Autumn Maple

 

“When everything looks like a magical oil painting,

 you know you are in Autumn!” 

~Mehmet Murat ildan 

 

Everything is beginning to show more color. I am not usually a fan of gold, but this tree in Cull Canyon park simply took my breath away! My family had a Big Leaf Maple in our yard when I was a child, unfortunately it became diseased and it had to be cut down when I was about 4 yrs old. Oh boy, was I angry! I never forgot that tree. I think of it in autumn, and all the times I spent having autumn tea parties with my friends under that tree. The naps I took with various pets, and leaves I collected. It was my best friend. After it was gone, my parents planted an apple tree, and it was great. We had a pear tree in our backyard too, so the fruits were wonderful, but my memories always go back to that lovely, golden, Big Leaf Maple. This one, in the park, isn't my friend from childhood, but it's a good tree, and it makes me feel good inside whenever I see it, but especially in autumn.

 

 

 

  

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #44

 

“Witty people came out in autumn; beauties in July.”

 
~Andrew Holleran,

  Dancer from the Dance

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #32

 

“Its cozy shops all had their windows decorated with the palette of autumn. The air was cooler today, and she smiled at the just-emerging colors on the leaves of the trees nestled along the street.”

 
~Heather Flynn,

  Novelists in November: A Wild Blue Wonder Press Anthology

 

I just love it when the autumn sun, shines through a singular leaf, among of pile of different shapes and colors of  leaves. Like the witch of autumn is giving it a little extra bit of love, as it passes away. I don't know, I've felt that way since I was a little girl. It's as if autumn carries that little bit of empathy and compassion than other seasons do. 

 

It's all about the light.

 

 

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #45

 

"The autumn leaves blew over the moonlit pavement in such a way as to make the girl who was moving there seem fixed to a sliding walk, letting the motion of the wind and the leaves carry her forward ... The trees overhead made a great sound of letting down their dry rain."

 

 ~Ray Bradbury 

 Fahrenheit 451

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #76

 

“The next morning was grey and much more typical of early autumn. All I wanted to do was cocoon myself in layers of sweaters and stay in my room.” 

~Deborah Harkness,

   A Discovery of Witches

 

Rain is predicted for today. I love the rain in Autumn, it makes everything dark and brings out the earthy scents. I love that smell, especially when it mixes with the cinnamon I have sprinkled in the garden to discourage pests. I love Autumn. Have I mentioned that?

 

 

Old Picture New Autumn Leaf #24

 "It's like summer wear the world out,

 and by October everyone is just ready for a nap."

 

~Ta-Nehisl Coats

The Water Dancer

 

That's about the best explanation as I can think of to describe it. The summer, with temperatures that rage in the triple digits for days, and sometimes weeks, can only be described as the anger of a year, wears one out, and isn't that just the way it feels after you get angry? Tired. Maybe even sad that it had to come to that? It's only the 15th of October, not even one-third of autumn has gone by, and I am already mourning it's passing, because I know I am going to have to face all the color drain from the year, followed by a burst of spring color, that not only am I am not ready for after months of darkness, but which has always been just a little too giggly for my liking. It's like having someone tell you, "get over it" before you are really ready to.

 

 I know when all is said and done, having all that light around will do is force me back into my summer seasonal depression. My emotional, heartbreaking anger, where I carry my regrets and mourning, and all the sad negativity we humans aren't supposed to share in the open, will live inside of me for 6 months like a parasite. Loneliness lives there too. As does fear. But right now, in this October, I am okay, I will just need to stay on track. Frankly, I am surprised I am doing as well as I am doing! After spending most of the year unable to eat, I am finally getting back on a more normal path to eating properly. The birds will help, and have, as tools to my recovery, as will the movies and my reading. The tools are are here, it's just a matter of taking the old picture, and putting it in a new frame. Not very many frames have worked in the past, mostly it's just been trial and error, but that's the road to recovery isn't it?

~Me

Sunny Days/Rainly Days

 

"How can you understand something is really beautiful? Very simple: When that thing comes out of your life, you start desperately waiting for it to come back! And autumn's beauty is such a beauty!"

 

~Mehmet Murat ildan

 

I'm stressed out. I just am. So, how about I don't yammer on about how I feel. How about just leaves. Just leaves.

 

~Carly

Stockton, California

November 18th 2020

Bare Bones And Grape Leaves

"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."

~Riche;;e E. Goodrich

Making Wishes

So much happened yesterday! December 1st, got off to a cold start. General Michael Flynn, pled GUILTY, to lying to the FBI and is promising to fully cooperate with Mueller's investigation. FULLY COOPERATE! That should have sent a cold chill up Trump's spine. If he had one. Jared Kushner should not get too comfortable either. Flynn has promised to testify regarding Kushner's interactions with the Russians as well. Burrr. Putin must be so proud! Apparently, like Trump, "he only picks the best people."

And so far, December 2nd is proving to be a different kind of chilling darkness, for others. Not where I live, but in the world in general. History will document the end of this autumn and events. And I think this coming winter will be remembered for it's bare bones. I am just going to try to make my way through it, with Alan and the boys, and fight on. At least I still have a heart. At least I have love. And I have photography.

 I am not sure what 2018 will bring for Alan and I,

 we will have to deal with that when it gets here. 

Hopefully there will be more warmth than cold.

Grape Leaves

Tilden Park 

Botanical Garden

Berkeley, California

#2 Leaf Of The Day

December 2nd, 2017

Berkeley, California

Mood: Quiet

~Me

Let The Dancing Begin...

"Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead, has never watched them dancing on a windy day."

~Shira Tamir

September is drifting along, quietly. No noise. Well, except for the irritating barking of my neighbor's dog. Poor little fella is used as a weapon in the neighborhood. Any time the immature little brat adults I have mentioned in previous posts as, Donny and Nina, are up to their old tricks, they allow the dog to bark. It seems marriage really did nothing for their maturity. Sigh. The cute little pup-pup began barking at 5:30 am, both of the last couple days... as soon as Donny left for work. It's vintage Nina to let the pup-pup bark, because she knows it pisses off the neighbors in all directions. And when it does, Donny usually gets a visit from someone yelling at him. Yelling is a given at this point, as we have all complained in reasonable tones, and it did no good! Don't get me wrong, Donny isn't innocent. He is the one that came up with the idea of letting pup-pup bark, as punishment towards me for complaining about him to the property owner... in 2011! They enjoyed the affect it had on my health to the point they found they could use the same tactic to keep others in line as well.

As you may remember, Donny and Nina got married last summer, and moved from this property to an adjoining property. Things got better for a little while. He and his psycho bully attitude were gone, but he is still close enough that his behavior still affects all of us to different degrees. In my case, waking me up at 5:30 am. God, I had only been in bed an hour. Sigh. It's so unnecessary. Why can't they just live their lives? Work on their releationship? Plan for the future? I can think of a million things that Alan and I were busy with during our first year of marriage, but actively working on getting each other in trouble with the neighbors wasn't on the radar. Call us boring, but we have found filling our spare time with loving each other, and our little furry children, pretty life affirming!

Oh well. Let's not dwell on things. Summer is taking it's last breaths, and that's a good thing because it makes the pain in life, like not getting the sleep I need, a little easier to take. I can actually see the light of autumn outside my window! It's right there. It's in the golden sunrise, and the light orange sunsets. It's in that hint of coolness in the air. It's in the way a barrel of apples smells at the grocery stores and farmers markets. It's in the taste of a really delicious heirloom tomato. It's in the colors of the new outfits I just bought for autumn, and it's in the sound of the deceased leaves blowing down the street. I know autumn is associated with the withering of the year, but it makes me feel alive inside. It makes me feel like I can deal with the barking. I will try to dismiss the pain from my Fibromyalgia and concentrate on the leaves.

Leaves dancing on the wind is life affirming too!

"Let your life lightly dance on the edges of time, like dew on the tip of a leaf."

~Rabindranath Tagore

Mood: Quiet/Tired/Happy

~Me :)