How I Spent My Last Day Of Autumn 2023 (Part Two)

 

Life is like a train ride.

The passengers on the train are seemingly going to the same destination as you, but based on their belief in you or their belief that the train will get them to their desired destination they will stay on the ride or they will get off somewhere during the trip.

People can and will get off at any stop.

Just know that where people get off is more of an reflection on them, than it is on you.

There will be a few people in your life that will make the whole trip with you, who believe in you, accept that you are human and that mistakes will be made along the way, and that you will get to your desired destination - together, no matter what.

Be very grateful of these people.

They are rare and when you find one, don't let go of them - ever.

Be blessed for the ones who get on at the worst stops when no one is there.

Remember those people, they are special.

Always hold them dear to your heart.

Be very wary of people sneaking on at certain stops when things are going good and acting like they have been there for the whole ride.

For they will be the first to depart.

There will be ones who secretly try to get off the ride and there will be those that very publicly will jump off.

Don't pay any heed to the defectors.

Pay heed to the passengers that are still on the trip.

They are the important ones.

If someone tries to get back on the train - don't be angry or hold a grudge, let them.

Just see where they are around the next hard turn.

If they are buckled in - accept them.

If they are pulling the hand rail alarm again - then let them off the train freely and waste no space in your head for them again, ever.

There will be times that the train will be moving slow, at almost a crawls pace.

Appreciate that you can take in the view.

There will be times where the train is going so fast that everything is a blur.

Enjoy the sense of speed in your life, as it is exhilarating but unsustainable.

There will also be the chance that the train derails.

If that does happen, it will hurt, a lot, for a long time.

But there will be people who will appear out of no where who will get you back on track.

Those will be the people that will matter most in your life.

Love them forever.

For you can never repay these people.

The thing is, that even if you could repay them, they wouldn't accept it anyway.

Just pay it forward.

Eventually your train will get to its final stop and you will need to deboard.

At that time you will realize that life is about the journey AND the destination.

Know and have faith that at the end of your ride your train will have the right passengers on board and all the passengers that were on board at one time or another were there for a distinct purpose.

Enjoy the ride.

~John A Passaro

Life Is Like A Train Ride

 

Trains. Birds. The remainder of the Autumn Leaves. I suppose I spent the last day of Autumn 2023 the way I began Autumn this year, only a bit less maudlin perhaps. Autumn is now, and always will be, the great healer. It has always healed my heart, like no other time of year and this year was no exception. So, there isn't much to say about it, it' just helped me find my footing again, and I am forever grateful. Now, on to the rest of the holiday's!

 

 

How I Spent My Last Day Of Autumn 2023 (Part One)

 

"I pray this winter will be gentle and kind,

 a season of rest from the wheel of the mind."

 

 ~John Geddes

 

Autumn is gone, I accept that, I am not bargaining anything, but how can I not notice the last remaining beauty of a season so full of character? Watching starlings fly in and out of a tree, with only a handful of leaves left, can be an absolutely transcendent way to spend a break from the nonsense of the world, and I did just that on Thursday. I knew it wouldn't take long to find the last moments of Autumn. Winter was not in everything yet. Autumn was all around me, starting with those awesome starlings. Lodi can be a charming place sometimes. Okay, so Lodi isn't completely fucking worthless. Shrug.

 

Goodnight Autumn/Good Morning Winter 2023

 

 

“Autumn is a cunning muse who steals by degrees my warmth and light. So distracted by her glorious painting of colors, I scarcely realize my losses until the last fiery leaf has fallen to the ground and the final pumpkin shrinks. Autumn departs with a cold kiss, leaving me to suffer the frigid grasp of winter in prolonged nightfall.”

 
~Richelle E. Goodrich,

  Making Wishes: Quotes, Thoughts, & a Little Poetry for Every Day of the Year

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #91

 

“He'd grown unused to woods like this. He'd become accustomed to the Northwest, evergreen and shaded dark. Here he was surrounded by soft leaves, not needles; leaves that carried their deaths secretly inside them, that already heard the whispers of Autumn.

 Roots and branches that knew things.”

 
~Michael Montoure,

  Slices

 

Here is the final numbered leaf on my Autumn leaf project for 2023! I am still collecting beautiful leaves as I come across them, because for me, in my fantasies, it's always Autumn. Oh my, monster cakelets, pumpkins, days with rain and sunshine at the same time, the color of the sun, the annual migration along the Pacific Flyway, the smells of pies and roast turkey and Autumn Boiled Ham. The Harvest Moon. The holiday shows and movies, while cuddling on the couch. The Macy's parade. When Harry Met Sally and St Elmo's Fire. My warm cozy sweaters. Sweet Potatoes! So many little things like tiny candy bars and the silly Christmas elves I have on my Christmas tree... it's all Autumn, and I will miss it like an old love, because it is, one of the great loves of my life! 

 

Every single leaf I collect, represents a day, no a moment, that Autumn gave me. The leaves I post are very special to me. I hope you enjoy them. This is probably the last year I will be posting them to Twitter X. It has become a depressingly abusive place to be, and sharing my photography on that site just feels wrong. I think that Facebook will be the new home for my photography. We'll see. Anyway, it's was a really pretty year for leaves, lots of red, as if Autumn was singing a power ballad this year! 

 

I am forever grateful!

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #90

 

“When the autumn meets the tranquillity, 

there you can see the King of the Sceneries!”

 
~Mehmet Murat ildan 

 

 

Ruby-Crowned Kinglet Energy

 

“It is December, and nobody asked if I was ready.” 

~Sarah Kay 

 

That is the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. I kinda have to laugh, because I about drove myself crazy trying to find one, along Desmond road, just a couple years ago! Now I know about 4 or five places where they can be found pretty easily, including along the canal next to my condo! It's such a cutie. If you have read some of my previous postings about this bird there isn't much more to say, except I admire it's energy. It's a silly little ball that never stops moving! I don't think I have ever heard it's voice, maybe I will one day, until then I will just admire them, and keep trying to get a good photo. They are a challenge!

Beauty On A Dreay December Day

 

“I love the freedom of my wings. I love the empty space above the ground. I rejoice in my freedom. Freedom is my religion.

 Peace is my God. Love is my worship.”

 
~Banani Ray,

  World Peace: The Voice of a Mountain Bird

 

It was misty yesterday, but we went to the forebay anyway because there is a lot of rain predicted for this week, and that was our best chance to go. The Atmospheric River is opening. But the birds did not let me down. Present mostly were gulls, Ring-necked ducks and the gorgeous Snowy Egret, my favorite bird! It was the best way to spend an otherwise dreary December day.

 

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #89

 

“I am captivated by the beautiful colors of Fall,
Show me,show me, Show me All!
Orange, yellow, purple, reddish-brown,
And the rustling of the leaves as they fall to the ground.” 

~Charmaine J. Forde 

 

Purple is a color of Autumn. In fact, it might just be my favorite color of Autumn. If I could, I would surround my condo with trees that explode with color in Autumn, and at least every other one would display some kind of purple color. I have yellow roses on my porch, and this last summer I added a pot of French lavender. They look very nice together. Perhaps next spring I will add another plant like a Pumpkin Patch rose or maybe a purple Hydrangea. It makes me really happy to think about it. Adding a little extra beauty around me is a healthy step forward. And hopefully it will make others smile as well! Maybe I will look for plants and container shrubs that show their color all year. He... that's a GRAND IDEA!

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #88

 

“Come, little leaves," said the Wind one day, "Come to the meadows with me and play. Put on your dresses of red and gold; For Summer is past, and the days grow cold.” 

~George Cooper 

 

 

 

 

Desmond/Bruceville

 

“A formation of geese majestically swept over my office as they flew out to feed in the local fields. And as they coursed their way into the promise of morning’s horizon, I was immediately reminded of how many things vie for my attention and consume my time that possess nothing of majesty and have no ability to fly.” 

~Craig D. Lounsbrough 

 

Sometime, if I wake up really early in the morning, I can hear geese fly over my condo, on their way to, more than likely, the Delta. I have seen them many times, soaring over Pixie Woods, a children's park next to my place. Last winter there was a small flock in Louis Park, and some around the Haggin Museum. I haven't checked the grounds of the museum yet, but I would guess there are many Canada gees there right now. There is no shortage of wildlife around me but I still love Desmond/Bruceville road in Galt the most. It's a jaunt to get there, but more than worth it! That's where I took these photos. It provides a great mostly unobstructed view of the birds. I have found so many different species of bird there, every one heals my heart just a little bit. I will be eternally grateful for every webbed foot in that little river, and at the Cosumnes River Preserve.

 

 

With One Foot In Autumn

 

   

“She decided to free herself, dance into the wind, create a new 

language. And birds fluttered around her, writing “yes” in the sky.”

 
~Monique Duval

 

The Sandhill Cranes will depart sometime around March or early April as they continue on their migration route. Can you feel my sadness? They will return sometime in the Autumn, but sometimes the summer can make for a long wait, despite what the calendar says. I love them. I need them, and I am already missing them. Only two more weeks left in 2023, and it will be time for a new start, and that's a good thing I think, but I will always have one foot in Autumn.

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #87

 

“The seasonal urge is strong in poets. Milton wrote chiefly in winter. Keats looked for spring to wake him up (as it did in the miraculous months of April and May, 1819). Burns chose autumn. Longfellow liked the month of September. Shelley flourished in the hot months. Some poets, like Wordsworth, have gone outdoors to work. Others, like Auden, keep to the curtained room. Schiller needed the smell of rotten apples about him to make a poem. Tennyson and Walter de la Mare had to smoke. Auden drinks lots of tea, Spender coffee; Hart Crane drank alcohol. Pope, Byron, and William Morris were creative late at night. And so it goes.” 

 

― Helen Bevington,

  When Found, Make a Verse of