Tag Archives: Winter Photography

blogging, Blue Ridge Mountains, breast cancer, Cancer, Cancer Journey, challenges, December, Fighting The Winter Blues, finding inspiration, Forsythia, Hardware Store Life, hope, January, Life In Wilkes, memories, Natural World, NC Mountains, photography favorites, seaonal change, seasons of life, sunrise photography, Western North Carolina, Winter Photography

Winter 2025- 2026 Photography

March 19, 2026 hardwarelifewife Leave a comment

Winter of 2025-26 has been very eventful with my official breast cancer diagnosis in early December. Several of my December days were filled with appointments, making many trips to Winston Salem. Then came January… Surgery, recovery, and radiation all during the remaining winter months.

I did find time to snap a few pictures that I loved in this unique season of my life and compiled for a Winter memory album. Photography is an outlet for not only creativity, but the beauty that comes to my mind as I go about my daily activities, essential for hope and a great force in cancer recovery. All of these captures are from right here in our beautiful home, Wilkes County.

I hope you will enjoy these pictures as much as I have in a winter season filled with challenges, hope for healing and yet grace abounded in the winter season of 2025-2026.

I personally enjoy the winter season in regard to photography, the contrast of the starkness of barren trees with the vibrant colors of sunrise. I have organized this blog so that you can witness the evolution of the winter with a glimpse into each month of the winter season.

Thanks for supporting my blog and I deeply appreciate all of your prayers.

**Hope Abounds**…December morning sunrise taken about a week after my cancer diagnosis… I now view the pink skies as a beautiful sign of HOPE.

**Happy New Year!!!** The First 2026 Sunrise

**March Storm Cloud Watch… Black and White**

March is in Bloom… The Hope of Spring

Pup Interlude…

**Our sweet little crew of pups… Cookie, Joy and Jethro (Ro)**

A new journey begins, aging, blogging, breast cancer, Cancer, change, December, End of Year Reflection, finding inspiration, hardware store, Hardware Store Life, journey in life, Life experiences, Life In Wilkes, memories, photography favorites, Resilence, seaonal change, seasons of life, southern living, Transitions in Life, Western North Carolina, winter, Winter Photography, writing process

Seasons of Change

December 22, 2025 hardwarelifewife 3 Comments

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens.” —Ecclesiastes

The four seasons… Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter are all marked a significant changes in how we interact with the Earth. Each season is uniquely beautiful and transformative. The never ending cycle of nature adjusting to each distinctive season.

Daffodils are one of the first to bloom in Spring, bringing our landscape back into full color.

When the seasons begin to change, so do the needs of our loyal shoppers… each of the four seasons can bring a small shift of seasonal sales. Spring begins the lawn and garden season. Summer shopping is marked by a large demand of pool chemicals, and lawn and garden products.

Flowers are in abundance during the Summer season

Fall hardware store shopping centers around the demands of preparing for cooler weather, our customers are looking for stove pipe, wood stove maintenance products, rakes, and more!

Winter, the cold months, our customers need kerosene heater maintenance, heating essentials, and Christmas gifts!!! Each of the four seasons keeps us busy with ongoing orders, and resets of seasonal supplies. We shift with each unique season.

Winter can bring cold temperatures and snow!

This reflection on the four unique seasons brought to mind the different “Seasons of Life”. We shift from season to season. I believe AGE is not necessarily a factor in these shifts in the different seasons of life.

I began to dwell on the changing of the seasons as we head into a new season, Winter.

Don’t we go through each of the four seasons as we age, possibly over and over again depending on the circumstances of your personal situation?? Hmmm… our lives are seasonal??? Can you imagine which season you are currently living through right now?

Spring as a living season is full of renewal, change, new growth, and planting. This season is marked with new beginnings… like purchasing a new home, getting married, falling in love again, beginning a family, a new career, the list is long!!! Feeling of hope abounds in the Spring season.

Summer is a time of warmer days, time feels endless. The phase can bring more growth opportunities, whereas, harvesting your hard work from the Spring season. Taking risks becomes easier, pushing harder outside comfort zone. Motivation is key.

Fall is a time to reflect. Reflection brings the opportunity to learn from mistakes, making plans for next phase, adjusting goals, noticing change, and simply enjoying the beauty around you, practicing gratitude for all things in your life.

Winter brings rest. Winter is a time to recharge your batteries. If you are in the winter season, you might be experiencing sickness, or grief. With the “stillness” of the winter season, it can often bring clarity or wisdom (looking back and having peace) from earlier seasons previously journeyed through.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” —Ecclesiastes

Whatever season you find yourself in life’s journey, relish it. If you are currently feeling the depths of the winter season, spring will come.

Footnote: I often begin writing pieces for my blog months prior to publication.

This specific blog piece I began writing and processing prior to finding out about my diagnosis of Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer.

After reflecting on this blog piece, I’m currently in “winter”, looking forward to seeing “spring”.

Whatever season you find yourself in right now, please know that seasons change and each will not last forever. “When your heart is tired, and your spirit is worn, remember God is your rest. He will renew your strength and carry you through the storm.” Isaiah 40:29

blogging, Creating Cozy in Winter Months, Fighting The Winter Blues, finding inspiration, Hardware Store Life, Home, January, memories, Natural World, old hardware stores, southern living, winter, Winter Photography

January Photographed

January 31, 2024 hardwarelifewife 4 Comments

January can be a long month… maybe verging on what seems like the month of never ending Mondays. So why not make the best of January???

I have decided to take this year and document and capture memories… from our everyday life activities. Everything isn’t glamorous, we work long hours, 6 days a week, but Richard and I find time to share and unwind. I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite collected moments from January 2024 via photography.

It’s been a very cold and wet month to begin 2024. The wood stove has been going strong all month long inside the hardware store.

January Saturday visits at the hardware store are the best! Bandit, and Tella stop by for a visit with Eric and Chelsea.

Early morning frost… crunching underfoot as we take our pups out in the early morning hours.

The frost has been heavy several mornings in the month of January 2024.

The frost was hanging heavy on the trees during this sunrise capture on January 12th.

The bare trees showing their beauty on this cold, foggy morning of January 16th.

A rainbow of colors during this January sunrise

This little frosty friend made his way home in January after weeks of work in pottery class. He’s a cutie pie! And yes, we are still wishing for some snow!

Adding the green… after all the Christmas lights and decorations are gone, the house feels bare. This year I decided to add to my mantle with green garlands and a small lamp to bring some additional light. The sun sets earlier in winter months and lamp lights help keep the homey warmth feeling alive during the coldest months. Learn more about adding greenery, and more in the latest blog post https://hardwarelifewife.com/2024/01/13/fighting-the-winter-blues/

This old wooden bowl is usually filled with my cloth napkins that we use each day. I do not think I have bought paper napkins in years! I wash and reuse my cloth napkins all the time… (many have been thrift finds). I decided to use this old bowl as a centerpiece for my mantle this January… bringing warmth and a different feel into our main living space. A nice change after the holiday season. Need a nice new wooden bowl??? Stop by to pick up a locally made one by Keegan Watson!

Things I find in my washer… January edition

Morning Cloud Study: A favorite January capture 💕

**Courage…** I took a chance and enter 5 photos this year in the Blue Ridge Photography Overview … 2 were accepted. This one, which I titled, ***Walking On Water***, won first place in the category of *Everyday Life Photography*. I am Honored and grateful to be included! If y’all remember, I had NEVER printed anything until last year… this was a huge step for me. A special deep thanks to everyone who continues to support and encourage me.

Here’s my other photo that made the cut into the Juried Show… stop by Wilkes Art Gallery to view all the amazing work of local photographers between now and February 15th .

Our son now travels a lot for his work. Little did we know, that the “empty nesters” syndrome would find us quickly. It was unexpected and sudden when he began this job last spring. These two cute pups keep us entertained and the house busy with their playful activities.