just in time for december

turn the calendar to a new month and end this one. then look up to see big fat winddriven snowflakes sparkling outside the window in the doorway light. come december!

hotel coffee

in truth i dont travel much. but every time i do, i am repeatedly hopeful that the coffee in the hotel room will be better than it was the last time i tried it. again this trip i am wrong. maybe its the water. maybe the little coffee packet is measured wrong. maybe its the single tiny package of creamer not enough to even lighten the brew. all i know is this mornings coffee is once again lousy. and ill probably try it again next time anyway.

negative space

some months ago i read in a book about negative space, that white space in and around conventional print that sometimes forms an object or symbol. as an example the author used the arrow in the fed ex graphic. now try as i might i can see nothing but that arrow every time a fed ex truck passes by.

icy cold

an extended cold snap this long thanksgiving weekend. cold enough for mittens and hats and heavy socks. cold enough for frost on the windshield and seeing your breath. so cold that ice has begun to form on pools and ponds and even on the river.

thanksgiving day

i awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, old and new. ~ralph waldo emerson
also for readers with whom i can share serendipitous moments. ~chris

happy thanksgiving to you all!

whilst the floor dries

sitting here with my feet on chair rungs, trapped in my work corner by damp flooring, i can do nothing but stare out the window at the season's first snow, long for a cigarette, and ponder how unfair life can be at times. and marvel at the fact that it's never really been that way to me.

holiday baking

although i don't do it much any more, i love to bake. this is about the only time of the year i can justify doing it. theres always been something soothing about baking for the holidays and for company. last night i made pumpkin bread - for thanksgiving and for giving to friends along with thanksgiving blessings. tonight it was honey cake with an autumn compote of honey, pears, apples, and ginger. i hum as i bake and the kitchen fills with the warmth and spicy scents of the season.

remnant of summer

washing windows on the other side of the house in the fading afternoon light, i look up to see this tucked into the corner under the eaves. its huge. how it got there i have no idea. whats more, i have no idea what to do with it. sure would be neat to keep it though. a natural work of art.

when seasons really change

strange mornings this week: frosty ones earlier validating my decision to finally remove window screens last weekend. midweek temperatures so balmy that the woodstove makes the place unbearable and a window must be opened running the risk that a squirrel may enter through the bathroom. now this morning, listening to wind and watching the temperature drop, waiting for snow.

leaves of oak

oak leaves are so tenacious in late fall. stiff and sturdy hanging on through rain and wind, rattling on their branches. flying sidewards though the air like nature's weather vane.

webkin

in an effort to personalize the new car im adding a few little vehicle accoutrements. like this webkin for my dashboard. i chose it because it reminded me of a seagull. but the clerk who sold it to me said it was a duck. a friend who noticed it swears its a platypus. and the website where i registered it was no help at all! so im not sure what it is thats coming along with me for the ride. i just know he never criticizes my driving or laughs at me when i sing.

when you gotta go...

you gotta go. and i did. i really did. so i did. fast. and with my eyes closed the whole time.

money, money, money

this is the money plant (aka lunaria) down by the sitting spot at the end of the yard. i blogged about it last spring and how it had suddenly materialized after being gone for about ten years. it has since bloomed then formed seeds in flat green pods. now the pods have dried and withered leaving silver dollar disks so starkly white they are visible clear across the yard. looking closely though i now find evidence of all three stages of growth on this one single plant. and in november yet.

frosting

early morning frost lines the top edges of this makeshift fence. if i were taller i'd have gotten a more beautiful shot.

17p/holmes

big astronomical news these nights. a comet previously visible only by telescope has recently exploded for reasons unknown to science. the expansion of the gas cloud has the comet fast approaching the size of jupiter with the result that it is suddenly visible to the naked eye. with binoculars tonight i saw it within the constellation perseus. amidst the pinpoint pricks of light a large fuzzy ball suspended in the night sky right over my head. and right in my own backyard.

november II

time was when i hated this month. i know lots of people do. dead cold and bleak, the only good things about november were that it was a short month and there were two federal holidays in it. but about twenty years ago, i read "november light" a story by my writer friend gretchen. a wonderful piece full of beautiful imagery and heartfelt emotion. it so changed my perception of november that over time its become my favorite month. so every november at the beginning of the month i plan the night when i ritually make a cup of tea, remove the manuscript from its place in my cupboard, and read it. and it touches my heart all over again.

november

the quietest month of the year. by now gardens are turned under, fallen leaves are composted, and wood has been stacked and waits for the woodstove. in the forest, leaves litter the floor and you can see deep in through the trees. dark comes early these november nights with brilliant stars and later moonlight that will illuminate the bare landscape. one still november afternoon snow comes silently drifting from a steel grey sky. november brings frosty mornings, clear chill nights, and a time for peace and pause before winter sets in.