A Fall Song

Golden and red trees

Nod to the soft breeze,

As it whispers, "Winter is near;"

And the brown nuts fall

At the wind's loud call,

For this is the Fall of the year.

Good-by, sweet flowers!

Through bright Summer hours

You have filled our hearts with cheer

We shall miss you so, 

And yet you must go,

For this is the Fall of the year.

Now the days grow cold,

As the year grows old,

And the meadows are brown and sere; 

Brave robin redbreast 

Has gone from his nest,

For this is the Fall of the year.

I do softly pray

At the close of day,

That the little children, so dear,

May as purely grow

As the fleecy snow

That follows the Fall of the year.

by Ellen Robena Field

I came across some writings by the above author not too long ago and immediately fell in love. Ellen basically wrote for poems and stories for children using nature as a metaphor for life, death, growth, and change to help them learn about life through simple and magical ways.  First published in 1894, Ellen's 'Buttercup Gold and Other Stories' is still endearing to children today, including those of us who find ourselves going through their second childhood.   Hey, there is nothing wrong to adding a little magic to one's life, no matter how old they are.  

Wendy, the courses I found are online.  The only problem is they are on Facebook, and I was really kind of afraid of it, but I joined it and only put the barest of info about myself.  I didn't even tell my sons that I have it because I am afraid they will give it out to some old acquaintances that I have no interest in, not meaning to, but reporting that mom has finally caught up with the technological age. And, besides, what they don't know can't hurt them.  Mom can always check up on what they are doing.  Because grown men that they may be, to us moms, they will always be our little boys.

Monday This and That

It is such a blessing to have this extra day off. If I had my way, every week would be a four day week. We have to work far too hard,with very little rest, just to survive in this country, but I am not going to complain.  Some people, some societies, are just not able to survive so I am just so grateful for what I have.

Saturday I headed out to Rite Aid.  Bought a 'Vanilla Sugar, Toasted Coconut, and Hazelnut' candle as well as a 'Cinnamon and Nutmeg' candle.  I'm so glad hubby isn't giving me a hard time about them anymore.  In fact, he is actually liking them now. For those of you who don't know, hubby's mom raised her kids with some old Dominican superstitions and one was that candles and incense draw spirits into the home. For the life of me, I never understood.  The woman, bless her soul, was an avid Catholic who never missed a Sunday in church.  Now, it has been awhile for me, but as recall, they used BOTH candles and incense at church.

Then, I stopped at the fruit stand.  I wasn't a happy camper there, to be sure.  Swarms of bees had overtaken the place and shopping turned into quite an adventure as I very, very carefully chose my fruits and veggies, always making sure there wasn't a lone bee sitting on one just waiting to sink that stinger into my hand.  The fruits did not look so appealing to me; gone were the marvelous melons, cherries, and dinosaur plums, but I did buy some Anjou pears, prickly pears, Clementines, October Red Plums, grapes, and some Kiwi.  

Then I headed home, and I am still here.  No plans to leave the house until tomorrow morning. Yesterday was cold and rainy, the kind of day one is thankful to be able to stay in. I slept late, did a little reading, packed away a few more summer items, and took out some more things to wear in the fall. Later, I cozied up in my chair, pulled the curtains aside to watch the rain, and sipped on some ginger ale while nibbling on some dark chocolate with hazelnuts. (sodium free, of course)

Recently I applied to and was accepted into the 'Reformed Druids of North America'.  This is quite an honor.  Some of my favorite authors are members of this group, and I look forward to meeting them and everyone else in the organization, online, of course.  I've also signed up to take a free course,'Ladies of the Lake'  with 'The Daughters of the Sacred Grail'.  I am just so excited and eager to begin with this one.  I am so fascinated with the Avalonian Tradition.

On a sad note, I was looking for updated information about the Phoebe, the hummingbird, and the Decorah Eagles, all of whom I follow through egg laying, hatching, growth, and fledging.  Sadly, I discovered that D14, one of the eaglets from 2012, was electrocuted when he flew into some power lines. The eaglets feathers were distributed to the various Indian communities who have been mourning the loss and plan to honor the eaglet by using these feathers in their ceremonies. This news just took the wind out of me and left me in tears.  RIP D14.

And finally, I wanted to introduce you to my newest pet:

Yes, I am a sucker for a new toy.

TGIF

When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween. 

--Author Unknown--

As another Friday rolls around I count my blessings that this is a three-day weekend for me. Not much in the way of plans. No cooking this weekend, and with rain on its way, it looks to be a perfect weekend to indulge in some much needed rest and relaxation. I found and bought some citrus scented candles which I plan to light, and of course, I've still got my Halloween tales to read as well so it looks to be a spooky, fun-filled weekend. 

On Saturday I do hope the rain holds off for to take a walk to our neighborhood Rite Aid to see what's out as far as Halloween decor as my favorite night is rapidly approaching. Of course, there will be a stop at my favorite fruit stand. I'm working hard at trying to get used to winter fruits that seem so bland to me after what I consider my 'summer of discovery' as I sampled and fell in love with exotic fruits I never would have thought twice about had it not been for surprise health issues.  Grapes are fine, and I have been enjoying them, but...winter is long, and I don't want to get sick of them.  I tried an apple and was not very pleased.  And hubby bought some tangerines, but somehow, nothing has matched up to the joy I found in summer fruit. (((Sigh))) 

Today, October 5th is "Do Something Nice Day". In keeping with the spirit of this day, go ahead and do something nice for someone--give a gift, a compliment, pay a little extra attention to detail, a phone call, a visit. What nice thing can you do today?  

Wishing You All a a weekend full of fun and smiles. See you on Monday.

Do You Remember?

Do you remember the clouds in the sky,

And the man in the moon peeping through, 

How he winked at a star with twinkling eye 

The night I was whispering to you?

The music and chorus of insect bands

Chirping vespers to valley and hill, 

The soft, tender clasp of two trembling hands 
Do they live your memory still?

The other day, while waiting for the subway,  I found myself captiivated by the beauty of the sky.  It  was so blue, so clear, and I found myself  hypnotized by the puffy white clouds, taking notice at how fast they appeared to be moving.  Today, I know it is the Earth the turns, but when I was a child,  I believed that it was the sky that moved and often wondered where the clouds could be going in such a hurry.  The world was such a place of magic when we are young.  Do you remember how it was?  We had so many questions.  Two I remember asking are:

Why is the sky blue?

Where does the sun go at night? 

As young children, we may not be able to relate clouds to rain. One belief that I always had when I was very young was that  the clouds were smoke. Were you told that thunder was only God bowling with the angels or that rain was the angels tears?

  "O wild and wondrous midnight, There is a might in thee To make the charmed body Almost like spirit be, And give it some faint glimpses Of immortality." 

--James Russell Lowell --

Do you remember the man in the Moon? As adults we know there is no man up there, but he sure was real to us when we were little children. I believed in him so much that I could spend hours in my window at night just waiting for him to move.

The Man in the Moon as he sails the sky
Is a very remarkable skipper,
But he made a mistake when he tried to take
A drink of milk from the Dipper.
He dipped right out of the Milky Way,
And slowly and carefully filled it,
The Big Bear growled, and the Little Bear howled
And frightened him so that he spilled it!

There are lots of stories told about the Moon, just as there are many stories told of everything which it is hard for us to understand. Anyone here ever believe that the Moon was made of green cheese? Why green, I'll never know. Or that the cow jumped over the Moon?

Another biggie for the little girl that was me was wishing upon a star.

Star light, star bright,

First star l see tonight,

I wish l may, l wish l might,

Have the wish l wish tonight.

No sooner would my mom turn out my light and shut the door that I'd be up again, gazing out the window, squinting my eyes to find the first star. How disappointed I was when I discovered there was more than one star. How was one to choose a star to wish upon? Oh, the choices I had to make! And, what did it matter if the wish didn't come true. I really never expected it to. All of the magic was focused on the wishing.

What about you?  Do you still wish upon a star?

Rainy Days

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. 

John Ruskin

There is 'spotty' here in the city in the city today. The sky is gray, cloudy. The air is humid.  I do love the rain, I really do.  I especially love listening to it at night when I am warm and cozy in my bed. But, in the morning when I am on my way to work? Sorry, but that I can do without. Today wasn't so bad, but Friday? The rain was torrential, and I ended up getting drenched.  No fun sitting in the AC with wet clothes. And, oh how this damp weather stirs up the arthritis in my back. You cannot believe how utterly painful it can be walking to the train station.

Speaking of walking, I just had to tell you this one.  Yesterday I was on my way to work. I was running a wee bit late due to a slow train and was hurrying along with my cane.  A young man stopped and said, "You really should be walking slower.  The sidewalk is wet, and you might slip and fall."  True gentleman he was, but I couldn't help but remember those days when I could barely make it a block without stopping to rest.  

I changed the background of my blog to make it more readable for those of you who had trouble with the last background.  I do hope this one is better and more readable.  I am such a little kid when it comes to Halloween that I simply 'must' have a fun Halloween theme.  I couldn't wait to decorate. By the way, I bought my pet ghost today. A silly gift for myself, yes, but it makes me feel young at heart.

Oh, by the way, I recently took the plunge. I registered with Facebook. The two new groups I joined are a part of Facebook so I really had no choice. Still not feeling comfortable with it, though.  Readers here know more about my personal life than anyone over there ever will.  

I dropped out of that school I mentioned on Monday. I wasn't feeling very comfortable there.  Actually, I was getting some  'very' negative feelings about the whole thing. There were a few courses I would have like to have taken, but not enough to keep visiting a place that didn't really make me feel welcome. I know I am about 20 years older than the average student there, but I believe you are never too old to learn something new. First, I wrote a very friendly introduction of myself, and not one person welcomed me. Perhaps it was just me, I don't know, l but I felt like maybe this old Crone was too much for them.  (Just kidding.)  

Seriously, though, the introductory lessons were a series of what I consider 'silly' questions.  Perhaps it is because I have studied for so many years at so many schools that I know how to do and how to submit homework assignments. In fact, I could probably be instructing classes in that school, not taking them.

So, instead, I discovered the Reformed Druids of Gaia and felt like I had come home. There are some trainings offered there as well, but I have yet to check them out. Still waiting for my membership to be approved.

And with that, I will leave you with the following quotes about rain.  Hoping you all have a great day.

Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger. 

Saint Basil  

The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency. 

Susan Allen Toth, England For All Seasons

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain. 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Autumn's Gold

Along the tops of all the yellow trees,

The golden-yellow trees, the sunshine lies;

And where the leaves are gone, long rays surprise

Lone depths of thicket with their brightnesses;

And through the woods, all waste of many a breeze,

Cometh more joy of light for Poet's eyes--

Green fields lying yellow underneath the skies,

And shining houses and blue distances.

By the roadside, like rocks of golden ore

That make the western river-beds so bright,

The briar and the furze are all alight!

Perhaps the year will be so fair no more,

But now the fallen, falling leaves are gay,

And autumn old has shone into a Day!

George MacDonald

Welcome to October, the tenth month of the year. October comes from the Latin word octo meaning eight. Originally, the eighth month of the year, October has had 31 days since the time of the Roman emperor Augustus. It is one of the seven months with thirty one days. The leaves have yet to start to change here, but with the arrival of October, soon they will. Symbols of Halloween have started to appear--costumes, black cats, ghosts, and pumpkins, and I am getting so excited. 

Already I have started to buy.  Picked up a little scarecrow snow/leaf globe last week for my desk at work.  Has anyone seen the little pet ghosts they are selling in the stores?  I saw them for $9.99 in CVS.  I want one. Would have bought it already, but I was low on cash that day.  I know there are plenty of other ways to waste my money, but you're talking to someone who once bought a pet rock. A little ghost will fit in quite well with my house spirit.  Yes, I do have one here in this apartment as well, but I'll talk about that at a later date. 

On that note, today is Guardian Angel's Day.  On this date, we give thanks to the guiding spirits who protect us throughout the year.  So, light a white candle do whatever prayer or ritual you have chosen to communicate with your guide. You might even ask them to communicate with you through a dream.

Before closing for the day, I'd like to ask if anyone is having a problem reading my blog.  Be honest. If the background needs to be changed I will do so.  For now, I wish you all a fantastic day.

October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came -

The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet,

And everything was grand,

Miss Weather led the dancing,

Professor Wind the band.

George Cooper, "October's Party"

TGIF

Autumn Fires

In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
The Grey smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all!
Flowers in the summer,
Fires in the fall!

Robert Louis Stevensonn

Another weekend is upon us. I'll be shopping and cooking for most of the day on Saturday, but you'd best believe that Sunday will be for me. I'm loving this weather, the cool crisp air, and who really cares if it rains. I only wish it was raining over the weekend, not today when I have to go to work. I'm just picturing myself sitting in my favorite chair, rocking back and forth, curtains pulled aside, windows open, and the cool breeze blowing through the house, listening to the rain as it pounds on the ground.   

My friend, Aine over at The Deepest Well wrote about how she was reading and learning about an addition to her path...Druidry.  That got me to thinking.  For the longest I have wanted to learn more about Celtic Shamanism and the Faery Tradition. I've bought a few books for my Kindle and plan on doing some reading.  I did find a course on Faery Shamanism, but I'm not ready to throw any money into a course with my health up and down as it is.

The Kabbalah course I had planned to take was free, but it started the week I discovered I had a nodule in my lung, and that just threw everything off.  Although I didn't post about it, for weeks my head was in a fog, and all I could think of was cancer and, to be honest, that I wasn't ready to go yet.  The doctors are following the spot for any changes and another cat scan should be scheduled in the near future, but since that time when I was first told about it, I find that I have grown in many ways. I'd often thought of how I would react and now I know.  And I'm stronger than I gave myself credit for. Facing one's mortality is a sure way to foster growth.

Wishing all of you special people  a joyous, fun-filled weekend.  See you on Monday.