snapshot

Ohhhhhhhh, October.

Such abundance.

Bittersweet temperatures.

Brilliant foliage set against crystal blue skies.

Meadow and tree top filled with birdsong.

Foggy mornings that wrap the house in mist.

Fuzzy caterpillars, their markings shouting "snowy winter"!

Pumpkins and squash, safely stowed in a basket.

Snowy white garlic waiting for the season's soups and stews.

A corduroy shirt hanging on the pegs by the front door.

Cider. Cold and refreshing. Steaming hot and fragrant.

Chipmunks, chattering in the sunshine on the stone wall.

Garden clean up. Gradual. Waiting for each crop to fade.

Walks on the road. Alone and quiet, or with company, deep in conversation.

Henry, drunk with the sunny warmth on the broad windowsill.

Fallen leaves, in drifts, not quite ready for the rake.

Brussels sprouts!

Brown bracken, skeletal Queen Anne's lace and soft green milk weed pods.

And always, the coyote song, hauntingly close and far off, both.

at sunrise

the sun rises up and over the ridge behind us

and reflects on another ridge in front of us.

add foliage and low slung clouds.

it only lasted a few minutes

and so i do not regret hopping out of bed,

pulling on my gardening boots

and running outside in my nightgown

to get this picture.

i am glad no one drove by on the road

at that very minute.

:-)

every day is filled with these moments of rapture.

i wonder...how often do we see them?

more fullness

oh, life has been full.

more fun house guests,

more supper parties on the hill.

there have been so many field trips this summer.

looking at art, gardens, a brewery, a gorge, 

american artifacts, quilts...

seeing things from so many different perspectives...

...being inspired and challenged and 

sometimes overwhelmed by the possibilities.

what a respite it was to wander

the path of life sculpture garden on sunday. 

i wish you had been with us.

our beloved sunflowers

"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, or worn.

It is the spiritual experience of living every minute with

love, grace and gratitude."

-Denis Waitley

Each summer, we plant a patch of sunflowers 

in remembrance and celebration of the too short life

of Erin Elizabeth Potts.

Her brilliant spirit reminds us that

"e"very day is a blessing.

limbo

Here are some pie pumpkins
from the gardens,
lined up so neatly,
curing in the sunshine.

Life, lived fully,
is not so tidy.

Sometimes this is our work;
to find our way, even when we have the North Star in sight.

This is a sweet post that reminds me that we are on the right track
even as patience feels like a pebble in my shoe.

9-11-2013

“If there is to be peace in the world,

There must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations,

There must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities,

There must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors,

There must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home,

There must be peace in the heart.”

- Lao Tzu

Let there be peace on earth

and let it begin with me.

-Miller and Jackson

happy birthday #26 to our sweet hannah.

she changes the world every day with 

her radiance, truth telling and open heart.

a collection of days

With house guests due to arrive for the weekend, I splurged at the co-op.
Their scent still lingers, even as the blooms begin to fade.
Lilies from the von Trapp Greenhouses.
Yes, those von Trapps.

Corn at the crest of the ridge,
with Green Mountains in the distance.
Soon it will be harvested and tucked into storage
for winter feed.

An "honest cord" of wood, mauled by my brother Doug, 

and "bucket brigaded" into the woodshed

by Ra, Carolyn, Lindsey, Batman and I, in just a few hours.
Many hands did indeed make light work.

Reward for said firewood stacking?

A field trip to see the teens at Fat Toad Farm.

Late summer evening on the Northfield Green,

listening to the Starline Rhythm Boys.

Toddlers drunk with the freedom to roam, kids in sparkly face paint, 

teens almost too cool, farmers in suspenders, 

and spry elders danced the night away under the stars.

Blueberry scones and sauce, tomatoes, potatoes, beets and onions
came up from the kitchens and gardens of Massachusetts,
and a cooler full of Vermont crabapples went back down.
There may be jelly...

Is there anything better than a weekend filled
with friends and family, great food and love and laughter
shared around the table?

Last evening, as I got used to the quiet again,
I watched this amazing rain come from the west.

And when we find ourselves

In the place just right,

We will be in the valley

Of Love and Delight.

-Shaker Hymn

Bread and Puppet...Total This and That Circus

Our Bit of Earth was filled with favorite friends and family this weekend. On Saturday, we drove up and over the Rochester Gap for a Labor Day weekend performance of Bread and Puppet in the amphitheatre of The Big Town Gallery. Here are a few photos from the performance. (To see previous years, look here, here and here.) 

These fabulous ladies strode in on long-legged zebras.

 They dismounted and enjoyed a "tea party"
(do you see the little tea table?).

Then the NSA (National Spy Academy) was eavesdropping on an abuela,
who was talking on the phone about a recipe for biscocho. 
(So glad to see our tax dollars at work, right?)

These magical reindeer drifted across the stage, quietly and slowly. The crowd hushed.

And then the tar sands oil of the Montreal-Portland pipeline came and dragged them away. 

Amazing rhinos took to the stage. Mobs of frogs celebrated the recent announcement of the planned decommissioning and closure of the VT Yankee nuclear power plant. 

Burlap turkeys turned out to be the truly "intelligent intelligentsia". 

A baby cow was born, the giant gorilla and a herd of horses made appearances.

Following the Bread and Puppet tradition of telling the truth, the numbers speak for themselves.

The government is working on bringing F-35 fighter jets to Burlington, and not everyone is happy about it.

And so, the daffodil army mounted a counter response. The daffodil army won. Just sayin'.

And then the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to Bread and Puppet,

as this wonderful group celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Hooray for Bread and Puppet!