Chimes of Change

I awoke the other morning to the Westminster chimes ringing the hour. Tom's mom particularly wanted us to have this treasure of theirs. We have reset the clock & each quarter hour their song transports us to our childhoods... to memories of precious people & times we have known. The same chimes continue the cycle for London, who was brought to us too late to have met the grandparents who bestowed this treasure upon him.
I also awoke to this image, which signals the finality of the season. Winds or animal movement turned on the outside light & I sat mesmerized by the silhouette of foliage in my home. The annuals have been relocated from garden to container & now vie for light in my living room window. Some will make it, while others will not. I have 2 boxes crammed with begonias that have made it through this winter cycle 10 previous times.
As I settle into "the season of lines", reliving distant people & places, it is time to bring out our tree....I suppose I *am* ready for this season to celebrate the birth of our Saviour!

Bounder

My son saw him first. He looked out the side window & exclaimed, "There's a dog out there, mom!" Clad in a spiked collar, he was trampling the gardens, but on closer inspection, he appeared awfully thin...It even looked as though his collar was embedded. Cautiously, I went out & he came lumbering straight for me. Any fear melted away into laughter, as I saw his tongue lolling out in goofy glee. He was hand-shy, but sooo wanted to be loved ! Though bigger than Juliette, the enormity of his paws let us know his puppy age.... & he wasn't just wagging his tail, he was wagging fully half of his body. It didn't take him long to muster his courage & come to us. The way he bounds around joyfully, we started calling him Bounder. He instantly answered to it.


We fed him & Tom put out a blanket in the carport. When it went below freezing, London was allowed to bring him in "for the night"...that was over a week ago... We keep asking aloud, "Wherever did you come from?" & ""What are you doing HERE?".
Amazing sense of humor & abounding love, God is ever mindful of us & answers our prayers... even when what we need is simply a temporary distraction. We are under such a stressful time in our lives right now, but God saw fit to send us TONS of sloppy-puppy-kisses & laughter ...

Birthdays in SC

One tradition we enjoy is shooting off fireworks in honor of birthdays. Although my son has been ill, we had to take a few moments to honor his day with pyrotechnics. Though blurry, these hand-held shots are memorable for us. I love the full moon in the shots !


Below, is a father & son conspiracy. Apparently, on a boy's 9th birthday, "he gets to toss his first firecracker pack"....Under duress, I agreed... but I insisted this is ONLY on the actual birthday !!!

After the Rain

We drove out amidst overcast skies & light mist. Hours later, we returned in the tail end of a torrential downpour. Turning onto our street, I noticed the waterfall between the upper & lower ponds was running furiously. As soon as the rain subsided, I headed out to capture the above image. I then headed towards the larger waterfall, where the pond feeds into the lake.


The moment I passed through the forest gate, I could hear the rushing of the falls behind our home. It's surge was distinct, even over the roar of the dam. The absence of leaves makes it easier to get a shot of this, though it required some cliff climbing in the wet forest. Below is an image I think will put things in perspective & cast an idea of its size.


This is the back end of the cove. Out of view to the right are the docks & lake. It is directly behind our home, over a cliff. Except in times of drought, this waterfall can be heard throughout our home. What an amazing blessing God bestowed upon us when He blessed us with this place. So many extras we would never have dreamed to ask for....I am reminded of the scripture, "He knows our needs even before we ask."

Autumn's Last Breath

The last of the autumn color is typically the leather-reds of the oaks. I cherish them with mixed emotions. Days of rain & wind has now sent them cascading to the forest floor. Random patches of color can still be found, but for the most part, autumn's glory has waned to completion. Here in our forest retreat, the lake's surface can now be seen clearly across both the point & peninsula.


Tom & I spent the other night on our deck, watching as a cloud front moved in. We gazed at the moon through the silhouette of a now bare, eye-level oak. Moonlight has an amazing quality in gently overcast skies & we lost ourselves in the mood. It's all good.