An Adorable Little Squirrel and a . . .

Gartner snake. A few days ago I was looking out of my front window and saw this adorable little squirrel. He was sleeping at first, then he woke up and just relaxed, and then he ran around and found some food. Finally, he ran up my tree. We have not had many squirrels in the neighborhood, so it is a novelty when I see one, especially since this one has apparently taken up residence in MY tree. Then, I looked to the left, and I saw a Gartner snake. Now I know they're not poisonous and won't really kill me, but I am AFRAID of snakes. When I was five years old, I was out in my backyard with my Mother. I saw a snake and pointed at it saying (according to my Mother), "pretty, pretty." The snake was starting to strike at my hand. My Mother scooped me up and ran me over to my Grandparents' house, right by our house. My Grandfather (my Father was working) came over and killed a huge Copperhead snake. I have had a fear of snakes since then, but since I was safely in my house, I took this Gartner snake's picture. I also wanted to make sure that my little squirrel was safe. Some other pictures that I took show the advancing days of Fall, beautiful days. October IS my favorite time of year!

Isn't he just adorable?

Ugh!

This is my favorite color of mum. This one is sweet to look at on a Fall day.

The grasses in the nature area behind my house are turning shades of gold.

One of the trees behind my house is starting to turn color.

And still, in the midst of Fall, my Lilac Chiffon Geranium continues to bloom and enchant.

St. Valentine's Day

St. Valentine's Day is a very sweet day. My son and husband got me a beautiful and delicious arrangement from Edible Arrangements. I especially love the chocolate-covered strawberries, but all the fruit is delicious. My son got his aunt and Godmother, my sister, an arrangment as well, but with regular strawberries because she doesn't eat sweets. What a nice and thoughtful gift for both of us. The second and third pictures are of a birthday card that my father sent my mother. Even though it isn't a Valentine's card, it has red roses and the sentiments of Valentine's Day. The card is very old and has water marks on it, probably from the flowers that came with it (at least that's what I think). I'm not sure of the actual date, but I think it probably dates back to the fifties. It's a Hallmark card.

Vintage Quilt, Santa Claus, and a Snowman

While we are all looking forward to the new year 2010, I like to consider the beauty that has been handed down to me. My Great-Aunt Ethel, my mother's aunt, was a quilter. She, however, was not a quilter of today, with everything planned out and perfect. She used fabric that she had left over from other projects, and she made needed and useful quilts for warmth. She always said that it was necessary to have a project to do. It made you want to get up and get started on it. It gave a purpose to your day. Several years ago, my dear mother gave me a quilt that Aunt Ethel had made in the early part of the twentieth century. I display this treasured quilt at Christmas and throughout the winter. It is pieced together in Christmas colors of red and green, but the blocks are composed of fabric that Aunt Ethel had left over from other sewing projects. I treasure this quilt. My Santa Claus, from the late 1950s, was one of two given to my parents when they opened bank accounts in a town they had just moved to. Santa is actually a bank and was given to new customers to encourage children to save money. I have one and my sister has one. I just love this Santa bank. My wooden snowman was painted by my mother about ten years ago. I love to look at his jolly and friendly face. These are the treasures that remind me of the beauty of this world and make this season so beautiful to me.

My Great-Aunt Ethel's quilt, which she made in the early part of the twentieth century.

This is a close-up of one of the blocks.

This is a close-up of another block.

This is the back of the quilt.

This is my 1950s Santa Claus bank. I keep it in my corner china cabinet that belonged to my Mother and Father.

This is my jolly, friendly snowman that my mother painted.

"These are a few of my favorite things."