Hello, Kittens and Dawgs! New years mean new beginnings. I felt for a while that my Friday posts are too long to enjoy and I decided to make some temporary changes. If these changes work then I’ll make them permanent. For now, it’s experimental, so please hang with me while I make adjustments.
The first thing I’m doing is presenting Skywatch Friday on Thursday and here are today’s photo contributions. At the end of November wildfires in the Smoky Mountains did 500 million dollars worth of damage killing more than a dozen people and injuring hundreds more. These photos cannot tell the horror of this disaster but you most certainly can see the scares in its aftermath.
The above view, I’m facing the Sugarlands Valley and the below picture is to my backside. The hillsides from south of Gatlinburg going across 441 toward Cherokee you can see evidence of the wildfires. What is surprising is you can still smell the burnt wood!
I’m not an expert and know nothing about how firefighters battle a blaze but it seems they did a great job at containing the fire given the horrific conditions they were up against – drought and gusty winds.
Along with weekly sky view photographs, I’m including my Celebrate The Small Things segment.
I’m celebrating…the countless volunteers who fought the wildfires and to those serving the community. I celebrate the kindhearted people who donated time, resources, and money in help with the rebuilding process. I’m thankful to not know of such things and far away from this terror. I am more so grateful there are a lot of compassionate folks who want to help my fellow East Tennessee neighbors. I celebrate the good news that the authorities arrested two teenagers suspected of setting fire to the Smoky’s and honestly I hope the law doesn’t go easy on them. Dolly Parton held a telethon last month and raised $9M for Her People and if you’d like to contribute funds, then you can do so through her site.
One last thing I’m celebrating is what I call the perfect Christmas gift, not for me or DH but DD#2 and her husband. We knew exactly what we what to get them soon after they got home from their Maine vacation after a disappointing upset of not finding a Maine-themed, Maine-made mug. That’s when I began by asking Google and to my happy surprise found the perfect mugs from Peasley Pottery.
DD#2 and her husband went bonkers over the mugs. She photographed her mug filled with homemade hazelnut hot chocolate with whipped topping for me to use on my blog. Looks delicious, eh? Yum! The owner and potter, Nancy Peasley, was wonderful to work with. There was a hiccup with our order. She did an outstanding job in making sure things got straightened out and because she did such a fantastic job, I decided to add a clickable button in my side menu for others to find Peasley Pottery. I like helping people out who deserve it, don’t you? I will tell you this, we plan to buy some of these moose mugs for ourselves. That’s how much we like them! 
What are you celebrating?
See what others are celebrating this week and if you want to join the linky, then visit Lexa for details. Tomorrow, I invite you to join me for some social media fun and your weekly dose of laughter with Friday Sillies.
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The mountains are beautiful! Those birches look unhappy, but at least they’re standing and not burnt up. Yay for Peasley mugs.and your daughter’s happiness – I love that rustic looking moose!
Lexa, it’s surprising how far the flames climbed some trees and yet they’re still standing. I guess they are very healthy. The mountains will recover. I hope the families who lost loved ones health from the devastation.
you had a beautiful sky
Wortht sveral smiles 
Yes, we did a have a beautiful sky. The whole day was beautiful with warm temps and for it being the day after Christmas then it felt especially special. Thanks for popping over for a visit!
So sad about the fire, loss of lives and damages done to the woods and properties. Thanks to the fire-fighters for all they have done to stop the fire, etc.
Nancy, yes I agree – thanks to the firefighters for the wonderful job they did and for the prayers of many. We all prayed for relief from the drought and to extinguish the wildfires. God was faithful in supplying rain for both needs.
Wonderful Penguin humor and very creative sky shot ~ Love your header too!
Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year ~ ^_^
Those fires were horrific. Yes thank you to the people who fight the fires and deal with their aftermath.
Love the mountain view,hope the woods will recover quickly
Thomas, I’m sure the mountains will heal just fine. It’s the people and business that struggle the most that concern me. What a shame that two teens caused all this destruction! Thank you for stopping by for a visit!
So sorry to hear about all the wildfires.
Thank you, my friend. The moto is Mountain Strong. The Smoky’s, the communities, and her people will heal and rebuild. Thank you for stopping by today!
Very sad about the wildfires.
Ellen, indeed the wildfire disaster is sad and it’s a shame two teens couldn’t find better use of their time than to destroy people’s lives.
Cathy-thanks for visiting my snowy world! We live in the mountains of upper north California. We are only a few miles from Mt Shasta and can see Mt Shasta and MT Eddy from our 10.5 acres. We moved here almost 5 years ago to escape the crowded city of Portland Oregon.
Wildfires are a reality here also and every summer most of us are diligent and careful. But there are always some idiots who cause fires or actually set fires on purpose. In September of 2014 we had a helacious wildfire go through our little town of Weed and within a few hours it destroyed our library, community health center, senior nutrition center, part of our elementary school, two churches and 130 homes. Fortunately it happened during the day so no lives were lost and the fire chief was instrumental in saving our town by reacting quickly and efficiently. There were many heroes that day.
Now, a bit over two years ago homes are built or being rebuilt and the churches are under construction. The person responsible for this disaster is only serving 3 years in jail.
You can read more here if you want:
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Firefighters-make-headway-in-destructive-Weed-5758830.php
Have a great day today and everyday!
Kathe, thanks for telling me where you live. You sure do get a lot of snow! We might see a few flurries tonight but I doubt we’ll get much accumulation. I’ve seen the horrid of many of west coast wildfires televised. I can’t imagine how scary it is to face something like this. I know many years ago in southern WV my in-laws had a similar encounter but while the fires got dangerously close their home and property were spared. The fire in Weed sounds a bit like the one in the Smoky’s – fast moving! The drought was bad enough but we got some horrible gusty weather making this the worst wildfire in the parks’ history in 50 years. WOW, that’s just sad the person responsible for this fire only got 3-years! I’m not sure if the intent of the kids in the Smoky’s was on purpose or not but if they have proof that it was then they deserve a steep punishment.Unfortunately arson cases are hard to prosecute and I found out the teens are under 15. So, they may not be tried as an adult. Regardless, I hope they receive some sort of punishment because I think kids like this are heading down a lifetime of bad roads if they don’t learn their lesson. I hope the knowledge of what they did sets them on the right track but a jail time won’t hurt.
Hi, Cathy!
Happy T-G-I-Skywatch Friday-on-Thursday to you, dear friend!
It must be terrifying to get caught in a wildfire. I can’t even imagine. You snapped some dramatic pictures of affected areas. Thank you for remembering the teams of firefighters and all those who helped the stricken communities in the wake of the disaster. Careless campers who touch off blazes are bad enough, but when arsonists inflict death and destruction for their own amusement it is inexcusable. If that is what happened in this case, then I agree they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.
I love my assortment of coffee mugs and received two new ones for Christmas. I love those Maine moose mugs from Nancy Peasley Pottery!
Have a wonderful day, dear friend Cathy!
Tom, It’s a shame how little people place value on property and life. I remember being taught to never play with and the dangers associated with matches. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I knew if someone’s property gets destroyed then a person(s) might be injured or killed. I wonder if people guilty of such crimes ever stop to listen to that little voice inside that says, “Don’t do this, it’s wrong! Do you think the coddling we’ve done as a society is partly to blame leading youngsters to not think about their actions without someone to lead them or maybe it’s simply they don’t think there aren’t any consequences for whatever happens? Perhaps, all of these things apply a little or a lot. The bottom line is if it’s done on purpose then I say throw the book at them…hard! The Maine mugs are beautiful and our kiddies liked them. That’s what made it all the more special for us. Thanks for popping by, my friend!
Hi again, dear Cathy!
I just took your tour of the Inn and left a comment. Thank you very much for inviting me over to see it!
To answer your question regarding this post, I agree with you that too many children are spoiled and coddled. Some parents and teachers give kids a merit badge just for showing up, and it gives young people a sense of entitlement. Add to that the widespread practice of anonymous trolling and bullying on social media, and you have many kids who lack empathy and compassion for others. It seems like their version of The Golden Rule is “Do unto others… and split.”
Thanks, Cathy!
Tom, Sadly, kids don’t even know what The Golden Rule is these days but you’re right with their attitude on doing to others and splitting. It’s really sad! I remember when I was a kid if I got in trouble at school or with my elder, then my parents let me have it again. You better believe I understood that action and consequences went together without fail.