*Trying* To Be Cheerful and A Walk in the Woods

When I got out of bed this morning, I became acutely aware of the fact that I *can* choose what my mood for the day will be. So, I decided today would be a day to count my blessings! Not too hard to do....any of us living in the US of A has much to be thankful for; we are such a rich nation with far more than our share of needs and desires met.

I went downstairs and washed the dishes...there are ALWAYS dishes in the sink to be washed.....then I sat at the table for a few minutes of what my mother used to call "quiet time"! As I sat down, my eyes landed on a flower arrangement I made on December 30. I had gone shopping at Wegman's for a few things, and (as I always do) checked out the flowers there. I was so drawn to one arrangement. It was simply a few large white carnations with some filler that was dipped in gold "dust". The arrangement just kind of took my breath away! So, I copied it!

They didn't have any of the large white carnations, so I settled for the minis. I bought the same vase, the same filler, and the minis.

When I got home, I was amazed at the GENEROUS amount of carnations I got for $3.99. There were TONS of them! I cut them and the filler, then began placing them into the little vase. Oh, the arrangement at Wegman's also had a few ferns in it, but I figured it would be OK without them. They had tied a narrow golden ribbon around the vase, but I didn't have any gold ribbon.

I settled for a wide white ribbon with golden trees on it. Here is what I ended up with....

The Wegman's arrangement was $14.99, and mine wound up being about $11.00. The difference is that my little arrangement is much fuller! So, I am well-pleased! Carnations always seem to last such a long time, and with these white ones being "natural" (as in, undyed) I think they last a good long time, indeed!

As the temperatures were on the incline this afternoon, I decided that I would NOT complain about no cold weather and no snow. The creepy part, though, about this weather is that it still gets pretty cold at night, so I need to make a fire in the Jotul every morning. The not-so-bad part is that there is literally TONS and TONS of kindling in the woods. We had some pretty wild winds here last month, and the net result is that the woods is littered with treetops and broken limbs all over the ground. They make it a snap to start a fire, so I cannot complain about the work involved!

And, speaking of the woods, as the day progressed, I decided to take a little jaunt through the woods...

This is a little path that winds through the woods, taking us down to the "lower 10" acres of our property. The path used to be much wider, but over the years, with some substantial downpours, the drainage ditch to the right became wider and wider, making the path narrower and narrower! This time of the year, without all the foliage, you can see the hills across the way. It really is quite pretty!

As I mentioned earlier, there are lots of dead branches and treetops that blew down from above, making the job of finding kindling a *breeze*!

As you follow the footpath down the hill, there is this small spot where the land actually is pretty flat. I had always thought this would be a lovely place for a cabin...The land naturally rises a great deal from the road, allowing one to look out and down a bit. It is just one of many pretty little spots on our property.

As you can see in these little pics, we have trees falling over every winter. I guess it was the wind that knocked these down, as there has been no snow to do any "harvesting". We always say that God sends angels to harvest trees for us to keep *me* protected!!!!

And, just a couple of pictures looking up into the woods. As you can see, we really do have an endless supply of firewood. No matter how quickly we process the wood, there is always more waiting for us to discover it lying on the ground or leaning against another tree!

I think I mentioned on my blog before about how the oak trees here just do NOT want to give up their leaves....I think I can *hear* this particular tree uttering, "I will NOT go nekkid!!!!"

To end my little walk in the woods, I came around to the front of the house. There, the little stream was merrily winding its way down through its bed....the light of the sun was playing on the water, nearly blinding me as I looked!

As I entered the house, it really didn't seem so important anymore that there is no snow.....And, I was able to count many, many blessings!!!