Friday, October 13, 2017

In the Storm so Long

No doubt, I fell off a cliff in late July. Can't even say what all the triggers were, but several were pulled, and I fell. And so I once again find myself on the long slope, coming up from the abyss. As I've climbed, I've turned to my camera for solace, exploring old and new subjects. And, as always, I've held fast to living, breathing nature as sustenance for the journey. So I thought I would share a few glimpses of light from the long night that was the Dog Days:

 This little girl came to visit SO often in August and September!
 This happened! Quite a surprise to see Mom and the brood out back
 Of course this happened, too! Bug learning to walk again
 Beautiful mums from our dear cousins
 Lots of flutterbys this summer
 Heather and the Impatiens were a big hit!
 I am obsessed with her...
 Hey girl! She LOVED our morning glory vine.
 Flutterby
 Verbena Lantana is still blooming
 This pic has been a big hit on social media.
 Ms. Pinky getting loved up!
 Obsessed...
Convalescing Bug...
 Increasingly I have turned to the sky, seeking solace...
 My old flame Cassiopeia
 Pinky!
 Our hanging baskets have done very well: petunias
 Bougainvillea
 There...out in the darkness...
 Moon and oak leaves
 Baritone Moon
 Billions and billions...
The Northern Sky, filled with familiar constellations

 From right to left, Cassiopeia (modern form in blue, old form in red); Cephus, King of Aethiopia, husband to Cassiopeia, father to Andromeda; the Little Dipper, dipping toward the horizon.
 I think it might be time to mow again (we had a three-week dry spell)
 Our little Vinca has thrived!
 Blousy petunias...
 Ms Rita and her pet weed
And of course, Ms Pinky Two-tone Geranium...

We are moving toward my birth sign, Scorpio. I have described myself as forever autumn (a brilliant song from War of the Worlds, btw). Like autumn, I am filled with equal parts beauty and sadness and doubt and hope. Yes, I am a spendid season, but brace yourselves, winter is coming. With shortened days comes doubt and sadness, with the cold comes pain. But the winter sky, with my old friend Orion presiding, and the promise of rebirth in the spring, give me sustaining hope. May these images from my new home give you solace, wherever they may find you, in these troublesome times.
I leave you with a soulful video of autumns past, up in Ohio:
Autumn in Ohio, 2013