The warmth of the December sun beckoned me outdoors this afternoon for a ride on my golf cart. I wanted some holly and cedar branches for my Christmas decorations and I knew just the spot on the farm to go looking.
Only the female Holly trees produce fruit and they are loaded with bright red berries. The boughs of the female Eastern Red Cedar trees were hanging heavy with dark blue berries. I had forgotten that they also produce berries. These are technically juniper trees. The male trees have small tan colored pine cones. Click on this link for a very interesting read on these trees.
As I was nipping branches to bring home, I suddenly became aware of the “little things” in the woods. It is December but it was a beautiful, warm, sunny, peaceful day. I heard them first and then saw two squirrels scampering over a log laying on the ground in the woods. I watched as they frolicked in the leaves and chased each other over the log, up a tree and down again.
I continued to notice “little things”.
A small tree with one little leaf left at the top of it’s two tallest branches.
Another tree with brilliant red leaves at the top like a tuff of hair on a bald head.
The beauty of nasty gum balls.
There were 3 sets of paw prints in the soft dirt.
Pine Cones
Milk Weed
Killdeer
A squirrel’s nest high in the pecan tree. He certainly built where his food source was!
Depending on the day and time, the big picture can be drab, barren, discouraging…….
or it can be stunning, breath-taking and beautiful……
Ruth Hochstetler Said:
on December 6, 2015 at 5:53 pm
Meadow Larks, or Killdeer?
Pat Said:
on December 6, 2015 at 6:30 pm
You may be right. I was thinking they were Meadow Larks but now that you say….!