Category Archives: General

The hints of people are what have always fascinated me. 

A lingering trace of cologne. 

An echo of a voice. 

Fragmented bits of melody.

Taken as one, what does such a pastiche of individual elements comprise?

Does the whole of a person come together from such personal effects?

What remains and what is lost?

The striking combination of these red Japanese maple leaves against a sky of blue shows just how wonderfully these color can work together. Would that we could take a lesson from nature and allow our own differences and beliefs to co-exist so beautifully, and so harmoniously. It’s disheartening to see a country, and a world, so ruinously fractured, and over such stupid things. I will choose to focus on beauty and goodness and truth, and all come together in the fall show put on by this Japanese maple tree. 

It’s glorious how November has, thus far, decided to enchant and illuminate its beauty. Too often it shrouds these views in mists of overcast haze, dim and rainy days, and storms that pull such prettiness from the sky far too soon. I feel enormous gratitude for the blue sky shown here, for the brilliant scarlet of the leaves set off by the sunlight, and for the gentle slope into the holiday season. 

The oak tree is always the last one to let go of its leaves, sometimes holding onto some through the winter and spring until a fresh crop finally pushes the lingerers out. For bagging purposes it’s a bit of a pain if you collect your leaves in the fall. Andy will get the ones off the lawn with a last mowing and then we’ll leave the rest for spring pick-up. They provide a mulch and cover for our front shrubs. 

For years I went through fall ignoring and not appreciating the beauty of these brown leaves, but this year I found a new gratitude for their subtle beauty, especially when the afternoon sun slants through their leathery forms. 

A November thunderstorm, according to my mother, may mean a milder winter is on the way. We’re hanging on to that notion, and we’ve both enjoyed storms as long as we can hunker down in a place of coziness and safety. On the afternoon these photos were taken, the thunder was rumbling in the sky, and I retreated to the attic where I looked out and saw this pine bough dripping with rain. Listening to this song, backed by the pitter-patter of the rain on the roof (and a comical scampering of a squirrel at one point), I felt a moment of calm and peace in the midst of the rain and wind raging in the air. 

That juxtaposition of dreary weather with the warmth and candlelight of the attic made things feel even more cozy – the very essence of hygge. Without the awful weather, the dim early descent of evenings, and the distant approach of winter, we couldn’t experience such coziness. 

This view is one of my favorites in the summer – it shows the towering tips of the fountain grass behind the boughs of a Chinese dogwood tree. Beyond is the pool, mirroring a blue sky. It’s a favorite because it signals summer and sun and warmth and fun. Last week the view wasn’t bad, but it was tinged with the sadness of impending slumber, the winter on its way. Still, until recently November has been relatively kind weather-wise, and I’m going to hold onto its glory and splendor for as long as it will let us. On with a briefer recap, because November is brief. 

What to do with all the tomatoes that would have otherwise gone to the frost. 

Autumn in New York. Upstate and otherwise.

A pair of quotes for a peaceful moment.

Emily Dickinson and autumn.

The words and wisdom of Seneca.

Daybreak in autumn.

Taylor Swift’s autumn heartbreak.

Autumnal meditation. Because we need it now more than ever. 

Dazzlers of the Day included Justin Tranter, Chella Man, Paul Rudd, Alicia Silverstone and Mr. T.

Real life sometimes gets in the way of online narratives, and so I have been largely absent from writing in any active voice these past few days, and weeks really. As personal as I sometimes get here, this hasn’t been the place for diary-like revelations in the moments in which they are happening, so I’ll process and maybe get back to them another time. I’m dealing with some parental care issues, and there honestly hasn’t been time to write much. Still, I’m told some people come here for inspiration or peace or just a silly break in their day, so I’ll continue at least a daily posting if I can. That may mean seeking out the words of others, which is never a bad thing, considering how much wonderful work exists in the world. 

Today mine will have to suffice, along with these photos of the Japanese coral bark maple at the corner of our house, putting on what is probably its finest show of the year. While Andy is partial to the chartreuse freshness that signals spring in its foliage, and I too enjoy that, particularly when juxtaposed with its vibrant bark, this is its final performance for the season. No one can say it doesn’t know how to give a good finale. 

As for this Sunday morning, and whatever may come along with it, I’m posting a video for which I’ve only used the sound as a backing track during a meditation. Some people find it easier to meditate when there is some ambient noise in the background. I don’t usually need it but on those days when the mind is particularly burdened and thoughts race across like wildfire, I’m not averse to playing this and letting it occupy what might otherwise be fertile ground for meddlesome distractions. It’s the same thing when people need a bit of white noise to fall asleep. (There are also some lovely Japanese maple images for those who only want to watch.)

My meditation practice these days is around 15 minutes every other day, but I’m getting back into increasing both the frequency and duration of that loose schedule. The calm and peace I get from it is more than worth carving out the time. It’s also a way of combatting the earlier descent of darkness in the day, and counteracting any seasonal affective disorder downers that begin creeping up on so many of us now. 

In the spirit of Seneca, I’m going to enjoy the singular moment at hand, indulging in these photos from a beautiful November day when the sun was recently shining in a sky perfectly tinted with blue. 

Autumn Daybreak by Edna St. Vincent Millay

“There are more things … likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality. What I advise you to do is, not to be unhappy before the crisis comes; since it may be that the dangers before which you paled as if they were threatening you, will never come upon you; they certainly have not yet come. 

Accordingly, some things torment us more than they ought; some torment us before they ought; and some torment us when they ought not to torment us at all. We are in the habit of exaggerating, or imagining, or anticipating, sorrow.

It is likely that some troubles will befall us; but it is not a present fact. How often has the unexpected happened! How often has the expected never come to pass! And even though it is ordained to be, what does it avail to run out to meet your suffering? You will suffer soon enough, when it arrives; so look forward meanwhile to better things. What shall you gain by doing this? Time. There will be many happenings meanwhile which will serve to postpone, or end, or pass on to another person, the trials which are near or even in your very presence. A fire has opened the way to flight. Men have been let down softly by a catastrophe. Sometimes the sword has been checked even at the victim’s throat. Men have survived their own executioners. Even bad fortune is fickle. Perhaps it will come, perhaps not; in the meantime it is not. So look forward to better things.”

~ Seneca

AUTUMN by Emily Dickinson

The morns are meeker than they were,

The nuts are getting brown;

The berry’s cheek is plumper,

The rose is out of town.

The maple wears a gayer scarf,

The field a scarlet gown.

Lest I should be old-fashioned,

I’ll put a trinket on.

“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” ~ Etty Hillesum

“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” ~ Sydney Harris

Upstate New York knows how to do autumn justice. We don’t have a choice. You either give in to the season at hand or get bowled over by the gourds and cinnamon scents and pumpkin spice everything. I find it easier to go with the flow and embrace the chilly season at hand, indulging in the cozy traditions that you enjoy the most. It’s also the indisputable lead-in to the holiday season, another thing some people have an issue with this early in the game. Usually I’m with them – extending or elongating the holiday season too far dilutes what makes it so special and memorable. This year, I’m gradually shifting into it earlier than usual, because we need it now. 

Here is some music to set the autumnal scene, one of the few things good about YouTube these days, and backed by some favorite characters best known for their holiday antics.  

An abundance of super-saturated color informs this recap, as I’m feeling the lull of a bleak November begin to creep into the blue skies we’ve been fortunate enough to have of late. An overcast day is somehow more depressing than one raging with storms or weighted with humidity and heat. As it is, we’ve had a lovely stretch of fine fall weather with sunny bright days and blue skies, maybe to make up for such an awful summer. On with the recap before the gray days return….

A downtempo Downtown. 

Cheery cyclamen. 

Take on me, but in a slow fashion.

Wearing a rusty cape for fall. 

The Tiny Telephone Sessions.

Drawn to the forest.

Fuchsia foliage.

The old-fashioned style of streaming.

Friday geometry.

The candle being.

Oh Kalanchoe.

Day-glo naked pics on a day of worship. 

Rose indulgence.

Dazzlers of the Day included Subrina Dhammi and Lisa S. Lee.

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it” ~ Edith Wharton

Darkness comes earlier and earlier as we roll toward the winter solstice (which occurs next month, by the way) and once the time change happens this weekend, it will be dark even sooner. The time for coziness and hygge is at hand. This year I’m doing my best to make it all about the light – and that begins with a single candle.

Candles are my companions in our little attic loft space, and they are the main components of the transition to the coming winter. With the air conditioner out of the window, the room is brighter, and with the multitude of votives, there are little lights and little sources of warmth scattered throughout. 

In one of the first winters I spent at the Boston condo, I discovered the power of candlelight, and candle warmth. The bedroom was always on the cooler side of things – the base-board heaters warmed the front room more than they did the back, and while I prefer a cool room for sleeping, some nights it got a little too cool, made worse by the bay window that drew in the drafts. On a whim, I bought a bulk pack of tea lights and lit about twenty of them in the bedroom. Entranced by the light, I was also pleasantly surprised by how much heat they gave off, as if a little fireplace had been lit in front of the bay window. Since then, I’ve remembered the power of that candlelight.