Spparsons
@spparsons.bsky.social
Retired attorney and law professor. Author of legal textbooks. Lifelong observer, student, and wonderer. Believer in what's to come. Lover of peace, quiet, music, poetry, and all that is beautiful. Committed to liberty and justice for all.
Anybody got a rake?
November 9, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Anybody got a rake?
Found the remains of a squirrel feast on our bench this a.m. I don't mind really, but sure wish they would clean up after themselves.
November 2, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Found the remains of a squirrel feast on our bench this a.m. I don't mind really, but sure wish they would clean up after themselves.
Is there anything more striking in the fall than than a ginkgo tree in all its glory? Maybe a flaming red dogwood.
November 1, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Is there anything more striking in the fall than than a ginkgo tree in all its glory? Maybe a flaming red dogwood.
Autumn views in East Tennessee
October 31, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Autumn views in East Tennessee
Red and yellow maples strut their stuff in an East Tennessee fall.
October 31, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Red and yellow maples strut their stuff in an East Tennessee fall.
Deer finding fodder beneath the oak trees in late October.
October 30, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Deer finding fodder beneath the oak trees in late October.
Nothings says summer like a blooming bed of zinnias.
July 30, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Nothings says summer like a blooming bed of zinnias.
In rural America there is nothing prettier than a freshly mown field with baled hay. What does it suggest? Fecundity? Order out of chaos? Successful partnership with nature? Sufficiency? Tranquility? Beauty? All of the above, I think. Our 8 acre field yielded 27 bales in this mid-summer cutting.
July 29, 2025 at 1:09 PM
In rural America there is nothing prettier than a freshly mown field with baled hay. What does it suggest? Fecundity? Order out of chaos? Successful partnership with nature? Sufficiency? Tranquility? Beauty? All of the above, I think. Our 8 acre field yielded 27 bales in this mid-summer cutting.
The lushness of summer in the American Upper South: a wall of blooming hydrangeas and a crown of burgeoning crepe myrtle.
July 20, 2025 at 9:38 PM
The lushness of summer in the American Upper South: a wall of blooming hydrangeas and a crown of burgeoning crepe myrtle.
Nothing prettier in a summer garden than the Rudbeckia hirta, more commonly known as black-eyed Susan.
July 20, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Nothing prettier in a summer garden than the Rudbeckia hirta, more commonly known as black-eyed Susan.
It's mid-summer in the American South. It's hot. It's humid. It's steamy. It's sticky. In other words it's time for....okra.
July 20, 2025 at 4:03 PM
It's mid-summer in the American South. It's hot. It's humid. It's steamy. It's sticky. In other words it's time for....okra.
This is Crocosmia. Native to the grasslands of Eastern and Southern Africa from Sudan to South Africa, it grows just fine here in East Tennessee. This variety is called Lucifer for obvious reasons. Suitable for those who don't mind seeing all you know what break loose in their summer gardens.
June 29, 2025 at 6:15 PM
This is Crocosmia. Native to the grasslands of Eastern and Southern Africa from Sudan to South Africa, it grows just fine here in East Tennessee. This variety is called Lucifer for obvious reasons. Suitable for those who don't mind seeing all you know what break loose in their summer gardens.
Coneflowers. Gorgeous. In their presence, just be quiet and enjoy.
June 29, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Coneflowers. Gorgeous. In their presence, just be quiet and enjoy.
Stare down in the front yard this morning. He's looking at me like I'm trespassing, and I'm explaining to him who pays the property taxes.
June 18, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Stare down in the front yard this morning. He's looking at me like I'm trespassing, and I'm explaining to him who pays the property taxes.
When the crepe myrtles bloom, you know it's summer in East Tennessee.
June 11, 2025 at 6:11 PM
When the crepe myrtles bloom, you know it's summer in East Tennessee.
It's June in the Upper South, U.S.A. and here clematis is King...not you know who.
June 4, 2025 at 9:41 PM
It's June in the Upper South, U.S.A. and here clematis is King...not you know who.
Coneflower in an East Tennessee summer garden let's you know in orange and white that it's rooting for the VOLS!
June 4, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Coneflower in an East Tennessee summer garden let's you know in orange and white that it's rooting for the VOLS!
Lamb's Ear adds a nice "soft touch" to any summer garden.
June 4, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Lamb's Ear adds a nice "soft touch" to any summer garden.
It's late May and daylilies take center stage in East Tennessee.
May 22, 2025 at 9:31 PM
It's late May and daylilies take center stage in East Tennessee.
Mount LeConte in the Smoky Mountains taken near dusk on May 14, 2025 from the Buckhorn Inn at Pittman Center, TN, outside Gatlinburg.
May 17, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Mount LeConte in the Smoky Mountains taken near dusk on May 14, 2025 from the Buckhorn Inn at Pittman Center, TN, outside Gatlinburg.
Peonies take center stage as spring's color parade continues in East Tennessee
May 17, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Peonies take center stage as spring's color parade continues in East Tennessee
Gray skies over Mount LeConte in the Smoky Mountains. Viewed from the Buckhorn Inn, in Pittman Center, TN, just outside Gatlinburg, May 14, 2025
May 17, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Gray skies over Mount LeConte in the Smoky Mountains. Viewed from the Buckhorn Inn, in Pittman Center, TN, just outside Gatlinburg, May 14, 2025
Spring comes to the Unaka Range marking the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, May 2025
May 5, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Spring comes to the Unaka Range marking the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, May 2025
Rhododendrons get their 15 minutes of fame in the color parade that is spring in East Tennessee.
May 5, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Rhododendrons get their 15 minutes of fame in the color parade that is spring in East Tennessee.
Spiderwort near and far
April 26, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Spiderwort near and far