Monday, December 1, 2014

Remnants

It's that in-between time.

My calendar spells out D-E-C-E-M-B-E-R across the top...
...but it's still officially fall—that is until the twenty-first day arrives.
~
Somedays it feels like winter, other days like spring.


If you look through the woods, mostly brown now,
you can still see a green vine here and there...
...refusing to give up the ghost.
~
Yes, it's that in-between time of the year.
The glorious colors of autumn are all but gone...
...yet a few brittle leaves of brown and gold still hang on for dear life...
...dancing around on their skinny branches as the winds of late fall blow.


THE LAST LEAF
~ by Henry Behn

A few leaves stay for a while on the trees
After their color begins to turn,
And no other leaves seem as gold as these
Not even the ones our bonfires burn
With golden flames in piles on the ground.
A few leaves stay so long that I found
The one last leaf on a tree in the snow,
And when a galloping wind came round
The edge of our house and started to blow
Snow dust to sparkles floating free.
When the wind ran away, almost with me,
And sunshine settled quiet and cold.
There, like a bird, still on the tree
Was that lonesome leaf, no longer gold
But curly and brown and dry and old.
 


So, coming back into the house after my little trek into the woods,
I couldn't help but notice how many of the gazillions of fallen leaves had blown up onto the deck. 
My poor little ol' broom has surely been getting a workout. 
~
Once a deep red and brilliant orange, these oak leaves have become a part of the remnant...
...no longer the beauties that they once were, but beautiful still, on a whole other level.


It won't be long now...but then again, this is North Carolina, after all.
It is sixty-five degrees today and tomorrow's high is going to be forty-two.
And so it goes....
~
And speaking of remnants...
...are you enjoying your Thanksgiving leftovers as much as I am?? 


35 comments:

  1. these are just beautiful. love the light and peaceful feeling to them. :)

    yes, we were at 80 here in ne texas yesterday and 76 the day before, but today we're dropping to freezing. :)

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  2. Oh you do have some color left! Very pretty.

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  3. The comment box froze so I couldn't keep on when I wanted to say that a house without pie is very depressing. LOL! (Our leftovers are all gone except for the turkey saved in the freezer for soup later this week.

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  4. First of all, I like your header with the pretty wreath! I'm always a little scared to put in a new header in case my whole blog crashes. I know. Anyway, the broom and leaves makes a great photo. How I'll be longing for some of your North Carolina weather in January. Please be ready to ship it. :-)

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  5. Oh, about the leftovers: Thanksgiving was at our daughter's home so no leftovers, another thing for which I am thankful! :-)

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  6. Beautiful photos Debby. We had a foot of snow last week and today it almost all melted in the mild temperatures. Tomorrow back into the deep freeze again. It sure is up and down weather. Have a wonderful week.

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  7. Very pretty photos and nice poem. Today in GA was 67 degrees. Many neighbors were taking the opportunity to put up outdoor Christmas decorations.

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  8. Enjoyed the photos--especially how the light plays with the vine in the first one. The poem was very thought-provoking. So many things come and go in life, and in some things I want to be like that leaf, the last one to give up.

    Thanksgiving leftovers are delicious, aren't they? We've been enjoying turkey pot pies!

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  9. I love turkey leftovers and we're just about finished with ours. (we had a turkey breast done on the grill) It was warm here today and I enjoyed decorating with the ceiling fan going! heehee! Hugs!

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  10. PS I LOVE your new banner! I just made a new one to put on tonight and it needed a little something so I added snowflakes at the bottom. I didn't get the same effect you did though....but I think I better leave it alone before I ruin it and make it 'worser'! haha! Sweet hugs, Diane

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  11. There truly is beauty even in the fallen leaves.

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  12. How lovely, Debby. You have such a way of finding beauty, and then capturing it in your words and photos as you share with all of us. Thank you for your always-uplifting "look" at the world.

    Leftovers? None left, and I am stuffed full of stuffing (my favorite T-giving side dish!)

    GOD BLESS!

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  13. I agree with what you say about the leaves still being beautiful, even as they fade. I had never read that poem before...I like it.
    We polished off the Thanksgiving leftovers tonight at dinner, with turkey pot pie and all the little accompanying morsels from the refrigerator. I don't get tired of turkey!



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  14. Well...I was enjoying our leftovers, but I'm over them. :-) Tomorrow I plan on making a pot of beans using the none from our delicious spiral ham. I love beans!!! Though my husband does not. I will share them with my father.
    Your post was a joy to read, Debby.
    I was reading a poem about Christmas and it said that Christmas includes snow. Well I couldn't help but think of those such as yourself who live in an area where snow is...scarce.
    One tends to forget that not everyone has the beautiful snow and cold weather.
    Sweet blessings my friend.
    Joy! Debbie

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  15. Oops! I'm using my "bone" not none.
    Spell check! :-)

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  16. You just managed to write a blog post that describes exactly how I feel right now. I feel like an autumn leaf. I really liked this post. .

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  17. Pretty Christmas header, Debby...:)
    I am S.I.C.K. of Thanksgiving leftovers...we did Taco Bell tacos for lunch yesterday and scrambled, cheesy eggs, sausage and toast for our dinner last night. :)
    Same weather here..cold one day, warm the next...but I am hoping NO SNOW for Christmas..would rather have just cold. :)

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  18. Hi Debby Ray! Your post is simply lovely, my friend. You are right, Winter is still 19 days away. Sometimes it's easy to forget that it's still Fall since there is snow here in the mountains :)

    Mmmm... Thanksgiving leftovers. I just finished off the pie and thoroughly enjoyed it. Hugs to you, dear one!

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  19. Yes, esp. pie for breakfast with a nice strong cup of coffee! We've had several snowfalls, but there are still leaves clinging to the trees.
    I really love your new header. Beautiful!

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  20. Beautiful images from your walk in the woods. Yes the weather is crazy here and today is not as cold as they predicted. But at least not 70!

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  21. Hi Debby! I kept thinking about that word 'remnant'. Like we are the 'faithful remnant' of the tribe of Israel. I am a wee bit jealous of your weather my friend. The high today will be 34 here, but at least the sun is out.
    My brother did supply us with some left-overs, but I had family staying at my house, so they are a distant memory. That's okay, better they eat it than I do. I'm trying very hard to get into better shape. I think Christmas is going to be a test of my resolve!
    Have a wonderful Tuesday :)
    Ceil

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  22. I love your header! and I love leftovers....I'm making soup with the remainder of the turkey today. And that last piece of pumpkin pie has my name on it. lol! Think I'll have it for a my late lunch.

    I love your photos. We still have a few brown leaves left, too. A maple tree in the back is always the last one to shed its leaves.

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  23. A lovely poem about autumn leaves, I enjoyed it. It is supposed to be summer here but very cold - only 9 degs Celsius on the first day of summer, slightly warmer today. Hopefully it will be a sunny day for Christmas, it's at our place this year :)

    Diana

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  24. I've been thinking about that in-between season thing. Yelp, that's my life right now. Think a little and that thought will become a story.

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  25. I love getting a warm day every now and then this time of year. (I'll take them whenever I can get them!) I made the dressing and took it with us, so I left some here to enjoy upon return from our daughter's, where we spent Thanksgiving. With eleven of us, there weren't a lot of leftovers. I will have to make some pumpkin pie to go with it, though. :) LOVE your header.

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  26. Leaves Galore! We love trees and have many... our neighbor doesn't have ANY trees.. his son was in our yard, bagging our leaves,....I don't even know what to say to that... uhm... I'm sorry our trees are losing their leaves?? Anyways, it's going to be 70 here today in our NC neck of the woods. Hope you're having a great week friend!

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  27. Hi Debby! Such pretty snaps of leaves. We certainly had lots of them. When we got our snow, it looked very funny to see the leaves falling on it! Thanks always for popping in to see me.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  28. Oh, I meant to tell you - I love your pretty header!
    Keep on being a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  29. It is a in between kind of time…Some days Mother Nature decides we should feel the cold brisk air, other days there warm (almost hot) sun on my shoulders.

    Happy almost winter.

    Velva

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  30. Still have leaves all over the place here too, from my neighbor's tree.

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Thank you for stopping by today! Your sweet comments are such an encouragement to me.