Not Shocked, I Tells Ya!

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #26/Fallen Leaves

 

"The trees are about to show us how to be

 gracefully strong in the face of change.” 

~Unknown

 

 I will never see enough of autumn. I miss my little autumn leaf.

I love you, Dylan.  

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #25/Red Flag Warnings For All

 

"The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes

 from the summer cottons into its winter wools."

 

 ~Henry Beston

 

It has been hot. Really hot. Relentlessly hot, all summer, and now well into October, and it will be 78 degrees later today. Yes, that's hot for October! STOP IT ALREADY! There will be no appreciable rain or cool weather for at least the next month. Sigh. We, in the San Joaquin Valley, are under a fire watch for the next few days, with the possibility of rolling blackouts. Here's a question, that I guess history will have to answer, are either of the two candidates planning to address Climate Change in any serious way? One of them caves to big oil, the other hasn't said much. Are we all on our own as far as the change in the ecosystem goes? It feels like its late to help us. Is it everything almost over anyway? Why isn't the conversation taking place in any real way? Just look where Climate Change falls on the list of issues for voters this year...

Why are we still not having more meaningful conversations

 about this issue?

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #24/Pennywise The President

 

“Everything's a lot tougher when it's for real. 

That's when you choke. When it's for real.” 

~Stephen King,

  It

 

“I started after him...and the clown looked back. I saw Its eyes,

 and all at once I understood who It was."
"Who was it, Don?" Harold Gardner asked softly.
"It was Derry," Don Hagarty said. "It was this town.” 

 
~Stephen King,

  It

 

I get up every day thinking that it will be the day when I hear that Donald Trump had fallen15 points behind Kamala Harris in the polls. Not only has that not happened, but Harris is the one slipping downward, despite the violent speech and promise of installing a fascist state once elected, coming from Trump. It's like living with Pennywise the Dancing Clown every day, and the citizens of the United States are just as cowardly and forgetful as the citizens of, Derry Maine. The people of Derry ignored the danger that cycled around every 30 years or so, but in America's case, it seems our memories fade a lot sooner than that. Case in point, did COVID fatigue cause you to forget the real danger Trump posed during the pandemic?And did you forget he incited a mob to attempt to overthrow the United States? I can go on with his list of evils, but do you really need me to help you remember, or do you know deep down, without me reminding you of a thing, that Donald John Trump poses a real and genuine threat to our very lives?

 

"Beep, Beep, Ritchie." 

 

~Stephen King,

IT 

 

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #23/When We Fight, We Win!

 

“If you're going to die, then die. If you are going to live, then fight.”

 
~Emilie Autumn 

 

We must enjoy autumn for all it's beauty, but this year, we must also find out strength to fight! Donald Trump is a breath away from winning the election, and frankly I am terrified. We all must do everything we can to defeat him on election day. Volunteer. Organize. Talk to your friends and neighbors. Donate up and down the ballot. We can do this, but we have to find our fight. It's not a fucking reality show... it's our life right now... and in the future.

HELP!

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #22

 

“Fall colors are funny. They’re so bright and intense and beautiful. It’s like nature is trying to fill you up with color, to saturate you so you can stockpile it before winter turns everything muted and dreary.” 

Siobhan Vivian,

  Same Difference

 

 

Happy 34th Anniversary, My Love

 

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,

 while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
 

~Lao Tzu

 

He has been by my side through the happiness, and the tragedies. He is my strength, he is my hope, he is now and forever, my everything. He and I and our kitty-cat children are a family. Strong in love. Forever in love. 

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #21

 

“Once upon a time is now.” 

~Emilie Autumn 

 

Autumn is a Once Upon A Time season. It always feels like a fairy tale to me, but with many stories withing the story. I wait all year for it, and as it begins it reminds me that fairy tales have endings, so I try to not miss a minute of the story! Be in the now!

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #20/I Darrin Take This Witch, Samantha

 

 “Swinging on delicate hinges; the Autumn Leaf; Almost off the stem”

 

 ~Jack Kerouac

 

Bewitched

I loved Bewitched as a little girl. Maybe that's where my love for all things witches came from. I also enjoyed the sequel from the late 70's called, Tabitha, but had some of the original players been available, it could have given it a more authentic feel. But as I said, I enjoyed it a lot, and looked forward to it. Tabitha was my age, so it was relatable on that score. Plus, Robert Ulrich as Tabitha's love interest. I had quite the crush on him, and so, I was a fan. There was just too much not to enjoy! But this is the episode that started it all. The Bewitched pilot. Maybe I will post an episode of Tabitha tomorrow. Stay tuned!

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #19

 

“All things are symbols: the external shows,

 of Nature have their image in the mind, 

as flowers and fruits and falling of the leaves”

 

 ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #18/Filling Dark Days With Light

 

“The crisp air and vibrant colors of fall

 can fill even the darkest days with light.”

 

~Unknown 

 

Everything is kinda dark right now. From unprecedented storms, to what might very well be the last election in my lifetime. There is a lot to fear, so I am grateful for my leaves and my birds that help my mind feel rested. I miss my Dylan, we used to have long talks about the things that bothered us. He understood me in a way that was comforting and bridged any language barrier. He always could read my emotions.

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #17/Lemon Lime Onion

 

“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”

 

 ~Jim Bishop  

 

Lemon and lime leaves,

 meet lemon and lime fruit... and an onion. 

 

I love autumn.

 

The Tides Restaurant

Bodega Bay, Ca

October 8th, 2024

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #16

 

"Love the trees until their leaves fall off,

 then encourage them to try again next year."

 

~Chad Sugg

 

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #15/The Poetry Of Horror

 

“Your hair is winter fire
January embers
My heart burns there, too.”

 
~Stephen King

  It

 

That's one of my favorite quotes from movies ever! It's romantic, sweet and innocent, all at the same time. If you have never read the book, or seen the original TV mini-series, please do. The 2017 theatrical remake lacked soul in my opinion. I felt no emotional connection with the characters, but I sure did with the original. It haunted me in many ways, for a long time. Just the way a story, when told excellently, should. It's the pure poetry of horror.

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #14/ Happy Birthday Dad!

 

“I notice that autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature.”

 

~Friedrich Nietzsche

 

Today would have been my father's 106th birthday, so I wanted to chose a leaf from a park closest to where he lived. Cull Canyon Park. He enjoyed parks and nature. Our backyard was like a forest when I was growing up. It was filled with all kinds of fruit trees, grown with seeds and pits from the trees my grandfather grew. Apricots, black plums, cherries, walnuts and to make it all more delicious, summers were filled with blackberries we grew along the back fence. I wish I had taken a few of those fruit pits, but we were nowhere near owning our own home, with a yard big enough for a tree. I think about those trees, and dad, when I eat all the delicious summer fruits. He gave me a lot to cherish in life.

 

 

 

 

Autumn Stick Figures or 32 Days Of Night

 

“Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters.”

 
~Stephen King

  The Shining

 

While in the Cosumnes River Preserve the other day, I found a stick on a bridge that reminded me of everything spooky. The stick figures hanging in the trees in the, Blair Witch Project, were the same types of figures in American Horror Story seasons Coven, and Roanoke. Was this a stick monster? Or maybe an omen of some evil to come? Nah, it was just a really cool stick, but it's fun to consider it, because when horror is done right, it can inspire the creative mind to imagine, what if? Like the movie Halloween points out, sometimes the Boogeyman wins, and when he does, it can take your whole life to defeat him.

 

We are in that situation right now with the upcoming election. Donald Trump is a boogeyman, and he is coming at us relentlessly. Will he win again? Even if he loses will it all be over? What horrific deals has he already done with world leaders?What is coming at us in the next 32 days that will shake us to our core. I love being scared, but this is not the kind of scared I want to be. We have already began our scary movie-a-thon for October, I will get it caught up here soon. I can't wait to share what horror movies we will be watching. Hopefully, watching them will help me deal with the high jinks of the biggest monster of them all! One recommendation I will make right now is, The Devil's Advocate. It will give you chills, for obvious reasons.

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #13

 

“Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!” 

~Humbert Wolfe 

 

I love early evening in autumn. It has the most beautiful sound to it. Geese, and other birds coming in to roost for the night, and leaves falling from the trees that are easier to hear, because all the human sounds begin to wane. I love October evenings. And at the end of the month, all of it comes together with the sound of children trick-or-treating. These are very happy sounds, and very rare.

Canada Geese In Autumn

 

“Two sounds of autumn are unmistakable…the hurrying rustle of crisp leaves blown along the street…by a gusty wind,

 and the gabble of a flock of migrating geese.” 

 

~Hal Borland

 

I love the sound of the wild birds flying over my condo in the morning. Several species of geese overwinter in the area, as do other migrating birds, and the sound is glorious, but I always know that I will hear from the Canada geese first, as autumn begins. From late august, through the spring, they can be found in the park and Smith canal next to my condo. Its one of the nicest parts about living here, and I will miss it dearly when I leave. But I will always know where to go to see this beauty.

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #12

 

“Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile."


~John Howard Bryant 

Indian Summer 

If you look closely, and keep an open mind, autumn leaves kinda smile, at least in their own way. I see it in every leaf I choose for this project! I bring you smiles from the autumn world.

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #11

 

"Summer makes me drowsy, autumn makes me sing, 

winter's pretty lousy, but I hate the spring."

 

~Dorothy Parker 

 

Well, we know how Dorothy felt about autumn, don't we?

 

I feel exactly as she does, about every single season!

 

 

Autumn's Vivid Colors

 

“Autumn mornings: sunshine and crisp air,

 birds and calmness, year’s end and day’s beginnings.” 

 

~Terri Guillemets

 

Autumn, this year, is going to be filled with more vivid colors then in previous years, I can already tell! Look at the colors on this Western Bluebird, the just stunned me! I got to look at him for a good amount of time, as e seemed to want to pose for me, which unusual for this kind of bird. It's not quite as manic as the Ruby-crowned Kinglet, or the Common Yellowthroat, but it does move from branch to ground in a fun pace. I wasn't even focusing on birds at that moment, there was a new squirrel I have never seen before playing nearby, and then there it was, a beautiful streak of blue hopping about the grass. I followed it up to a branch just above our car, and as I said, it posed for me! I eventually got the picture of the squirrel too, but today belongs to the Western Bluebird! Magic!

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #10/The Autumn Life

 

"Never let me lose what I have gained, and adorn the branches of your river with leaves of my estranged Autumn."

 

 ~Federico García Lorca

 

It's October 1st, time to prepare for the best day of the year! No, not the vice presidential debate, ugh, no I am talking about Halloween! Time for tiny candies, and masks. Candy corn and, of course, pumpkins! But scarecrows are really good too! As are monster cakelets! It's all good! And to make it all perfect, there are leaves to look forward to!

Ahh, drink it in, autumn life!