Nothing to match, a Montana snow flocked tree.

Unless it's two snow flocked trees

The front of my house, with it's blue lights.

 Of all the pictures I've taken over the years, this one reminded me of the part of the Christmas story about the star in the east.

 Right above a tall tree, snow cover, that stands next to the end of the house.

Does the moon count as a star?

No matter what it counts as, it reminds us on the night before Christmas eve

we aren't really alone.

Merry Christmas everyone!

A stocking to match

Here is my mantel with the stocking I just finished to go with my tree skirt. And one pillow to match the colors.

Stocking

Tree skirt









I made the blue pillow.












Mantel
Mantel

Here we are again…..

Time for Christmas decorations {and yes they are already in the stores.} lol.
  So for this year, I had a change of plans. I had planned to use an angel theme.
However, something else came up. In the spring I had started to work on a project with
peacock colors. Then it seemed everywhere I looked there were peacocks. The colors, the bird,
and on just about everything. Then I decided to make my tree and decorations  with peacocks.
Love the richness of the colors.
  When the ornaments came out in the stores, there were peacocks everywhere. So here is what it looks like when peacocks and christmas combine.

First was the door wreath…

Then I started with putting up the tree, and it's explosion of colors.

The tree is green, but more like a different shade of the usual green tree. I had more ornaments from past trees then I could use.
I love the way it turned out. I still have the tree skirt etc to make up, but I so enjoy seeing the christmas tree and I almost always take it down very soon after christmas. This lets me enjoy the tree dressed in all it's finery, and just maybe encourage others to be thinking about their tree.
  So here it is…. peacock heaven.

There are birds, and fish and even a dragonfly or two. Lots of colored balls, and this year the lights, fade from white to blue and back again.
  What do you think of the peacock tree?

The Last rose of summer…..

One last red rose bloomed. Against a backdrop of leaves in a riot of color, it stands out reminding us another summer is at an end.

The rose hips are not quite a deep red.

And the leaves are putting on a show. One tree in yellow and the other flaming red, they provide a fall fashion show next to the koi pond.

High up in the top of the choke berry trees, the last of the brilliant red berries seem to be holding on to their thorn spiked branches. It's as if they mimic my very thoughts of just one more day of sunshine before the snow flies, and winter arrives in all it's ice and snow.

Not to many left up there, but the trees produced a lot of berries, of which I did share out around nine gallons. I put another 8 or so in my freezer, and have picked smaller and smaller bowls full every time I go out to walk in the garden. I really believe those trees tried to keep me out of reach of the berries, as my hair tie was pulled off twice in one day, and I have more scratches then any time in the past. lol.
  Aren't the berries a beautiful red?

Others said they tasted really good.
I felt it was the right things to do to share what nature had given me so bountifully.

A different night sky

A couple of nights ago I went out at twilight to feed the Koi and this is what I saw in the southern sky.

That is the moon, and sunset was well on. Montana isn't called Big Sky Country for nothings.

Blue Moon…. ok, but…..

have you ever seen a red moon?

Now you have.

The Glacier Fire

  When there is smoke in the air, the sun turns red. I got a better picture of the sunset tonight. Perhaps you can see this one better.

The smoke was heavier today, and now that is all I can smell. You can see it just above the fence line. It sure makes for a spectacular sunset.

That is one busy gofer.

This is the last ditch I am going to dig this year. And for all the world it looks like a very large gofer had been very busy. It has…. me!

The ditch is for an electrical line to be laid for a plug, in the garden for the train. It got harder as I started up the hill toward the house. Nothing but rock and gravel. I thought it was going to get easier… but it didn't. I still have about 3' to go.
   I think i'll have to quit, my hands are so sore.

When the sky is on fire…...

and the sun is setting, it turns to the most beautiful red flame color. We have a fire burning somewhere and with all the smoke in the air, the sun was flaming red tonight.
  I caught some of it as it was slipping below the horizon. I hope you can see it….

As the saying goes….

Do you remember old saying from your childhood?  I have one I have always thought of at varies times. I did not know who said it, until now…
  Do you remember this one?

Use it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or do without.

Guess who said that?  President  Roosevelt

You can't be any more surprised then I was when I found that bit of information. Who knew?

When I was in high school, I entered a couple of interpretive poetry contests. What you had to do was speak for X number of minuets on a subject using poetry to express yourself about a subject. You used poems already written, and one I have always felt was special to me, was called "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost.
  I don't think at that time I felt it would really enter into or play an important part in my life. But many times now I have thought about it.
  Take a look and see what your thoughts are on the subject.

The Road Not Taken

BY ROBERT FROST

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

I am still taking the road less traveled, and I really have no regrets as there has been nothing in my life or that might have been down that other road that would have made any kind of difference. I am still me, life is still yet to be lived to what ever degree that is left to me, and I have honored my values and beliefs to the best of my ability .

I have touched some lives in a positive way, influenced others to become a better person,  made some mistakes, and to my own self been true.

  Once in awhile, I have seen in the distance one or two of those other roads, but I am glad I was not tempted to chase a rainbow. There is no pot of gold there. One can almost never count on another person to help you find your way, or succeed at what you work to complete. What they deem as more important will always be what they choose, as will you also do the same. No-one is better or more important, it's just the way it is.

  There is still time to complete some of my dreams and inspirations. As my cats and dolls keep pace with me, I would have it no other way. For it allows me the time to complete whatever I work on, dream up, or am inspired to do.

  My wish for you, is that you find your life as complete, and have no regrets about the road not traveled.