wake and wonder

midnight
the earth shrugs its shoulders
we wake and wonder

merry christmas

me and the best gift ever

winter solstice

tia annie

the life of the party
always a story or a joke to tell
with one of those faces
that bear the signs of past suffering
and shine anyway
with some brilliant and undeniable light from within
100 years of light
of celebration
now time to leave the party
to leave it up to the rest of us
to remember the punchlines
and go on shining

tumble and fall

leaves slip
from december trees
i watch them
tumble and fall
to the ground
some
more gracefully
than others

web tension and life trajectory

standing under the hot spray of the shower
looking up at a spider web
strung between the curtain rod and the wall
wondering
to what degree
the tension of the web
influences
the course of events of this experience i know as my life
and whether or not the attendant spider
ponders such things also

happiest tree

we went to the nursery yesterday to look for a christmas tree.  when we found the happiest one we brought it home.

potted shore pine

still awaiting trim but makes things feel christmas-y even without and radiates a joy and pleasantness.

we'll plant it somewhere on the property after christmas.

the boy who drove a model A

to know the boy who
drove a model A
and chased butterflies across the hillsides

oak gall christmas balls

about a week ago i noticed a lot of galls had dropped from the oaks.  i picked one up and admired all the interesting knobby protrusions it had and thought it could somehow make a really neat christmas ornament.  i collected a couple dozen and today i did a little experimenting with some spray paint...

the paint is still a little tacky so i've got them hanging in the mill office to finish drying.  once they're dry i'll make some hooks for hanging them.

fun stuff.

sharp-tailed snake

made the acquaintance of the tiny and beautiful sharp-tailed snake today...