Dear Reader:

The last two nights…Halloween and All Saint’s night…I have slept so soundly. It was 48 degrees when ‘Summerville’ woke up yesterday. Thursday night, as the cold front arrived following the record-breaking 86 degrees Halloween…lightning, thunder, and pouring rain ensued. The perfect ingredients to sleep by.

So for two days I have awakened with energy to spare…taking down Halloween ghosts, ghouls, and witches under the bluest blue sunny skies.

*(We have waited close to six months for this weather, 1/2 a year for the humidity to leave or at least lower…and it has just made life even sweeter than ever. Big breath…I am so glad to be alive to enjoy these days! The best…the very best!

Yesterday I shared with you my ‘de-booing’ chores and today I watched the sasanqua camellias begin blooming into bright specks of different shades of pink…while the confederate rose is blooming pure white and the rose bush deep rose-red. The scent of all the different flowers and bushes is beyond comparison…so delicious!

I was outside just about the entire day yesterday…puttering in the yard and garden…walking around Miler and Tea Farm…it was just too spectacular a day to stay inside. I just felt…well..”joyful” all day!!!

The red petunias are  amazing…blooming for six months straight…they are like a “little little big red” in past years.

Added some fall colors to the table centerpiece…with a miniature birdhouse ‘Chapel of Hope!’ (Thanks Honey…so adorable!)

Love this house over in Tea Farm…symbolic of fall at its best…with perimeters of mums!

Kate Wolf-Jenson’s latest post talked about ‘cultivating gratitude‘…perfect thought for November. There are so many benefits for giving to others.. that encircle back around to us in this endeavor. Jenson wrote:

***Welcome to November, the Thanksgiving month. Please take advantage of the season to begin or renew a gratitude practice. There are many reasons why practicing gratitude is valuable…and beneficial!

Gratitude is good for your body. People who are higher in gratitude have lower blood pressure, better cholesterol scores, exceptional kidney function, and higher quality, longer sleep.

Gratitude is good for your mind. People practicing gratitude report feeling more alert, alive, and awake. They experience more joy.

Gratitude is good for your spirit. People practicing gratitude feel more supported and affirmed by others. They practice generosity and compassion. They feel less lonely and isolated.

Gratitude is good for your soul. It connects you to the Source of all creation –people, creatures, and all living things. You realize your place in the web of life.

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So until tomorrow…Wake up and smile! You are alive!

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”   Winston Churchill

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

***Look at this adorable photo of Brooke with her “Boogie” boy (Caleb) the firefighter and little Emma Grey (the cutest bunny rabbit!)

Way to go Clemson…a beautiful fall day at Death Valley and another “Dabodacious game!”