free-falling...

did you ever have one of those days when beauty conspires to pull you out of your ordinary, maybe even kicking & screaming out of the clutches of feeling blue? why do we sometimes wallow willingly in drudgery when we live one blink of the eye away from the incredible?...last monday was like a waking from my all-too-usual sleepwalk through a mundane monday. D. came home from work & proclaimed it a day too gorgeous to spend indoors any longer & so we were off, wandering the nearby tidal creek, basking in fall's perfection...he knew i might have a tendency to be a bit blue that day as i remembered my daddy's passing & as we meandered, he kept telling me that spending some time in nature would be just what daddy would want to do...so true! i could feel a rush of wonderful memories from years past~~moments working side-by-side in the fading dusk to rake fall leaves, filling bird feedings while he taught me the names of the birds, rides on the tractor to collect tree prunings (oh, the joy when i could sit in his lap & steer!!)...we were regaled with otters' antics...late-season egrets returning to their old summer roosts...flocks of geese on the move (& a tad camera-shy too)...even a curious feline...the russet hues & slant of light...capped off with a brilliant sunset for the slow cruise home with a pause to watch the stars come out, one by one...
a day well-spent, weaving memories old while making new!

beauty all around

on land...or at sea...the fruits of this season are not to be missed!

one last summer thought...

there is a place where we go...a secret tidal creek that shoots off our bay...to learn this secret one must watch in the early summer twilight, the way which the egrets fly at the end of their day...to enter this secret cove that varies from year to year...one must hush & let the tide have its way...but the reward is great as the sun falls...soon gentle wings caress the air & the trees are ornamented...as the egrets of our marsh & bay yield to twilight's yearnings & find a roost for the night to stay...as graceful night sweeps the sky, one's soul is refreshed here in the last bit of the light of day...

awwww, autumn...

once upon a time i had embraced this season with a hearty hug of welcome. though i honestly don't prefer winter, i found the sensual slide toward its solstice one of incredible beauty. as the light changes & the colors deepen, as nature quiets & the harvest moon fills, my summer movement would quiet...D. & i met on the last sigh of summer & spent the whole of that first autumn together, falling in love surrounded by swirling red & gold leaves & the scent of campfires, hiking through morning mists while the first light touched our childhood fields...in our early years together, autumn always heralded a special feeling of the thrill of those first days together. even though we were creeping toward a pennsylvania winter, i still reveled in all of its glory...then we moved south...warmer autumns with equally beautiful light were fine by me...then we moved to the coast...& autumn brought a new friend - hurricanes! i didn't realize until this very equinox, i have spent the last few autumns holding my breath, praying that we would be spared a major hurricane. no enjoyment. none. this year we have been blessedly spared an active tropical season & i have once again fallen in love with this glorious season...last week we walked on the beach in the perfect twilight, fished under almost-full moons, gathered wildflowers, & sat by campfires. & i have learned a lesson~ no more missing the beauty in worry over something that may or may not happen. now certainly, if we were to have a hurricane land here in our bay, i am sure i will have a different focus, but in the meantime, i am once again reveling in autumn's awesome beauty! :-) & may this beautiful day find you enjoying its blessings...

so NOT cool anymore...

i love nature. my favorite way to begin the day is to sit quietly outdoors & watch the sun rise, giving thanks for another glorious day...i love to spend time on the water...time among our flowers & herbs...time watching the wildlife do its thing...but sometimes nature gets close...

a bit too close...

as in front door close!...last week this crazy lady (the size of my hand with fingers spread) set up housekeeping in our front entryway...she was promptly evicted!!! yesterday her friend, no doubt miffed at front-door visitor's swift 'removal,' laid a nice trap for me across our sliding glass door to the back deck. well now, hound patrol moves out sometimes before the light of dawn & this was one of those days. i generally follow them out the door to prevent unwanted 'neighborly' visits. coffee in hand, i was on the tail of the Elusive L. when something felt a bit...ehem...off! & then something was definitely a bit 'on' ~~ as in ON ME!!!!! our new arachnid neighbor (another one the size of my hand was ALL. OVER. ME!!!!!! her web was ALL. OVER. ME!!!!!

in a flash my coffee was all over her. D. was down the stairs with palpitations. boyworld was way-too-awake at an awful hour. most likely our entire neighborhood joined them in this pre-dawn unplanned rising! my screams could have won an oscar. now, i don't want to hurt living creatures, but i am sorry to say, this time i cared not one wit for that spider's well-being. 8 legs crawling on me in my house = serious lack-of-thought-thrashing-throwing-screaming reaction.

D. assured me she was back out the door & even down the deck stairs with a distinct coffee trail (he claims i probably drowned her in that stuff~~ what a waste of good coffee!). i don't know... but from now on, no home exits without light & a spider-removing stick! & now, back to my regularly scheduled summer relaxing...

summertime...

...& the livin' is easy!

hush

when the stillness of winter seeps into the world, the wings of one in flight may be heard in a breathless rhythm of time...the quietest breeze of the sleeping world stirs, releasing whispers of what was & what might be...nightfall is early but the wick easily lights to a softer hue of seeing...& the starlight draws a pattern on the midnight blue sky through clarity of air~~ an air so startling in its middle-of-the-night beauty that you know it is a gift to stand in it, to look up & to see the light come from so far, from so many places.

trade-offs

i think we brought something home from chicago, something more than sweet memories & great coffee...though i don't remember searching for it, buying it, packing it, or stowing it in the overhead compartment. but nonetheless cold weather came home with us! i'm talking mid-january type weather. brrrrrrrrrrrrr...& that abruptly reminded me of the top 5 things i will miss with the passing of the season...

1. morning coffee on the deck. i know i can still drink my coffee out there when the temperature is 30F/-1C degrees, but the coffee gets cold waaaay too quickly. & really, dressing up like i am competing in the iditarod is not much fun either.

2. going to sleep with the windows wide open, enjoying the sounds of the night bugs. let's just say, our 'window of opportunity' will remain closed when we dip below a nighttime low temperature of 45F/7C degrees ;-)

3. waking at 3 am to the sound of a mockingbird serenading the moon. i just don't hear him in the fall or winter...maybe he's not impressed with the cold either.4. packing only summer clothes for travel. summer clothing=lighter weight=more options. winter packing in the backpack is a true challenge. jeans & heavy sweaters...hmmmm... you do the math.

5. daylight filling the sky in the early morning hours. it is easier to open the eyes at 6 am when it's light outside!

but that got me to thinking...season change is not all gloom & doom. to be fair, i reminded myself of some things that bring comfort with the lengthening dark~ my top 5 consolations that come with the colder weather...

1. coming in from the cold morning air after hound patrol's first morning jaunt & wrapping my chilled hands around a steaming cup of coffee2. going to sleep snuggled under a down blanket

3. waking in the middle of the night to a crystal clear winter sky filled with stars. sometimes i slip out onto the deck & cannot believe the beauty spreading above me. & the still silence of a winter night is breathtaking.4. wool socks, cozy scarves, warm sweaters & soft mittens!

5. longer evening hours of dark are perfect for lighting candles & a fire in the hearth or in the fire ring outside.what are your cold-weather consolations?

a watered down version of sunday...

a quiet morning in the sun, one that was touched with only the gentlest of southerly breezes (a welcome respite from last week's incessant, howling winds), lent itself to daydreaming...a hound at my feet & a cup of coffee in my hand (italian, the good stuff!) this day without a single notation on the to-do calendar...it could be a day of a million things or a day of nothing. rare & precious.my reverie was soon happily interrupted by the jangling of boat keys & a request...our junior meteorologist is also a superb boat captain & he wanted to know if his momma wanted to take a ride. sure did!!!...so with camera in hand we spent the morning exploring a tidal creek...a place so quiet & still, teeming with life...even an alligator stopped to say "hi"...the scent of autumn on the wind (if you could bottle that smell, you could cure the world!)...poor Big Bro had to work through the morning at the bakery, but i did send him solace in the form of a text message...did he want to surf after work? yes, in fact, he did!kyle is ripping up the eastern seaboard with prime rides for surfers. & the beach offered another indulgent moment for lolly-gaggers like me (hey, there's that word again!)...is there anything so luxurious as warm sand under your feet?? had i been any more relaxed yesterday, someone could have mistaken me for a beached jellyfish! now it is monday in all its back-into-the-swing-of-things glory...may you have a wonderful week!!