Sunday, November 4, 2018

November

Nov 2—we were in Florida visiting some very dear people last week, and when we returned home this past Wednesday the evening of Halloween Day, I could almost believe what I was seeing… no, not a witch or globin or a pirate or scary clown to be seen, but instead, a totally different view from what we had when we left, just a week before.

Every tree had been stripped off their lovely colors; not a single leaf remained on naked branches and pools of autumnal leaves were blowing off to unknown faraway places.  Winter, had settled in.  The neighborhood was lighted up in Halloween décor, and some of the houses were already decked in Christmas lights.

The following morning, I headed out to the garden as soon as I woke up. With night coming early, and dawn coming late, it was still dark outside, but I could tell that the garden had begun its rest until next spring.



How beautiful, and strange, everything looked, and how solemn under the mysterious spell of the new month... 


Pale amber sunlight started to fall across the thinning November garden, and I noticed that the bitter-sweet melancholy of the year had settled upon the land; as yellowish tints of light move along the garden’s floors, and scattered shadows everywhere.


I let my head fall back, and I gazed into the morning sky--part of it pink, part lavender part pale blue. Small, fluffy clouds like cotton balls scuttled along in a wordless melody, of wonder and admiration. How beautiful; how very beautiful the garden looked beneath the sweet gentleness of the autumnal morning. I heard an angel say once that God wants our souls to be like the autumnal morning...



Some of the roses were still intact, as if frozen in time, or frozen in past summer memories engraved in the apple of my eyes.



Petals mingled beautifully with autumnal leaves in the garden floors, like an assortment of jewels spilled from some magical coffer...





Oh, I don’t want time to pass; don’t want seasons to hurry, roses to fade nor winter to wither all the loveliness remaining here; but then again… ah yes! “Nature gives to every time and season unique beauty; from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it’s just a succession of changes so soft and comfortable that we hardly notice the progress." — Charles Dickens

Thursday, November 1, 2018

Autumn glories

Except for the sounds made by the Black-capped chickadees and sparrows foraging for food among the fallen leaves, no other sound stirs the garden these days; only the peace of small wonders and the muffled hum of Autumn softly falling upon the earth, and my soul has adopted the mellowness and language of the season.  



One day, I went to the garden, and found my little world covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon, as Autumn's fire burned slowly along garden paths and day by day leaves changed, and fell, and melted.  






The front of the house was a riot of pumpkin-yellow leaves a week ago, and trees everywhere had painted the world in brunt aquarelles and were every day dropping off their jewels, covering lawns and gardens and roofs in silky sheets of crimson and cerise.







In the magical light of dusk, diminutive organisms like beams of light, tent to appear out of nowhere, you can see them everywhere gently floating in the atmosphere; gleaming and twinkling—will-o'-the-wisp, some call them. It’s been said, that these atmospheric ghost lights are only seen by travelers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes.  But of course, here in my magical garden, they can be seen too.  I can't tell what they really are, but I can certainly see them, and they resemble flickering lamps.

It must be the October magic that still lingers… the same magic that makes us tiptoe outside in a hurry in the middle of the day to just sit quietly; daydream, and watch the last oozing hours of the day go by under magical, shadowy veils of mist.    


Monday, October 22, 2018

The Autumn fairies

Autumn has moved here, and now she lives with us—of course, I’m referring to the season, and from the windows in my kitchen you can tell she’s been adjusting nicely to our environment in her beautiful aquarelle colors… 


Outside, on the other side of the windows, it looks and it feels just as magical.  I cannot begin to explain or even try to fathom the splendid magical feelings this time of year conveys in me, and you sit quietly taking it all in; taking all what surround you and encompasses your very soul through your senses in a deep in dreamlike and magical manners under the crispiest and purest and pristine skies and air.  




Roses mingling with autumn leaves...



Colors more beautiful than ever!



Then, some very dear fairies came over to stay for a day or two... or more!  Phew!


They made a huge mess everywhere!


Hunting for treasures!



We put some-lots of makeup on, and then went outside and had a bubble contest... upps, missed a bit with the eyeliner! lol



We picked ripe grapes from the grapevines, making sure we left some for the birds too!


I solemnly swear that I am up to no good! ;)



Then, before we even knew it, a witch show up out of nowhere!

She only changed her outfits 300 times!


The sun was shining bright and warm, and the afternoon was crisp and golden as an apple. The leaves were all falling, and they were falling like they were falling in love with the ground, and with the garden and the little rumbustious little fairies…


Green grasses mingled with golden yellow leaves and crimson canopies, and the quality of light that lingered upon everything like some magical veil of peace and purity, was just too majestic and too gloriously beautiful to even begin to describe.  Oh stay… stay with me a little longer, October days; stay with me!
I hope you're enjoying these lovely final days of another October, as much as you can my friends!  Look for magic everywhere, for there's always some of it to be discovered!





Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Of hoarders and roses

The other day I went around my house collecting treasures and later donated quite the bundle to one of our local thrift stores.  It feels so good to get rid of things you know you won’t be needing any longer, or simply you're just not fond of any more.  Have you seen the show Hoarders?  This show goes into the lives of people with a mental disorder that causes them to obsessively collect things, even if the items are unnecessary and unneeded. It shows their effort to get help and recover, and it totally freaks me out.  So, from time to time I’d perform a ritual of sorts by examining my closets, drawers and nooks and then discarding things I don’t want any more… 



This closet here holds an entire assortment of princesses’ dresses… all beautiful and very much loved by some very dear princesses, so instead of giving them away, I keep adding more and more to the collection… these little princesses I'm telling you about love them all, and love me for that too! 


I have more… oh I have more stuff I’d need to get rid of, but I can’t seem to part from them yet, plus, it really isn't that much anyway—compare to other people, that is! But, it is always best to be on the minimalist side, me thinks!  So, I guess I’m safe for now.

Roses were still gifting me some glorious jewels until recently; until I decided to get them ready for winter and pruned them this week, even if they were still blooming… because, you know, it is already getting pretty cold around here my dears, and when temperatures change like that, and the atmosphere gets frosty and tiny ice-crystals hung from the air almost invisible to the eye, but not to the bones, I just prefer to stay inside, and won’t dare go outside… so, on foreseeing all that, I went ahead and pruned off all the roses... 







...then I made some lovely bouquets to bring inside and also embellish birdbaths and fountains, as well...





I few weeks ago I removed the climbing Royal Sunset rose that took so much of my strength, and then the following day two more rose bushes were taken out as well—those in the same border along our bedroom wall, and which had also gone wild by whatever reason and, having been replaced by the rooted canes of the rose Dr. Huey hadn’t put any flowers, and never will.

Most roses are budded onto a different rootstock. In the U.S. most commercial growers use a variety called "Dr Huey" as the rootstock and then bud different varieties on top of the Dr Huey roots.  Dr Huey is a climbing rose with dark red flowers. So, if one year you planted a yellow rose and the next year you get dark red roses, (or no flowers at all) that means that the top variety got killed over the winter and the Doctor Huey roots are sending up shoots. And time to replace your roses, my friend! 

Hope y'all are doing splendidly my friends!