Autumn Equinox Full Moon

These were taken tonight at 8:09, the exact time of the Autumn Equinox. They're both a bit blurry, but I was taking them from my studio porch.  I could see Jupiter through the Cedar and Dogwood branches, but couldn't get a clear shot.

It felt so magical to see a full moon on Equinozio di Autunno, which is what my maternal grandmother from northern Italy always called the Autumn Equinox. I always feel her near me; it's such a comfort.

Mabon/Autumn Equinox

The Autumn Equinox will officially arrive here on the west coast of the northern Americas tomorrow night at 8:09 p.m. Meanwhile, the dogwoods are beginning to dress in their Autumn finery, coloring their leaves and turning their berries to brilliant red.

Some of the hydrangea blossoms are beginning to fade to muted Autumn colors, which I think are even more beautiful than the blues of Summer.

A few are stubbornly trying to hang on to the blue of their youth but, as with all of us, age will have its way. It feels like Autumn here tonight. It's chilly enough to have a small fire in the living room fireplace, and there is the welcome scent of dampness in the air. If it actually rained here I'm sure people all over these mountains would be as thrilled and relieved as I would be because we haven't had any measurable rain since May 18th. I try not to think about that too much; it's just too frightening.

Today I took a dozen jars of apple butter, just made yesterday, down to my sister. It's still horribly hot down where she lives in the San Bernardino valley. Well, hot to me; after the above 100 degree temperatures they've had down there, she said 80 degrees felt wonderful. Not to me! While I was helping her pick the last of the late tomatoes from her garden I felt like I was going to get heat stroke! I'm going to make tomato sauce tomorrow with the tomatoes she sent home with me. The pumpkins in the little pumpkin patch she has are almost ready to be picked (hopefully, next time I go to visit her I'll remember to take my camera) and we'll use the large variety for decorating and the sugar pumpkins for pies and pumpkin butter at Thanksgiving.

Listen. Hear that, under the murmur of the breeze in the trees, under the slowing song of the crickets, under the soft, quiet crackling of the fire? That's the sound of the turning wheel of the year...

Autumn blessings to you all!

Sunday Sunsets

Taken July 13, 2007, at Lake Gregory in Crestline, CA.

Faeries Friday - Glorinda

Glorinda came to live with me several years ago, when I found her at a little shop in Big Bear, California. (That's Big Bear Lake above in my header photo). She's holding a Morning Glory (I think), so Glorinda seemed like a good name for her.

First and Last

The first apples of this year, and very early. Usually these little Lady apples don't ripen until around the middle of October. They're small, but they make delicious apple butter.


When I looked at the date of my last post I could not believe that a month had passed! Life has been hammering me with both good and bad for the past month. Good, in that I received a lot of commissions for portraits, bad in that I had some health issues that put me in the hospital for a couple of weeks, so now I'm behind on those commissions. Everything seems to be OK now though (knock on wood). I'm going to have to hustle to get those portraits done by Christmas, but I'm so grateful to have the work, especially in this economy.



This is the last rose of the summer, and what a beauty! I don't know what kind it is; I bought it on sale last year at the grocery store. It didn't bloom last season, but it certainly made up for it this season. Maybe it's some sort of floribunda? It has more than one bloom per stem, so that's why I'm guessing floribunda instead of tea rose. It also has a nice strong rose scent, but don't ask me to break it down into categories like 'lemony' or 'cinnamon.' My sister is always saying, "sniff this rose, it's gorgeous! Peach with a touch of vanilla!" I always answer, "Really? Peach and vanilla? 'Cause all I smell is, uh...rose!"