Okay, I had to do this! Do you remember when it was this cold last winter? All of us . . . every last one of us was wishing, hoping, and praying for summer temperatures. Well, guess what? We got exactly what we prayed for and so much more. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be in the high 90′s again in northeast Georgia. We have barely dipped down into the ’80′s this summer. I can tell you that, right now, this scene really freaks me out. (smile)

This past Saturday morning I took the dogs for a ride in the mountains and we found a field where these flowers were being raised. The lady who owns it told me that the only things that would grow there were Sunflowers, Zinnias (like the ones in this photo), and corn! The flowers were rows deep and so beautiful.

These Zinnias will bloom from mid-summer to frost.

The falls at Warwoman Dell lies at the end of a short loop trail in a small gorge. The dell (or valley) is beautiful and has a lot to offer. The forest is fairly dense and the hardwoods tower overhead. The waterfalls, which is located on a major geological fault that runs through northeast Georgia, bears the same name as the dell. In the 1770′s America’s first botanist, William Bartram, explored this area. He also documented native plants, the climate of the area, the geology and the culture of the people of this period.

Cocoa couldn’t wait to get into the spring. The area got its name from a Cherokee Indian woman who was named Warwoman. History markers at the picnic shelter tell visitors that “in the early 1800′s the Cherokee would gather in this valley in the spring for the new moon ceremony. Legend says an old Cherokee prophetess, known as the Warwoman, would venture out of the mountains to forecast the tribe’s future.”

In the late 1800′s and early 1900′s unmanaged logging took a toil on this area. In the 1930′s the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began restoring the land by replanting trees and vegetation to control soil erosion. This group was also responsible for the construction of picnic shelters, fish holding tanks, latrines, and stonework drains in the dell. Cocoa gives this hike three paws. It was a shorter walk than what she really enjoys but the area is gorgeous and the spring that flows into a fresh mountain stream is worth a thirsty gulp.

This morning Chip told me that he did not think he could live without peanut butter.

In fact, he might could go without cows but he could give up his peanut butter!

Cocoa, who never gets her paws dirty, could live without cows, too. But . . .

could not make it through the day without her morning taste of Jiff.

I love the fact that my day lilies are blooming outside my door, but I hate the fact that they only last a day! These blooms still had rain drops on them that were left over from the night before.