Season of Quiet

Over the woodlands brown and bare, Over the harvest-fields forsaken, Silent, and soft, and slow Descends the snow. ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

December 19, 2022 - Fennville, MI - Berries

In the silent woods

after a passing snowstorm -

how red berries gleam!

December 15, 2022 - Azle, Texas - Mistletoe

December 15, 2022. I saw this pretty mistletoe hanging from a tree on my mom’s property in Azle, Texas. Don’t think I’ve ever seen one with so many berries. I read that in an English tradition - you could kiss anyone standing under the mistletoe, as long as it still had berries on it. After you kissed the person, you were supposed to remove a berry. Once they’re all gone, the kissing stops. So, it’s a good idea to pick a branch with a lot of berries!

December 18, 2022 - Fennville, Michigan - Returned home to snow

December 18, 2022. Home again! Came home to a snowstorm. This snowfall caused delays and an uncomfortably long wait on the plane, but I got here safely and I’m loving it now. It feels like Christmas.

December 18, 2022 - Pier Cove Trust Trail - Maple Leaf

December 19, 2022 - Fennville, MI - Spray of Pine

December 20, 2022 - Lake Michigan- Icicle on fallen tree

December 21, 2022- Fennville, MI - Multicolored pine needle

December 21, 2022 - Fennville, MI - Pussy willow

December 21, 2022 - Fennville, MI - Grain

Winter solstice and the Christmas holiday make me want to slow down and appreciate every little thing. I tried to do that this past week. Noticing little things: a leaf in snow, an icicle, or a dried tip of ornamental grass. Just a pause to pay attention. To breathe in the cold air. To sleep a little longer, to listen to some holiday music, or just stare out the window daydreaming. Feel the sacredness of life and be grateful for mine.

I am grateful for you taking the time to read this! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate. Even if you don’t, I hope you can gather with your loved ones and cozy up. Enjoy a few minutes of quiet in a busy season.

Mind the Rain

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.

Langston Hughes

10/26/22 - Rain clinging to a limb, reflecting the trees.

The tree in autumn

I feel

cold water

sliding

over my bare skin,

clinging briefly

to my outstretched limbs,

then falling -

soaking the earth

beneath me.

Nourishing

my roots.

I drink

deeply,

drunkenly,

falling asleep.

10/26/22 - Bare trees held by a raindrop.

All winter long

I rest,

naked and cold -

dreaming

of beautiful green garments

i will wear

in spring.

10/26/22 Clinging

The evergreen clings to the raindrops in its needles.

10/17/22 - Rain falling in the stream

Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.

John Updike

10/26/22 - Acorn Cap

If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.

Loren Eiseley

I stopped for the sky this morning. It was raining but the sun was shining in the east and the light was golden. Parked my car on the shoulder. to look and get a picture. The wet pavement reflected the whole sky - doubling the magic.

When I turned back to get in my truck - to the west - this is what I saw:

Unpredictable October

Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.

- E. B. White

October 10, 2022 - Reaching out to the Hunter’s Moon

in the dark before sunrise,

in the cool october morning,

the hunter's moon is lowering.

i try to catch it in my hand-

but it falls into the lake

as first light breaks

and the hunters’ rifles rise

October 11, 2022 - Dusk

Sunsets are earlier and dusk light is softer. The dried, wispy grass brushes the sky … sigh…

October 13, 2022 - Lake Michigan is roaring

In just a few days, the weather has turned cold, and the lake is roaring.

October 17, 2022 - storm blown leaf

October 18, 2022 - Came home to a wild storm after a weekend away. Wind whistling. Trees creaking and bending. Lake Roaring. Terrifying and Exhilarating at the same time.

The power went out around 9 and I woke up at three a.m. worrying. Found a single leaf clinging to the front glass door. A sassafras leaf: like a three fingered hand pressed against the pane.

October 14, 2022 - The wild spread of leaves after the storm.

October 20, 2022 - Trees down and deer worried on the Pier Cove Trail.

October 20, 2022 - The colors of Pier Cove

In the aftermath of the storm, some things are so much more beautiful, like the trees and fallen leaves darkened by rainfall along the dark dirt road to the Pier Cove Ravine Trail. And here, away from the open air - the wind is a little quieter…

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October 20, 2022- Morning Moon

The moon is just a sliver now, and in a few days it will disappear completely, but today i got to see it early in the morning. I remembered why i love mornings outdoors. Darkness. Just me and the trees and the moon, and all the wild animals i can’t see.