when everything stops as soon as you get the camera

 I've been washing windows. I'm getting a little nervous; it's almost November and it's mainly in the fifties during the day, the thirties at night. I look up the hourly forecast to see when the day will be warmest, and that's when I do my work. Today was supposed to be no more than fifty five, but sunny. I washed both my bedroom windows, and even though it was chilly, I enjoyed it so much. I hung my head outside and felt the breeze, the sun, and then watched the golden leaves fall quietly to the ground. I thought, "I could make a little film of this", but you know - when I came back with my camera, nothing was falling. Of course not.

There is nothing like the dark clouds and bright afternoon sun against the trees. and when the trees are in their autumn splendor, it can only be October.

The golden sugar maple is almost bare all of a sudden.

Beautiful, dramatic October, I wish it could last for a year!

-  Gladys Taber

crawling along

 I awoke nice and early this morning, but the cats were before me; I heard the running, then the skidding, then a bang, as someone hit something - maybe a chair leg. Everyone involved seems fine.

I mentioned a while back that I wanted to get back into knitting. Years ago, somebody donated lots of yarn to the children's department at the library, and a few skeins of it were actual wool. We certainly don't want to use that for crafts, so I got some. I've had it for years, but I'm wanting to use it. I think I have enough to make the Ranunculus, but it requires a certain cast-on that I just couldn't seem to figure out from the youtube videos I've watched, and there are many - this sweater pattern has thousands of women who've made it, and many of them have made it more than once. 

Well, today I pulled down a book I forgot I had, called Cast On Bind Off, and the author's explanation with photos was easier for me to grasp than an actual video. I practiced it on large needles with some super bulky yarn I got from Goodwill, and now I understand the technique. But I've got this thrifted skein of yarn - just the one skein, it's entirely acrylic, I can tell, but it's full of autumnal colors which are so pretty, and I decided to just knit it up into - something. Just a thing, I guess, because I don't really like the yarn and don't want any hat or mittens made from it. But if I just knit a rectangle, maybe it can be - something useful. We'll see what it turns into. 

I'm reading The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. Very interesting!

October day

There are days which can only happen in October, and today was one of them. What I mean is, golden leafed trees, heavy rain giving an even warmer look to everything. Strong gusts, blowing leaves across the yard, sunny skies showing all the colors.

I recently found the kit lens to my camera, and kept going outside to take pictures. I tried to capture the leaves blowing in the wind, but was always too late. 

But it was mild, it was rainy, it was sunny, it was beautiful. It was October.

expect the unexpected

 I am almost finished with the navy shift with purple flowers. It is the second of three summery dresses I thought it would be good to have for the hot days. But I thought of it a little late and it got cold before I could make them. Still, I could wear this with a navy pullover, which I plan to do. I wore my sunflower dress for the last time yesterday with a rust pullover sweater over it. This dress looks rather gaudy to me, and without the sweater I wouldn't have worn it to church, but, wouldn't you know - I got too warm and had to take it off. So there I was in a sleeveless dress in October. Well, we had doughnuts and coffee afterward, and as I stood in line for a doughnut, a young woman nearby said she really like the dress! (At that point, I looked down and saw a long thread hanging!)

She said she didn't think it was gaudy, just pretty. Isn't life funny. I had cut the dress too short, and had to make a ruffle to lengthen it. It gapes at the neck, and I cinch it together with a little pewter rabbit pin from an Etsy shop in the UK. I didn't bother to hem it, just zigzagging there at the bottom, and the threads loosen from time to time. But this girl liked it. Nothing is ever what we expect.

garnering the perfect moments

 We went to a funeral yesterday. An older man had a severe stroke, hung on for about three weeks and then passed away. He and his wife hadn't been coming to our parish that long, but they have made a difference.

I never saw such a line of family as this: a very long line, the young people first, all dressed in black, fresh-faced young men and women, looking me in the eye, interested that I came, how I knew their grandfather. Another woman I spoke to later said she gave out hugs to each of them - they found out she was a "hugger". 

The funeral itself was an example of what a pious family looks like. Normal folks, but who believe - who know - there is another life, another world, not only the one we see with our physical eyes. The couple's daughter spoke about her father, about his devotion to Padre Pio, a remarkable Italian priest who died in 1968 I think; he had the stigmata - really a legendary figure. (My mother had a devotion to him, and often quoted him. She'd say, "Pray, hope and don't worry."  The other quote was, "Life is a struggle we cannot avoid; we must triumph!") The daughter said he also relied on his guardian angel. It was a beautiful service. And the casket was something I'd never seen. Here is the website. Watch the video! 

There were plenty of parishioners there, perhaps the widow chose Saturday for that reason, because most of us went to the cemetery and then to a lovely restaurant afterward. The same one, in fact, I used to go to with my friend, Debra. All in all, very edifying. And peaceful, which was welcome as I'd woken up with a headache which only lessened after taking something, but was still there all day in the background, until this morning. We are in the beginnings of a nor'easter, a big rain and wind storm. The electric company was texting my co-workers as early as Friday. I was thinking the air pressure was the culprit, maybe. But it was a good day.

"...all we need is an awareness of the beauty in life to make us richly content. My definition of happiness is just the ability to garner the perfect moments."

                                        -  Gladys Taber

farewell to summer

Well, it was pretty cool today and will be freezing tonight, so I guess that's the end of summer. The forecast predicts days in the fifties and sixties. I went out, picked all the red tomatoes, and a pepper. I cut down the three basil plants - one plant will be plenty next year - and sat on the back step in the sun, picking all the leaves off them. I had to dress warmly, but it was lovely. I covered the tomato plants with sheets, since they keep producing. My plant out in the backyard garden had so many of these tiny ones on it, but I didn't cover it - that's enough. But they look like jewels.

It was good just to be outside for a while. I don't make it a priority often enough.

Last week I found a couple of pieces of something near the litter boxes downstairs; I thought the cats were responsible. But it was two pieces of wet wood - a leak!. Rather alarming, so the plumber got called. He came by to have a look, which meant everything had to come out of my closet, so he could get access to the pipes. 

He came this morning to do the work, and the "door" to it needs to stay open for two weeks, to allow the wood to dry out. Of course, Daisy can hardly keep away from it. I don't think she would try to get in there, but it makes me nervous. I'll have to put something in front of the closet door, but not close it entirely.

I'm kind of at a standstill with my sewing, but I did notice how the small scissors match my fabric!

why things are falling apart

 The Bishop came by yesterday, and he quoted my favorite president:

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.
It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

- John Adams

"presence of something is established not only on the basis of sight"

It's the Feast of the Guardian Angels today.

"Walk cautiously; the angels are everywhere near at hand, as God has charged them, in all your ways. In whatever small corner you will, in whatever quiet spot, have reverence for your angel. Would you have the audacity to do in an angel's presence what you would not in my sight? Do you doubt the presence of the angel you do not see? What if you heard? What if you touched? What if you smelled? Note that presence of something is established not only on the basis of sight. Not even all corporeal things are subject to sight. So how far removed from any corporeal sense are spiritual things, which need to be tracked down by spiritual senses? If you reflect upon faith, you find positive assent of the presence of angels, proof that they are never absent. It causes me no regret to say that faith regards the existence of angels with approval, since the apostle defines faith as being 'the conviction of things not seen'. Thus they are present, and present to you, not only with you, but also for you. They are present that they might cover you with protection; they are present that they might do good for you."

                                              -  St. Bernard of Clairvaux, from Plough magazine, Autumn 2025