It’s Blackberry Winter

Happy Wednesday friends. It is cool here. Only about 50 degrees F right now and it is 7:00 PM. It is supposed to be 36 Degrees F in the morning at sunrise. Do you know what this means? It can only be Blackberry winter here in the south. You have probably heard me mention Redbud Winter and Dogwood Winter but those are not the only winters we have in the spring in the south. There are actually five little winters in Tennessee and they all take place in the spring. Let me explain.

After the weather starts to turn warm in early March, and some of our days can get really warm, we always have a few cold snaps. They almost always fall at the same time give or take a day or two. Farmers have used their belief in the “winters” to know when to plant crops. These little bits of cold weather are sometimes a shock to your system. Just when you think you have packed away all of those sweatshirts and sweaters and things, you wake up and it is 36 Degrees!!!! Frosts and freezes can occur which can damage or kill tender vegetation that’s already started blooming. So here are the five winters in the order in which they arrive.

Redbud Winter: This usually happens around late March or Early April when the Redbuds bloom. This one isn’t such a shock to the system because winter is still in the rearview mirror and we know it is awhile before true warm weather arrives.

Redbud blooms. They are only red when they first bud out then they turn purple.

Now the Redbuds look purple.

Dogwood Winter: This happens around mid to late April when the Dogwood trees are blooming. And well, it is just such a beautiful time that I think we barely realize that it has gotten a little colder. The Dogwood trees are flowering and the air is soft and it is just a nice sweet time.

Dogwood, my mama’s favorite.

Locust Winter: This happens in Early May when the Locust trees are blooming. I have to say this is one winter I haven’t ever really noticed that much. I remember thinking in Early May about a week ago that it got really cool for a couple of days and I was thinking is it Blackberry Winter? But I knew the blackberries hadn’t started to bloom. So I guess it was Locust Winter. I will pay more attention next year.

Blooms from a Locust tree

Blackberry Winter: This is what we are experiencing right now!!! It usually happens early to mid May. I know that almost every Mother’s Day Sunday it is cool and everyone attributes it to Blackberry Winter. Sure enough the blackberries are flowering in full force. But flowering is the key word. We won’t actually have blackberries until mid summer. They are only starting to bloom now.

Flowering Blackberries, they will not produce fruit until mid summer.

Britches Winter/ Whippoorwill Winter: This one is the last winter that we have in the south. It usually happens in late May. The way I know we are getting close to Whippoorwill Winter is the Whippoorwill start calling like crazy. This is usually at dusk, just after dark or early in the morning just before daylight. I love to hear the sound. There is a lot of folklore that surrounds a Whippoorwill call such as, does it foretell death, marriage or woe? Can your aching back be cured by its call? All I know is I love to hear the sound. The reason it is also called Britches Winter or Woolen/Britches winter is that it happens just when you think you have put your long underwear up for the winter and all of a sudden it is cold for a few days and you need it again. As I said I have always called it Whippoorwill Winter. And I love to hear the song.

Click this picture to listen to the song of the Whippoorwill!!!

So there you have it. The five “winters” in Tennessee. I hope you have enjoyed learning a little about them.

I added a category to my blog posts called Southern Secrets. I hope you enjoy those posts.

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!!

Work And Life-How Do You Balance?

Well it is Sunday and May!!! how can we be that far into the year already?

I am back at work full time. Last week was my first week back every day all day and let me tell you it sort of kicked by butt!! We are still not open to the public but we have a lot to do to get ready for opening. Looking at the bright side, and I do try to do that every chance I get, it is a luxury to be able to work on our gift shops and paint and clean without our guests in the middle of everything. It does make it easier to get things done in a more orderly fashion.

For three weeks I worked mostly from home and only went in to work a couple of times a week for a few hours. I loved not having to get out of the house at a certain time every day, not having to worry about what I would wear to work, when I would do laundry, etc. I am very fortunate that my job allowed me to do that. There are so many people without a job and having to rely on unemployment benefits to get them through this tough time.

Last Monday I put on real work clothes, packed my lunch, loaded my bag with my laptop, grabbed my favorite to go coffee mug full of coffee and headed out. Scruffy looked at me like I was leaving him forever. And let me say right now if he was ever attached to me before it’s even worse now. He will not let me out of his sight once I get home. I’m thinking of getting one of those Moby baby carriers and strapping him onto me. It would make things easier and keep me from tripping over him every step I take.

It felt really good being out and getting to see a few of my co-workers. I am a people person and I like being out and about and around people. But I have to admit those weeks of quiet and solitude were actually really nice too. I didn’t like the reason we had to stay in but I did enjoy the down time.

During my three week “sabbatical” I noticed that my stress level had gone down so much. I was nicer, laughed more, had more energy. I was talking to my niece on the phone and we were laughing and talking about a million different things and she said “Wow quarantine really agrees with you”. I guess there is a lot to be said and read into that statement.

I promised myself right then that I would not let stress get to me to the point that it made me not me. There has to be a work life balance and I have never been good at getting to that point. I think three weeks of taking it easy made me realize just how much I need that balance.

Over the weekend I took it easy and watched some things on TV I had been waiting to see. One was, My Darling Vivian, a documentary about Vivian Liberto, the first wife of Johnny Cash. It is on Amazon Prime and I highly recommend it. It is quite a story told by their four daughters, She also wrote a book called I Walked The Line, My Life With Johnny Cash. As soon as I finished the show I ordered the book. I can’t wait to read it. Scruffy and I took a lot of walks, and I did a little cooking and reading and knitting and just enjoyed my time at home. For me I think this is the best way to recharge and regenerate for my work week. Work is a huge part of my life but I must not make it all of my life. See? there’s that balance thing again.

The weather today was just perfect

The Rhododendron are blooming!!!!

Scruffy in full running mode!!

Kitty Kitty loves to lay in the patches of sun coming in. She also loves my spinning wheel. She thinks it’s a big toy.

Molly always goes on our walks with us. She sometimes gets tired and goes back to the house before we do. She’s an old lady so that is fine.

So I have decided that when the world gets in the way. I will find my quiet spot and my loved ones and enjoy my own little world. How about you? What do you do to balance your work and your life?

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!!

My Favorite Quotes From Downton Abbey

Good morning friends. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I had been binge watching Downton Abbey. I finally finished the last episode last night. If you have seen Downton you know I felt a great let down when it was over. I guess the way you are with any series that you watch. I felt like I got to know all of the characters personally. I cried like a big baby when the first main cast member died. I won’t say who it was in case you haven’t watched yet. I also discovered when someone on the show would say “It’s not my secret to tell” that secret was about to be told. Ha!!

Downton Abbey is an award winning show. It covers a time period between 1912 and 1926. The Crawley family and their servants are the people who make up the show. It is warm and funny and you will fall in love with the entire cast. Julian Fellowes is the creator, writer and was the executive producer of Downton which ran from 2010-2015. Quite a writer and producer I would say.
Photo of Highclere Castle by CNT Traveler

One thing I loved about the show was all the quirky quotes that they came up with. After the first couple of ones I started to grab my phone and put them in my notes so that I could remember them. Maybe you have heard some of these but I found them so funny and true and definitely words of wisdom. I hope you enjoy them too.

“Get back in the knife box Ms. sharp”
” Why do you have to act like a big girl’s blouse”
“Well what did she expect? carrying on with a married man like she lives in a tree”
“Sympathy butters no parsnips”
“A problem shared is a problem solved”
” I guess we only know what we are capable of when we test our limits”
“Does it ever get cold on the moral high ground”
“Sometimes it’s good to rule by fear”
“We’re free we’re safe and I have you”
“There will be a bit of a nine days wonder for sure”
“I thought you would be wreathed in smiles but you’re still cast down”
“We all have to rub along together”
“All that’s needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing”
“This has brought us to within shouting distance of our greatest happiness”
” Well if that just doesn’t take the biscuit”
“Golly gumdrops what a turn up”
” It isn’t my secret to tell”
” If you expect a lot you get a lot”
“The course of true love never did run smooth”
” People don’t want mistakes they just happen”

I hope you enjoyed the quotes. You can watch the entire series for free if you have Amazon prime. I haven’t seen the movie but I hope to watch that this weekend. I hope your week is going well.

Always remember

Love your day your way

Has Quarantine Changed You?

Good Monday morning!! The sun is shining today and the daisies are blooming!!!! It has been cold and cloudy around here for a few days. I love rainy days and the cold doesn’t bother me either. We have had many many warm sunny days lately so the occasional cool cloudy day is somewhat welcomed.

I read a post on Facebook yesterday, someone asked how being quarantined and practicing social distancing etc has changed you. Or how will you be different when things go back to somewhat normal.

Do you think you have changed? How could being in this situation not change anyone in one way or another right?

I returned to work last week. Our business is still not open to the public. Our Governor does not believe that it is safe for tourism businesses to open up yet even at limited capacity. I still have work I can do on the property and we will be bringing a few people back this week for cleaning and maintenance. Maintaining a distance between us will not be difficult since it is a very large space.

So how has this time in quarantine changed you or has it at all? for me this is what I have learned and how I think I will be different.

Spending time with family and friends: I won’t take for granted the time I spend with family and friends. I miss them so much. I usually see my sisters at least once a week. I haven’t seen them now in about six weeks. I still talk to them on the phone but I just need to see them and spend time with them. My mother in law has been quarantined in the assisted living center and we probably won’t be able to see her for quite awhile yet.

Waste: I have found ways to use everything I have instead of running to the store every day. You know that when you run into the store for one item you almost always find something else you need. My husband and I haven’t eaten fast food or take out in weeks we are using the food in our pantry. It has become a challenge to try and use what we have. Instead of buying yarn or anything for projects I dig into my closet and use what I have. I dug out books and magazines and read them and then put them in the donation pile. I got into my closet and found some things I haven’t worn in awhile. I take my lunch to work every day. Do you ever think about the amount of money you spend eating out? It’s crazy!!! I used to eat lunch out almost everyday at work. This can be quite costly. So I have cut down on waste and am saving money at the same time.

Being appreciative of what I have: I think I have realized more during this time how valuable our time on earth here really is. And that we should appreciate every day that we have and that our basic needs are met. Can you imagine what it would be like to be homeless and hungry and facing this pandemic.

“Remember, remember
this is now,
and now,
and now.
Live it, feel it, cling to it.
I want to become
acutely aware
of all I’ve taken
for granted.”