It is still winter in south Alabama, but it sure seems like spring.  It is 66 degrees, and this morning we had light showers.  This is wonderful weather for southern gardeners, for we have been in a drought situation for the last three years.  Hopefully this is our year back  to normal rainfall. We have had rain most of the winter, and I believe that the shrubs, fruit trees and perennials  will reward the gardener this year with plenty of blooms.  The fruit trees usually bloom early, and one of our oldest trees has really put on a show.  If every flower makes a plum, the tree will not be able to hold them up.  We have had a tree, however, that had so many plums that my husband had to put braces under the heavy limbs to keep them from breaking...........That was a "bumber" crop.............. Jelly is so easy to make; just follow the directions in the Sure Jell box.     

Eventhough this is a very pretty little plum tree, it does not grow as fast or have as many plums as the one with the white blooms.  The plums on this tree are more tart and great to mix with the plums from the other trees when making jelly.

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.