Lifting the Fog

Occasionally it can be hard to see anything beautiful in the world, despite the presence of an array of activities, loved ones, work, etc. Fog can settle over our roads and make it hard to see the way. The other day a thick bank of the actual stuff settled over my path. A little while in, the morning sun pierced through and illuminated the increasingly bare branches of the trees along the road in a breathtaking way. So even the fog can be beautiful, if we remember to acknowledge it. 

 

 

 

 

The Month of Pumpkins

We are now entering my favorite month of the year, October. Yesterday morning we awoke to snow, but today the temperatures rose to a balmy 45, so we took a drive through the countryside to look at fall colors and made the first of several traditional visits to the apple farm and pumpkin patch.

I love the dramatically changing colors and temperatures of this month, the crisp chill and renewing energy of the morning and evening air, the last harvests of hearty garden fruits and vegetables, the dark layered clothing, sachet-scented knit hats and gloves from the dresser drawer, steamy breath in the outside air, baking spiced pies and pot roasts, my birthday, Halloween...ahhh October!

Looking Up Through Yellow Leaves



Fall is officially here, and with it come yellow leaves on a big tree outside my parent's house. One of my favorite things is to look up through that tree as the leaves continue to change- at night a streetlamp lights them like flickering fire, and by day, they glitter like gold. This is my favorite season! 

 

Why Do You Do What You Do?

Today I bought a bag of caramel apple milky way bars and walked them around to my coworkers. It has been an incredibly challenging week for everyone at work, gearing up to an anniversary circus street festival/resident company extravaganza that is a first-time thing for us. Many details have necessarily had to wait to the last second, and there have been changes as everything has evolved. Beneath all of that we have our regular season to support, departing and arriving staff, and all of our own personal considerations.

 

The reaction that I got from many colleagues to the chocolate today was a slight exhalation, slump, smile and relief for a moment of restful sweetness. It can be difficult to keep perspective on the blessing of our jobs at times like this, or to keep sight of why we actually do what we do. After the normal workday I managed a radio promo event then got to see the opening night performance of Evil Dead the Musical. The promo winners and crowd around me were giddy in anticipation of sitting in the "splatter zone" and getting covered with fake blood. They wore white costumes, laughed at the throwback movie one-liners, and enjoyed their time with friends. To know that I had even a small part in helping create their experience (which maybe was coming after their own long days) gave me happiness and a sense that all the craziness pays off. 

 

The Restorative Power of Friendship

Yesterday I read something about the moon being in Pisces, and that indicating that things may be a little wonky, and that it might be best to focus on inward thinking and avoid too much outward reactiveness. This week has definitely been a little wonky for me, and last night I remember feeling like all I wanted to do was bury myself in a good book and escape. This evening I was feeling down and out with mid-week fatigue from the above, but ended up interacting with an old friend, who completely changed the tone of my day with a simple nod of acknowledgement of the craziness of the week, and then lighthearted banter. It's amazing how one interaction can change the course of a bad day or week. Thank goodness for those moments.

The Buzzards

There is a group of buzzards (a "wake") that roosts on the top of our local water tower. This morning when I left for work, the group was circling over the woods surrounding my house under thick storm clouds. I hoped that it wasn't an indication of the type of day I was about to have, but had driven home to a full moon the night before as well, so braced myself. I did have a challenging day, but then was able to come home and cuddle with my babes, so much of it melted away. I later read about buzzard and vulture lore and found that they are sometimes seen as signs of renewal, patience and resourcefulness. I think I will carry those meanings with me throughout the day tomorrow.

 

Night Painting

I've been traveling a lot this summer, and with shifting schedules have had to miss a couple of outdoor painting lessons. Now that Fall is upon us, we have far less sunlight in the evenings to paint by. So, this afternoon's lesson quickly turned dark, but was one of the most fun and interesting to date. My task was to use three colors (orange/blue/white, and their various shaded mixtures) to paint a birch tree and it's surroundings. This is the start below. I can't wait to try again. By the time I packed up to leave, a gorgeous full moon was rising over the Arboretum, illuminating a sky full of clouds and field of prairie grasses below. Heaven.