Thanksgiving Thoughts

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, 

fluttering from the autumn tree."

                                                                                  ...Emily Bronte

It's hard to go for a walk these days without being struck by the beauty of all the trees around us!  And it's hard not to think about Thanksgiving as it approaches next week.  I love reading all the blogs with descriptions of table settings, recipes, and family gatherings.  But the truth is that everyone has a different Thanksgiving and that is ok.  For some people, November is a sad month, with the time change and the darkness.  I can't seem to decorate because I think of all the people who lost their homes or are without power because of Hurricane Sandy. This year, it seems a countdown to when all the leaves will finally fall.

It's like work-waiting, a package of pansies waiting to be planted.  My grown men sons will be here for Thanksgiving and the four of us will go to a local restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner.  They can pick and choose from their favorites and we will see the usual crowd.  Then we will all come home for dessert, pie.  My son's don't care about decorations, just plenty of pumpkin pie.  I'll save my decorations for when I someday have daughter-in-laws and grandchildren who will appreciate them!  For now, we will just have plenty of pie!  Everyone's Thanksgiving is different.

 After we come home from dinner, the men folk will go out and try to out do each other chopping wood.  Good for them!  I can sit in the swing all bungled up holding my striped cat, Elizabeth, and be their cheerleader.  Sure beats cleaning up the kitchen a couple of hours!

When I was a young wife and mother, I tried my hardest to create a Norman Rockwell type Thanksgiving.  I was always disappointed and just beat!  I always ended up crying when it was all over. I read years ago that people had conflict when they had different expectations.  I expected a wonderful, warm, family feeling sharing Thanksgiving dinner.  My men expected good food to eat!  

Hope you have that special Thanksgiving meal with your loved ones no matter how you do it!  Do what works!  Take a break during Thanksgiving and don't work so hard.  Enjoy the people you love.!

Love to you all!

Lottie

An Artist's Studio

This is the weekend for Greenville Open Studios where 140 artists open the doors to their studios and invite the public in to see where all the work takes place.  We love going every year and visit different artists.

Come along with us and visit a few artists.  This is a large building turned into an art studio by Suzy Hart.  It is just what I imaged a studio would look like.  The large window lets in glorious light!

We visited Bob Chance and saw his kiln for his ceramics.  

This is a pizza oven that Bob Chance uses to cook pizza while he fires his wood fired kiln. (Artists!).

Then we drove to the top of Paris Mountain to visit Kent Ambler in his studio.  He is a print maker and does incredible work.  But that is for dear husband to look at.  I just love the whole concept of a place dedicated to creation ...and a place of seclusion to work.

Dear husband caught me in the picture above.  This room was previously a basement den or family room.  What a cool studio.

This is the print he was working on today.  The entire house was covered in art.  Very inspirational!

 This the inspiring view from the screened porch.

 

 Then we drove to see Joe Mckinney  and came upon this lovely home.  Joe met us at the door and  invited us in to see his murals.  

This mural in the dining room gives it a majestic feel.  I thought it was beautiful!

 This mural is painted in the stairs.  I wish I had taken a better picture that included the stairs.  Joe's studio was a room on the second floor where he plans his murals but his work is done on location.

What a beautiful day to visit artists.  There were several other artist's studios we visited but we were too involved in conversation or eating cheese and crackers to remember to take pictures.  I hate that because we saw many other artists: another potter, a glass blower, a jewelry maker, and a musical instrument maker.  We saw all kinds of studios today with incredible work. Thank you for visiting today.  I know many of you have studios and have posted pictures of them.  Have a great week!

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”      ― Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island

Love,
Lottie

Right Before Winter

My ninety-one year old neighbor calls it Wacky Weather!  She pointed out that the acorns fell a month early and spring flowers were blooming in the fall!  Come along with me today and enjoy the flowers blooming this last week of October.

. They are called re-bloomers!  These irises bloom again in the fall.  This one is called Harvest of Memories.

This iris is called Autumn Trisk.ALWAYS write down the names of your irises somewhere!

 This is a Confederate Rose.  It only blooms in the fall and doesn't last very long.

With this beautiful single rose, you can see a little pink from the camellias in the background.

I planted these marigolds in July for fall flowers.  The seed packet was marked to 10 cents late in the season.

 

 This was a rescue pot that was almost dead in July.  It really looks pretty this fall!

 

The petunias are still producing.  Next week this hanging pot will be full of new pansies!

 The geraniums are still beautiful on the front step.  But look at all those leaves!

We may be having Wacky Weather, but for sure there will be leaves to rake!  I worked awhile and it started to get cold.  So I thought I would go inside and ask for some help.

Sardis followed me around to the back door to look for dear husband.  He doesn't look very happy about me going inside.

I found dear husband building a fire to warm up the house.  He made a fire and then went out to help me with the leaves til dark.  I am so grateful for everything in my life.  Thank you for visiting today and sharing some of it with me.  We indeed do have Wacky Weather these days.  My heart goes out to everyone affected by Hurricane Sandy. 

Love,

Lottie