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.

Consider the Fallen Leaf

How beautiful the leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days. - John Burroughs

October 3, 2022 - A fallen maple leaf in the evening sun

Consider the Fallen Leaf

i saw the leaf before me

full of holes,

curling in upon itself

turning brown

fragile

disintegrating

i saw its veins

darkened by sunlight -

its stem caught

in the crack of a stair

i saw its long shadow

stretching

curling in upon itself

full of holes

i saw the leaf before me

October 3, 2022 - Gathered Leaves and needles from Pier Cove Ravine Trail

October 3, 2022 - Gathering leaves on the trail today, I realized I didn’t really know much about leaves. What do they do for the tree, why do they change colors this time of year, why do they fall off, or if they don’t fall off, why not? Here’s what I learned:

Leaves use water, air and sunlight along with the chlorophyll they already contain to make food (sugar - sucrose) (for the tree. In the fall, when light changes, the chlorophyll starts to break down and whatever color is left in the leaf; depending on its particular chemistry is the color you see. The leaves help the tree grow as long as there is sunlight and available water; but in the winter, when there is less sunlight, and the hard ground makes it difficult for the tree to absorb water, the leaves need to fall off in order for the tree to conserve water. The reason evergreens don’t lose all of their leaves is that their needles or leaves are coated and don’t cause the tree to lose water, so they don’t need to be shed. In warm climates, some trees that are not traditionally considered evergreen also don’t lose their leaves; because they have more available sunlight, and the ground doesn’t freeze. Once leaves fall, of course, they still feed and protect the tree by covering the ground and then breaking down into compost. Birth life - death - rebirth - over and over again every year. It’s amazing.

October 4, 2022 - Fall. Falling. Fallen.

October 4, 2022. We’ve experienced a bluff collapse on Lake Michigan the past few years… it makes for striking images on the beach. The land slid down, trees slid down with it, some falling and dying, some managing to survive in a new location. They are all here; the fallen, the falling and the living - going through fall transition.

October 4, 2022. Sentinels

October 4, 2022. I saw a group of red pines standing next to a house on my run Tuesday night. Evergreens. Tall and regal. Soldiers standing at attention.