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.

Noticing

Fallen maple leaf July 20, 2022

Rescue

a leaf,

curling and dry,

tumbled through the night storm

into an outstretched limb of spruce;

catching.

July 20, 2022

In the morning, after a night of rain, I took my “big” camera out with the macro lens attached, looking for small subjects.  Whenever I do this, I am startled by how many little things I see. Here is a leaf that fell from a maple tree above the Timberbluff cottages and was caught by its stem on the limb of a blue spruce.  It was chance that it caught just like that, chance that i saw it, but it felt like a message. I got you.

July 22, 2022

I looked up the story behind the name a long time ago.  Queen Anne (Anne Boleyn, who was later executed by Henry VII), was apparently stitching some fine lace one day when she pricked her finger.  A single drop of blood fell on the white lace, leaving a tiny purple stain.  Not all the flowers you see will have this tiny little mark, but it was because of those that do that this pretty wildflower got its name.  I don’t know if the story is true; but ever since I heard it; I look more closely at the blossoms.

July 24, 2022

I got caught in a rainstorm while running, and noticed (once again, because I’ve noticed before) how the drops fall in puddles and create bubbles on the surface. I stopped to try to catch one; watching them forming, floating, bursting until my timing was just right … I finally caught one. Am I caught in there too?

July 25, 2022

I often see natural compositions so perfect that they seem “meant”.  This heart-shaped stone and its two little pebble companions sunken in the smooth sand were like this.  It feels like the universe reaching out to be heard…love every little thing…appreciate every little beauty…

July 26, 2022

So many little things calling for my attention.  The empty nest that fell in the grass.  The red mushroom pushing itself through the dirt in the woods.  The tiny grasshopper that jumped inside the barn just as I was about to close the door.  So many little things forming, dissolving. So many little lives pushing, pulling, falling, breaking apart, jumping in, jumping out, being rescued, being smashed.  How will I ever get any work done?