A crisp, bright, late autumn day. Now, in the very late afternoon (it’s after 3 and dark comes about 4:30) the wind has risen and thin cloud gives a hazy feel to the deep blue sky. While many trees have lost their leaves, others hold on to some, while yet others keep their leaves as they show only a little color.
This has been the long, colorful autumn promised by the local forecasters. The temperature has been normal, or a bit below for much of the fall, a welcome change, and we have had rejuvenating rain and a few early frosts and freezes which helped the trees come to full color. It’s been a joy.
Down on the marsh we have seen a few migrating herons, a huge night heron being the most memorable. We’ve also noticed that the autumn tides are running very high which brings nutrients into the marsh but as sea levels rise threatens the very life of the marsh and all the creatures that depend on it.
I’ve been out most days with a camera, or two, recording the advancing season. All those photos are still on the cameras and I really must load them to the computer and make them useful. Many of the phots are essentially studies for paintings that may or may not be made. Given my lack of coordination taking photos works better then drawing most of the time.
Nori is trying to catch up to the time change, meaning she hopes to be fed about an hour before we are ready to feed her. We humans seem to have caught up to the change relatively quickly but that may be more about having been on vacation last week, and not driving, than any particular skill we might possess.
I’ve been working on music and art. The days fly by and most days I get less done than I hoped. Between my fatigue and the very brief daylight hours the day seems condensed in ways summer days do not. With five weeks left till the solstice there is a good deal of room for days to be shorter yet.
I tend to work on music in the morning and try to get into the studio in the afternoon. It would make more sense to reverse that as the light in the studio is best in the morning and I am more tired in the afternoon and might as well be sitting at my music studio desk instead of procrastinating making the short trip to the art studio.
Thursday is Thanksgiving day, and instead of writing more about the colossal ambiguity of the day I’ll just share this quote from Lara Trace Hentz (https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/54619884/posts/4990010819):
“TRUTHSGIVING is a term my friend Sikowis Nobiss defined in contrast to the inaccurate myth of Thanksgiving. The Great Plains Action Society she is the founder of created the website: TRUTHSGIVING. The Truth will not be whitewashed.
– Jeff Kisling, https://quakersandreligioussocialism.com/“
Wishing you all a safe, festive, and deeply thoughtful Holiday!
Here’s a bit of ambient music for walking the autumn marsh:
Please share your thoughts and join the conversation!