Dear Reader:

I did it…oh how it saddens me to take down the Christmas decorations but I knew it was time. The top string of lights on the tree had gone out…the apple tree collapsed with bruised apples flying everywhere, two poinsettias lost their last leaves…Christmas was telling  me it was time to leave.

I don’t know if “I am back in the saddle” necessarily…but I was back in my recliner last evening with my lower back begging for more heating pads. I over-did it. But isn’t it hard to stop once you make the tough decision to put Christmas up and away for another year. I had two sides to put up plus the front porch.

Wonderful Luke came over and carried the tree out to the curb…I packed up everything neatly in its rightful bins to be ready next year.

I made a fire, turned down the lights and even with an aching back proudly looked around the room. The only thing I decided not to change was the mantle. The wreath has no red and green in it…just browns and greens and white…more of a winter wreath and the aluminum/wooden angels seem right at home on the mantle…I decided to keep it up through the winter before changing it out at spring.

With the tree gone….the rooms have returned to normalcy including the front porch.

In the garden, however…there is nothing normal about the diversity of summer, spring, and winter plants all blooming at the same time-azaleas, mums, and lovely camellias.(Even found one with a fairy on top!)

Look what was hidden under the stems on these mums…I cut back some of the stems…and behold…an unexpected glorious sight!

But isn’t that life…with change of seasons, including holiday seasons…new beauty and surprises await us…we just have to let go and open our eyes to the hidden beauty that awaits us …life is full of surprises in every season…even dead winter.

So until tomorrow…

*“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh