By the time you read this, Thanksgiving will be over and we'll be full of turkey, dressing, and cranberry sauce. We hope you had a happy time with your loved ones and friends. All of us have so much to be thankful for.

Our beautiful leaves are all gone and it looks like winter outside; but we had a spectacular fall. If the traffic was any indication, lots of folks came to North Georgia to see the leaves.

On Sunday, November 6, at 2:00am, Daylight Saving Time ends in the United States. The old rule to fall back one hour applies here. Things seem to start happening faster now. The leaves have changed and are falling. North Georgia has really put on a good leaf show for us this year. The air definitely feels like fall; we've even had a few light frosts on our pasture, with the promise of much colder weather to come.

Thanks to all the folks who sent me information about their favorite Thanksgiving. I know you will enjoy reading them and can relate to many. Thanksgiving can be a wonderful time of the year. You may want to check with the many churches and chambers in North Georgia for names of families who may not be as blessed as you are. If you can't afford to feed a family the turkey and all its fixings, take them a pie, a cake, or some canned goods. When you thank the Lord for your daily bread, be thankful for the opportunity to help others.

This is the second of our two-issue 2011 Festival Guide. It will be interesting to see how many more events are added in 2012. Hopefully you have already gone to several festivals this season, and October has one or two each weekend. It will be a busy time in North Georgia. The leaves are starting to change, and that will add to the enjoyment for residents and visitors alike. There is nothing prettier than our mountains bathed in a sea of yellow, red, and orange leaves.

If Burt's Farm is not already a family tradition, make plans to go there this year. We spent a whole morning there taking pictures and walking around the array of pumpkins, gourds, squash, and fall decorations. The Burts shared many pictures with us, and our friends Barbara and George Glidden also contributed other photos to help with this issue. Kathy and Johnny Burt are wonderful friendly people who enjoy what they do and enjoy sharing it with everyone. See more about Burt's Farm in these pages. Plan your trip there to get your pumpkins for Halloween and the fall season. Don't forget to stop by the store and bring home some goodies.

Welcome to our first 2011 Festival Guide. Within these pages you'll find an abundance of information about the major North Georgia festivals. Many smaller festivals are also mentioned that will be just as much fun and perhaps not as crowded as some of the larger venues. Make your list of the ones you want to attend this year and get ready to get into the festival mood.

Thank you to Dave Horton, Cumming Fairground, for his contribution to this issue. The Cumming Country Fair & Festival just keeps getting bigger and better. Dave has gotten many new acts, and brought back some old ones that are your favorites; Drew Exposition Carnival Midway is back with all the exciting rides you have been waiting for since last year. Don't forget to step back in time and tour the Heritage Village. This town has been created so you can see how things were in a time that was less hectic than 2011. Remember, the concerts are free with the price of your admission ticket to the fair.

We just had a wonderful afternoon rain that cooled everything off a little. It really makes me thankful to look out at our lush woods, yard, and garden. Our relatives in Texas and Oklahoma are having such hot weather, with no rain for a while and none in sight. Ranchers are selling off cattle because it costs too much to feed them, and water is scarce. Farmers' crops are failing because of the heat and lack of rain. I imagine there are other states that are experiencing similar conditions. You know that this is going to cause food prices to go sky high, even higher than they already are.

Welcome to our July issue. We are continuing articles on summer fun for you and your family. Kids get bored so quickly and are usually asking what they can do. I may be wrong, but it doesn't seem that kids have the imagination they used to have. I guess there are too many toys and electronic games to keep them busy. When I was a kid, I spent hours in the woods behind our home playing in my imaginary house. My mom gave me some old dishes and curtains to use, plus I always had big bouquets of wild flowers sitting around. Many years later I tried to help my daughters build a "playhouse" and by the looks on their faces, I knew they weren't interested.

Speaking of daughters, we had all four of them here this past weekend. We had so much fun laughing, talking, playing games, singing, shopping, and of course, eating. Two of them had to get on a plane today and go home. There's just never time enough to get caught up on all the stuff we miss with them.