Living in the woods makes one think of an old fashioned Christmas.  Our house was built on an old home site, and after a rain we can still find remnants from the past........broken pottery pieces, old rusty iron bed stead springs and small rusty pieces of farm equipment.  My son even found a man's suit button that looked like it was from a Civil War uniform.  I wish that we had pictures of the old home places, but we can only imagine what they looked like.  They were farmers for sure, for the woods are full of terrace rows that were put there to keep the sandy soil from washing away.  After the 5 inch rain we had today, I can see the reason for the terrace rows.  But with Christmas just around the corner, I did make some pictures of the few decorations in the yard.

We wanted the house to have an aged look, and I think that the front door and the dinner bell reflect that idea.  

 The old home site was located under these oak trees with the new house behind.

Maybe this old iron bed was part of the furniture in the house, but since the house

is gone and the bed has been placed in the yard, it is used as a rose trellis and

needs a red bow for Christmas.

 Welcome to Knight Oaks, and we hope that your Christmas is filled with joy and peace.

 As the song goes "I'll be home for Christmas."  Keep the gate open......

And, of course, the manger scene that shows the "reason for the season."  This baby

Jesus has a baby piglet loving Him; it was placed in the manger by our five year old

granddaughter.  She thought that he wanted to love baby Jesus too.  Merry Christmas. 

When I first began gardening about 10 years ago, I always looked forward to Spring; however, now I believe that Fall is my favorite season.  I love the cool, crisp mornings, the leaves turning yellow,red and gold, and dividing and transplanting one of my favorite perennials, the daylily.  I also enjoy the wildflowers in the woods this time of the year.  I must admit that I do not recognize them by their scientific names, but they do give this gardener pleasure with their small flowers blowing in the breeze and the rich purple berries that are wonderful for flower arrangements.  And there is also the beautiful walnut tree with its' rich black bark and big green shells that cover the nut.  But be careful when touching the green shell; it will stain your hands for quite a while.  So take a walk in the woods before the days of winter are here and enjoy the beauty of the Fall.  

When it is too hot to garden, go to The World's Longest Yard Sale; of course, it is hot there as well.  August is when the yard sale takes place, and it stretches from Gadsden, Alabama to Hudson, Michigan.  My husband and I attended with friends this year, but we only traveled a short distance from Mentone to Gadsden.  So much fun, but very hot.  It is a great place to look for garden art, and if you like rust, you are in for a treat.  Even though you can get some real good prices on garden art, it seems that the more rust, the higher the price.  The shopper has to learn to "Wheel and Deal."   I made a few shots of some items that I liked and purchased.

  Bought these items real cheap.

The Seven Sisters rose doesn't look too good in August,

but I hope that pink blooms will cover the old iron bedstead in the Spring.

These two bird baths with the old lids on top for the birds to bathe in are "Country Cute."

More unique garden art.

The old light fixture is my favorite piece, especially under the rose trellis. 

I had to deal real hard with the seller to get it for the price that I wanted to pay,

but that is part of yard "buying and selling"......fun, fun, fun.

The child's tricycle is another one of my favorite pieces;

the boiler that will be used as a planter is one of my Mother's. 

More "Country Cute;" I just love roosters.  I did not purchase these, but they were priced very reasonably.

Can't resist taking pictures of the local scenery; this old building would make such a cute garden shed. 

The side view of one of the churches in Mentone, Al;

the rustic wooden church with the rock foundation

and the picket fence show the uniqueness of a little mountain town.

And finally, what gardener doesn't like a good rock, especially when it is covered with moss.