triptych #46

• leaden skies
• quiet pebbles
• still life with plants

Maybe you are feeling it too. A slowing down, a hunkering in, a need for quiet. Here in Vermont nearly all the leaves have been blown off the trees by recent, wild winds. But the oaks hang on, the lilacs are finally turning brown, the tamaracks are blazing gold.

It's chilly and damp today, and grey. A good day for tea with a friend, a good day for warm slippers and a wee fire in the stove.

This is the time of year...with the approaching days of Samhain, Halloween, Day of the Dead, All Soul's Day, that I feel most in need of time for reflection.

I've been thinking of ways to honor this urge to pull within.

Usually a place of connection and inspiration, lately I found myself checking my Instagram account more often and "following" more accounts and then actually feeling a bit burdened by it all. So I removed it from my phone. I'm just taking a break. And I feel better already.

And, oh, the news...I've put the brakes on that too! I no longer listen to the news on the way down the hill to the gym or errands. Instead I soak up the treat of driving on a dirt road in rural Vermont. Watching the light change as I go through a tunnel of trees, or drive across the open ridge line, it's a much more inspiring way to start the day.

There's more time spent in the kitchen, too, cooking with local squash, root veggies from the garden, local sausage from neighbors over the ridge. Curries and stews and soups, paired with very special slivers of Vermont cheeses are finding their way into our menus. The cider from last week's neighborhood pressing is nearly gone. We're snipping potted rosemary, brought in from the herb bed outdoors. It all just feels so dang cozy.

This month's book group selection is The Book of Joy,Lasting Happiness in a Changing World. The book documents an extended conversation between the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, both Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. It's wonderful. I'm guessing that you, dear readers, might like it too.

This weekend, I'll be working on a secret sewing project (Miss Maggie is nearly 2!!!), casting on a shawl with some local Vermont yarn, shopping at the Norwich Farmer's Market...it's the last outdoor market of the year, and doing a bit more yard work with Batman. And I dream of staying in bed on Sunday morning for a bit, with a mug of tea and a book...my idea of heaven.

Wishing you moments of quiet reflection, too....