Recess Photography - Random Moments ~ 2016

Pumpkin Seeds

12/18/2016

"Only the knife knows what goes on in the heart of a pumpkin."
~~Simone Schwarz-Bart

The season is Christmas.

But with snow on the ground and the temperatures in the single digits, I'm dreaming of spring.
It's time to cut into my autumn beauties and harvest the seeds.

Tom has promised to set aside a pumpkin patch, and I plan to share its bounty. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and sending positive energy that these will grow and prosper on our own little farm.
~Nancy ~ 12.18.2016

Christmas Dogwood

12/17/2016

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
~~Ralph Waldo Emerson

The house is decorated for the season and all I have left to do is watch as Mother Nature decorates the countryside.
~Nancy ~ 12.17.2016

December Tree

12/15/2016

“A cold wind was blowing from the north, and it made the trees rustle like living things.”
~~George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

It was "single-digit" cold, and I just wanted to go home.
But when I saw the sky, I decided to take the country roads back to Shelby County.
I needed my "December Shot" of my 2016 tree, and I knew there would not be a better day or a more perfect December sky.
~Nancy ~ 12.15.2016

First Snow

12/13/2016

"There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself."
~~Ruth Stou

I had no idea that snow was on its way, and opening my eyes to find this white guest had appeared during the night brought joy. Today I had planned to decorate the tree we brought home yesterday, and that had to wait while I took the time to see our barn against the snowy landscape. It's been five years since I've decorated for Christmas, and this was a perfect way to finish preparing for the seaason. Thank you, Mother Nature...
~Nancy ~ 12.13.2016

Rainy Day

11/28/2016

"Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby."
~~Langston Hughes

I'm not quite ready to move from the colors of fall and the harvest.
And it's raining.
So for today, I'm putting off the Christmas decorations and taking the time to enjoy the quiet rain.
~Nancy ~ 11.28.2016

Hay Rake

11/22/2016

"The first supermarket supposedly appeared on the American landscape in 1946. That is not very long ago. Until then, where was all the food? Dear folks, the food was in homes, gardens, local fields, and forests. It was near kitchens, near tables, near bedsides. It was in the pantry, the cellar, the backyard.”
~~Joel Salatin, Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World

I love digging around in our old barn.
"Our Barn".
Now that the temperature is dropping, it's more still and the wind blows through the rafters without the sounds of the songbirds.
It contains so many lost and forgotten treasures, and I love to imagine who used this old hay rake.
I promise to keep sharing...
~Nancy ~ 11.22.2016

Silver Traditions

11/21/2016

"Food, in the end, in our own tradition, is something holy.
It's not about nutrients and calories.
It's about sharing. It's about honesty. It's about identity."
~~Louise Fresco

Only a few more days before Thanksgiving.
This one is easy.
Food, family, and traditions.
This is one of the meals that we break out the silver and linen.
Shannon used to have the job polishing the silver before our dinner.
It was something she could do to help me, and I always looked forward to her company.
Today I unpacked the silver and polished it taking the time to remember past family meals.
My parents gave me sets of this silverware each year at Christmas. Those were the days when girls received gifts that would be part of their new homes when they married. This is German silver, very much like the mid-century set that my mother owned. Today I appreciated its simplicity as polishing and cleaning it was much easier with its clean lines. It takes me back to dozens and dozens of Thanksgivings shared with family and friends.

I hope your Thanksgiving is one that will join the memories of the very best things in your lives...
~Nancy ~ 11-21-2016

Simple Joys

11/14/2016

"Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain... To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices - today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it."
~~Kevyn Aucoin

I am finally hanging a few pictures on the wall, but only those that give me joy. These were given to me by my mother and are watercolored etchings of the town in Germany where I was born. With that, I'm working hard to achieve a balance between simplicity and surrounding myself with things that I love and those belongings that make it our home...
~~Nancy ~ 11.14.2016

Country Moon

11/13/2016

“Autumn that year painted the countryside in vivid shades of scarlet, saffron and russet, and the days were clear and crisp under harvest skies.”
~~Sharon Kay Penman, Time and Chance

This was a preview of the full moon. It's still one day away, but this moon, as it waxed brightly, still lit up the countryside. My heart is filled with joy...
~Nancy ~ 11.13.2016

Wooden Chair

11/11/2016

"A house that does not have one warm, comfy chair in it is soulless."
~~May Sarton

The old barn holds lots of memories.
This property was once owned by a teacher,
and we've found several of these little chairs.
We think they may have, at one time, been in a country school.
They're small made for very young children.
It's makes me wonder who sat in this little chair and what lessons they learned...
~Nancy ~ 11.11.2016