snow

it seems appropriate, during this afternoon of our second snow of the year, that i post pictures from our first snow of the year.

the beauty of the world around me

summer is coming to a close, at least according to the calendar, and i will be vastly content when we have more days of cooler weather. sitting in my hanging chair on the back deck, watching and listening to the sounds of nature all around me, is truly soothing for me.

 

welcome, yule!

An abbreviated excerpt of "A Celebration of Winter Solstice" from The Circle of Life by Joyce Rupp and Macrina Wiederkehr.

"There is a tendency to want to hurry from autumn to spring, to avoid the long dark days that winter brings. Many people do not like constant days bereft of light and months filled with colder temperatures. They struggle with the bleakness of land and the emptiness of trees. Their eyes and hearts seek color. Their spirits tire of tasting the endless gray skies. There is great rejoicing in the thought that light and warmth will soon be filling more and more of each new day.

"But winter darkness has a positive side to it. As we gather to celebrate the first turn from winter to spring, we are invited to recognize and honor the beauty in the often unwanted season of winter. Let us invite our hearts to be glad for the courage winter proclaims. Let us be grateful for the wisdom winter brings in teaching us about the need for withdrawal as an essential part of renewal. Let us also encourage our spirits as Earth prepares to come forth from this time of withdrawal into a season filled with light.

"The winter solstice celebrates the return of hope to our land as our planet experiences the first slow turn toward greater daylight. Soon we will welcome the return of the sun and the coming of springtime. As we do so, let us remember and embrace the positive, enriching aspects of winter's darkness. Pause now to sit in silence in the darkness of this space. Let this space be a safe enclosure of creative gestation for you."

"the shortest day" by susan cooper 

So the shortest day came, and the year died, 

And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world 

Came people singing, dancing, 

To drive the dark away. 

They lighted candles in the winter trees; 

They hung their homes with evergreen; 

They burned beseeching fires all night long 

To keep the year alive, 

And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake 

They shouted, reveling. 

Through all the frosty ages you can hear them 

Echoing behind us — Listen!! 

All the long echoes sing the same delight, 

This shortest day, 

As promise wakens in the sleeping land: 

They carol, feast, give thanks, 

And dearly love their friends, 

And hope for peace. 

And so do we, here, now, 

This year and every year. 

Welcome Yule!

the rising of the sun

and the running of the deer

the playing of the merry organ

sweet singing in the choir

the colors of fall

i'm keeping my eyes wide open this time of year, reveling in the richness of color in its variety. i wish my camera lens could capture what my eyes take in. i'm soaking up the palette to nourish me before the coming months of comparative bleakness.

in my own backyard:

 

at a park:

at a gas station:

at the therapist's office:

next to compass:

at compass:

 

my friend's window boxes

my friend's window boxes contain lovely things to look at this time of year. she had asked me, knowing that i am on a botany kick with the teen this year, if i had any suggestions for what to put in her patio garden for the cooler months, and i said cabbages and ornamental kale.

lovely.