GREEN SPRING GARDENS - PART 1 - 1/12/24 - A SHORT VIDEO OF US

I found these sweet, bedraggled birds at pixabay.com, a familiar name as it is my go-to place when I want to find a particular picture or graphic.

The last time we were at Green Spring Gardens was on October 1st, 2023. We were still wearing light clothing with short sleeves. It was a very different story last Friday. Our video will give you an idea of what the weather was like. It was cold! 50 degrees Fahrenheit which we would have thought would be good walking weather, but there was a biting wind that made it seem much colder. 

So far this year we have had good days but also heavy rain with flood watches, wind and yesterday our first snow. We didn’t leave the house.  The high was 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and the low tonight will be 27.  Below it shows you what we are expecting for the next eight days.  I just had a pop-up on my iPad. We are now under a winter advisory until 10.a.m. tomorrow.  However, on Wednesday it is going to be sunny.  We were told before that was going to be a snow day. Weather will always be unpredictable.

We like to take a short video on our outings.  It’s fun to look at them years later.  Next time I will share a few flowers and plants. Some were still blooming, though looking a bit worn out. A nice splash of color though considering the time of year.

I hope you are staying warm in your part of the world, 

or if it is very hot, staying cool.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

I am still listening to holiday music but it will soon be time to sing this one.

https://youtu.be/PER8f7bQIlg?si=NAf6ngF0iXUws1HX

I have lost count of how many times in my 73 years I have sung this song.  In my family it was a tradition on New Year's Eve. Aunts and Uncles would come on over, as well as close friends of my parents, while listening to Andy Stewart as he hosted Hogmanay on TV.

What is Hogmanay and for those who are unfamiliar to the term, this is what I found online:

"Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of New Year's Eve and can last for days.  No one celebrates the evening quite like the Scots.  It is believed the Scots inherited the celebration of Hogmanay from the Vikings and their celebration of the shortest day.  Many, however, believed that as Christmas was virtually banned and not celebrated in Scotland from the end of the 17th century until the 1950's, New Year's Eve was an excellent excuse for revelry, to drink whisky and eat good food.  To this day Hogmanay involves parties and festivals all across Scotland, with the largest and most famous public party in Edinburgh."

I had an Aunty who was born in Scotland, who used to tell me how she celebrated as a child and I loved those stories. 

For us we joined our family circle and crossed arms, held hands and sang Auld Lang Syne as the clock struck midnight and we said goodbye to the Old Year. Then we hugged one another and raised a glass to bring in the New. It was the only night of the year that we kids were allowed to stay up late and party with the adults. There was always a lot of laughter in our house, especially at times such as these.

Auld Lang Syne

by Robert Burnes in 1788

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne!

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!

And surely I'll be mine!

And we'll take a cup o'kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, me dear,

For auld lang syne.

We'll tak a cup o'kindness yet,

For auld lang syne

We twa hae run about the braes,

And pou'd the gowans fine;

But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,

Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,

Frae morning sun till dine;

But seas between us braid hae roar'd

Sin' auld lang syne.

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

We'll tak a cup o'kindess yet,

For auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fere!

And gie's a hand o'thine!

And we'll take a right gude-willie waught,

For auld lang syne.

Chorus: 

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

We'll tak a cup o'kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

This week we are returning back to normal after all the fun activity of the holidays. We become reflective and realize we have so much to be thankful for. No day is taken for granted because having family and friends whose lives have changed in the blink of an eye, and with events that have happened in our own lives, we know only too well that we need to count each day as a blessing. For me, if I have made any New Year's Resolutions it is this, to tell those nearest and dearest to me how very much I love them, and how much better I am for having them in my life.   

And to those whose lives are affected terribly by world events, our hearts go out to you, we see you and wish you Peace and Joy in 2024.  

A Happy New Year to everyone!  

May it be your best one ever,

And in the words of this marvelous melody,

Let’s tak a cup o'kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

MAY WE RAISE CHILDREN…

May we raise children 

who love the unloved

things - the dandelions, the 

worms and spiderlings.

Children who sense 

the rose needs the thorn

and run into rainswept days

the same way they turn

towards the sun.

And when they’re grown and

someone who has to speak

for those who have no voice,

may they draw upon that 

wilder bond, those days of 

tending tender things

and be the ones.

“May we raise Children who love

The unloved things”

By 

Nicolette Sowder

 

I found the illustrations at pixabay.com, my favorite go-to place for graphics.

TO ALL MY CANADIAN FRIENDS…

 Happy Canada Day!

(Photo from pixabay.com)

A DRIVE ALONG THE SNICKERSVILLE TURNPIKE, VIRGINIA - FRIDAY, MAY 5TH, 2023 - PART 4

 I am taking a couple of days off.  I have left my comments on but will be very slow answering them.  However, I will answer all eventually.  Luckily I had a few posts already done and scheduled, which included this coming Saturday and Monday posts.  Hopefully I will be feeling better by next Tuesday, but if you don't see anything then, you'll know I am just resting up.  Gregg and I have Covid but we are being well taken care of.

We are looking across land that once belonged to the Phillips Family, dating back to about 1798.  It is part of The Waterford Foundation and a self-guided tour can be found here.

According to what I read on one of the signs, it said those line of trees are the Osage orange (also called hedgeapple) which were planted by farmers to create a natural hedge.  The signs I have included below may be difficult to read even when enlarged, so I will repeat the info as I go along, as well as adding other information I found, plus links if interested.  This is what an Osage orange looks like (all photos showing the fruits, including the bow, were found online).

When I read about them, I found that Native American tribes in the Plains quickly discovered that its strong yet flexible wood made superior-quality bows.  According to legend, a bow made from the Osage orange was worth as much as a horse and blanket for Native American traders.  Shown in the photo is obviously a modern-day one but made with that particular wood.

The fruits are 4 to 5 inches in diameter.  The surface is deeply grooved and rough, covered in wiry hairs.  Underneath the ridged surface, the flesh is dense, cream-colored to pale green, and contains 200 to 300 oblong, light brown, edible seeds. When the flesh is sliced, it releases a sticky, white liquid that can be irritating to the skin and may cause a rash. 

As read: "Osage oranges have a green, bitter flavor with a hint of cucumber and a fruity, citrus-like aroma. The flavor is generally unpleasant, unpalatable, and some may feel ill after ingesting the bitter fruit, causing many to deem it inedible." There is more here.

One last bit of information, its wood withstands rot and decay, making them ideal for fence posts. After the widespread introduction of barbed wire fencing, Osage orange remained the go-to tree for fencing use, but this time it was for the rot-resistant wood that could be fashioned into fence posts to hold the newly invented barbed wire. And my snowball rolling down hill is taking effect because I also found this interesting page on the history of barbed wire.  There is none used for fence posts showing the barbed wire below.  Well, enough of the Osage orange!

The Phillips family had an annual yield of 500 bushels of wheat, 400 lbs. of butter, 65 lbs. of wool and 60 lbs. of honey and beeswax.

Thomas and Rachel Phillips were Quakers and were against slavery and secession, which in this case meant the withdrawal of eleven southern states from the Union in 1860, leading to the Civil War.  More history on that subject can be found at this website.  The following photo is cropped from the one above.  It shows some of the artifacts found.

One of the facts I found very interesting was that the Phillips Farm is "a registered Monarch waystation.  Monarchs on their annual migration to and from Mexico, find nectar and host plants here.  Bees also thrive and produce honey just as they did centuries ago" and "Today, more than 200 years after Thomas Phillips began farming here, his practices of haymaking and beekeeping, continue on the farm."

Unfortunately, I didn't see the Belted Kingfisher.  There was no path or gateway that we could see. The Kingfishers and other birds can no doubt be seen along the creek amongst the trees.  (I found out later there is a trail that can be taken.)

I found the above photo at pixabay.com

Others mentioned were the Eastern Bluebird, the Great Blue Heron, Red-winged Blackbird and the Red-Tailed Hawk.

That's all for today.  I have another post after this, of Waterford Village.  It will be my last from our trip along the turnpike, and will be posted next week.