Walking Into Winter

This is the solstice, the still point of the sun, its cusp and midnight, the year's threshold and unlocking, where the past lets go of and becomes the future; the place of caught breath.

Margaret Atwood

Winter Sun

Beneath heavy clouds

blazing brilliant light it dropped

then fell out of sight

Saturday -a beautiful expanse of dune grass blew gently in the wind. (Saugatuck Dunes)

Sunday over ripe berries hung from a bare branch…but those looked like tiny buds below them.

Monday, a dark-eyed Junco sat still for a moment looking right at the camera

Tuesday, a neighbors Hydrangeas; blossoms dried, faded and gone to seed…delicate as paper

Wednesday in the garden, a dried up rhododendron blossom that Dr. Seuss could have drawn.

And on the beach, a pair of pigeon’s prints in the sand by Lake Michigan - as if he just stood there, looking over the water and then flew off

Today - Winter Solstice, the sun was muted by cloud cover but still came through - looking more like the moon.

Movement is good for the body. Stillness is good for the mind.
Sakyong Mipham

This is a time of year that often gets me down, so I did a lot of walking and looking for little signs of light and life. A little color, a little sun, some flowering plants with seeds and buds waiting for spring, a couple of footprints in the sand, the stars in the morning, the cold crisp air and crunchy frost-covered grass under my feet - all these things get me outside of my mind as well as my house and those are both good things. And today the days begin to grow longer again! Happy winter solstice- and Merry Christmas if you celebrate!

Thank you so much for being here! I will see you next week!

The morning sky on the shortest day. Within the darkness, there is the promise of light to come.

Ode to a Blue Jay

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.

Henry Van Dyke

To be a Blue Jay

In a blur of white, black and blue

You flew into my garden -

Landing under the feeder,

Pecking at the ground,

Picking up seeds,

Hopping around

Unbothered by my watching.

I want to live like you-

Able to fly from danger,

To pierce the silence

of the cold morning air

With the longing call

of my wild heart,

Unashamed.

I want to land softly

In the warm grass -

To dance in the sun,

and then just take off

for the trees when it’s gone -

leaving this comfortable cage

behind.

A blue jay and its partner are nesting in one of the trees behind my house and are regularly visiting the feeders in the yard there. I chose the opening quote not just because I think people should be able to share their talents, but also because the blue jay’s call is annoying to some people. Loud and piercing. Personally, I love the sound - especially on an otherwise bleak and quiet day.

Here is a link to check out if you want to hear the sounds (and learn more about the birds) : Audubon Society: About the Blue Jay (with sounds) - The calls I most often hear are the Jay (or Jeering) and the hawk imitation calls; but I recognized most of the other sounds; not realizing they were Jay sounds too.

This bird is very calm and curious. I read that when they are afraid; the feathers on top of their heads stand straight up - so he was unafraid, hopping around and tilting his head from side to side.

I also read that they are not really blue, but that the color is a trick of light … here’s a link to that explanation, if you’re interested: NOT in Blue.