We look forward to October color each year.
This year we wandered through New England about the time we thought fall colors might appear.
Alas, summer lingered far too long.
I will never complain.
Soft breezes, T-shirts, plush gardens, green carpets, lush foliage and not a changing tree in sight.
As usual, home sweet home gave us the most glorious color.
No matter where we travel, we seem to yearn for our own back yard with farms as far as the eye can see and meadows and flora and fauna far better than any discoveries in our travels.
I'm reminded that we don't have to go very far to
know that HERE is right where we are suppose to be.
Our neighbor has the most beautiful Maple tree.
I noticed a 'volunteer' Maple about afoot tall that sprouted in our back yard. I'm waiting to see if it will overtake my rose bushes or if I can tame it as it grows.
Then we will have Fall color in our own back yard.
God plants and we nurture for strong and healthy growth.
My old faithful - Saint Francis
He holds vigil in the front garden year-round.
We have a dear neighbor who makes sure it remains upright during winter storms. Francis is protected by our winterberries that just POPPED out RED last month!
I love to see the color before the snow flies.
Berries will remain until mid-winter when birds begin to consume them. This winter is suppose to be more harsh so I'm glad we have eight bushes to feed the birds.
I am reminded to "be anxious for nothing" like the birds of the air.
They know God will provide even in the harshest of times.
I can't resist.
Our local farmers offer pumpkins and gourds by the cart load.
I try to pile them up in a creative way by I think each one, in its own way gives enough beauty.
I simply enjoy the color and fantastical design of each 'fruit of the earth.' "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you new heart desires." [my translation] Isn't it true?
I simply DELIGHT in God's beauty and
JOY seeps into every crevice of my soul.
Our farm market, open six days a week, offers colorful choices.
This farmer simply filled bins and boxes and let it all loose.
A great cacophony of all kinds of pumpkins.
Burning bush - that's what it's called.
I think of Moses standing by the burning bush as God calls out to him. Well, here it is - in miniature.
This seemingly simple, green bush begins to 'burn' with fire-red leaves every Fall.
Each time we turn into our driveway, I'm reminded of God's call to Moses to do the impossible.
Then I recall the number of times God has called me into what has seemed an 'impossible' task.
I always grow when I say YES to God,
even if I am sometimes filled with fear and trembling.
We love Longwood Gardens, longwoodgardens.org with it's renovated fountains and incredible gardens. A Fall jaunt to these wonder-filled acres of beauty always leave us awe-struck.
Creative minds and hands make simple blooms seem like majestic scenes.
"God, our Creator, created us to create."
Even pieces of stone and drops of water gushing forth look as natural as the colors that surround us.
Hubby and I went off the beaten path to the 'west garden' where blooms grow in huge patches to be transplanted into glorious scenes along the miles of garden paths.
What fun to look behind the scenes where the gardeners labor.
We breathe in a cacophony of color!
Who would believe that Christmas Cactus would bloom so fully in the Fall! What a delight to the eye to see rows of jolly purple blooms.
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord . . . "
One, single, pop of color.
It speaks to me in silence giving delight to my soul.
My sister is an incredible botanical artist.
She could see each of the dozens of colors in this flower and,
with many hours of delicate work, re-create this in such detail that, on paper, I would not be able to tell the difference between drawing and photo.
Her artistry truly is a gift from God . . .
. . . along with lots of hard work to hone that gift.
I'm reminded that, although I cannot draw beyond stick figures, I also have gifts that, through hard work, God has used to give of myself to others.
Isn't it wonderful that we all have within us God-given gifts that we can share with others.
OH JOY!
We explored a totally different place after our garden visit.
Old doors and buildings ushered us into another world where creativity and hard work created amazing gifts.
"Hands to work, hearts to God" was the Shaker motto.
Hancock Shaker Village, hancockshakervillage.org in Massachusetts was a totally different delight for us.
Colorful buildings stand out against acres of
herb and vegetable gardens.
All doors were open to us as we walked into another century.
"Just ask" says God "and my door is open to you."
Even spent apples that dropped from the tree as we walked by are a gift of beauty and color. My heart said, "Doesn't anybody care what happens to these apples? They could be picked and made into apple sauce and sold to help pay for this outdoor museum."
Alas, the volunteers have too many other chores.
Apples are delicious treats for animals that live in the wooded areas surrounding this community.
God provides for all our needs.
The door, seen previously, drew us into this round barn.
One person can care for 52 cows at a time on the first floor.
Stalls are cleaned into openings to the basement where wagons are filled with 'nutrients' for the garden.
See that large dark opening in the bottom where wagons come and go? The top floor is filled with hay, brought in on the other side via a beautiful green ramp.
At the top of the barn you see the little tower that is open so the heat is released from the combustable hay.
GENIUS.
God gave us eyes to see and hands to create.
A perfect example of "Hands to work, hearts to God."
Modern bales (rolled by machine) are still stored the 'old' way.
This storage area attached to the barn provides a safe haven for hay needed for other uses.
God gives us a 'safe haven' to rest until the time when we are ready to be used according to our gifts and talents.
Our spirit tells us when we are ready.
All we need is a YES and God will hear us.
Saying "yes" to God may be difficult sometimes.
That's why we, like these hay bales, can rest in the shelter of God's precious presence for as long as we need.
God's time is infinite.
It's our time on this earth that is limited.
"Give rest to your soul and God will do the rest."
Gray clouds sweep the sky but this pop of YELLOW brightens my spirit. It truly was a glorious day to walk these acres of buildings and learn about the many talents the Shakers offered to their surrounding community.
They LOVED COLOR.
Bright yellow and deep RED are prevalent.
Tall spruce balance these large edifices.
Every inch of space was open to us as we climbed three stories high to find weaving rooms and broom making rooms.
Note the double entrances to the yellow house where the men and women worshipped together on the second floor (men on one side and women on the other). The large room has wide plank floors that remain strong and sturdy to this day even though worshippers stomped and danced to their delight over 100 years ago.
Shakers lived up to their name.
We learned a few of their 'shaking' dances.
"Rejoice always; again I say, REJOICE!"
There are two sides to every story, and every picture.
Elegance with simplicity of design is seen in this building which housed the machines for woodworking and the 'laundromat.'
The building was divided in half on the main floor.
Those who did wash on the main floor with running water due to a gravitational set-up, transported the wet wash "up" to the next floor via a pulley system that was easy for a child to use.
Clothes were hung mostly on the highest floor to take advantage of natural heat from the sun.
Actually, children only did chores that were age-appropriate like setting the table or sweeping and were given much opportunity to play. The elders knew that all too soon these children would be given greater responsibility.
"There was a time for everything under heaven."
This beautiful building was used for the most mundane work.
God crowns us with beauty deep within our soul so that we are able to endure the challenges set before us that seem dull, boring, mucky or sometimes intolerable.
We simply need to remind ourselves that God's presence within us, given to us by God's unconditional love if we ask him to preside over our lives, seeps out through every smile, every laugh, every greeting of blessing we share with others even in the midst of intolerable pain.
That's God-given beauty.
We took endless pictures of beautiful furnishings.
This was a simple workbench used daily by the woodcrafters.
Most of their larger pieces were made by machine.
"Belts" moved by a lever, powered by a steam engine, enabled the men to saw, cut, lathe or whatever they needed so that they could spend more time staining and creating the glassy finishes of chests like these.
We watched a class for professional woodworkers as they used old machines and implements to 'hone beauty' as they created fine chairs and tables.
Hubby and I were fascinated as we watched.
And then we happened to come across a lovely estate that was open to the public. We wandered the well manicured grounds and delighted in the pristine shapes and well designed garden 'steps.'
A green carpet of steps.
Never thought of that!
Other's creativity helps me to envision what we might try for our hillside yard. STEPS of grass. Hmmm. Perhaps rows of bricks?
Let the grass do what it does for an entire summer?
It's a thought . . . and may remain just that.
The idea is great but I would have to do the work.
I'd rather be awe-struck by other's creativity.
NICE!
And this is the estate, planted high on a hill.
It is a summer cottage donated to the historical society.
Some wealthy widow who lived mostly in Europe but enjoyed summers in New England.
Her excess is our blessing.
We even had a dish of home made ice cream on the covered veranda. I felt right at home for a few minutes.
I could see myself on my own little porch, which I love dearly.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I love the shaker homes and this elegant home.
But, more than ever, I love our own little abode even more.
There truly is no place like home after our jaunt into another colorful world.
Home is wherever God plants me but my favorite spot is
our little back porch. It is now all tucked away in preparation for winter storms.
Our abundant Hydrangeas, once bright blue, now grow dim yet remain beautiful. A blue one lingers in the fall sun as my variegated Hosta peaks out from behind.
Of all the gardens and beautiful acreage we saw beyond our own fence, I still love what we have right here in our own back yard.
And around the corner, the same story each year, as tobacco dries in open barns where donkeys pull carts and rubber is not allowed on tires. Amish farms are far less trim but still draw my curiosity.
And so we linger a little longer on our front porch as Fall brings forth an incredible "indian summer." We've had a couple cold days and loads of rain.
But roses still bloom and sun shines most days.
October beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I'm 'beholden' to God's creative hand in Creation.
"Thanks be to God!"
