Wishing You a Grateful Heart on Thanksgiving

On this Thanksgiving Day, my goal is simply to be a kinder person and to express my sincere gratitude more often. I will start here with all of you that have come into my life or have reconnected through the internet. A heartfelt thank you to all of you who read my posts. Whether you visit regularly or occasionally, you and your feedback have helped shape my path. Just knowing you are out there, keeps me from feeling so alone and isolated. It really is inspiring and energizing being connected to a global sisterhood / brotherhood of like minded beings!

I am so grateful for each and every one of you! You who have offered me your friendship in good times and in bad; have celebrated, sympathized, advised and supported me. In truth, your kindness has made a lasting mark. Connected by fate, in one way or another, big or small, I carry a little bit of each of you with me always.

Thank you all, thank you very very much!

Here's a few quotes by people who say it so much better than I can.:

"Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone."  ~ G.B. Stern

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice."

~ Meister Eckhart

"Gratitude is the memory of the heart".  ~ Jean Baptiste Massieu

"It is not what we say about our blessings,

but how we use them,  that is the true measure of our thanksgiving." 

~ W.T. Purkiser

Wishing You Many Blessings Always

and a Very Grateful Heart,

X♥O

Fall Colors in the Pine Barrens

Most of the leaves are down. The brown and grey colors of winter now preside.

Fall has come and gone here in Sandy Land, but this

year I was able to get a few shots of its' fleeting glory.

I love the spots and patterns of mold or fungus on the dying leaves. 

The orangish brown oak leaves take on a richness against dense fog.

Notice the spots of white here on the red maple leaves.

The fleeting season offered me a grand finale in my own backyard.

I am glad I took some time to record the show.

Action Packed Halloween 2010

From October 24th to October 31st my parents and sister Gaile, visited my other sister, Denise and I and our families here in NJ. Living in "the hell hole" as Gaile calls it, they all really miss the change of seasons and especially the fall foliage. You couldn't have hit it at a better time than last week! The color here was peek. I don't believe New England could be any prettier. The temperatures were mild and for the most part, very pleasant. We all had an action packed week which included pumpkin picking and carving . . .


bonfire, family gatherings with great food, picnic lunches, walks in the woods and always great dinners. And as an 80th / 78th birthday gift from us daughters to our parents, an all expense paid, overnight trip to Cape May New Jersey. The trip included more great meals, front row seats to a hilarious play, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), at the Cape May Stage, (where my dad and mom even got picked to participate in the show), a little bird watching and a great private tour through the Cape May County Museum. The next night, an 80th and 78th birthday PIRATE PARTY was fun for all.


After my parent's departure in their motor home, we sisters spent the last day at Grounds For Sculpture,


followed by a trip to Borgota for dinner and some gambling fun. One last picnic lunch on Sunday and it was over until the next time we meet up again. I've put a little slide show together with some of my point and shoot snapshots if you'd like to see more here.

My Autumn Trip Around The Block

Today I took a trip around the block. See more about my block on today's Spirit Art Blog post.

More Fall Pictures

The bog at the end of my road looks serene any time of the year.


Some of Jerry's "Yard Art" watches over our property.

AFTER THE FALL IN THE NJ PINES

WELL, JUST LIKE I SAID, IT WON'T LAST. This is the same view of our wood's edge that I posted last time.


Now we have to get used to a grayish brown dominance to the landscape for the next four or five months.



Thank goodness Jerry's pretty handy with the blower!

I'm glad he's been keeping ahead of it.


We'd be more than knee deep in fall foliage by now.

FALL IN THE NJ PINES

What a beautiful time of year this is!

Here in the northeast, my environment changes dramatically.


As the foliage of our mixed deciduous forest changes hues, the results can be breathtaking. Everything outdoors seems to reflect a special warmth.


I must make time to savor this ultimately fragile, fleeting brilliance. It may be gone tomorrow.



The next rain and wind storm will most likely dramatically change the physical view of my world!

THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

There's something to be said for taking the "road less traveled". I took these pictures yesterday on my 20 mile trip "around the block".


The fall colors were simply beautiful and I knew they wouldn't last.


I'm glad I ventured out because today we've got high winds and pounding rain so the fall foliage may be down sooner than expected.

FALL IN THE NJ PINES

Fall has finally come to Southern NJ. We just got our first real frost this past week. I'm not complaining. I held off turning on our heater as long as possible. Here are a few photos from around my neighborhood.

The blueberry bushes are now a red cranberry color.


Here some discarded boxes from picking time are piled up and forgotten in the field.

The dark cedar water reflects the varied colors of the season.