Friday Foto Friends: December Trees and Memories

Welcome to Friday Foto Friends!! I hope you have all been having a wonderful week, preparing for Christmas in this lovely Advent season.

We received our first Christmas cards in the mail today...and this one I had to share with you...If I were to design a Christmas card from my neck of the woods, this would have to be it...

Those of you who know me can understand why...

We haven't been seeing much of our wildlife here lately...our deer family seems to be in hiding, probably because it's hunting season.  So I hope they have found a safe place to hide until the hunters go away. And the bears also seem to be settling down for a little nap somewhere. They don't officially hibernate here in Florida, but they do "rest" for a short time and start getting more active again around February.

Are you sending out Christmas cards this year?  I always write a Christmas letter and send it to folks we don't hear from too often throughout the year, especially those who are not on social media.  I figure those who are my Facebook/blogging friends already know everything there is to know about our happenings throughout the year, so in an effort to keep our expenses down (postage, printing) I have reduced the number of letters/cards that are sent out considerably.  But I do love to get cards....and I find that I usually send cards to people who send us cards.  I hate to let the tradition die out altogether.

Here are a few pictures from in and around our house and other places from this past week.  I find that I am waxing nostalgic a bit, knowing that this will most likely be our last Christmas in this house. So I find myself taking pictures of things (and trees!) that I enjoy here that I want to remember.  Here are just a few from this week:

Looking at our little grapevine Christmas tree that is on the front porch...looking out through the windows next to the front door...

And here is "Baby Elva", dressed up in her Christmas outfit,  sitting beside her little Christmas tree in the Dining Room.

Closer view of "Baby Elva", holding her "Boo Bear"

Another little Christmas tree in our kitchen...

Morning Tea Time...

Another view of the little tree and my rocking chair...

I like to sit here and sip tea and read some of the lovely books about tea time while I watch supper cooking on the stove! It is also a nice place for a friend to sit and visit with me in the kitchen. Nanny used to sit here a lot. I do miss her presence here.

My "Tea Time" calendar for December... ( I do save these calendars from year to year. They are too pretty to throw away. They have recipes and history of the teapots, etc. included.) 

(Now you may understand why I have a difficult time "downsizing"...)

Another of my favorite calendars...would just love to be on that wagon bringing in the Christmas tree...we did that when we lived up north.  I loved tromping through the snow looking for the perfect tree.  Toes and noses were numb by the time we found that "perfect tree". 

This year we went back to using our artificial tree, after two years of going and cutting a "Florida Cracker Tree" from the forest... (click on the link for more about that from last year)

And click HERE for the year before that....,  and HERE for the history of the Florida Cracker Tree

With the prospect of moving I really didn't want to go to all the trouble of searching for and cutting and cleaning up after a live tree.

And speaking of trees, This little maple tree is showing off its colors finally. We planted this little tree about 4 years ago, in memory of our son Matthew.  I hate to leave it here when we move, but I'd feel even worse to dig it up and have it die when we try to transplant it. We will just plant something new in memory of our son at our new house, when the time comes. We can always come back and check on its progress in the future.

This is another view of the maple tree, seen from the Bear Crossing sign that our son "Ben's Wood Signs" created after we discovered that our yard is most definitely a "Bear Crossing" zone. I guess we will probably leave that here as well.  Don't think we'll need it in the area where we hope to be moving...but if we do discover any bears, "Ben's Wood Signs" will just have to make me a new one!!

Looking out across our front yard at the close of the day as the sun was going down, shining its brilliant rays through the trees...this picture doesn't do it justice...

This one may give you a better idea of what I was seeing.  It was beautiful...

That is probably a good place to close for the day at the end of another beautiful day....(written on Thursday evening)

Here are some verses from my Bible reading that I found especially comforting today:

"I called on the Lord in distress;

The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.

The Lord is on my side;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?"

Psalm 118:5-6

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 

We have blessed you from the house of the Lord.

God is the Lord,

And He has given us light..."

Psalm 118:26-27a.

Isaiah 26:3-4

"You will keep him in perfect peace,

whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Trust in the Lord forever,

For in YAH,  the Lord, is everlasting strength."

If you are struggling with any distress or fears during this busy and somewhat stressful season of the year, lean on the Lord...call on Him in your distress...and He will hear your cries...and He will answer you and give you peace...and light...and everlasting strength. He has promised...and I believe His Word.  Have a blessed week, dear friends.

Now, let us travel over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and see what our other Friday Foto Friends are posting!!