What is it?

It's a dogwood seed pod.

The trees can smell the impending Fall & are getting ready for their Winter's rest; the mercury, however, has decided to fight the calendar. This is usual NC weather for our shiftless season changes... typically vaccilating from balmy to brisk, sometimes within a few hours. We are lured into complacency that we have made it through another sultry Carolina summer, then blasted with the heat & humidity that leaves us breathless & sticky. We are taunted by cooler days & even cooler nights buckled in by humid days & hot nights until we are finally granted a reprieve....at least until Spring.

My dogwood is getting ready for Winter so it can give me this in the Spring:

My trees are very good to me.

Have a great day Puppies!!

Beautiful Day

This photo was not taken today, but I love the bright red entangled in the emerald green. He's a pretty boy.

This is a beautiful day in Carolina. Not your standard "Chamber of Commerce" beautiful day, but everything seems so fresh. The skies are gray, but the trees are green. It's like they're opening up to savor the day, unemcumbered by the smoldering heat & the oppressive humiity. It is 2:00 in the afternoon and it's only 68 degrees with little sprinklettes of rain. This lusciously cool weather makes my body & mind want to stretch; it's an awakening of sorts. Fall is my favorite time of the year..it's a reprieve from the claustrophic summer because the air is crisper & lighter & even the squirrels seem to sigh with relief. This is Carolina so it'll be back to 90 degrees in a few days, but for today we can breathe.