Happy Thanksgiving

Crazy here...family coming in from all over, my little cottage and studio stuffed to overflowing...it's wonderful!

Sunday Sunsets

Taken in 2010 down in Cleghorn Canyon near Lake Silverwood.

Faeries Friday - Nevicata and Her Friends

Nevicata (means "snowfall" in Italian) must have gotten tired of sledding on various things in my studio, because she called her friends,

Neve ("snow" in Italian) 

and Blanche and asked them to call all their snow faery friends to make it snow here.  It worked!  There's about six inches on the ground right now, and it's supposed to snow all night long and into tomorrow!  It rained all Wednesday night, Thursday and part of Thursday night, then turned to snow.  Every rain drop and snow flake is a blessing, and all of us who live up here are so, so very grateful. 

Wednesday's Winding Road

Taken about a week ago in Cedar Pines Park, an area a little below (in elevation) and to the west of Crestline.  Up where I live, autumn is done...but snow is predicted for tomorrow! : )

A Quotation for Monday

"What will it take to become a society that praises those who care?  That honors kindness more than success?  That teaches children to love the earth more than to accumulate its products?  I suspect we will need to listen to different elders - not the ones who promised wealth but the ones who taught compassion."  Linda Hogan

November's Full Moon

It rained lightly all last night and part of this morning.  We had "tree rain" for the rest of the day.  I'm grateful for every drop! 

I went outside not expecting to be able to see the moon, but the clouds were moving pretty briskly, so I waited a bit and got lucky.  My Oglala Sioux ancestors called November's full moon "Last Leaves Falling Moon."  You can find dozens of websites purporting to know the names that the tribes of the First People called the moons, but I find that very few match exactly what my Sioux and Cherokee grandparents and parents told me.  I'd tell you the Cherokee name, but I can't remember it right now.  Darn memory.

An Autumn Ramble

Today was cold and windy...and wonderful!  I haven't been feeling too well lately, so it was really good to be able to get out and ramble around the woods.  Feeling the wind touch my face, hearing my boots crunching over fallen leaves, breathing in the scents of pine, cedar and dampish leaves was glorious.  I say 'dampish' because, although the air felt damp and misty, it hasn't rained.  It might tonight; fingers crossed.  There were little pockets of color here and there (surprising for this late in the year), but for the most part the trees have either parted with their leaves or the leaves are still there, but are that bleached out beige brown color.  It's always interesting to me to see how many little micro climates there are in a few acres.  I took a few more photos, but this one turned out the best.  I also, as I always do, put a few small rocks in my pockets.  They'll live in various places in my cottage for a while, then, on a walk yet to be taken, I'll take them back out into the forest.  My husband laughs at me every time I go on a walk, because I leave with my right pocket full of rocks to be returned to the forest, and I come back with my left pocket bulging with 'guest' rocks. 

Now, at 10:30 p.m., I'm sitting by the fire with a cup of tea.  The wind, quiet for a while, has gotten up again, and the chimes outside my window are singing with it.  This set of chimes only sings when the wind is coming from the north; their song, an icy tinkling, is well-suited to the North Wind. 

Wednesday's Winding Road

Taken on November 4, 2010.  That was a particularly good year for brilliant color.

Birdy 'Tude

This Steller's Jay is eyeing me thoughtfully while I take his (or her, both sexes look the same) photo.

I think he's saying, "Get that camera out of my face!"  I told him that I'm the one who puts out all those delicious peanuts and sunflower seeds, but he just said something I can't repeat here and flew away.  That's gratitude for you...

Never Forgotten...

Remembering, and thanking every person from every country the world over, who fought for freedom from tyranny.

Sunday Sunlight and Colors

Up at the higher elevation of Big Bear, Autumn's colors have nearly finished putting on their show.  But, 2000 feet lower down the mountain in Crestline she's still going strong!  I feel blessed to be able to have an extended autumn just by doing a little driving.  Down in the San Bernardino valley where my sister lives, autumn doesn't really arrive until the end of November but, since it doesn't really get that cold there, it's a very subtle, typical Southern California kind of autumn...hardly noticeable! 

A Quotation for Monday (And a Mrs. Rose Update)

"You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you."  John Bunyan

This is Mrs. Rose, (upper part of photo), and one of her babies (she had four, all are doing well); notice how much shorter little one's tail is than her mother's tail.  The bowl is only six inches across and the baby fits completely inside of it with one of her siblings when they want to do so.  Mrs. Rose doesn't even put her front feet in the bowl, just her head.  I took this back at the end of September when (I'm guessing) they were about five or six weeks old.  They come with their mama to eat every night but the babies are very shy of the flash on the camera, so this is the only photo I have taken.  They're quite a bit bigger now! 

I guess, for me, that quote isn't completely accurate because I get so much happiness just from seeing the animals that I feed and knowing that they're all right, that I'm more than repaid. 

Sunday Sunlight - Reflections

Faeries Friday

A beautiful Autumn Faery I found on Pinterest.  It is still officially autumn until the Winter Solstice, according to astronomers.  The World Meteorological Organization says it's autumn from September 1st to November 30th in the Northern Hemisphere.  In my own life I go by what the leaves, the animals, the wind and the weather tell me.  They say it's still autumn here in these mountains, but winter isn't far off...