Les and I struck out to the North Carolina Mountains today for our Christmas trees!
What a fun trip! It was about 120 miles one way. We went up above Mount Airy and turned onto NC 89 and then onto HWY 18 towards Sparta. We crossed the Eastern Continental Divide. About half way to Sparta in a valley scattered with farms and old barns the Edwards Tree Farm office sits down alongside a creek. The tree farm is surrounded by open mountain tops covered in green grass and Holstein cows compliments of (the Smith Dairy Farm). I have a puppy that lives there with Shea Smith. A black and tan out of Drover and Abilene. I heard good things about my pup from the fellow that helped me find the perfect trees.
The afternoon was grey windy and cold. Les hung out inside the interesting log office while I went with the tree finder expert in his pickup truck. What a wonderful time I had bouncing round the tree farm and hearing stories from this fellow about his Granny. How she all ways loved a white pine for her Christmas tree and popped popcorn and strung it for decoration on her tree . She also made Popcorn Balls and dipped them in hot molasses. Then her Grandchildren were allowed to eat the sweet treats each day as they counted down to Christmas.
The sky started spitting snow and I learned the term “wind snow” called that because it does not accumulate and the wind blows it all round!
It was difficult to choose the right trees. This year I have a tree for the dining room and I plan to decorate it with sheep and handmade ornaments. The tree in the living room will likely have all my pretty fancy ornaments. Every time I put my tree up I think of my Daddy. He all ways loved Christmas and the tree was very important to him. He loved finding one chopping it down and then seeing it all decorated and pretty.
For many years my Grandma Delk and I would go to the woods and find a perfect tree (usually a cedar) latter as cedars became hard to find on our farm…she and I would travel to the North Carolina mountains for a tree. Precious memories are a wonderful gift to have at Christmas time under our tree.
