Merry Christmas Wishes From Land in Tennessee.....

- Merry Christmas from the Cumberland Plateau of southeast Tennesseee....seasonably cool and cloudy today...but Santa snow may be on the way......Since records started being kept in the 1880s, there is only a 7% chance of a white Christmas in our part of Tennessee. The last was 1993, according to the archives. Several inches fell in much of Tennessee on Christmas of 1969...but a lot of crazy events occurred in '69. Remember Manson, first man on the moon, Chappaquiddick, Woodstock.....? This year we have a chance!

- A few Christmas wishes set to the photos in this post.....

1) May we all enjoy, and help someone else enjoy, the blessings of the season...like the seemingly content Northern Cardinal in the bottom photo and the Downy Woodpecker in the next photo.....

2) May we all offer love to those who may not agree with our ideas and values....and may we all adjust as necessary in order to preserve, survive and achieve. Pictured is the notorious Bluejay (on the ground with an acorn in the mouth), a species that, due to their aggressive and sometimes sinister behavior, most all songbirds choose to avoid whenever possible.

3) May we all have a firm foundation beneath our feet, and purpose in our step. Pictured is a Canada Goose, walking on rather thin ice on Lake George, that is not at all sure of the foundation beneath its webbed feet.

4) May events encourage us and allow us to travel hopefully. Pictured is a buck rub (taken yesterday) on an Eastern Red Cedar, near the mouth of Stone Creek. This rub is on a large tree, with comparison to a human leg provided. This evidence provided hope and assurance to me that large male deer, though seldom seen, can and do survive. Does and small bucks we see quite often, but the 'grandaddy bucks'.....rarely.

5) May we all be so intent on being productive in our lives that we do not focus on the behaviors of others. This Hairy Woodpecker (very similar to the Downy Woodpecker, but larger), is so focused on my suet cake, it seemed to be unaware of the photographer (me) behind a bush only a few feet away.

Best Wishes from all of us at Tennessee Land and Nature Properties.