A male Ring Necked Duck pictured above, and a female pictured below.
An American Widgeon.
My first sighting of a Townsend’s Solitaire.
I absolutely love this time of year. What could be more wonderful than the slow, quiet of the early evenings and the wonder of the first snowfall? We are wrapped in the last few days of fall, and there are only a few trees still brazen enough to hold onto their yellow leaves. The rest have all turned brown or fallen, leaving behind bare branches and a peek at the nests hidden therein. We turn to our own nests now, curling up with endless mugs of tea, books, and music to enchant and inspire. The hearth is burning bright and soft, the candles assembled along window sills and on the table. We dust off cookbooks to find new recipes for soups and roasted vegetables, and the air is filled with cinnamon and spice.
Martinmas was last weekend, a holiday focused on bringing your inner light to the world during the darkest time of year. In Waldorf schools, we celebrate with lantern walks, and each brightly shining lantern is a symbol of our own inner light. Though our own Martinmas celebrations were a bit curtailed this year due to scheduling conflicts, I’m still holding space for the image of the lantern, and the reminder to nurture our inner light in these darkening days.
Here’s a little verse I found on Instagram that I absolutely love:
November comes
and November goes,
with the last red berries
and the first white snows.
With night coming early,
and dawn coming late,
and ice in the bucket
and frost by the gate.
The fires burn
and the kettles sing,
and the earth sinks to rest,
until next spring.
-Clyde Watson
Wishing all a peaceful and restful week.
