A parade, a cardinal, and other randoms

Hello, friends! I hope you’re doing well on this Friday. It’s time for another Random 5 Friday, a great meme started by Nancy at A Rural Journal.

One

The Altavista Christmas Parade was held last night. I took photos for the newspaper. This is the fifth Altavista parade I’ve covered. Larry met me and watched the floats go by as I stood in the street and tried for the best shots.

Two

It was in the 60s during the parade—it definitely seemed too warm for such an event. Last year it was so cold, we bundled up and my fingers I used for picture-taking felt frozen. This year, I got hot.

The unseasonably warm weather will give way to a cold front on Saturday, with freezing rain expected on Sunday. Mother Nature never ceases to keep us on our toes!

We haven't needed a fire for the last couple of days.

Three

Tuesday morning as I moved around the kitchen getting my breakfast, I looked out the window and saw a cardinal sitting in one of the holly bushes in the front yard. I grabbed my camera and tried a few shots through the window pane. I was reminded that I need to clean the windows.

Then I tried to sneak outside and around the house to get a better photo, even though I was wearing my Christmas pajamas and an old sweater.

But the bird must have heard me, or was frightened by my candy-cane-covered pajamas. He flew through the bushes as I came around the corner and flew into a camellia bush on the other side of the yard.

It's not a great shot, but I thought he was so pretty, I had to try.

Four

Yesterday was a workday that reminded me of the saying that variety is the spice of life. I covered the annual planning session of the Board of Supervisors for much of the day. Then I stopped by the sheriff’s office to talk with an investigator about a couple of cases I’m covering. Then I had the parade photos to take. Yep, being a reporter for a small paper keeps me doing different things.

Five

The plan is to put up our Christmas tree and do other decorating sometime this weekend. I can’t wait to have Christmas lights all around me.

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Feeling down this time of the year?

Our Christmas tree in the den in 2012. We haven't put up the tree this year yet.

I’ve had some scary moments lately. Not scary in that I feel like I’m physically in danger. But scary in the sense that my mood has dipped and I’ve felt some of the depression that I haven’t felt for a good while.

I can tell you when these episodes were. Both happened on Sunday.

***

In the morning, I realized that I was feeling upset and down. I had been crunching some numbers and thinking about Christmas gifts to buy, and I was disappointed that I couldn’t afford to buy the ones I love everything I’d like to buy them.

It wasn’t just a bad moment. I felt the now-familiar dullness of depression creeping around the edges. Even though I quickly recognized that I wasn’t’ focusing on the important things about Christmas, the feeling lingered.

***

On Sunday evening, Larry was working on his computer in the den, and I was working on mine in the next room. The TV was turned to a PBS Christmas music special. The music was lovely. The show had all the makings for putting any listener in the holiday spirit. So why did my mood sink so low? Why did I feel so dark?

***

It’s especially difficult to feel low when the community around me is getting ready for the “most wonderful time of the year.”

I know intellectually that that’s not necessarily true for everyone. This time of holidays is a wonderful time, a special time. However, it’s not and doesn’t have to be the best time of the year for everyone.

A little hard to remember when the lights are going up and the music is playing.

***

I’ve feeling better now, but I’m still rattled. I remember how depressed I got after Christmas last year, how dark the world seemed—and not just because it was the dead of winter.

I believe that some of my low mood comes from pressure I put on myself. Some of it is societal pressure that I allow myself to be influenced by.

But I do think about the part of me that makes me prone to depression and wonder if it’s stirring.

I don’t want to sink again. I’m taking my medication, and I believe it’s still doing its job. I am much more mindful of my thoughts and how they can lead me down the dark roads.

I decided that I need to take some special precautions this month. I need to do some things to protect my mental and my physical health.

Here are some things I came up with to try:

*Take time for a cup of tea while I sit by the fire.

*Get up early enough to have time to write in my journal and play with Chase Bird before I go to work.

*Write down when I want to get certain things done so they’re not weighing on my mind (things like sending Christmas cards).

*Save time for crafting in my little studio.

*Do things for others.

*Spend time outside.

*Take photographs.

*Listen to my favorite Christmas carols and sing along.

*Play Christmas songs on my keyboard.

What self-care measures do you take during busy times of the year?

Visiting Mountain Lake

Can you stand one more post about out trip to Mountain Lake? I hope so because today I’m sharing more photos from our Thanksgiving visit.

As I’ve mentioned before, Larry and I spent our honeymoon 10 years ago at Mountain Lake. We stayed in one of the cabins high above the main lodge.

Mountain Lake is a lake that sometimes nearly disappears. When we visited in 2003, the lake looked like this:

Now it looks like this:

You can read about this phenomenon of the lake waxing and waning here.

The Lodge is where we ate our Thanksgiving dinner. 

In the main lobby, there was a fire going in the fireplace. But there were so many people around, it was hard to get in a position to get a good photo of it.

I liked the simple décor in the lobby.

We walked around outside, exploring and taking photos before dinner.

Here’s Larry. He said his face was too numb from the cold to smile. He’s kindly carrying my camera bag.

Here I am in front of the gazebo.

This is the gazebo. You can see it in the photo above from 2003. I liked the way the ceiling was put together.

Here’s the boat dock. As you can see from the second photo of the dock, there’s no water for it right now.

There are benches around the grounds to sit and enjoy the view. That particular day, it would have been rather cold. It was 22 degrees Fahrenheit when we arrived a little before 11 a.m.

I loved this snowy path.

There was some ice around, though. We slow-walked across it. At one point, we were making our way down a hill with ice. About halfway down, I told Larry I was scared. Ever the calm one, he said, “I know, but you have to keep going.” And I did.

Ice on the driveway. At least this wasn't on a hill.

Anyone up for a game of chess or checkers?

There are areas around Mountain Lake that would be fun to hike. And I noticed a sign that said we were just five miles from the Appalachian Trail.

If you’re ever in Giles County, Virginia, I urge you to visit Mountain Lake. There might not be water in the lake, but there is beauty all around and a cozy Lodge to relax in.

Snow and some randoms

Happy Friday, everyone! Nancy, of A Rural Journal, started a meme called Random 5 Friday, and I’m hooked. Even though Nancy is on a break, I still find it fun to share random facts with you each Friday.

One

Larry and I enjoyed Thanksgiving at Mountain Lake in Giles County, Virginia. If it wasn’t the best Thanksgiving ever, it was close to the top. We had a wonderful time.

The closer we got to the top of the mountain, the more snow there was.

Two

It snowed in Altavista on Wednesday, but not for long, and it didn’t stick. Up at Mountain Lake, there was snow! Larry and I are like kids when it comes to snow—we love it. We were so excited to walk around and enjoy the soft crunch of the white stuff underneath our feet.

It wasn't deep, but it was snow.

The barn with a background of trees glittering in the sun at the top of the mountain.

Three

We had a fabulous meal. There was a full array of food on the buffet, and a man stood at the carving station, ready to slice off turkey or roast beef, or both.

I had turkey, cranberry sauce, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, a green salad, and butternut squash.

Yes, I cleaned my plate.

They had a lot more selections, including cornbread stuffing (which Larry said was the best stuffing he had ever eaten) and pecan stuffing, but that’s what I ate.

We had two baskets of different breads on our table, with honey butter and a cranberry relish to spread on them.

The dessert table was lovely, but by the time I got to dessert, I could only eat a small lemon cake.

We both ate too much, but we did manage to stop before we were miserably stuffed.

Four

We went by the gift shop and bought a pottery ornament shaped like Virginia with the name Mountain Lake Lodge on it. This is the second time we’ve been there, and we’ve had a wonderful time each visit. I wanted something to commemorate this visit.

At a fenced off lookout near the Mountain Lake Lodge.

Five

I find being in the mountains restful for my soul. That’s the only way I can say it: my soul feels at peace when I look across the blue mountains.

I’ll share more photos next week. I probably went overboard with the picture taking, but I wanted to capture every piece of beauty I saw.

I give thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate! I hope you enjoy time with family and friends and make new, warm memories.

And to all my readers: I am thankful for you.

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”

― Cynthia Ozick

Larry

I give thanks for Larry.

I give thanks for Chase Bird.

I give thanks for my mother and Larry’s mother and the rest of our family.

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Leaves and pine needles caught in the fence around the raised bed garden.

I give thanks for the familiar pieces of life.

I give thanks for the new and surprising.

I give thanks for the animals and trees and flowers and skies.

Trees at sunset. November 9, 2013.

I give thanks that I have a home.

I give thanks that I always have plenty to eat.

I give thanks for clean water and clean air.

I give thanks that I have access to good health care.

I give thanks for books and words and color and light.

I give thanks for my blogland friends.

I give thanks to God for all that He has given.

“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”

― Meister Eckhart

Counting blessings on a walk

Thanksgiving is this week in the U.S., and I find it’s a good time to remember the blessings I have.

I try to count my blessings every night before I go to sleep, but I think it’s good for me—perhaps for all of us—to take the time to really think about what we’re thankful for.

I am chiefly thankful for Larry and my family, which includes our Chase Bird.

Today’s post focuses on blessings that I thought about as I walked around my yard on Sunday, enjoying the sunshine and taking photos of things that caught my eye.

It was a cold day, only getting into the 30s, with a breeze blowing. Before going out, I put on a coat and a knit cap and slipped on my gloves.

I was thankful that I had warm outerwear to put on to protect me from the elements. I was thankful for the gloves that Larry gave me a year or two ago.

They keep my hands warm, but if I have to take photos, the mitten-like top folds back and my fingers are free.

I was thankful that we had such beautiful trees in our yard and that their shapes were fully visible to admire and photograph.

I was thankful for Larry’s hard work in getting up the many leaves that fall from those trees. This is one batch down by the street, waiting for pickup by the town. Such town services are another thing to be thankful for.

I was thankful that I found a few acorns. There aren’t many this year, but I hope the squirrels and deer are able to find the ones that are there.

I also found half a nut in the yard with the insides gone. Larry thought it was a hickory nut. I hope it fed an animal a good meal.

I was thankful for the blue sky behind the trees. Fall is a time with so much less humidity than during the summer, and I love seeing the true blue of the sky.

I was thankful that I had the ability to walk around. I was thankful that I had a camera to capture some of the beauty. And I was thankful that I had a warm home to return to.

When you go for a walk, what blessings do you see?

Randoms and the changing of the season

It’s Friday, so it’s time for another Random 5 Friday, a fun meme started by Nancy at A Rural Journal.

One

Fall seems to be rapidly turning into winter. The trees are almost bare here, though there are still a few leaves hanging on.

I am fascinated with the shapes of trees underneath the leaves that cover them during much of the year. I enjoy the stark look and the clear silhouettes of the smaller branches against the sky.

A tree in our neighborhood that I admire.

Two

Is it my imagination or do the fall-into-winter sunsets seem to happen more quickly than sunsets during the summer?

It seems like there is a small window of time to enjoy the pretty show of colors. Maybe this will help me appreciate them all the more.

Sunset photo taken from the car as we drove to Roanoke this week

Three

Another sign of the changing season: Christmas lights! Larry and I drove through a dark, rural area one evening this week, and I was surprised at the number of houses that were decorated for Christmas.

It’s still a little early for me to want to decorate for Christmas, but seeing those lights brighten the darkness was nice.

Four

I am steadily getting ready for my freelance editing work. I’m moving towards officially starting after the first of the year. I’ll share more details as I get things in place. I’m so excited!

Five

Though I haven’t yet done any Christmas shopping, I have managed to get Larry to suggest a couple of things he’d like as a gift. That’s an accomplishment. Usually it’s difficult for me to pull any such information out of him. He says I don’t need to give him anything.

Christmas is not about exchanging gifts. But opening up some special gifts on Christmas morning is a ritual that I look forward to.

We sit together by the tree, with Christmas music playing on the stereo. And there’s usually a cat around waiting impatiently for an empty box to become available.

Christmas 2007. Thunder Cat watches as Sam settles into a gift box. Both cats have since gone over the Rainbow Bridge, but we think of them everyday.