Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Signs of Spring, Spring is Coming, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday on the River, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Songs, Sunday Sunrises, Sunday with Family, Sundays, Weather Signs
I’ve been trying to get my house and garden in order for the upcoming Spring season. Many think there isn’t much to do outside this time of year, but for a professional gardener, the chores are never done… In my reality, there are only a few football 🏈 games left before the Spring season really gets started!
“The shortest day has passed, and whatever nastiness of weather we may look forward to in January and February, at least we notice that the days are getting longer. Minute by minute they lengthen out. It takes some weeks before we become aware of the change. It is imperceptible even as the growth of a child, as you watch it day by day, until the moment comes when with a start of delighted surprise we realize that we can stay out of doors in a
twilight lasting for another quarter of a precious hour.”
~ Vita Sackville-West
Enjoy your day!
PS: Go Packers! 🏈
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Family time, Family Traditions, Football, I ❤️ my Family, I Love Football, Playoffs, Spring Flowering Bulbs, Spring is Coming, Spring News, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday on the River, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Songs, Sunday Sunrises, Sunday with Family, Sundays
Just a couple more weekends of football will take us into February, then we will start to notice the signs… swelling buds, emerging tips of spring foliage & the crappie will be biting in earnest! I don’t know about you, but I’m already ready for Spring!
Shoots are thrusting through the cold earth, ‘Tho the wind is in the north;Look! The snowdrop, crocus, scilla Struggle, bravely, to come forth!
Soon each fragile, gentle, blossom Will appear, to cheer each way,Hearts will gladden at their promise,Of clear, fresh, sunlit, springtime days!
~ Greta M. Sears
Have a great Sunday!
PS: It’s a Beautiful day! 🌞
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Love, music, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Coffee, Day Off, Football, Football Time In Tennessee, I ❤️ Football, I Love Football, Playoff Sunday, Playoffs, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Songs, Sunday Sunrises, Sunday with Family, Sundays
It’s already starting out to be a very… Interesting 2021. Thank the Lord for Sunday!
We started out with breakfast 🥞 🍳 or should I say Brunch…
Now, it’s on to Football 🏈 Go Titans!
Enjoy your day off! My advice for the future is to turn off the TV 📺 and all other news sources. Your mental health will skyrocket! 😊
“It’s a fine line between Saturday night and Sunday morning.” ~ Jimmy Buffett
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: 2021, Do your best, Family time, Family Traditions, Feel Better, Happy New Year!, I Love ❤️ My Job!, I Love My Family, I Love Waterfalls, I Work Hard For My Koi, Love, Love and Meaning, Love Thy Neighbor, Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself, Love Your Pets, New Years Resolutions, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Songs, Sunday Sunrises, Sunday with Family, Sundays
All the holidays have gone by and tomorrow we go back to work and do it all over again… Many with a list of resolutions that will change their lives… Workout, save, loose weight, build, change, etc. and they work a little at it, but also, they wait for the ‘magic’ of the new year to happen. I’ve been sipping coffee thinking 🤔 about this for a little while this morning.
I guess this thought is really about me and my struggles… But I hope it rings true to others as well. To have continued success and to grow, I Must keep showing up and doing great work! Which also means I MUST keep believing in and caring about and Loving what I do!
THAT is my 2021 Resolution! And the only one I need to focus on.
Happy New Year! 💥❤️🙏🏻
‘You’re waiting for something magical to happen in the New Year so that your dreams will come true! But the greatest and the most real magic is working and striving hard to achieve the goal!’
~ Mehmet Murat Ildan
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Love, music, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Christmas Countdown, Christmas decorations, Christmas is Coming, Christmas Love, Christmas Magic, Christmas Music, Christmas Season, Christmas Spirit, Christmas Tree, Christmas with Family, Family time, I ❤️ my Family, Merry Christmas Y'all, Spirit, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday with Family, Sundays, What is Christmas All About
This morning I woke up to Christmas music 🎄 The Spirit is in the air! We are taking the whole weekend for Christmas activities… Looking at lights, fixing treats like Chex mix & Rum Cake 🍰 and Cookies 🍪. Don’t forget Family Breakfast 🍳 … or Brunch 😊
The lights last night were Amazing!
Christmas is only 5 days away! Have you caught the Christmas Spirit? 🎅🏻🎄🤩
Remember
This December,
That love weighs more than gold!…
~Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon (1876–1961), “The Right Gift,” 1912
Merry Christmas! 🎄🎅🏻
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Love, music, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Angel, Cardinals, Christmas is Coming, Christmas Magic, Christmas Season, Christmas Spirit, Christmas with Family, Merry Christmas From The Family, Old Friends, Red Bird, Remember, Spirit, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday with Family, Sundays, Visited, Visitor
And just like that, it was Christmas 🎄
There’s an old legend about seeing Red Cardinals in your landscape… “When a cardinal appears in your yard, it’s a visitor from heaven.” So we brought a few old friends in for the holidays 😊
“When autumn woods are bare and dead,
A crested bird, of cardinal red,
Sways like an oak-leaf overhead;
And sighs, “Drear! drear! drear!”
When winter woods are white with snow,
And drifts pile high as wild winds blow,
Like flame this torchlike bird doth glow;
And cries, “Whew! whew! whew!”
When springtime’s crimson buds appear,
And red-gold columbines are here,
This songster welcomes the new year;
And sings, “Cheer! cheer! cheer!”
When summer’s sun sheds scorching beams,
And cardinal flowers beside the streams
Grow wild, this brilliant bird still gleams;
And whistles, “Hue! hue! hue!”
~ Alice E. Ball
Have a great Sunday!
Christmas is coming!
~ Mark Carter
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Love, music, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Love, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday with Family, Sundays, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving is Coming
It’s that time again. Time to make the annual menu for Thanksgiving dinner with family. It’s really simple to communicate with everyone nowadays via text and email to figure out the big questions – What, When & Where… But this year, for many of us, there’s another big question… How?! Some are distancing because of health reasons, some to keep the crowd size down as a preventative, and some are just staying out and requested a plate of food be dropped off for them… A very different Thanksgiving indeed… But still, I’m Thankful!
Now all that is done… Dinner at my house! I got ham again 😊 and sweet potatoes 🍠… and pecan pie 🥧… And, the responsibility of giving the Thanksgiving prayer 🙏🏻 How to put into words how I feel about all that I have to be Thankful for… PS; it’s a LOT! And yes, I’m Thankful for the opportunity!
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.”
~ John F. Kennedy
Here’s to the upcoming Holidaze…
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Breakfast, Brunch, Eggs, Family time, Homegrown Tomatoes, I ❤️ my Family, Kitchen, Kitchen Scraps, Pancakes, Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Brunch, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Sunrises, Sunday with Family, Sundays, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving is Coming, There’s No Place Like Home
Have you been outside today? Wow! It’s like a warm Spring morning out there! So beautiful. I went out and scavenged through what’s left of the tomato plants and found a few more good ones! 🍅💥 I love it ❤️ I brought them in and added them to the large group on the counter. Jo has put out some beautiful Thanksgiving decorations and was taking pictures and trying out some new editing apps. When I looked at them, I really got the feeling of Home. Seeing her simple picture made me feel good. My morning has been made 😊 Now, back to Sunday Brunch…
”The first supermarket supposedly appeared on the American landscape in 1946. That is not very long ago. Until then, where was all the food? Dear folks, local fields, and forests. It was near kitchens, near tables, near bedsides. It was in the pantry, the cellar, the backyard.
~ Joel Salatin
Have a great day! Get Outside!
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, Waterfalls | Tags: Fall Gardening, Home For The Holidays, SAD, Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), Sunday, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Morning Coming Down, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Naps, Sunday Quote, Sunday Reflections, Sunday Sunrises, Sunday with Family, Sundays
What a beautiful, cool morning! And man what a beautiful Moon 🌝 we had last night! It’s November! WOW! I don’t know about you, but to me this year is going by faster than I ever remember… Time is Just flying by ✈️ Maybe it’s because I’m getting older? Halloween’s gone, and now we enter the Holiday Season… We’re post Daylight Savings, so hello 5pm. nightfall… That leftover feeling of Summer is truly gone and the coming of Winter is a reality… I guess I’m ready. Or as ready as I’m gonna be.
“I have come to regard November as the older, harder man’s October. I appreciate the early darkness and cooler temperatures. It puts my mind in a different place than October. It is a month for a quieter, slightly more subdued celebration of summer’s death as winter tightens its grip.”
~Henry Rollins
I’m going back in for breakfast now. Have a great Sunday! And here’s to the coming Holidays 🎉🦃🎄💥
Mark C.
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Hummingbirds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Sunday Reflections, Sunrises, Sunsets, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Colorful Foliage, Corn Stalks, Fall is Coming, Fall is Here, Flowers, I ❤️ Aquatic Plants, I ❤️ my Family, I ❤️ My Garden, I ❤️ My Job!, I ❤️ This Country, Pansies, Private Areas, Sunday Breakfast, Sunday Gardening, Sunday in the Garden, Sunday Inspiration, Sunday Mornings, Sunday Poem, Sunday Quote, Sunday with Family, Wheat Straw
As the seasons change so do the flowers 💐 So does the feelings and emotions of the changes we are forced to deal with. It’s always tough for me. Especially giving up Summer… But, ya gotta go with the flow and be happy where your at 😊 So I sat down for a few minutes to look at the Summer plants and flowers that I am about to uproot and dispose of. They have really brought me a lot of happiness this Summer. Lots of color and shade and privacy as well. Especially my hanging basket wall. I can see out well, but you can’t see in very well😊 Privacy 💥 I call it the “Hanging Gardens of Babaloo” 😂
This is from where I sit. The foliage is thinner back here on purpose- More room for me, with privacy.
The view from outside is a little different…
From outside looking in is a different story. Lush foliage and color to provide the privacy screen that I desired. Can you see Jo sitting there? I’m gonna hate to see it go 😢 But, it’s Fall 🍁 Time for a different look and feeling…
“But now in September the garden has cooled, and with it my possessiveness. The sun warms my back instead of beating on my head … The harvest has dwindled, and I have grown apart from the intense midsummer relationship that brought it on.”
~ Robert Finch
I will send pictures of the pansies, corn stalks, pumpkins 🎃 & scarecrows as they go up…
Ive been writing ✍️ “Fall is Coming” for quite a while now…
Fall is Here! I gotta get busy…
Have a great Sunday!
Mark C.
