delicious autumn...

It has been a week spent in my studio, making

and wrapping and adorning.

But all the orders were taken to the post office
yesterday afternoon and this morning I picked my
mom up from the assisted-living place and brought
her to her home for a visit...the first since August.



So many of you have kindly asked after my mother,
and I am glad to say that she is well. We spent a beautiful
day in Williamsburg last week, truly soaking in the
color and motion and peace of the perfect
Autumn day we were gifted with.



And I thought of George Eliot's words...



"Delicious Autumn..."



...and how fitting her adjective is for the
gorgeousness I saw everywhere I looked.

And now we are at my mom's house at the beach,
where there are no yellow leaves or brown acorns...
but there is the same delicate Autumn sunlight
to turn our faces towards...together...and
I continue to store up these golden days,
like coins, warm in my hands.

october into november

Our lone pumpkin moonshine...
more flowers than leaves scattered amongst the
pictures of the dear ones this year...a few moments of
candle-lit hush before hurrying out the door to an evening
of music and warmth with our youngest whilst the eldest
is in the city celebrating Halloween in new
ways....




I am getting used to the changes...
in our celebrations as the years unwind...
with the additions to the gathering on the piano...
Life is good at teaching this.
Nature is a generous teacher, as well...
with Autumn days of yellow leaves and balmy warmth,
flowers blooming on and on and cosy days of grey
and rain, like today.


I am having a supremely lazy day,
content to look out the windows at the red leaves
on the dogwood tree, and the yellow roses blooming
by the door, compose something here to leave in the
hedgerow, anticipate watching another episode of
my Midsomer Murders mysteries later
in the afternoon...




Just being slow and still and gathering up strength
and nourishment from the love and beauty and goodness
I feel all around me today. The week will be a busy one
of filling orders, designing my calendar and book of days,
planning for the last lovely months of the year, taking
my mom on a little trip. But today is quiet and ever
so peaceful and I am savoring it.

on a sunday in autumn....

...I am drawing names for small gifts of notecards, and re-reading all the titles of the recommended books, and thinking of all the worlds that are now calling me to enter in and have a look around. Thank you.

Karen Edmisten, Sharon (the Sharon who recommended Rosamunde Pilcher and Elizabeth Goudge), Bonnie Buckingham, Gwyn and Holly will be receiving emails from me today and then the Books and Readers notecards in the week to come (or so!).

That was pleasant and diverting. And now I must hie me to my website and add some new things there. I intended to add things earlier in the week, but found that the delightful presence of my sweet five year-old nephew from Santa Fe proved much more enticing than being in front of the computer. Oh, it was restortive to have a snuggling, inquisitive one nearby for a few days!

I shall leave you with this Autumn tableau that I created a few weeks ago...the swallows have now left us, but the crickets are still filling the air with song and cups of tea begin to punctuate my days...


(click to enlarge!)