Fall-Time For a Beautiful Drive

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

A view from the Cherohala Skyway

Fall. It’s finally creeping in on us here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. While some of you, two of our sons included—one in Austin and one in Tampa—are battling temps hovering in the nineties, our high today and tomorrow will be in the mid-seventies at the highest. Our lows? A nice, comfortable mid-forties to mid-fifties range. Believe me, I know. I feel your pain.

My sweet hubby pulled out our Fall décor this week and we got that placed around our home. I don’t go over the top. Simplicity is the operative word here. Besides, it’s about all I have time or energy for. One thing I’d like to do is add potted mums to our front porch. I love Fall colors and potted mums make one’s home seem so warm and inviting.

Around Every Curve--Surprise

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

One of the many nice things about living in the mountains of western North Carolina, other than our beautiful mountains and all that comes with that, is there is always something new around the next curve. Our weekend outing was a testament to that.

As an author, I have accounts on many social media sites, and I have this weekly blog. To keep my posts fresh and to have relevant photographs to accompany these posts, I like to take my own photos. An advantage to this is, I don’t have to worry about copyrighted material. And, I add my own watermark so that my work cannot be used without my permission. Honestly, I don’t think I need worry about that as I am not a professional photographer by anyone’s stretch of the imagination. But, I do okay for someone who is clueless.

God is Always Up to Something

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Man am I pooped! I need some of Lucy’s Vitameatavegamin. I don’t think it would do me any good as I am just way too pooped to pop out at parties. Those of you of a certain age will know exactly what I’m talking about.

Not this past weekend, but the one before that, my husband drove our son and all of his belongings to Texas. Now, from Tampa, that’s a long, long trip. Two full days of driving only to arrive to find that the apartment isn’t ready and son couldn’t move in. He finally got to do so this past Friday, a week later than promised. Heavy sigh.

Change-Packed with Blessings

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

Confession—I don’t like change. I like settling into my life and getting comfy—like a favorite pair of old shoes.

But life has never been meant to remain stagnant. Like the water that word brings to mind, it begins to smell. When we sit too long without changing, without growing, without adding to the world around us, we too, become stagnant.

In the past few months, years even, my life has had more changes than I felt prepared to deal with. Yes, bad sentence structure, but that is how jumbled things have been. Seemingly all out of order.

Your True Colors - Are They Masked?

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

My husband and I love to take long drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway. One of the perks of living in the gorgeous mountains of western North Carolina is getting to experience the glorious colors presented by the change of seasons. Rhododendron in the spring or red, yellow, and orange leaves announcing the arrival of fall. We are among the ranks of those who proclaim that fall is our favorite of the seasons.

On any given day of the week, you could find us out and about, seeking that perfect photo-op. Now, neither of us will ever declare ourselves to be photographers. That title belongs to others.

It's Apple Season--Have You Picked the Best One?

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

This past weekend brought with it not only Labor Day weekend, but the seventy-second annual apple festival here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. This is a lovely time of year. The local orchards are packed with people eager to pick their own apples. I can see why. The trees are literally bowing down beneath the weight of the crop this year.

The varieties are many and there is something for everyone’s taste. There are the familiar red or golden delicious, Gala, which is an early variety. There are apples from Jonagold to Mutsu. That was one with which I had absolutely no familiarity. But it is very good.At any of the orchards, they have samples so you may taste prior to heading into the orchards, basket in hand.

Change I Can Live With

by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams

I don’t like change. Period. And what is life but one change followed by another and then another. Nothing ever stays the same.

When I was in college I took a psychology class in which we were given a test to determine certain aspects of our personalities. Don’t ask me what the test was called because that was a lifetime ago. But I do remember that on one question about change, I ranked in the ninety-nine percent of those who hate change. I could have told them that without the benefit of the test.

I’ve had a lot of changes in my life in the past four or five years. Some of the changes were by choice, but some were not. My husband and I are about to experience another pretty big change in our lives. We are moving for the fourth time in less than five years. That’s a lot of moving─ especially for people our age. I’m trying to look on the bright side and adjust to the change.