On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
We enjoyed a beautiful spring here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The weather was a perfect mix of coolish evenings with daytime highs in the 60s and 70s. On my husbands good days we lazed on our porch, drinking coffee, watching the birds at the feeders and talking about nothing.
Our daughter who lives in Florida drove up last Wednesday to spend a week with us. She brought our grand dog Ollie with her.
The days flew by and before we knew it Monday was here, she planned to leave on Tuesday and we hadn’t gone on a single nature drive or had a picnic. That simply would not do.
In May we purchased a Georgia State Park pass so that we could explore closer to home than the GSMP. We decided on an impromptu drive to the Tallulah Gorge State Park complete with a picnic.
I have a very nice picnic cloth but is is rather large and bulky. I wanted quick and compact. I keep several Dollar store plastic table clothes in my picnic supply bag. I snagged one.
Instead of packing a large picnic bag, I chose the small, plastic bag I use to carry snacks and tucked the cloth into it.
Lastly, I put together individual plastic containers filled with meats and cheese and put them into a small cooler. We always have our water bottles with us. And we were out the door!!
At the park, we were surprised how many people were at the visitor center. The cool spring weather had deserted us and the day was a warm 82 degrees. This park has multiple waterfalls that can be reached by a 2 mile loop hike. Sounds easy, right? Except those two miles include around 2,000 stairs.
My husband and I ventured to the first waterfall before the stairs began. At the stairs, signs were posted warning that people who are not in good physical condition should not proceed. We didn’t go any further but our daughter did.
After our picnic we decided to drive further south to revisit Toccoa Falls, located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College. I think the last time we were there was in the 1980s. It was a very short walk from the Welcome center.
There is something about spending time in nature, that seems to reset one’s soul. Maybe it has to do with how immense nature and mountains are or the mark of our Father God imprinted on it.
Our daughter decided to stay an extra day. It was a girl’s day, we watched Hallmark movies, ate ice cream and I am not sure if we had supper.
After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience. Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites, Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix
In addition to blogging, I’m a general “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books
My 2023 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.
Old Things R New 
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