autumn ramblings 3

yesterday was about a drive to the city. it was about more than that, but i have only this much time to ramble today. what an absolutely gorgeous day for a drive. many years our frost comes early and the big winds follow, leaving much missed regarding autumn leaves. not the case this year. the sunlight, the warmth, the more recent gentle winds, have allowed for a wonderful display of autumn richness. i sometimes long for that desire to snap, snap, snap photos and still more photos. sadly the energy is not there. the muse wants to take me just that close to inspiration and then leave me straggling.

yet the most important thing is ~ i am not rushing by. 

the most important thing is ~ i am not agonizing 

about the camera 

being far from the ready. 

the most important thing is ~ i am ready to rejoice 

at the beautiful sun kissed leaves, 

the rich tapestry of trees, with sparkling waters 

holding just the right amount of glimmer.

the most important thing is ~ i am able to feel 
the excitement of another's joy 
as she observes first time 

the white shining hue of snow geese 

as they gather and lift, 

just above the road on which we travel. 

the most important thing is ~ 
my eyes and head allow me 

to glimpse the majesty of the eagle 
as he sits on an otherwise bare tree 

at waters edge.

autumn rambling 2

This year, ahhh, this year has been so different. I typically observe the changing of the seasons. I feel changes with some angst. Particularly autumn. If you know me very well you realize I have this  love/hate relationship with autumn. I believe the hate part of it is largely due to my Seasonal Affective Disorder, SAD. However there is something more to this. Many people react in a similiar fashion to the arrival of spring as well, something to do with air pressure changes, major changes of any sort. 
But I ramble. I feel the need to apologize for the ramble, take it or leave it. My thoughts have been filled with rambling it seems. And I have chosen not to share. There seem to be trends in art blogs. I do not know if you have noticed. I certainly have. 
When I started blogging, I tried to share much of my anxiety, my fears, my concerns. I believed I might help other people going through similiar situations. I still believe I found some very good life time friends because of that sharing. In the last few years the trend seemed to change to holding all your personal "stuff" inside. Kind of like "don't worry ~ be happy", especially with the face you showed to the world. I went along with it even though I was uncertain about it. I was not as inclined to post. I began to get behind with sharing my photos and art. I was not sure what was all right to say and what not. At the time I was going through some very heavy duty challenges. Probably sharing would have been beneficial. I chose not to share. That was easier than trying to decide what to say, what not to say. Sigh. And then there were the times when I had perhaps said too much. I felt guilt. That was not good.
Ahhh, the rambling.
This past year has been very tough. This past year I have been very strong. 
Remember ~ "I am strong. I am free. I have the right to be me." Those words were a wonderful mantra. I go back to them often. Sometimes I forget though. I must try to remind myself.

ramble, ramble 

 
Once again a return to sharing experiences, feelings, hardships, challenges, joys. Once again I think I too may feel more comfortable about choosing the right moments, pieces to share.

Angels be with you my friends.

"Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven’t the answer to a question you’ve been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you’re alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully." ~ Norton Juster

autumn ramblings 1

the second day of autumn. 

usually this time of year is about the autumn dance. alas i find my thoughts, my moods, my actions, to be quite rambling these days, this year. 

and so the decision, instead of my autumn dance, to share ramblings.

our summer has been so filled with sunshine. still the sunshine continues. as i love the light, so need the light, i will not complain. i will attempt to spend time outdoors to enjoy. i will attempt to sit in the light and see if i can slow these random thoughts and actions. i will attempt to remember to breathe deeply, to let the ongoing stress release. some days i am more successful.

today we took advantage of the sunshine, the west wind, the heat. we went to a favourite place, closer by, to do a short afternoon hike. was going to call it a stroll, but quite hilly, quite wild. and i wore my boots. blundstone.

 so much more like a hike. even Billy got tired. 

we are getting older. yet we still love to hike. i also continue to love doing photos of the autumn season.

*******

Finding the following words, compliments of the quotation loving Kitty Ackerman Armstrong, to bring me to a place where I can try to move from the ramble jumble into a more meditative landscape.

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. May your rivers flow without end, meandering through pastoral valleys tinkling with bells, past temples and castles and poets towers into a dark primeval forest where tigers belch and monkeys howl, through mysterious swamps and down into a desert of red rock, blue mesas, domes and pinnacles and grottos of endless stone, and down again into a deep vast ancient unknown chasm where bars of sunlight blaze on profiled cliffs, where deer walk across the white sand beaches, where storms come and go as lightning clangs upon the high crags, where something strange and more beautiful and more full of wonder than your deepest dreams waits for you - beyond that next turning of the canyon walls." ~ Edward Abbey

Monday mingle

week 14

Yes, I am still visiting my computer and trying to share occasionally. One of these days I will surprise you and start more regular posts, maybe. That will not be happening today though, probably not tomorrow either. In the mean time, take a look at these sites which are the online homes of some of my favourite magazines. 

• Veranda
• Style at Home
• Country Living
• Canadian Gardening
• Canadian Living

Monday mingle

Week 13

I was not intending to take such a long break. AND, it is definitely not Monday. Let's pretend. I am OK with it.
While working on more detailed posts I will share some links for fabulous fall fashion as some of the things I especially love about the soon to be here, but feeling like it's already here, season of autumn, are the patterns, textures, and rich colours. Some great places for shopping and window shopping ~

• Northern Reflections
• Toast
• Free People
• Gudrun Sjoden
• Sundance

Find more of my fashion dreaming here.