So here’s the scoop: I bought the Christmas tree from the nursery (photos on the post below) so I would not have to drive to North Carolina and cut one down at a tree farm. That gave me more time to go shopping with Cocoa and Chip, who didn’t bark (not even once) at a single stranger. Yahoooo!

One of my favorite Christmas things is antique ornaments.  And I also love . . .

acorns and anything thing to do with pine needles and fir trees. Chipley on the other paw is still obsessed with one thing—

Cows! We have places we go in the four-wheel drive that take him up close to his favorite things.

Non-verbal clues are so much fun to watch. Cocoa is saying, “I definitely don’t understand what is happening!”

Chip is saying, “Come any closer, and I’ll definitely take a bite out of you, Santa.”

And these guys are just having fun. Billingsly Garden Center on Highway 441 was a great place to pick up this year’s Christmas tree. They were fresh cut yesterday morning in North Carolina and sent down to north Georgia. Every tree on the lot was $25 whether it was 5 feet or 25 tall. I think I got caught up in the moment and over estimated the size of the living room. (smile)

This is a really cool scene  (plain and simple; I love the Nacoochee Valley), and I pass it often on the way to the mill where I buy freshly ground oats.

Cocoa Joy is thankful for her family, food, long walks in the woods, and her trainers at Dog School 101. (Actually, I’m the one who is grateful for Sandy and Xalina!)

PJ is thankful for sleep.

And Chipley is thankful for . . .

COWS!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Magically, it is winter and the trout streams are filled with fair-headed anglers.

I don’t think I could ever move back to the city—not after living here. This past Sunday I grabbed a cup of coffee, the dogs, and took a long drive along Highway 197. Suddenly, I was in a wonderful, misty place.