A look ahead, a look back...

A frosty morning walk. 

 Frost on the lawns,

 and on the fallen leaves.

 I stopped to photograph these beautiful scenes...

 So ethereal and brief.

 Tiny crystals of ice, perfectly coating this pine hedge.

 The leaves are still falling,

 along with the fruits of the Osage orange .  The french name for these is Boise d'Arc.

 I noticed this tree, an American sweetgum. I knew from the seed pods.  I saw them only once before, at the Country Living Fair in Ohio.

I love the way they look.

 Lambs ear, already fuzzy, sparkled with frost.

 The sky so blue on this crisp morning.

 A long straight sidewalk, and time to observe.

 Willows loose their leaves pretty late.  Usually after a snowfall.  Our neighbors have giant Willows.  Usually the early snow is covered with it's thin leaves, and twigs.

The Osage orange hedge was the property line of the farmland our home was build on .

This hedge continues across a busy road and into the Forest Preserves.  To go back in time and see this place as it was 100 years, maybe 200 years ago.   

Forgive me if I have told this story before, but it's one of my happiest memories. I remember being on a farm with my family when I was young.  We were invited to somewhere in Indiana for Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner.  I went out for a walk with my Dad and our host, Father Lee, a friend of our family, and I am pretty sure a couple of my brothers tagged along.  We walked in a cornfield, where the corn had been harvested, as it was getting dark,.   We stopped and looked back to the farmhouse.  The windows of the house all glowed with light. I have thought of that moment a hundred times in my life.  It was so beautiful to see that cozy home waiting for us.  I think it's the reason that every Christmas Eve, I walk out of my house, with my sweetheart, and look back at our home, all glowing and filled with love and all those we hold dear..  Somewhere in our subdivision, many year ago, there was a farmhouse.  I hope it was a happy place.  That hedge always reminds me of how this place might have been long ago, and also of the Native American people who lived here first, long before that hedge was ever planted.  

 Just moving things around for our Thanksgiving feast.

 I start earlier now.  It takes a while to get things in order.  We have a small dining room, and Thanksgiving is the only time we all seat at the table.  Usually there are too many of us, so we often have buffets.

 I move the love seat into the living room.  Swap out some chairs for the small table in the dining room. Clear the family room to make way for the long tables, right in front of the fireplace.

 Some things I love just stay in place.

Like the globe hanging from the light .  Peace on Earth, it's banner says.

I've done some baking, most of the shopping is done.  The tables and chairs are at the ready.

Time is flying.  Here we go, another holiday season.

Enjoy this beautiful day.

Love, Penny