The Last Love Of 2023

 

“Hope
Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
Whispering 'it will be happier'...” 

~Alfred Lord Tennyson 

 

 

It's the almost last of the year 2023. Well, what I mean is, it's December 30th, and that means it's time to clean up my desktop, and put away the last of 2023. My files. My photos. My compilation of the trumpiness of Trump. And it's a last chance to put the past in, well, the past. The picture you see above is the last of the autumn leaves of 2023. It's raining now, and we are well on our way to storms that will rob me of any bit of autumn that endures, but hey, what a way to go! I kinda love the soggy cereal look of the leaves and I sorta look forward to that stage of things. You must solider through the work of the year, to arrive at a time of fun and splendor. Of autumn leaves and sweaters and hot chocolate. See, I am not mourning autumn 2023, I am looking forward to, and planning for, autumn 2024! But back to the photo portion of this post. Below you will find some final impressions of 2023 that I photographed. I hope they make you smile. 

 

 

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.

 

Winter Migration

Canadian Geese

December 21st 2019

Lathrop, California

 Nikon

"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

Migrating Canadian Geese

Black & white

December 21st, 2019

Nikon

On the way home last Saturday, I spotted all kinds of different birds making their way south. Migration in the Central Valley has been lovely so far! Not only did I spot a brand new bird, just a couple weeks ago, but on Saturday I got to watch a gorgeous flock on Canadian Geese, and then a large group of Starlings making their way south, to warmer temperatures. I am thinking of asking Santa Claus for some bird feeders for Christmas, because that is something I can have a lot of fun with, even on this horrible Fibromyalgia days when there is no leaving the house because of pain! Who knows how many new birds I might be able to spot in 2020!? What a lovely thing to be able to look forward to!

 Starlings

~Mood: Happy
~Me    :)