Living Up to its Name

This tiny red maple tree...

stands out among all others.

Wearing the brightest, crimson red leaves...

it's truly living up to its name!

A Sample of Autumn Scenes from New England

Stream flowing through the Adirondacks, New York

Beautiful Vermont Green Mountains Countryside

Quechee Gorge, Vermont

Poet Robert Frost's Homestead in Shaftsbury, Vermont

Kevin and I were very fortunate to be able to take a trip to New England earlier this month when the region was bursting forth with fall color. We stayed at a lodge in the Adirondack's in New York for the first leg of our trip and visited Vermont for the second part. The countryside was a never-ending trail of beauty.

Left click on the photographs above to see a full-sized version...enjoy!!!

Real Love

A love that's real, a love that's true, a love that lasts for all time ~ there are true believers and those who scoff at the very notion of eternal love. I, for one, am in the first category. I believe that all of us find true love by having it within ourselves, nurturing it, and being ready to give and receive it.

Even if we are presently without life partners, we all have ways to grow our own capacities to love and be loved. Caring for family, friends, and neighbors, working for and giving to those who are less fortunate, adopting and nurturing the love of animals, the simple daily gives and takes of life approached with kindness and appreciation for others are all ways we nurture our own capacity to be givers and lovers. Love involves great patience and kindness and a willingness to live in ways that elevate others instead of bringing them down. Love is an action word - and, yes, it does involve work - a constant steady flow of consideration for others and for the earth we share as our home. To respect differences without compromising our own principles, to live simply and with gratitude...to honor all...these are the building blocks to living a life of love.

Loving your partner brings out the desire to put his or her happiness above your own simply because that's what you want to do. You want to be the best possible version of yourself that you can be, not only for yourself, but to share with your love. And, don't believe Hollywood movie lines - love does mean saying you're sorry when you say or do the wrong thing. Let's face it, none of us are perfect, we all slip up from time to time and say or do something hurtful. That simple sentence, "I'm sorry," spoken with sincerity goes a long way.

Love involves passion, but it isn't defined by it. Love encompasses every emotion in all their expressions. Not only can love endure all things, it is all things...and all things are made better with love. Love keeps us hoping, dreaming, creating, believing.

My life long friend is getting married this Friday. I wish her and her husband a life of dreams come true built on a solid foundation of real love.

Woolly Weather

Startled and all curled up, the larval form of the Isabella Tiger Moth, Pyrrharctia isabella.

This adorably fuzzy caterpillar is more commonly known as the Woolly Bear, or, further south, the Woolly Worm. According to folklore, the woolly bear is a winter weather predictor. The wider the middle reddish-brown band (the more brown colored segments there are), the milder the winter supposedly will be. Even though there is no scientific proof for the caterpillars ability to portend our weather conditions, over the years they've been observed, their color predictors have been surprisingly accurate.

Camera shy Woolly Bear on the run...

From the width of his brown middle band of 7 or 8 segments, it looks like we won't be faring too badly this winter! Earlier this season, I also came across some woolly bears that were entirely reddish-brown in color.

Moving up!

In this last photograph above, you can definitely see the wooliness of the Woolly Bear and see how it got it's name. The caterpillar's actually a little more fuzzy feeling than he is woolly...but woolly bear sounds as cute as this little guy is - a favorite fall mascot!

Take Time

"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit
still and watch the leaves turn." ~ Elizabeth Lawrence

After the rain stopped this morning, I got out for a short walk. To the side of the cabin, I noticed the first tree showing any significant color change, a black gum, one of the earliest to turn. Its bright green leaves were morphing to crimson red, in stark contrast to the greens surrounding it. The red maples are beginning to be splotched with dots of red, too.

As I continued deeper into the woods, a vocal pileated woodpecker flew overhead sounding much like his cartoon cousin Woody Woodpecker. It is so comical to hear these over-sized birds' laughing calls. They're so loud that they drown out all the other woodland sounds. They're quite a funny sight to see, too. As they scoot up the old snags, their red tufted crests bob back and forth. They furiously hammer away at the dead trees seeking the insects and grubs burrowed inside to feed on, and their crests become frenzied blurs. The woodpeckers huge size and loud call make them the lions of their daytime forest canopy realm...that is until a hawk swoops through!

Flecks of Fall

Even though most of the leaves on the trees in our vicinity are still green, there are flecks of fall color all around. The fallen chestnut oak acorns are bright green and yellow and various shades of tan and brown. Some are jet black. The combination of colors makes a very striking mix. Some of the nuts are touched with patches of rose, too.

I never noticed that stilt grass, which is such a pesky invasive, also turns color in fall. The tips of its leaves turn various shades of pink, red, and magenta, and it almost looks like someone came along with a paintbrush and decorated them.

Nature is always full of surprises, and each day brings something new!

Garden Harvest

The seasons are turning. Today is the last day of summer, as the autumnal equinox arrives tomorrow. Day and night share equal time at this time of year. Temperatures are in flux. For the last week, we've enjoyed bright, sunny days with moderate temperatures in the high sixties and seventies. We're due for temps back up in the eighties later this week. It will waver back and forth this way until cool autumn days stand their ground and remain steady. As the seasons turn again, the chill of winter will return, but, first, the beauty and color of fall and its invitingly crisp days will lift our spirits.

We are enjoying a bountiful, colorful crop of peppers. Of the vegetables I planted in our small kitchen garden this year, the peppers reigned supreme. Whereas the beans, in particular, couldn't withstand the dry, intense summer, the peppers flourished. We've never had such a fine and colorful crop of peppers - bright reds, greens, oranges, and combinations. Not only are they pretty to look at, they're tasty too. We add them to salads, omelets, fajitas, homemade pizza and countless other dishes. It's so nice to have homegrown veggies to savor and enjoy!

This year has already brought a bumper crop of acorns - especially the very large, bright green and yellow fruits of the chestnut oak. They tumble from the trees by the handful, thudding on the cabin roof with such a racket. The squirrels are having a hard time keeping up ... they're certainly not facing a lean time for food.

We've also been inundated by stink bugs. They've been everywhere and are quite a nuisance. They congregate on our screen doors and sneak indoors every opportunity they get. I've found them crawling amongst my houseplants and flying around the lamps. They've invaded our attic as well. Stink bugs are quite harmless, but they live up to their name. I've captured quite a few in my cupped hand to toss back outside, and they leave behind an acrid, musty odor that doesn't easily wash off.

Stick bugs have been everywhere, too! These walking stick insects are such neat creatures, and so very gentle. They also like to rest on the screen door. As I cart them away, to avoid crushing them when we open and close the door, they quietly rest on my outstretched palm, offering no resistance as I transport them to safer spots in the woods.

Our trees are just starting to turn color. The process that begins ever so slowly, with just hints of color change here and there, will soon take off until we are surrounded by an autumn kaleidoscope in shades of red, gold, orange, and brown.

Happy Autumn!!!