A Few Little Gifts . . .

Early dogwood blooms - Spring 2009

Hello!  Welcome to Camellia Cottage!  It is a dark and dreary morning here in northern Georgia, raining now, but snow expected later in the day.  And I was headed down that old 'dreary' mood that usually accompanies such days, and then I caught myself and started thinking about little gifts that surround me right now!  Let me share a few with you . . .

• Rain that we get at this time of year is essential for this summer's crops, especially things like apples and peaches, and I love me some apples and peaches!  Oh, and blueberries!  See below!
• Yes, there is snow expected to pass through today, but they say it will go through quickly, and the roads and ground are just warm enough that it won't stick around.  So I will hopefully get to watch the snowfall without the messy problems!

Early spring violets - Spring 2009
• Birds.  My deck is covered with birds!  Doves, Carolina wrens, sparrows of various types, cardinals, towhees, titmice, nuthatches, even a big old red bellied woodpecker terrorizing the smaller birds on the feeder.  And finches!  Goldfinches and House finches fighting over the little thistle feeder with two perches.  Birds on my feeders make me very happy!
• Peace.  My 'girls' haven't found it necessary to come out of their burrowed blankets yet.  Somehow these little doggies instinctively know when it's raining outside, and it is darker than usual for this time of day, so they weren't ready to get up yet when I went to the kitchen to get my wakeup glass of juice.  Hallelujah!  Because when it's raining I have to force them outside and down the steps to the yard, and force them (by my presence and urging) to go out and do their thing before I will let them come back in.  And it's chilly out there!  So I get a little break, but they will be in there whining to be let out soon enough.
• Cobbler.  I decided this morning while laying in bed and watching the news, waiting for the weather to come on, that today I will make a blueberry cobbler from a bag of the blueberries in the freezer.  These blueberries are from my mama's bush - she keeps me in plenty of frozen blueberries!  Would you like my recipe for easy blueberry cobbler?  Hmmm, maybe!  I'll see if I can get some pics made and share it tomorrow for Tasty Thursday - since I don't have anything else planned anyway!

White azaleas - Spring 2009
• Enough.  Things are kind of tough around here financially right now.  But we are working on the situation and taking steps to make things better, and we can see a tiny pinhole of light at the end of the tunnel.  But we have enough, and right now . . . enough is PLENTY!
• Each Other.  In April, my sweet hubby and I will celebrate the 27th anniversary of the day we met.  TWENTY SEVEN YEARS!!!  And I knew he was special then, but he proves to me how special he is every single day!  He works so hard to make ends meet and make sure we have what we need.  And he is my very best friend!  I don't know what I would do without him, and am so thankful to God that HE knew we needed to be together and He worked it out so we would meet.  Having this wonderful man's love and friendship in my life are such a huge gift!!!
• Spring.  It is just around the corner!  Okay, so maybe it's not RIGHT around the corner, but it will be here, one day!

Honey Perfume Floribunda Rose - Spring, 2009

And there are many more.  Please tell me . . . "What are some of your little gifts today???"

Double Impatiens Blooms - Spring, 2009

Be joyful . . . always!  Becky

 Daddy Cardinal feeding baby - Spring, 2009