Sad Soggy Cereal And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #73

 

"Leaves covered the pavement like soggy cereal."

 

~Patricia Cornwall

The Body Farm

 

I love that quote, and I love the title of the book it came from. It's all very definitely autumn inspired and inspiring. It was raining today, and it's going to raining for several days. I absolutely love it! It's fantastic for California, it's great for my bird friends and it's wonderful for my nerves. What isn't so wonderful... someone stole some packages off my porch yesterday, and the day hadn't been the best day to begin with. So, shit! That's the thing about this condo. When we just go inside, lock the door and ignore the world, we are fine, but things like having your packages stolen off your porch, every year around Christmas, gets a little sad, and scary, and downright infuriating. Who needs it? I was hoping that after what happened last year, again packages lifted, which contained the complete series dvds of, The Munsters and Hogans Heroes, you would have thought I would have learned. Oh well, I guess I was really hoping it was a one off, I guess I know now, what it actually is... life on my street! But I won't always be living here. Nothing good, or bad, lasts forever!

Autumn always has made me smarter.

 

~Me

Nature's Last Party

 

Autumn Suppers

 

Autumn is Nature's last party of the year. And dressing for the occasion, forests don their brightest attire, while the creatures follow suit with plush coasts of fur, As the birds savor their final flights in the waning embers of light, Natures children scamper about in search of manna for their winter pantries, pausing long enough to frolic in the heaps of newly fallen leaves.

 

Orange Coast Magazine

Oct, 1983

 

~Me

 

 

UP, UP, And Away... And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #71

 

"A soul that smiles in empathy is a soul that blew away the sadness as the wild wilds blew. A soul that parts its lips is a soul that smiled away the sadness, as the autumn leaves flew... ."

~Jayita Bhattacharjee

There is no real sadness in autumn, especially when by conservative accounts, about 8 thousand birds of all kinds have just flown over your head. There were probably more snow geese than any other kind of bird, but there were great numbers of Northern Pintail and Greater White-fronted geese as well!

It's a wonderful feeling to see, and hear, the phenomenon of a great number of migratory birds all flying off at once! I've mentioned this before and I will be mentioning this again, so bear with me. I see it, and by the next day I have to question my own memory as to whether or not it was as glorious as I remember it to be!

And to my delight, I know it was!

 

~Me

An Autumn Place And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #70

 

"The music of falling leave, the autumnal story to tell, 

as I drink in its nostalgic smell. The flash of red, the flash of gold. 

 Yesterday is past, yet, the tale did not grow old."

 

~Jayita Bhattacharjee

 

I had a favorite tree in the East Bay. It was in a park I used to visit when I could, which in autumn seemed to be at least once a week. I would take my lunch there and just breathe in the sights and sound of autumn. I love that Halloween happens right in the middle of all this beauty. There are so many memories surrounding that old tree. It makes me terribly sad that I can no longer visit it on a whim, but this tree in Stockton is definitely easing that pain. The leaves are completely different, and in truth, I feel a lot less safe in this park, but look at that light! October never passes away as long as I have that color and that light, and my heart holds on with such appreciation.  I love this tree, we are friends. It felt my pain last year, and it held out it's hand and said to me... come here, sit beside me, and let it all out. My branches are strong enough to hold you. Everyone should have a place like this to go to. I have two!

 

 

~Me

Fly Dry... A Public Service Message And #69

 

"November at it's best ... 

with a sort of delightful menace in the air."

 

~Anne Bosworth Greene

 

Meet the Cedar Waxwing. I think I have probably shared this beautiful bird before, you might even have noticed them flying about in your own yard, but I bet you didn't know that, as they fly about sort of  manic and sometimes engaging in an odd kind of darting back and forth, what might happening is ... well ... they might actually be drunk! You see, some of the fruit waxwings love so much, like these berries, tend to ferment, which can lead to a drunk bird, or birds, flying about the neighborhood, singing off key, chirping strange bird words, and pooping any doggone place they want, with NO REGARD for anyone.

 

 At all.

 

There, I said my peace. And no, I didn't get hit by any drunk waxwing poopiness, but that's a weird enough fact about these wonderful birds to properly amuse me. Another fun fact is that somehow they just know when you are doing a photo of them. How do I know this? Because every time I try to get a photo of them, they tuck their wingtips, and tail tips, between branches so you can't see the color in the photographs. They have other distinctive markings, so I can always tell when it's them, but I sure would like to show off the whole bird because the wing and tail tips are quite lovely. Quite unique. Sigh. I love them anyway, and I miss them, so much, when they continue on their migratory path. These birds are fascinating, go read about them!

Cedar Waxwing

Drunk Birds In Texas

 

~Me

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #68

 

"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace

 as I have seen in one autumnal face."

 

~John Donne

The Complete Poetry and Selected Prose

 

And just look at that face! A green leaf in the waning days of autumn. The autumn of autumn. Beautiful. But today I am thinking about Christmas. It's time to start buying presents, and I have NO IDEA what to get, as usual, for dear hubby. He is the hardest person to buy a gift for that I have ever encountered. I have been blowing the fine art of Christmas presenting, when it comes to him, for 32 years now and beyond! I ask him what he wants, and I get grunts! So, dumb presents make their way under the tree, while I get absolute gold! Arrgh! So, I have no doubt this year will be any different, but I have an idea from Shutterfly, so maybe all will not be lost. We will see. I will let you know on December 26th!

 

I love this time of year. I really do.

 And this year I feel more like myself. One day at a time, right?

 

~Me

 

Crunchy Leaves And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #67

 

"There's an endless autumn in me,

 scenting my thoughts like campfire smoke."

 

~Jarod K. Anderson

Field Guide To The Haunted Forest

 

This year has been so dry and the leaves are damaged. It's noticeable, if only republicans would just look around them. But, between you and me, I believe they fully know that Climate Change is affecting California to a devastating degree. Autumns will be less colorful in the next few years, and if there are many colors to be found it will be , like Plumas or Butte counties. I can't get there as easily as I once did, and that makes me sad. I will keep looking for autumn all around me, and I am fairly sure I will get back up in the hills at some point next year, but I know autumn is the time for last hurrahs, and I am feeling my life is wanting me to do as much living as I can, because winter is coming, and it brings glorious darkness with it!

 

 ~Me

Nature's Art And The Autumn Leaf Of The Day #66

"There is something so incredible and

 nostalgic about the cascade of autumn leaves.

 

 ~Joe E. Wheeler

 

Just a leaf.

 Sometimes that is all I want to say. Isn't this leaf a work of art? 

~Me