Almost gone, your leaves
Fallen and caught by the wind
You know what’s coming
It seems to have happened overnight, though I know it didn’t: We woke up this morning, and just like that, our birch tree is ready for winter. It always makes me a little melancholy, watching a season end. But I love winter, and hopefully this year, we’ll have some snow.
There are still plenty of colorful leaves on some of our other trees, so we’re not quite there yet. But winter is certainly on its way, y’all.
Beautiful, isn’t it?
But it burns out so quickly.
On Halloween,
the unseen, seen,
and we all wear our masks.
Costumes, a show,
but who really knows
what’s real
and what’s pretend?
Our days,
they go,
slow and then fast,
and time just
ticks and ticks.
We bend,
some break,
some fix mistakes,
and all must meet
the end.
But for one night,
one night each year,
it’s easy to forget –
in that space,
masked face to face
we’re all
children again.
Around this time for the last couple of years, I’ve posted about this house. Is it the most haunted in Loudoun County? I can’t say. But I can say that it’s still standing, though for how long is anyone’s guess.
Here it is in 2020:
And in 2021:
And today:
There’s something sort of sad and beautiful about watching this house crumble. Sad, because it’s very old and doubtless full of stories, even if it isn’t full of ghosts. And as it deteriorates, a little more every day, it takes those stories with it. Beautiful, because nature has a way of reclaiming land and forging on, regardless of what humans do.
I don’t know what this house will look like next year. But I’ll be there, regardless, to find out.
P.S. As I did last year and the year before, I’ll add this disclaimer: This house is on private property, and there are no trespassing signs posted, so please don’t go poking around where you’re not welcome. It’s easy enough to take a picture from the road.
This picture?
It’s my dad and me, messing up something – words or chords or something…I can’t exactly remember – on a song I’m sure we’ve played a thousand times.
Mistakes happen. Perfection does not exist in this universe.
But happiness does.
So, you know, laugh it off, just keep playing, and enjoy the music. 🙂
It’s feeling very much like autumn around here lately. The leaves have started to change in earnest.
And some have already fallen.
It’s hard not to be in a good mood with colors like this.
Especially on a Friday. 😊
A quick note, I’ll be taking a quick break through Monday to visit family, so I’ll be back and posting again on Wednesday, October 19th. Until then, I wish you all happy creating!
Though you may
bury us,
we rise.
From ashes and mud,
blood and bone,
we remake ourselves
from the sand
and the stone
that covered us,
smothered us.
Though we are
gone,
our spirits are
strong.
We climb,
we reach
our withered fingers
into the sky,
and sing the song
no man can
silence.
Though few may
hear,
we will sing
for those listening.
The color of
fortune
and
fervor,
of mornings
and sunsets,
of fate
and flair
and feelings
and flame
lays its claim
to the leaves
again.
And we –
only passing and
making our way
in this world –
we get to see
for the briefest time
this lucky red
that dyes
the ties
that bind.
How fleeting,
fading fast,
it seems,
and nothing lasts,
they say.
But this,
surely this
we can hold,
always there,
bright
and bold,
in our memory.
I collect antique and vintage china. It’s definitely not a problem. I definitely don’t have way too much of it. I definitely have enough space. It’s definitely, totally not getting out of hand at all.
Now that that’s out of the way, I just had to share this with y’all, because seriously, how cute is it?
I went to a farmers market in the next village over a few weeks ago and came across a booth selling teacups and saucers made into candles. I’m not crafty, and as we’ve established, I love vintage and antique china. So, of course I bought two.
They live on my mantle now, and I don’t know if I’ll ever light them, because though they smell lovely, they’re just so adorable and I like them just as they are.
(And truth be told, I bought four. But I only kept two. So it’s fine.)
*If you’d like to check out the vendor I bought them from, here’s the website: https://www.ruralsquirrelcandle.com/
Sad news yesterday, but I’m so grateful to be alive in a time when she was, too. So this one’s for Loretta, an old video of a good song.
Our time here may be brief, but when we leave our stories behind – our words, our music, our art – part of us really does live forever. Thank you for your music, Loretta Lynn, and for sharing it with the world.
A Virginia Writer's Diary 