The Colors Of Autumn And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #42

 

Autumn

By Kalidasa

 

The autumn comes, a maiden fair

in slenderness and grace

With nodding rice-stems in her hair

And lilies in her face.

 

In flowers of grasses she is clad;

And as she moves along,

Birds greet her with their cooing glad

Like bracelets' tinkling song.

 

It's only the second day of November, and two wonderful things have happened. The magnificent Snow goose has returned to the Central Valley, and the first real downpour of autumn has occurred. Yesterday, I had to get out my cold weather wear. In fact, I got to wear, for the very first time, my brown, fuzzy, leopard patterned sweater I bought last year. I just never got around to wearing it! It stayed very warm through November, and I brought a lot of clean cloths with me from the old house. Then I got sick, and didn't do much out in the world, And there you have it. But it's going to get a workout this year. It's already becoming an old favorite, as are my green and brown cardigans. As I said in a previous post, on Halloween, we were treated to the appearance of the first adult Snow goose of the season, and it's juvenile companion. We will be doing A LOT of birding so I know those sweaters will come in handy. And as you might guess, I am sitting here, smiling at the thought of how much beauty is surrounding me right now.

 

And The Leaf Of The Day...

~Me

 

The Snow Goose Has Arrived And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #41

 

 

"The sound of geese flying overhead,

 is the sound of life moving on."

 

~Marty Rubin 

 

There it is. A beautiful snow goose. Well, actually, one adult snow goose, and one juvenile. I have been wondering when they would arrive, now I know, so I will begin looking for them around the end of October, even more reason to love that month the way that I do! I think I might have been a bit impatient, so, as they say, a watched pot never boils, advice I would have been smart to have taken, and I hate to use a cooking example, but you get my drift. Anyway they are on their way, and that means nothing but pure joy for me, because I know that one day, very soon, I will be treated to, at the slightest of whims, the sound of large flocks of Snow Geese, Canada Geese, Cackling Geese, Great White-fronted Geese, Sandhill Cranes, and every other type of bird all taking to the sky in one giant roar of wings flapping and beaks singing, and that is just about the happiest sound I know, unless it is a cable car climbing a high steep hill in San Francisco. Clang, clang, honk, honk. Seriously, it only takes one goose becoming spooked, for the entire sky to be filled with birds. Or one lady, lonely for San Francisco, to bring music to one's ears.

 

Like this...

 

Sandhill Crane, Cackling Geese, Canada Geese, Red-winged Blackbird, American kestrel, Mourning Dove

(J) Snow Goose

 

Happy Halloween And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #40

 

"Haunt an old house.

Ask for a treat.

Laugh like a witch.

Lick something sweet.

Offer a trick.

Wander a maze.

Echo a boo.

exclaim the phrase.

Normal's unnatural on Halloween."

~Rochelle E. Goodrich

Making Wishes: Quotes, Thoughts, & Little Poetry

 For Every Day Of The Year

Oh dear, we are here already? We are at Halloween? I suppose that means I have been happy, doesn't it? Is that a good thing? You bet it is! I am feeling more and more like my old self every day! The bad part is, of course, that time goes by way too fast. As of today we are one-third of the way through my favorite season, but I should just own the fact that autumn really lasts longer than 90 days, or three months, or whatever way you like to measure it, because, truth is, I will still be looking for leaves when Easter arrives. And I will find it! So, I don't feel sadness today, I just feel really happy that Covid-19 is nearly gone, I can eat most foods again, my brain feels less foggy, and life is, once again, worth not just living but also exploring. 

 

So, in that I am feeling much more enthusiastic, here are some old fashioned Halloween cards I have made. I loved getting them when I was a child. Sometimes in school, sometimes they were attached to my Halloween candy. It reminded me of Valentine's Day cards. A gorgeous picture on the outside, on the inside a favorite poem or saying or maybe even a joke. I love that part of owning a computer. Having some fun and making it all more sentimental by choosing one of my favorite photographs to make it all the more personal, fulls me with a lot of happiness.

 

 

~Me

Trick or Treat 2022 And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #39

"Across a golden Autumn tapestry appear the spirits of our ancient selves demanding recognition and reward for one haunted night. Sated, they retreat from winter's onslaught and retire to subconsciousness hibernation for another twelvehmonth."

 

~Stewart Stafford

 

 It's almost Halloween! I wanted to make this Halloween special because last year's was almost non-existent. I was pretty much an exhausted vegetable. My health was poor. I was exhausted and broken from the move and things were going pretty awful in general, and then Covid-19 hit us hard. But here I am, about a year or so later, and I am doing better and better each day, but I am still barely functioning in other areas of life, like cooking. I was hoping that by now I would be featuring a Halloween inspired recipe on my blog, or maybe show off my monster cake pan. Not monster as in BIG, but rather, it's a cake pan featuring the heads of different monsters, however it's a no-go. I will come up with something. I want to embrace stuff this year. Covid-19 is pretty much done with me at this point, I just don't want to say it too loud. So maybe I will make a simple cookie recipe, cut into bat and ghost shapes. We'll see! Stay Tuned.

 

Shhhhhh... don't disturb the ghosts of Halloween past.

~Me

 

 

 

By The Ocean Blue And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #38

 

Half Moon Bay, California

October 25th 2022

 

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

 

~Jayita Bhattacharjee

 

The pelicans won the day last week, they were everywhere. They were out here in the valley in bigger numbers than I have ever seen, a fairly large group were tucked around the corner in Tiburon, in Marin County, and there were impressive numbers along the coast of Half Moon Bay, Bodega Bay, and Santa Cruz. I have become fond of watching them play. They seem to be an easier bird to get along with, as opposed to, say, a gull or maybe Scrub Jay. Pelicans are so photogenic, that I planning on photographing particular. There was something about seeing that large group of White Pelican's flying over the condo, earlier in the month, that enchanted me. I enjoy all birds so much, I guess we will have to see! 

 

Santa Cruz, California

October 25th 2022
 

~Me

Advice For The Practical Witch And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #37

 

"Keep calm and carry a wand."

 

 ~A. W. Jantha

Hocus Pocus & The All New Sequel

 

 

Isn't she a beauty? Purple is my favorite color to wear when I go flying on my broom. Although sometimes I wonder if it clashes a little too much with Mini Cooper broom, but Cooper and I don't much care what other witches and warlocks think, not at my advanced age. I am finally here... 60. I can cast any spell I want, and that feels good! Although with that advanced age I am a little more like Aunt Clara then Samantha, and I am well past the age of most Supreme witches, but that's okay too, I am here for any consultations necessary, just like the Owens' aunts, Jet and Frances. That's just where life takes you. As Sally Owens says, "Always throw spilt salt over your shoulder. Keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant Lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can." That I can do. Alan and I tell each other how much we love each other every day. We even send lovey texts to each other. When it comes to kitchen magic, I am starting an indoor Herb garden real soon, so who knows what magic might happen! I am considering making some holiday candles, with the essential oils I bought last summer. It's all quite magical if you remember to, "keep calm and carry a big wand."

~Me

One In A Million And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #36

 

"You return, like autumn, and I fall every time."

 

~L.S.

 

We visited Santa Cruz yesterday, and as you might imagine, it was beautiful but it wasn't the only stop we made, we also stopped in Half Moon Bay as well, and in addition to it's beauty, it held quite a surprise! I was hoping to see some Black Oystercatchers, but I didn't see even one, however I did see about a million (not really a million) pelicans. I saw mostly Grey Pelicans, but I am sure there was a few white ones mixed it, however the big surprise was a single Blue Heron sitting right in the middle of one of the larger groups present. It was one in a million moment, or moment a where's waldo? If you look very close you can see him. The pelicans were making a wonderful sound, so were the gulls. I am still doing some research because one of them was making a laughing sound, and then I began to chuckle a bit, and laughter is the best medicine, right?

 

~Me

 

The Mothman Lighthouse And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #35

"Mothman flew away from town, like a giant bat,

 and then disappeared from sight behind a thicket

 of skeletal autumn trees."

 

~Don Roff

Heebie-Jeebies: Volume One

 

October carries fear under it's wing, no doubt, and what is spookier than a hauntingly beautiful lighthouse, just late enough in the day to cast all sorts of ghostly shadows? I love lighthouses, but this one is on my all time favorites list. Pigeon Point Lighthouse. It sits on the cliffs of Pescadero, California, lighting the way for man, and birds, for just long enough to earn adding ghosts to it's history. More to come on this subject, but for now, enjoy gazing into the photo. Oh, you could say, Pigeon Point lighthouse, three times and see if something otherworldly appears! Like a giant moth! Or not. Who would know?

 

Bwahahahahahahahahah! 

 

~Me

My Favorite Tree And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #34

 

"Fall has always been my favorite season. 

The time when everything bursts with it's last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale."

 

~Lauren DeStefano

 

My favorite tree is having a difficult time letting go of summer this year. That's okay, it just means I will get to have some of it's gorgeous leaves a little longer. Cull Canyon is an excellent place to do some birding. When I visited last week, the  app registered everything from the Oak Titmouse, to the Hairy Woodpecker, neither of which we have. The hunt goes on.

~Me

 

Autumn Rose And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #33

 

"The tints of autumn... a mighty flower garden

 blossoming under the spell of the enchanter frost."

 

~John Greenleaf Whittier

 

 

A little beauty, for a coolish autumn day. I grew that rose, well, me and all that the natural world has endured this year. It has really been a metaphor for what I have been through. The Covid left me with deep depression, and an almost complete lack of creativity and the ability to concentrate. It's called Brain Fog, and it apparently affects those over 60 who suffered from the original Omicron variant. It has been a difficult time, but things seem to be getting better. I am beginning to handle stresses better, and I think I have a better outlook for the feature, and as you might have noticed, I am embracing joy again, not fearing it. I don't know how much credit I can take for my rose, they are such hardy plants, but I did know how to care for it. And I know how to care for myself, I just needed to remember what to do.

Hot Cocoa Rose

Berkeley, Ca Autumn 2012 

 

I really miss that garden in the Bay Area. It broke my heart to learn Sandy L. had tore it, and my Japanese Maple tree, out of the garden, out of nothing more then old fashioned spite. But that is her problem. I cared for my roses and that tree, but all she did was make her property worth less money. It's okay. I am not going to spend time thinking about it, because there is nothing I can do about it, but I have the knowledge that I know how to grow a beautiful, strong, spicy rose, and I will always have that happiness inside me. This yellow rose smells like a baked sweet potato with extra clove, cinnamon and honey. Next year, if we find ourselves extending our contract for the condo, I might consider adding another rose or two to the front porch rose garden. Maybe a brand new color I haven't tried before, like Pumpkin Patch or maybe Sterling, but I really loved the Hot Cocoa rose I grew when we lived in the studio. In any case, I want them to look pretty in autumn.

 

~Me

Horned Grebe And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #32

 

"What could be more exciting than an October day?

 It's your birthday, Fourth of July and Christmas all rolled into one."

 

~Peggy Toney Horton

 

More and more of the Sandhill crane are coming in now, but so are many of the other birds. I was on Desmond road when I took this photo, Thursday of last week, and not only did I get to see these magnificent birds closer than ever, but just down the road, in the pond closest to the railroad tracks, were a pair of Horned Grebe. Really? On Desmond road? See, I am always learning new things. And that's a great feeling! There is way too much to learn, but I will do my best!

 

 

~Me