A Great Saturday Morning

It all started with stepping out the door into the beautiful, frigid fall morning to go to the Matthews Farmers Market. I saw our maple tree so brightly red in the rising sun that I had to take a picture.

Oops! The steam from my breath ruined the picture! 

Most of its leaves are on the ground already.

The farmer's market was lovely, as always. The main reason we go to this market is the eggs. These eggs have been laid by hens that are truly free to run wherever they want, yet have the protection of their human caretakers in the way of predator prevention, food supply, and warm dry quarters. We had to smile when the owner's young daughter related a story of the hens running under a trailer every time their horse runs by.

We bought some mini cucumbers from this vendor.

This is one of my favorite farms. Family owned, family run. See next pic.

Not only is her produce always super delicious, it's freshly picked that morning or the evening prior to market. She is actually a graduate of UGA and is an administrator at UNCC, and very nice to chat with. From her we bought some amazing lettuce and a new item: Russian Red Kale. I'll let you know how it is.

We bought some fresh collard greens and some sweet potatoes from this guy. I overheard someone call him 'professor' - are all small farmers university folks during the day? We're trying to eat more sweet potatoes for the health benefits and because their glycemic index is low... and they're yummy! (or should I say yammy?!?)

After the market we drove to Earth Fare to load up on everything else we needed that wasn't available at the farmer's market (like tofu.) When we got back home it was still just 10:00 AM - I guess that's the advantage of starting early! The weather is simply gorgeous so I took a long walk in the neighborhood. I'll put these pics in extra-large.

These lovely berries line our driveway.

Dew-covered multicolored leaves.

Pods on the left, pinks on the right.

Can you believe our roses are still blooming despite the frost?

Must not have been a hard frost.

While I was walking Tita called (I had my phone.) I told her that the sky was SO blue and the trees' colors against it were so amazing. See for yourself:

I've named these 'The Three Sisters.'

Mums.

My dad particularly loved trees. He often recited this poem to me when we were outside and came upon a lovely tree or grove of trees. When Martha and I spread his ashes we chose this poem to read as we placed our father at the base of a small tree that bordered both the pool grounds and the Fifty Fifth Street Pond, both favorite places of his. The poem mentions God twice. Our dad's Godiness Quotient was pretty low, so the fact that he knew this poem probably reflects the fact that he was required to memorize many poems in school more than his having an elevated GQ... that and the fact that he did love trees.

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree. - Joyce Kilmer

For some reason there were a lot of airplane trails today. Pretty.

As I came to the top of our driveway I was overcome with how beautiful our trees were. Throughout the walk I was listening to Henry David Thoreau's Walden. That may have had something to do with it!