On A Cold Winter's Day

**I actually started this post on Sunday, and today is Tuesday.  We never got the snow I was hoping for when I started writing this, but there is still hope.  They are now forecasting snow for this coming Saturday.**     It's Sunday afternoon, and we are having a bit of snow here, off and on (mostly off).  In the part of town where my mom, sister, and niece live, they have a few inches covering the ground already.  Hal and I have really hoped for a pretty snow this year, so we shall see.  It has been bitterly cold here for the last few days, for sure.  Is it cold where you are?     Our son gave us a jigsaw puzzle for Christmas (750 pieces) and we started on it Friday night.  It's challenging!  We've got sections put together, but we've got a long way to go.  I thought I would share some of the things I've been reading lately.     

Happy New Year 2025!

Hi everyone!  It's been a minute, no?  Five months since I've posted a real post here on the blog.  I've missed blogging and I've missed you.  Our year got very busy in the last half, and then I kind of lost my blogging mojo.  Writing takes practice, and I'm a bit out of practice.      

   

It's Christmas 2025

Merry Christmas Dear Ones!!  I wish you a happy day with those you love most.     

   

For The Bees

I wanted to set a table with a bee theme this summer but had not gotten around to it.  I dithered over purchasing a La Rochere carafe or some glass bowls to go with our bee goblets, but in the end, I decided I couldn't justify buying those right now.  I had planned to try and gather enough flowers (but was pretty sure there wouldn't be enough in my young flower garden) to make a center piece.  Then, I was gifted a lovely flower arrangement on Sunday, and I decided it was time to do my bee table, even though I didn't have all the elements that I wanted for it.      

      

Home and Travel

Hello all!  Are you having a good summer so far?  Ours has been a mix of good, not so good, and chaotic.  The good part is that our flowers, trees, and shrubs are blooming prolifically.  I'm guessing all the rain we got in the spring must have really helped out.  The not so good is that the weeds are also flourishing (as usual) and I just can't seem to get on top of them.  Also, we had to have repair work done on our practically-new refrigerator, and I've decided that things really aren't being made to last these days.  We're hoping the fridge truly is fixed because I love everything about it -- looks, layout, design, convenience.  In addition, we've just replaced a coffee maker which was just a little over a year old; it started leaking out onto our countertop.  Roseanne Roseannadanna is right, folks, "It just goes to show you, it's always something -- if it's not one thing, it's another." 😏   

Former U.S. Coast Guard Station on St. Simon's Island  

The Middle of May

Hi all!  I hope you had a good Mother's Day.  I did, and I'm so very thankful for my wonderful son and husband.  I'm continuing to document (loosely) our lives here at Forest Manor.  I have spent a large part of the spring working in our yard.  Yesterday, I worked on removing weeds from our large natural area in the front yard, where I'm in the process of creating a flower garden.  I cut a few stems yesterday evening to enjoy in the house -- they're a sampling of what we have added to this area over the past three years.      

Before The Month of April Is Gone...

Hello Dear Friends!  It's hard to believe that I haven't posted since the middle of February -- a Valentine's tablescape.  Good grief, I've let the time slip away again.  We have been busy, though, living life, and I'm thankful for that.  In February, we visited a friend whose husband had died unexpectedly during the Christmas holidays.  Then, the following week, we attended a funeral for a man that Hal had worked with for 30 years.  I think it's nice that people are referring to these occasions as "Celebration of Life" now.  Hal's co-worker had lived a life to be celebrated, for sure.  He was quite down to earth, but such an inspiration to so many people.  Both of these men died from cancer, which is another whole topic.  Is it just me, or is this dreaded disease becoming more and more prevalent?        In March, Hal and I took another calligraphy class; this one was held at the Sawtooth School for Visual Art in Winston-Salem, N.C.