Tag: Autumn/Fall

Simply A Moment | 10.15.24…

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OH! To be rested, caught up, focused on the best direction …to be relaxed, relieved, revitalized, on spot…Today ‘s Simply*A*Moment and time to write the blog post. Technically, and it’s simply a convention I created to help me remember and focus on “the moment”, I stop and pause on the moment that equals the time of the day that equates to the month and date, e.g., This is October, the tenth month and the fifteenth day – so at 10:15 AM, technically I’m to stop whatever and focus on that specific, precise, moment . As I type this, I have absolutely no idea of what I’ll be doing at 10:15 AM today, 15th of October! Time will tell* <couldn’t resist!>

Currently, at 8:15 AM, I am sitting at my computer desk, in my little zoom box, “alone yet together” with folk from around the world. Today, 199 of us, in our little Zoom boxes, ostensibly writing. Some of us, as moi, are looking at others who are writing, maybe eating ,thinking, listening, engaging in conversation with some one in the room, scrolling Zoom to see who is there and how they show up: live or just a photo. One participant appears to be having quite an animated conversation ` perhaps with someone else or her character; several are “cat ladies” and/or dog or both? And some are clouds, lakes, sunsets, sunrise … Whatever and Whoever we are, we all showed up to focus on our craft, task for the 8 AM ESDST London Wrters’ Salon session. I also have the opportunity to join the Pacific 8 AM – technically 11 AM for me – session…and I may – should I need to -put the finishing touches on this blog post …

Periodically, I stop to check my stats: I’ve been writing for approximately 16 minutes and have 309 words, thus far. The goal is 1000 words per any writing session. I don’t know that I’ve ever hit that number tho’ I also don’t know that anytime I sit to write – be it via pen or keyboard and occasionally, a verbal note – I care to do so. I did wonder where the metric originated and thanks, to the “web”, learned it was from Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks. A book I’ve read and have not one, but two print copies and I daresay, a digital version, too. T’wouldn’t at all surprise me if t’were the case.

412 words— WH is ending and I’ll move on. A busy Zoom & Writing 1000 Words today.

*Circa 10:15 AM – Actually, it’s now 10:43 AM -I’m currently ensconced – a fancy way of saying settled in/at the dining table. Just finished breakfast: Scrambled egg with shredded cheese and green grapes – just five. Not sure why I settled on that number. Currently, it’s sunny and cool – 55 degrees AND the expected high? Just 58 degrees. Seriously? Seriously!

This morning, as has been the agenda, the street’s being torn up. The gas company is installing lines to meters in most houses on this block. Not my house ‘cause my meter’s already in place. Every day, the leaves on the trees are turning color and/or gently falling to the ground. Leaf collection’s scheduled to begin the end of the month.

512 words at 10:58 am. Not bad . Won’t make the 1000K mark this session but that’s OK with me. Besides, I have two more journaling sessions scheduled for later this afternoon. The last one is at 7PM, ESDST; last week, I completely forgot about it. I know NOT WHY! Not this week, tho’!

608 words …

TBC…

Simply a Moment | 10.15.23…

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10:15 am: The sky is a clear, crystal blue. Trees are slow to change color this season, or so it seems…

A flock of sparrows or starlings or wrens land in the yard and begin their feast and swoosh, just as they appear they leave – a breeze?

Contemplating “when” I will go on my daily walk/jaunt to the park …

Listening to my favorite Sunday Baroque musical program from WSHU in Connecticut. I know it’s been a Sunday morning “fave” for I want to say 20 years and counting…

The hot tea from the the yellow mug feels good in my hands. What shall I will fix for breakfast – oatmeal appeals…yes!

A look ahead at the weather forecast suggests clouds will arrive in the afternoon; I find that hard to believe looking out the window… at the current sky…

Aha! the slightest wisp of clouds begin to appear, just at this moment: 10:15 AM

The clouds arrived at 5:15 PM…

Post Script: 10/16/23 . I managed to forget to hit publish yesterday…

Fall, Y’All!

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Lots of leaves on the ground these days; sadly, they aren’t very crunchy but t’is fun to see the types and colors. Currently, at 4 PM, as I write this post, the sun shines and the wind is gently rockin’ the trees, causing, of course, more leaves to fall. I love Fall and my walks during this season just make me happier.

I subscribe to NPR’s Life Kit – a weekly podcast and an email . This week’s “Kit” shared the responses to a question queried last week: “What’s a recent book you read that you couldn’t put down?” My immediate response was Michael Crichton’s Andromeda Strain that I read six plus decades ago – definitely not recent – when I was a children’s librarian with the Detroit Public Library. The book arrived in the morning delivery and for some reason, I was emptying the delivery – don’t remember where the clerical staff were – maybe a staff meeting? Anyway, the book captured my attention! I sat down to flip through it and the next thing I knew, t’was 3 PM and the kids were arriving from school. I had absolutely become mesmerized. Don’t remember eating lunch, helping any customers, nothing! Just flipping the pages as fast I could to reach the end and find out what happened! Thinking about that time made me happier…and of course, since then there have been many, many many books that have captured my full attention!

And I was delighted to see the first lawn display of Halloween, as I made my way home from to the park.

Welcome October | 10.1.23…

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7:15 p.m. As I type this, the sun is setting. This has been a lovely Fall day, just warm enough to be without a jacket. I took a long, unplanned walk, to Franciscan Monastery and “wrote”, i.e., spoke via Apple Notes about the trip to and back. What follows is a very edited version of those spoken notes.

Sunday, October 1, 2023.

At the Monastery. I’m sitting on the bench overlooking the forest; to my right, the Ronald McDonald house. The sun shines. The trees are not quite as leafy as they were a month ago. I hadn’t planned to come to the Monastery today – I left home without ID or bus fare or a credit card or cash. I was just going for my normal daily walk but I found myself heading north and Here I Am .

It’s a lovely day: Quiet; there’s a cloud or two or three or four, but they’re not menacing – just adding to the overall glory of this day. I enjoyed a quiet morning in bed, dipping into the three new books on memoir writing I bought yesterday; listening to WSHU’s Sunday Baroque; and jotting down thoughts in my journal. Just relaxing. Enjoying doing nothing.

According to the clock it’s 1:33 PM and this is Sunday, October 1. A month ago I was here and I challenged myself to learn something new every day. Well, I suppose I did but what I didn’t do was document what I learned. C’est la vie.

So again, here I sit, partially in the sun and partially not if I turn a little bit. I’m just resting, enjoying the breeze and the scenery, and looking up at the sky following the trees to their very tippy tops. Such a beautiful, peaceful setting. I see a young boy running uphill and wonder where he’s going.

The koi pond is overflowing with plants; I barely saw any fish; wonder why they let the plants grow that way? I’m sure there’s a reason. I tell myself I’ll take a couple pictures of the Koi pond on my way out.

And thus the day comes to an end. Welcome October 2023.

Simply A Moment | 9.15.23…

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9:15 AM – The bright blue sky is crystal clear; there is a slight breeze, evident by the gentle sway of leaves on the trees, bushes, grasses and an occasional leaf or two, whirling to the ground. There isn’t a cloud to be seen. A beautiful autumn day.

Look closely. Do you see the butterflies?

I sit here at the table, trying to decide what do I do next? Writers’ Hour is over for the time being; there is another session scheduled at 11 A, EST, 8 AM PST… I doubt I’ll join for I’m not actually bursting with words begging to be made visible and my day’s to do list is long…

I contemplate a walk to the Franciscan Monastery but my “to do” agenda rules that out. Me thinks my morning walk to and thru the park will fit the bill quite nicely and on the way to/fro I will undoubtedly stumble on a leaf or more on the sidewalk, a lovely autumn fleur, and the refreshing caress of a breeze on my cheeks. Cool enough for sleeves on my arms.

Over the past couple years, since Covid rudely interrupted all our lives, I’ve sat at this table and watched another apartment building being built. DC is only 64 square miles and these days, a plot of land, especially on major thoroughfares and streets, becomes prime real estate for multi dwelling buildings … and because no building can be taller than the Washington Monument, sky scrappers are out of the question, thereby limiting how tall any building may be …

The big decision: do I check out the progress of the new apartment building on my walk to or from the park? I think To… or Fro…Hmmm

1:30 PM – This gorgeous day is half over! I’ve completed my walk and every step was as lovely as I’d anticipated. The breeze still caresses the trees and the sky, cloudless. Three loads of laundry – not necessarily “fun” but definitely D-O-N-E.

A photo to end this post: Elias, now in all day kindergarten, working on his autobiography. They start young…

Cheers~

September … the new January

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Today we’ve reached the predicted high: 95 degrees and we still have hours to go before sunset. The forecast: hotter through Friday and then thankfully, a cool down to on the weekend, the mid-90s. Can’t come too soon!

On the last day of school, I remember singing the lyrics “school’s out, school’s out, teacher’s let the fools out …no more pencils, no more books…” as we headed home. The very next week, we were bored to tears and complained of having “nothing to do.” Which was patently untrue!

For my ducats, I’m with the meteorologists : September is the beginning of Autumn/Fall, my favorite season of the year. My childhood memory of Labor Day was the ending of summer, the beginning of Autumn and the return to school! YAY!

Tomorrow, the kids return to school; city pools close – good they were open today, truly a Sayonara song. Life returns to normal…whatever that is.

One of the joys I remember from starting back to school: new pencils, a box of crayons and a ream of newsprint. There was a paper mill on the outskirts of town and we could get a ream of paper for a whole 25 cents – a quarter! I have a roll of newsprint I’ve had for years – one used to be able to get such from stores for packing purchases – no more.

These days, my “back-to-school” kit includes a couple new journals; composition books in a variety of colors; both analog and digital planners; and of course, my iPad, iPhone and Mac. I can ne’er make up my mind and I experiment with a lot of different ones- both analog and digital. Old habits are hard to break…and really, why should I?

Welcome September!

Zibaldone|28 November 2022

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November brought 1- Congressional elections; 2 – spectacular color courtesy Mother Nature; 3 – old, new and many-paged books in my reading stack; 4- delightful morning walks, although for about ten days, the temps hovered in the low to mid 30s. 5- birthday celebration: floral bouquet for my 80th birthday trip around the sun and 6 – my great grand nephew, Elias’ 5th. AmaZing! 7 – The photo that shows a doll on my path caused me to think how sad it got lost. 8 – I was intrigued by the painter capturing the autumn scene in watercolors… 9 – I walked to the Franciscan Monastery Saturday and was delighted to see the Koi pond filled with fish.

I am also delighted with this quilt-let, approx 12” x 12.” I made it after my trip to Sisters OR in July. I call it “I Left My Heart in Sisters…” and am embarking on a new and exciting “slow stitching” program.

Stay tuned for December’s magic. And thanks for joining me on my journey.

Cheers~

one little word | 11.30.21…

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This morning, about 8:45 am, we had a very light dusting of S-N-O-W! Or maybe a combination of sleet. T’was exciting and interesting, considering the season we’re entering once the clock rolls over at midnight. Of course, the snow/sleet melted just as it hit the deck, ground…

On my walk earlier this afternoon, I was struck by the colors of this autumn day. Mother Nature has done a magnificent job of commemorating my 2021 word: color, this season. Plus, the addition of several holiday-themed yard decor adds to the ambience. Tomorrow we embark on the Christmas holiday season; ‘t’will be interesting to see how the season’s colors are revealed.

Joining Carolyn and friends for November’s One Word roundup.

Cheers~

simply a moment | 11.15. 21…

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Normally on the 15th of the month, I aim to document and share a moment from the day. It occurred to me today that only on the 15th of November can I share the day’s moment/s at the time closest to when I was born: circa 7:42 pm.

Today is/was my birthday; I’ve had many trips around the sun and looking forward to many more. The story goes that when I was born, my father had not left the hospital more than ten minutes, out to get a burger, thinking that it’d yet be a while before I made my grand entrance. Hah! Fooled him!

I had a grand day filled with well wishes and my favorite eats: pizza (this time Panera’s flatbread), salad and of course, Prosecco… all topped off with a couple pieces of delicious lemon ( my fave flavor) cookies. I am filled not only with good food but more importantly, the well wishes of Family and Friends, far and near.

Before I leave, enjoy this photo from today: this Japanese Maple, probably close to 34 years old, is exceptionally beautiful this year. Sorry, the goodies are all gone…they were indeed delish.

Cheers~