog.
But you know, it was fine. The fog actually made the fall colors pop, and it’s kind of magical, feeling like you’re up in the clouds.
All in all, Skyline Drive was a really lovely experience, and I think we’re planning to do it again in the spring. It’ll be fun to see how the vistas change with the seasons.
It’s been raining on and off today, and it’s nice and cool outside, and the sky is pink and purple, and the trees are starting to turn gold, and I just really think September in Virginia might be one of my very favorite things in the entire world.
A Virginia Writer's Diary 