Friday October 14 2016  HALF IS GONE

The month of October will be half over tomorrow.  Every day I type the date and it always seems surreal to see the days advance so quickly.  Remember our plans to begin setting up our Christmas tree on October 1^st?  Well, here it is the 14^th and we haven’t even had a moment to take our boxes out of the closet.

The sun room windows really needed washing and in order to do so we had to move all the furniture out from the walls and move all the little things into the formal dining room.  It took Dave a couple of days to finish washing all the windows, another couple of days to get all the large pieces back in place, and all the books and little do-dads are still gracing the dining room.  I have not had a minute to stop and do anything except the urgent pressing needs of the moment.  That is, until today.  But, unfortunately I wasn’t home.  Sunday’s nap was one of those “urgent pressing needs of the moment”!

So now we need to wash the formal dining room and living room windows.  And again, all the furniture close to the wall must be moved out, the windows washed from the inside, using squeegees to reach outside areas which are on the second floor. We haven’t figured that one out yet.  Normally we hire it done but this year we decided that since we are retired we should try to do more of the “house maintenance chores” ourselves.  Hmmm…maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. 

Perhaps you now understand why we start so early to get our Christmas tree decorated.  It will probably take us a month just to get the boxes out of the closet.  I’ll keep you updated.

It is now 9:00 p.m. and my bedtime.  So this will be a short blog. 

 

Autumn’s Recollection

Kathleen Martens

October 14, 2016

www.visionsofpoetry

 

Cool days and blustery wind

Bid summer adieu,

Sweaters and jackets pulled from storage,

Again feel quite new.

 

Morning light comes so late,

Internal clock reset.

Early evening beleaguered by dark,

Circadian rhythm beset.

 

Early to bed, early to rise,

Darkness becomes our friend.

All the daily outside chores,

Mid-day hours we must lend.

 

I view the world with new eyes

As it changes from day to day,

I stop and watch the flying Vee’s

Of migrating geese on their way.

 

To experience the grackles* in their flocks

Thousands darken the sky!

And our yard is their stopping place

As they go flying by.

 

Changing color as temperature drops,

More quilts go on the bed.

And brilliant shades sprinkle my view

From gold to radiant red.

 

Dazzling fields of drying corn

Shimmer in morning light.

Stunning landscapes around each turn

Create magnificent sights.

 

Spider webs sparkle with dew

With myriad, intricate design.

Like a lace floating in the wind

Workmanship oh so fine!

 

The sound of crunch on the path,

Cheeks cold with frigid air

Are recollections of the past

And so with you I share.

 

There is beauty yet to be seen

And cold you don’t want to feel.

Every day reveals new mystery

And that’s a really great deal!

 

Thank You God for the changing seasons in many parts of the world.

Thank You God that I live in one of the areas that has defined seasons.

 

THANK YOU FOR…

Kathleen Martens

October 14, 2016

www.visionsofpoetry.com

 

Thank You for the color I see.

Thank You for the wind I feel upon my face.

Thank You for the flowers and bees

For spiders who design intricate lace.

 

Thank You Lord for the rustle I hear

As wind flits through the leaves,

And thank You too that summer is over

Because I love wearing long sleeves.

 

Thank You God for Your majesty

That shines in Your earthly creation.

And for all the senses You gave me

In order to delight with such elation!

 

GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS YOU.

 

*In winter, Common Grackles forage and roost in large communal flocks with several different species of blackbird. Sometimes these flocks can number in the millions of individuals. http://www.allaboutbirds.org

 

Personal note:  Sometimes when we are home as the grackles are migrating we hear a racket outside and we know the grackles are landing for a bit in our yard.  I am sure the birds cover a vast array of yards because there are thousands of birds which land in all the tree tops, the grass, and the fields around us. It’s as if the trees are alive with movement of their own.  When the birds take off they do so as if orchestrated by a choreographer.  They fly in mass from tree top to tree top.  The flap of so many wings must be like music to God’s ears; soft but crescendos, a sort of fluttering whoosh that revs up and just keeps on going.  The flock just keeps landing and taking off over a span of several hours throughout the day.  Usually it is only one day.  I do remember one such year however when it happened over parts of two days. 

At times we see them in the air from a distance and they literally blacken the sky in wide, long ribbons as they fly quite low above the tree tops.  Whether we view this escapade from our kitchen window or from the window of a car as we travel, it is one of such wonder that it takes my breath away.  Sometimes the ribbon of blackbirds stretch into the distance so far you can’t see where it ends and the same is for the distance from whence they come.  It is the kind of experience that you must experience firsthand to understand the scope.