Autumn Passing

October has faded away and today, the Feast of All Saints, is gray and leafless. The recent storm has torn down most of the dying leaves and many pine needles and weak branches as well. The stream is high and fast again, as it always seems to be after October’s rain, and I’m feeling the pull to nestle in to my home again, and to return to my writing. I’ve been absent here for most of the month: too wrapped up in this fleeting season to share my thoughts. We’ve spent Sunday afternoons walking the woods, posting against hunters and revisiting favorite spots. We’ve harvested the cabbage for sauerkraut and the beets for borscht, brought in manure from a local farm to bulk up the soil, and set a date with death for our delightful pigs. I won’t miss them too badly, they woke me at midnight last night with their grumbling and fussing.

 

November is colder, already it feels harsher than October; a month of retreat and reflection.We’re looking forward to a Thanksgiving at home this year, with a turkey in our own oven and visiting friends on the days that follow. I love the abundance of November saints, today’s All Saints to begin the month, and St. Andrew’s at the end of the month. Lovely days of magic and power. All Soul’s is tomorrow, another day I love. It’s a day I always associate with my mother’s mother, who gave me her recipes after death and hovers ‘round me in my daily tasks to offer her encouragement. On All Soul’s I burn my candles for her and the others, our beloved dead. Put their photos and relics on the altar and welcome them home.

We’ve brought home a bathtub for the cold nights ahead. A beautiful claw-foot tub to clean and paint and soak in all evening while the snow falls outside. It was a gift from some lovely friends, who happened to have it in their basement. I’m so grateful for good friends and a chance to bathe in comfort.



Happy Hunting Season!

I hope to have more to say this month, more photos to share, and the quiet joy of watching the seasons shift to share with you all.