Friday, November 29, 2019

Sky Watcher


Today's sky is one that I've been seeing for much of this week, the flat gray sky of November. I often dismiss these skies simply because the sun isn't shining brightly, but while I was taking photos I began to appreciate that they do have their own type of beauty. 


What you can't see in these photos is the blustery wind that was blowing at 20-30 mph. The temperatures weren't too bad, but the wind made it feel much, much colder.


If you squint you can see all the spiky little balls hanging on my neighbor's sweet gum tree. In the next month or so most of them will be on my lawn and driveway. I've thought about spray painting them gold and making a wreath, but I've never done it. I can't decide whether that would reflect the loveliness of nature or just be tacky. Thoughts? Maybe I won't know for sure until I actually do it. 


I hope your own November skies are reflecting some beauty and the last weekend of November has some rest, relaxation, and reflection in store for you.

19 comments:

  1. I'm intrigued with the idea of painting those droppings from the tree. I think you need to try it!

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  2. I agree with Carole -- you need to try it! It may be tacky, but it may be fabulous, and we need to know!

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  3. I am intrigued by the spray painting idea! Inquiring minds....

    I too love the November skies - they are every changing and so dramatic!

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  4. I think those sweet gum balls would make a beautiful wreath even without painting! (Less work, too!) My mom had nut trees and wreaths and I'm sure sweet gum balls were part of the mix in both!

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  5. Also, November skies are among my favorites... they can be dramatic and subtle at the same time. A little foreboding, sometimes mysterious.

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  6. I would suggest you wait till dark when there is NO WIND to do it. LOL. November skies are tough, but not near as tough for me as march skies! The lights on the trees and particularly to Mangers scenes and the farms that decorate make november and December joyful despite the lack of color

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    1. I've thought about making a wreath (with or without spray painting) every year for the last 20, so it might finally be time to just do it this year!

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  7. I love "naked trees" and these photos are wonderful. Thank you ever so much for sharing. Why not try a mini wreath...or at least spray paint a few balls to see how it works; maybe they'll make interesting bulbs for the tree... a google search might possibly turn up someone's "done this and ... " too. Enjoy!

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  8. I have a big sweet gum tree in the back yard, and I pay my kids to pick up the balls in the spring. They are not good for the lawn mower, so they must be collected before the first mowing. I suggest finding an enterprising child or tween who is willing to do this for you!

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  9. Ah, my November sky is not that lovely. More like iron gray with no light, no clouds. Your skies look infinitely more interesting. I googled sweet gum ball wreaths, and I was amazed! There are tons of these for sale at hefty prices, and there are sites that actually sell them. I remember making sweet gum Christmas trees when I was a kid. That was fun. Play with it, Bonny, or not, depending on your mood. I am having a lovely, restful day today, and I hope you are as well.

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  10. I think you need to experiment! We’ve had some gorgeous November sunrises and sunsets. Happy that we’ve have taken notice!

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  11. I love the subtle beauty of these November skies. If creating a wreath sounds like fun, I'd give it a whirl. You can always throw the whole thing away if you don't like it. Maybe you could find some instructions or examples on - dare I mention it - pinterest. Sometimes the joy is in the making and not the finished product.

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  12. I have a similar fascination with the trees on the trail where I walk. The changes are subtle but worth noticing.

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  13. We are down in D.C. where it was mostly cloudy today, but not too cold. We could be outside with just sweaters.

    Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  14. If the wreath is something you could save for years to come then the effort would be worthwhile. IF you think you'd enjoy making this sweet gum wreath, then the effort would be worthwhile. I had to use the google to find out about sweet gum balls and I see even Martha Stewart has made a wreath. They are quite beautiful! This is another incident when I wish I lived nearby! Wouldn't we have fun!?

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  15. I think the weather has been ultra gloomy these past days. However there is some snow this morning and for that I am grateful!!

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  16. Your November Skies are beautiful ... especially with the bare trees in the foreground. When we were kids, my mom made trees (not wreaths) with the sweet gum balls. She got styrofoam cones in varying heights, attached the balls and then spray painted the whole thing gold. I loved them then, and I'd love them now, too. They'd be perfect on my mantel with the glittered pinecones :-)

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  17. I think spray painting them and making a wreath with the gum balls would be great. (I have a tree in my yard and I almost always try to twist my ankle on them.) But keep in mind I was a biology teacher who when she found some old and very dessicated specimens (frogs, fish, starfish) took gold or silver spray paint to them and hung them from the lights in her class room. The kids thought it was fantastic for about 2 seconds until they realized they were real. The teacher in the next room over was also involved and hung them from her ceiling also. It was a great year and we didn't feel bad about trashing them after the X-mas season. (They had to be anyway, they were so dried out.)

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    1. I like natural decorations, but I'm not sure about frogs, fish, and starfish! They are certainly original and well-suited to a biology classroom!

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