A December nature walk....

Earlier in the week, The Husband and I made a trip to visit Country Girl for awhile.  She and a friend had plans to go on a walk into the woods in search of honeysuckle vines to use to make baskets.  The baskets were to be used for fire starters, which they were also making with pine cones City Girl had already collected.

Of course, I left my camera at home!:-(  So, I tried to do the next best thing.  I brought home some items from that nature walk.

Small pine cones.

From the sourwood tree.

Lichen on twigs.  I thought this was cool!

Are you able to see the blooms from this wildflower?

I think I was told that this is a cone from the white pine.

A hemlock twig.

A white pine twig.

All of this was on the forest floor, so I didn't trim anything off of the trees.  There had been some recent strong wind that broke some of the smaller limbs from the trees.

There were many other things we saw on our walk, one being lots of Christmas ferns!  I had never known there were ferns that had that name!  The leaves have a shape that appears to be a stockinged foot, similar to an elf's foot.

We left to return home as the candle-melting process began.  The pine cones were to be dipped in this wax, creating a fire starter.  Plans were to make several of them to put in the honeysuckle baskets to give as gifts.  Country Girl had built a fire outside, so it was nice to be able to work around it, though the melting was taking place on a electric hot plate.

Country Man and the mission team in Honduras are having a good week.  He is scheduled to return on Friday night.

Also, NanaDiana's grandson is home from the hospital!  Thank all of you for your prayers and concern.

Remember!  This is the last day for you to comment to be entered in the giveaway!

This mini-wall calendar could be yours!

  Thank you for reading.  I really appreciate your comments.