Welcome to Oak Knoll! This is the edge of the woods where I live. The woods are awash with vibrant colors as you walk through the hay field at the treeline.
This is what the woods looked like early this morning. We were socked in by fog! We couldn't even see the edge of the woods. Really spooky. There is an old tale that the number of fogs during August equates to the number of snows we'll have during winter. Hm-m.... I wonder if this number carries over into November?
This glorious maple stands at the edge of our property to welcome visitors--and us! I love this time of year. If I haven't said it already, I'll say it again.
I LOVE this time of year!!!
I LOVE this time of year!!!
Before you head homeward to spend Thanksgiving with dear ones, be they family or old friends, please remember the folks who don't have the luxury of spending Thanksgiving as you do. They're the men and women who spend their holiday afloat--beneath the waves.
These men and women defend our homeland, protect our freedom to travel where we will, express our values, principles and morals as we wish, to worship as we please . . . or not worship at all, if that's our choice. They keep sea lanes open for the free passage of all whether they're friends, or sadly, deadly foes.
These men and women defend our homeland, protect our freedom to travel where we will, express our values, principles and morals as we wish, to worship as we please . . . or not worship at all, if that's our choice. They keep sea lanes open for the free passage of all whether they're friends, or sadly, deadly foes.
Meet the men and women of the U.S. Navy Submarine Service. Remember them in your holiday prayers, if you say them, or just remember their sacrifice on your behalf if you don't. Remember to thank them for their service if you see them at home--though they don't need it. No . . . . They would serve whether anyone thanked them or not. This is simply the nature of these fine men and women.
The Harvest is in and, in much of America, the first frosts have fallen over fields and woodlands and lays glistening in the early morning sun.
Also, while you're contemplating blessings, remember others . . . men and women who built this land we call America. Long years ago, intrepid settlers crossed the Appalachian Mountain chain to find better places to live, one free of interference and taxation by the occupying British. They braved wild animals and even wilder native Americans--men who had no use for the white settlers who cleared trees, built homes and, eventually, settlements, plowed ancestral hunting grounds, fenced the land and invited more of their kind to come inhabit the place. Some befriended the native inhabitants. Some caused terrible harm. But the land was settled by men and women who had more than an oral tradition to rely upon . . . people who knew where they'd come from and where their forefathers had originated.
Deep, deep in my soul, I feel the first settlers who crossed the mountains, those whose gaze first swept this magnificent land. Imagine what they saw! Standing on the summit of a high hill, they would view a sea of trees before them. As far as their vision could sweep. They eked out a living from the rich land, provided for their children's education in hopes that their offspring would build better lives than their parents had known. They defended what they had built--first individually and then in company with others who came after them. I find it no wonder that they fought so hard to protect this magnificent place that came be their home . . . and I give thanks for their incredible bravery, to venture into unknown lands, to make the sacrifice to leave behind all they'd ever known . . . and to establish a safe harbor for me and mine.
So wherever this holiday finds you, whether your plans include welcoming friends and family or traveling afar to visit those loved ones--no matter if you travel from sea to shining sea, I wish you peace, and friendship and a board filled with plenty. And a very Happy Thanksgiving, from my home to yours.
~Cate Parke
Also, while you're contemplating blessings, remember others . . . men and women who built this land we call America. Long years ago, intrepid settlers crossed the Appalachian Mountain chain to find better places to live, one free of interference and taxation by the occupying British. They braved wild animals and even wilder native Americans--men who had no use for the white settlers who cleared trees, built homes and, eventually, settlements, plowed ancestral hunting grounds, fenced the land and invited more of their kind to come inhabit the place. Some befriended the native inhabitants. Some caused terrible harm. But the land was settled by men and women who had more than an oral tradition to rely upon . . . people who knew where they'd come from and where their forefathers had originated.
Deep, deep in my soul, I feel the first settlers who crossed the mountains, those whose gaze first swept this magnificent land. Imagine what they saw! Standing on the summit of a high hill, they would view a sea of trees before them. As far as their vision could sweep. They eked out a living from the rich land, provided for their children's education in hopes that their offspring would build better lives than their parents had known. They defended what they had built--first individually and then in company with others who came after them. I find it no wonder that they fought so hard to protect this magnificent place that came be their home . . . and I give thanks for their incredible bravery, to venture into unknown lands, to make the sacrifice to leave behind all they'd ever known . . . and to establish a safe harbor for me and mine.
So wherever this holiday finds you, whether your plans include welcoming friends and family or traveling afar to visit those loved ones--no matter if you travel from sea to shining sea, I wish you peace, and friendship and a board filled with plenty. And a very Happy Thanksgiving, from my home to yours.
~Cate Parke
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