Autumn Leaf Of The Day #80

 

"Come O' winter knock on my door,

Make me fall in love once more,

Look what autumn did to me,

Made my soul like wilted flower."

~Neymat Kahn

The Autumn's Loon

 

"Be the autumn stalwart, and colorful, amenable to change, 

the grateful breath that greets each day."

~Unknown

We took a day off from all the drama, and went to Bodega Bay! You know how much I love making the long trip to find the birdies that have arrived along the Pacific Flyway. Yesterday gave us four new birds. The Common Loon wasn't one of them, as I photographed one last October, but they are visitors in the bay each year, then they migrate back to the north, in the Aleutian Islands. Their call is absolutely haunting, I will never forget hearing it for the first time! Sometime, I'd like to stay in Bodega Bay for a few days, just to hear their call!

"The loon's call is haunting and wild, an ancient trill that's part honor song, and part warning. I've never met anyone who didn't fall quiet upon hearing it. We are all susceptible to that common magic."

~Richard Wagamese

Oh To Be A Bird In Autumn

 

Oh to be a bird in autumn

Tucked within a rosy tree

While crisp October winds sweep by

To twine about the fallen leaves

To catch a gust and take to soaring

Out above a glistening Fall

And not to miss a single thing

Be see and hear and feel it all

~Laura Jaworski

I know I have been sharing a lot of birds lately, but with the Pacific Flyway open, they are everywhere, old friends and new friends alike. All birds are fascinating, so that makes birding more than just a past time, it is my way of life. For the next few weeks, it's all about the birds and leaves. Oh, and cooking. Thanksgiving is just a couple days away! Yike... wasn't it just Halloween?

Autumn's Pavements

"You make an autumn mist taste like champagne

and turn winter rain into the elixir of life itself."

~Sanober Kahn

I just love walking, or rather wheeling around,

 in my wheelchair, in autumn.

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #45

 

 

 

“I love autumn despite the drench weather. I think it symbolizes the end of misery and the beginning of glee. It gives hopes that sooner or later, flowers will bloom again, green buds will sprout from trees, and that which is dead will come back alive.”

 

 ~ Aishah Madadiy,

  Bits of Heaven

 

I shot this just before twilight. I love the autumn light. 

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #43

 “Every season has its own art

 and the art of autumn is to bewitch the people!”

 
~Mehmet Murat ildan 

 

Just a leaf today, I am a little tired and fibromyalgia can really drain your energy. Two posts tomorrow. My usual rant about something, and the next leaf in the autumn leaf project. I have a great one the post on Tuesday!

 

 

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #42

 

“Nothing dies as beautifully as autumn.”

 
~Ashlee Willis,

  A Wish Made of Glass

 

Autumn's Delight... Candy And Pumpkins

 

"Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!"

 

~Bram Stoker's Dracula 

 

 

Halloween night was great. We had triple cheese ravioli, shaped like bats and pumpkins, in a sweet basil sauce. We watched a ton of movies, and while we didn't have a single kid at the door, we get to keep all the candy to ourselves! But you know I would have rather given it all away. We just don't live in the kind of neighborhood where kids go trick-or-treating. The kids mostly go to churches in the area, or they go only to their friends houses. Maybe one day will be able to move into a new place where the neighborhood is a less dangerous. Things have changed considerably from when I was a kid. Things are so much more dangerous. If it's not coming at you by street violence,, a young man was shot by police right in front of our house a couple months ago, then it's coming from your own government refusing to fund SNAP benefits. Lack of food and a stable community, is what leads to higher crime, but have you ever tried to tell that to a republican?

 

Anyway, our punky turned out really good. It's a kitten, or terrifying kitty, or if you've ever owned a kitten you know it could be both! Hubby carved it, as he's the pumpkin artist in our house, and he surprised me with the kitty theme this year, in honor of the two new kitty additions to our house. We picked it out at Trader Joe's, on Family Day, as we usually do since moving out to the valley. Half Moon Bay was our favorite place to go for our Halloween pumpkins, but getting over to the peninsula now is just too hard. I miss it so much, but we have this tradition now, and it's still fun finding the perfect pumpkin! That's the key, finding the perfect pumpkin, and letting it tell you who and what it is. It's the same with people. Listen to the things they don't say. It's not the words or even the silence, it's the intuition you carry inside you, that tells the story. You only have to listen to it, and do not dismiss it. 

 

It was another great Halloween, and I am already thinking about next year and how to plan for my favorite day. Maybe I will make dinner next year and give dear hubby a break. I need to get one of those deluxe pumpkin carving sets, so I can surprise him too! I have no idea why we never invested in one. I guess with hubby being the artist, there was never a real need for one, but if I want to do one next year, I know it will be necessary. I am getting older now, and I have arthritis, and my hands shake mildly, so it's time to face it... I am not a kid anymore. Well, except for my love of all things Halloween!

 

Next Halloween is only 363 days away! Are you ready?

 

 

Halloween Countdown Film #2... Night Of The Living Dead

 

Johnny: They're coming to get you, Barbra!

Barbara: You're ignorant!

 

~Night Of The Living Dead

 

I saw this movie for the first time, only about 10 years ago! I have never been into the whole zombie genre, but I gave it a try after I saw a clip of someone saying that no self described horror fan could or would miss it! Okay... game on! And the rest is history! This 1968, low budget classic, reminds me of some of the newer low budget horror films, such as, Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project, that went on to be big at the box office, and instant cult classics in their own right!  Oh my, how I love the old-fashioned horror movies that depend on the slow building of fear, through affective soundtracks, as opposed to the loud, giant flashing special effects and blaring sound. It's too easy to forget a movie, when there is no room for emotional investment, and all that remains is the special effects. I prefer a movie, with a tune that haunts me for days, and an eerie line like, "They're coming to get you, Barbra."

 

Autumn's October

“The Fall will always be yours and mine…”

 
~Jennifer Elisabeth  

 

Oh my beautiful October, I shall miss you. Here are just a few quotes about October, to hold me until you come back again. I hope it will be a gentle year while you're gone. If not, then I will have our memories.

 🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍁🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂

"October, crisp, misty, golden October,

 when light is sweet and heavy."

~Angela Carter 

 

 "October is a symphony of permanence and change"

 

~Bonaro W. Overstreet

 

"Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves.

 We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!"

 

  ~Humbert Wolfe 

 

"October is crisp days and cool nights,

 a time to curl up around the dancing flames and sink into a good book."

 

 ~The Positivity Blog 

 

 "Then the trees, after their long silence,

 began to talk again, in yellow and red.” 

 

 ~Hope Mirrless,

 Lud-in-the-Mist 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #39

 

“October's Party
October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.” 

~George Cooper 

 

The leaves aren't very bright this year. I have only come across a few that are showing off in the lighter colors of autumn. I don't know... it's like something, or someone, drained the colors from them this year. I will keep looking, because no matter what, I will celebrate autumn as long as it wants me to, whether it's smiling or not!

 

 

Halloween Countdown Film #4 & 3... Fearless Vampire Killers ...

 

"A castle without a crypt is like a unicorn without a horn." 

 

~Professor Abronsius 

 The Fearless Vampire Killers, Or:

 Pardon Me But Your Teeth Are In My Neck 

 

Need some fun, this will make you laugh, and that's a good thing. I don't want to say much about the movie, except it's a great 1960's slapstick comedy. How many vampire movies offer you that? Answer... not many... but I sure wish they did! 

 

Enjoy! 

 

Bonus Film... Leprechaun

Scroll to see my regular daily post. 

 

 

Autumn Rainbows And Leprechauns

 

“Great artists come and go; they are born and they die; but there is one exception who has been living for thousands of years and still continues creating new works, new beauties every year: The Autumn!”

 
~Mehmet Murat ildan 

 

What a beautiful surprise! A gorgeous rainbow over the neighborhood, just in time for Halloween week! There are a lot of legends about rainbows, the one I mostly believe in is that they're God's covenant with the earth to not destroy it with a flood ever again. But there are darker legends too, probably most common holds that there, at the end of the rainbow, exists a giant pot of gold and a with it, a leprechaun waiting to immediately steal it! That's a heck of a note, as my dad would say. Have you ever had your pot of gold stolen? Well, I guess I know the answer to that, haven't we all had that happen from time to time? I put those lean times down to Murphy's law of whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. But are there real life Leprechauns? 

  

You bet! They are called Republicans. And they serve at the pleasure to the president of the leprechauns, Donald John Trumprechaun. Health benefits are being held up, and as his form of stealing the pot of gold of the American people who depend on their jobs, their healthcare, their paychecks, and yes, the National parks we all need. Trump DOES NOT CARE because nothing we all depend on affects him. Karoline Levitt has said that his number one concern is the gaudy gilded 90,000 square foot ballroom he is building. He doesn't go without food. He doesn't visit National parks. He doesn't need healthcare. He doesn't need the SNAP program. He is the commander-in-chief and he gets paid, the military may or may not get their checks, we will see. 

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Please, if you can, donate to local food banks, and charities. So many folks are going to have a hard winter without your help. Just go through your pantry and find food that is not outdated, and give back to your neighbors, and possibly your friends who need help, but won't ask for it. Let them know you care. Please. I am so lucky, hubby and I have so much. We don't have to worry about eating... yet. But we have had difficult times in the past. In 2008, when Governor Schwarzenegger put state workers on furlough, hubby was docked three days pay every month. It doesn't sound like much, but trust me, it did! And to make it all horrific, my cat Elvis was dying, and we couldn't pay for his chemo care. We were lucky to have an understanding vet. Elvis got his care, and we only had to pay 50% of the cost. We had one last summer with our boy. How many have had to give up their pets? Please donate pet food as well!

 

 

This dog came to my doorstep last week. It's clear that he had a bad abscess on one side of his mouth. He was cold and wet and so sad, that I will never forget his face. I couldn't take him in, I have a house full of cats, but I talked to him a little bit, and then he ran off. I was hoping he was heading home. It's clear that he had a home, but for some reason, I expect it could be due to finances, they dumped him in the park I live next to. My heart is completely shattered. He was a really good dog. I drove through the neighborhood, but didn't see him again. Maybe he got out, and finally found home, but in any case, isn't he the face of the state of things right now?

 

Yesterday, hubby and I picked our Thanksgiving turkey, and an extra one for the food bank. My heart hurts. I am also giving a box of brand new clothes, so someone can get a new start. I am ready for the toy drives. Christmas isn't that far off, I can't deal with knowing their might be a child without a gift this year, so I bought two Barbie dolls, and I plan to get two gifts for a little boy. I might also throw in some stuffed animals, as that was my favorite present as a child. It's one of my favorite things. Goodness, you should see my stuffed animal collection! I have been blessed, and I need to share it! I hope you will too!

Please help me fight these Leprechauns!

These Monsters! Republicans!

 

And Donald Trumprechaun. 

 

Bonus Halloween Movie!

 

Leprechaun

Starring, Jennifer Aniston

 

 

 

 

Autumn Eyes

 

 

 

  “It was one of those sumptuous days when the world is full of autumn muskiness and tangy, crisp perfection: vivid blue sky, deep green fields, leaves in a thousand luminous hues. It is a truly astounding sight when every tree in a landscape becomes individual, when each winding back highway and plump hillside is suddenly and infinitely splashed with every sharp shade that nature can bestow - flaming scarlet, lustrous gold, throbbing vermilion, fiery orange.”

 
~Bill Bryson,

  I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away

 

I spotted this gorgeous, White-tailed Kite, and it's mate, just lazing in the very top of a tree, surveying for their lunch. Those red eyes are both beautiful and frightening to me. I remember the first time I saw one, I though it might just be the most graceful devil I had ever seen! Autumn eyes.

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #36

 

 

“And every year there is a brief, startling moment
When we pause in the middle of a long walk home and
Suddenly feel something invisible and weightless
Touching our shoulders, sweeping down from the air:
It is the autumn wind pressing against our bodies;
It is the changing light of fall falling on us.”

 
~Edward Hirsch,

  Wild Gratitude

 

 

Autumn Colors

 

Summer In Paradise Hibiscus

 

 

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”

 
~Lauren DeStefano,

  Wither

 

Acapulco Gold Hibiscus

  

I came across these gorgeous autumn colored Hibiscus on my travels the other day, and couldn't resist photographing them. I see autumn everywhere, not just in the slant of the sunlight, I pay attention to anything nodding towards the autumn sun, even if it's called, Summer in Paradise, or Acapulco Gold. They are lovely, and exotic, and I'll take it!

 

      

Halloween Countdown Film #8 &7 It and The Stand

 

 IT

By Stephen King 

 

IT: I'm every nightmare you've ever had.

 I'm your worst dream come true.

 I'm everything you ever were afraid of.

 

 

The Stand

By Stephen King

 

Mother Abagail:  "It's time now to give your will over to the will of God.

 It's time to make your Stand."

 

Once again, I am probably making a political statement with these choices, but that's all beside the point, I love Stephen King's books, and I thought these adaptions were horror perfection! They are great on a windy, rainy afternoon, but if you're watching it while suffering from Captain Tripps, Uh, I mean Captain Trumps, oops, I mean Covid-19, it can feel really surreal, like you've suddenly found yourself in a Stephen King book. but really, aren't we?

 

 

“This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.”

 

~T.S. Eliot,

  The Hollow Men

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #35

 “you return like autumn,
and i fall every time”
~L.S. 

 

If you've ever wondered where I get my quotes from, I actually get them from several sources, but my favorite autumn quotes are from Goodreads.com. You might see some of the quotes I choose several times throughout autumn, because they will fit the mood I am setting. Shrug. I try to not repeat them, and I tryto pick some pretty ones, because life is, well, stressful, no matter where the stress is coming from. Anyway, I hope you love the leaves and appreciate focusing on them. At the end of the season I hope to have something special. All I want is bring you some relief.

 

 

Halloween Countdown Film #9... The Omen Trilogy

 

The Omen

Closing credits epilogue: "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666."

Book of Revelation Chapter 13 Verse 18

 

 

The Omen II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Damien Thorn: Yes. Born in the image of the greatest power in the world! The Desolate One. Desolate because his greatness was taken from him and he was cast down. But he has risen, Mark, in me!

 

The Final Conflict: The Last Chapter In The Omen Trilogy

 "The power of evil is no longer in the hands of a child."

 

It's Saturday, so I plan to spend the day watching movies all day! The Omen Trilogy is one of my favorite sets, so I saved it for the week just before Halloween! I expect I will be doing multi-movie nights leading up until Halloween on Friday, and probably into the, Day Of The Dead, as well. I have to confess, my draw to these movies the last few years isn't just the terrific acting, or how wonderfully beautifully filmed they are, but the fact that the evil in the White House making the drama seem all the more real. And all the more Scary. I believe in evil. I believe that the anti-Christ will eventually make himself known one day. I am a Christian, and my faith says it's true. Whether it will be in my lifetime, who knows, but watching the evil doings of our current government certainly demonstrates how easy it will probably come to pass. Weak willed humans will lead the way. It's biblical. Okay, I'm done.

 

These are really great movies.

 Watch them for the talent.

 Remember them for the messages they convey.