December 8

Cones....another gift from God....

We made an amazing discovery - at least to us....

On our walks down our gravel country road we have been collecting cones lately. I had been hesitant to pick up these cones that were very skinny and long but as that was all I could find along the road on our last walk and I wanted a bunch to adorn our mantel, I collected many and lined the edges of our mantel that is above our woodstove hearth. A few days later, the cone began to open and the most beautiful cone of all has formed. The heat opened the cone up.

Now for the magical part... I picked one up to look at it more closely and out dropped the little seeds spinning beautifully down to floor (like a helicopter's blade whirling around). They are small, less than an inch long and a golden color. As you shake the cone, more come gently whirling down....

These type of cones are from the Norway Spruce.

Here is a pinecone that our daughter, Abby, decorated with pieces of wool felt in rainbow colors. Each color she glued a small piece of felt to the tip of the cone and continued up in a spiral. The result is a beautifully decorated cone and as you spin it the rainbow colors merge into one another looking from the top.

Warm wishes. Tonya