Christmas is Coming!!! 2022!!!

 

The plan is to  B E    F E S T I V E  !!!!!!!!!!

I am much more of a Solstice Celebration person myself…

Yuletide and all that… BUT! I will take my festive days where I can dammit! Lol! 

The outdoor color changing spotlights are out, as well as the bulbs inside… it’s hard to stick with one scheme… every night a different shade then… sure, why not. No rules, just fun. And our blue spots shining up into the flanking trees, with the café light golden glow… now do we put the energy into putting the light up deer out… they are needing a fix up… glow up…? Makeover…? Could we make them look fancier…??? 

Charli Girl gets her stitches out today!!! So excited for her! And after her pain issues from last week… I took some time yesterday and built her an extension platform from our old fairy bench. Worried that a regular dog ramp might not go over well with her… one is on order, it folds and works to help get her into the car, again fingers crossed that she doesn’t mind it… 

Borrowed all of the bits of concrete bricks that we had laying around for the platform situation… that path deserves the goshen stone exclusivity treatment… 

Anyway, the new back step situation has a whimsical quality that kinda hits the spot, and oddly looks like it’s always been there. 

And the race to tie up all the loose ends outside before the snow comes and the ground freezes is still ongoing. We made a huge amount of headway last weekend. Taking advantage of the good weather and getting some items checked off the list, like the huge string of globe café lights… 

We finally had enough shepherds hooks, and I had lopped enough of the bittersweet and raspberries to extend the back yard enough to make them the perfect length! 

The yard out back was all of 10 feet long when we moved here almost 7yrs ago. With its saplings and random bits of shrubbery… no grass, just weeds and pine needles. Now we have gained about 4 and a half feet each year to add up to 38 feet! As exhausting as it seems to have to keep lopping at invasive vines and saplings year after year… knowing that we are making progress, was so worth the time it took to do it. 

Now I am starting to dig out the Christmas trees from the upstairs storage & make an intro for the VLOGMAS videos! 

End of the year! And the excitement I feel when the solstice marks the last day of the darkest days! More light will start coming our way! 

Ooooh! And the favorite food shopping that happens!!!!

Those soft pretzel bites from Whole Foods that we had last year, are definitely on the must have list! 

Mmmmmmmm….

x-J

November 28th, 2022 ~ Dear Diary

 Dear Diary, 

There are bridges between days here. Some offering protection from the heaviest of harms. I have not only gotten better at spotting them, but I have learned how to build them, summon them, and burn them so that the offenders cannot cross them.

The only way to learn about bridges currently, is to feel your way through.

Not many bridge hunters hear the calls of the ancestral whispers. Barely anyone of us even know of such guidance. If you need a meme or a spreadsheet tho… 

Bare feet on moss, head in the morning mist… 

The sound of your own thoughts melting into the calm breath that once kept you shallowly afloat in a sea of turbulence. That sound now becomes the deep pull of waves on sand. Tides moving out. Pebbles being dragged. And the anchor of these voices telling you to course correct. 

Having filled my cup with nothing but noise for so long… 

And come through the other side…

With tools honed by my own will and drive…

I lit the fire. 

My Fire To Your Fire 

x~J

November 25th, 2022 ~ Dear Diary

 Dear Diary, 

Time was of no consequence, and I was formally introduced. 

I had met a Brick today.

They like to hang out with their mates, and no others. Making walls here. Making walls there.

I have an open garden, with proper fences. There are gates, proper ones. You can give up a path, and go in, or stay out.

But, everything is clearly marked.

Brick needs to be imposing. Brick is immovable. Brick is halting, and weighty, with no growth. No changeability, boring, and pedestrian.

With proof that no one goes beyond. 

You have no view you have no vista! 

Sad, barren rock lacking perspective. I don’t, and can’t live with that landscape any longer.

My mobility is now gearing up and taking off!

The windows are down. The weather is mild, and the music has mixed its self into a tune, reflecting a summer that knows no bounds. 

There really is an open road, with only the finest destinations. The Bricks and Poisons are behind us, for now and for always.

I grew on this day.

x~ J

November 24th, 2022 ~ Dear Diary

 Dear Diary, 

We eat a bird today. To put the perspective bluntly.

Flightless, I think not.

There was an entire flock grazing in the East Yard this morning.

Hovering around the old splintered table at the edge of the clearing. The place where we leave offerings to the Woodland Fae. 

They scoured the ground, in search of their exoskeletal prizes, who lay unsuspecting in their hibernation under the leafy understory.

This morning lingers to all the inhabitants of Poets House by The Brooke, like a layer of soft linen, beckoning our weary spirits into comfort. 

With a fire in the stove, and soon the Fraser fur candle too…

Contented with the knowledge of our pause in time. Long weekend, long awaited. Even with the issues at hand…

We crave calm and bright. We shall make it so! Our visual accompaniment is Little Women, helping us keep a nineteenth century side glancing eye on holiday pursuits. 

Well met,

x~ J

November 23rd, 2022 ~ Dear Diary

 Dear Diary,

An inescapable moment of wonder, is it dusk, or is it dawn. As we feel it is more light, yet in removing the convenience of time itself… one recognizes the light. 

I can hear, I can see, I can touch, I can taste. 

For better or worse, experience tells us so.

x~ J

November 22, 2022~ Dear Diary

 Dear Diary,

We caught a shooting star last night on our outdoor camera. 

And I know that the analogy or metaphor or parable is not lost on me. 

Just as magical and fantastic as it is seeing one, it is essentially the end of a journey. 

With one last celebration and flash, molecules burn up, get scattered and cease to be as one.

3:10am 

x~J

Clues~ Liberté

 

Liberté

And crawl away

Raising 

All of your 

Tigers 

Like they

Were Runner Ducks

Alphabetically 

Beaten

Left hungry 

Like

Begging 

Hats

Worn like coats

And 

Smoothing 

Over

Every iron out 

With

A chimney flayer 

November 18th, 2022 ~ Dear Diary

 Dear Diary, 

I’m clear in channel, and full of vigor. Rebuilding in a completely different way. 

Now, having taken myself apart, and reversed engineered even the tiniest nook…

I found the ground. The wire that keeps the circuit close.

Turbines and catapults have been replaced by the newest technology in battery pack. 

For today, for forever, 

x~J

November ‘22 Life Update

 Doggy surgery:

She came out of her ~ Spa Day~ as though nothing had happened. We had given them a heads up that she had trouble coming out of anesthesia the last time her lumps and bumps were removed. It made all of the difference. Having a new vet also made a difference. They are so nice to her, and give us tons of aftercare advice as well as letting us know that we can reach out with questions at any time.

Just a little more time in the cone and she’ll be free again! 

I slept on the couch to be right there if she needed anything, water, walkies, reassurance. Small sacrifice. I mean, I got to steal some crisp linens with the fluffy pillow from the guest bedroom, so, I didn’t sleep long, but well, all in all. Especially since Charli Girl was resting so well. Crisis averted. Healing is my specialty. Regimen and recipes, wrapped up in science, my favorite.

So we will take the next bit of time to get her set… then… more paint! 

I figure we have time to choose… brown orange, orange orange or yellow orange…??? 

There are little things that hopefully will make it off the to do list soon as well, like a light fixture and new faucet for the upstairs bathroom… 

We are looking forward to pie though… isn’t it next week? 

Still not gathering, still having an immune system that thinks it’s 25yrs older than my outside lol. Would love to live till 90, thanks. 

I know most people don’t understand. That’s their problem. Honestly. I know full well that when people want to stick to their own narrative they are going to do just that. I’m on a mission. I don’t really feel compelled to convince anyone. Those who get it have shown up. I’m done chasing the idea of relationships with people who would not be compelled or be ready to grasp any other concept besides their own impulses. 

And if we’re being realistic, I’m no longer interested in being the gracious host, only to feel used and empty afterwards. Some people only show up for the lure of being served. If you can not reciprocate. Well, that says more about you, doesn’t it. 

This is getting deep. 

Do we pull away? It won’t benefit my journey, and I’m steering the ship, so…

It’s snowing here just now on the hill, big fat snow globe flakes and there’s a fire on. Bliss! 

Time for coffee! 

x~ J

November 13th, 2022 ~ Dear Diary

 Dear Diary,

 

Elegant waves of chill, masked as discourse, drain the fellow clouds above. There would never be another day, where the ground says to the sky, I believe in you. 

Terrible nothingness roils in the daily needs to be seen. And in that vision become whole again.

Even as that thought drifts away, onto another rocky path that leads out of sight.

What is your Sunday mood,

x~J

November 11th, 2022 ~ Dear Diary

 Dear Diary, 

Your true stone pallet, rock values of grey and gray. As today pours down over us... The heaviness weighs right where the heart is. I can feel it pulling.

We have tallied and planned, not much but some. Giving thoughts of how to get through another time of times. With a beckoning uncertainty, set sail with the right equipment, for now. 

A new draught to fill our cups from the ether. Careful to not spill. Diligent to keep tabs on the energy needed to span every gap. 

Collecting acorns of light, as we gather before the storm.

x~ J

November 10th, 2022~ Dear Diary

 Dear Diary,

Another chilly morn complete with crystal blue skies, and punctuated by the first fire in the stove. Images in my head of the coming months, flocked trees, celestial sparks indoors and out, and the fulfilling aromas of cozy dinners & cups of tea...

The Fallow times are my favorite times. As I nest, as sleep lingers longer, as the bite of the air enters my lungs & brushes my skin in the woods...

My senses keen and sharp for a darker aesthetic, like a hunter watching for the perfect kill... I experiment with colors like spiced copper and antique ruby for more vignettes of depth, and comfort. 

At this rate, I may be painting until next summer... This is a driving force that I cannot find fault with.

Thankful from my toasty seat in the Front Room,

x~ J

November 9th, 2022

 Dear Diary, 

Here I sit, in the clear thoughts of what must be my mind, in a state of calm. I should be upset. But there is an icy chill in the air that I can not ignore. Because, it is my favorite thing. 

The perfect, sleepy, frosted mornings, with coffee, with the sun low in the sky, but not at its lowest… somehow this feels like a show of grace. 

And the only signs of life as I go out to walk, are the nesting family of ravens in the East Yard. I hear them chuff and cluck as I make my way. Their chattering continues, giving away the fact that the brood has expanded with each call of new juvenile voices. 

I could stay out there, all day, memorizing what foliage has bravely withstood the frost. 

But, I will let the indoors win for the moment. I understand my responsibilities. Small friends, needing food, water, treats, and one specifically… elder care. Smooth the scruff, and settle them in I will.

Then I will bide my time. And enjoy this patch of sunlight. 

The coffee, the journaling, etc… 

Until I bask in my November again.

x~J

Landscaping Wrap Up ‘22

 I’m glad it’s almost over!

We are ending year 6 of living in our lil corner of woods.

Plans have evolved over the years…

Some things have drastically changed…

Some have unfortunately stayed the same…

And we have added more tools to our arsenal...

The lightweight battery operated Ego self propelled mower was a real game changer for us this year...

When we first got here there wasn't really any grass... sand and some moss in the frontage, and mostly weeds in the back... but those pine needles etc... kept most things from thriving...

Now the grass is growing and spreading, along with red clover, wild violets and creeping Charlie, which I think smells like fresh basil when mowed... mmmmmm....

Here I am placing some planters. Trying to create focal points, and a bit of a wall to prevent our Old Charli Girl from roaming. Now that the foliage is dying back, she goes looking for whatever smells the best (to her), and she went deaf over a year ago, so recall is tricky. 

If she gets the idea of bolting we have to scramble to reach her thru the brambles, its a whole thing.... that we would like to keep to a minimum...

~lol~

Anyway~

We’ve had an amazing amount of volunteer plants 

And trees come in since we had nearly 100 eastern white pine

Removed from the immediate area around the house.

When we first moved here, there were no extra plant growth 

Events, or many animals… rarely would we even see a squirrel…

Only drama & jump scares when large branches or 100 foot pine trees would snap in half in as little as 14 mph winds...

And yes, I still think our house should be painted black...

And...

Now that we’ve cleared out so many of those monoculture/water sucking pine trees…

We have a huge amount of flora and fauna that have made their way in…

It’s overwhelming to list, but if you are like me, and had no idea that things like this could just spawn thru seed or rhizomes etc… here’s what we’ve seen so far…

I added some pics, not all, because the blog would in fact go on forever...

Mullein or verbascum

Rudbeckia

Wild roses 

Queen Anne’s Lace

Fleabane 

Ragged robin

White campion

Goldenrod 

St John’s Wort

Cranes bill geraniums 

Tall garden phlox 

Milkweed

 Thistle- which I pulled out all the fluffy seeds from the other day to help them spread! 

Service berry tree

Bebes willow 

Poplar tree

Oak

More eastern white pine 

Maple

Birch river, silver and paper

Aspen

Buckthorn 

Pagoda dogwood 

And several types of cherries 

There’s more, but, they aren’t beneficial, some, in fact, invasive… bittersweet, for one… we have been battling the whole 6years now… 

While I do love feeding the birds in the winter, I know, they eat the berries and then distribute them liberally… 

We pull it, cut it, mow it, cover it, and at times think we have it bested… but then we end up having to start over and keep going… 

Oy.

Let’s just stop thinking about that source of overwhelm now…

The diversity of animals caught on our wyze cams & what we have seen, has increased this year as well...

Fox, porcupine, black bear, possum, moles, voles,  mice, turkey vultures, deer, and a skunk!

The first we have seen since moving here... 

And Ed said he saw a Moose down the street!

Lets not forget the Red Squirrels... They are so loud! Most of the time we don't even see them. but we can hear them... As soon as we go outside, they sound off! lol its a whole lotta personality in those wee bodies!

So, to mostly help my sense of accomplishment...

We have managed to maintain this year, and gain a very modest amount of ground with the invasive species…

And now, hopefully, in the next week, all of the winter prep will be done. 

Although...

The current warm weather conditions have us fooled…

One might think that it was early October… 

And especially this weekend… maybe even early September…

69 degrees in the evening and muggy…

Contemplation of putting the air conditioners back in…

Supposedly, it is changing today… should be 35 degrees tonight.

And we are expected to have the first snow, which won't really accumulate, or stick... in the next 10 days!

And... Attempting to calm an anxious mind...

And as we head to bed...

Knowing that our chores outside are almost done...

And the leaves are off the paths and backyard…

Just a few more things to put in their place for the winter...

And get the bulbs in the ground…

Then...

The few lighting elements for the dark times of December and January get placed or batteries changed etc… 

We have a new remote/app control splitter for the outdoor plug in lights coming… 

We did get our café lights mostly situated last weekend, which was great… 

Now the farthest reaches of outside lights will need testing and arranging… 

And then place the black oil seed for the bird feeding in the winter~ somewhere safe from bears...

And get the epsom salt for the icy conditions that hit between January and February ...

And...

And...

And...

lol...

So, we can put this years landscape to rest, knowing that we absolutely did as best as we could. Made some headway, tried not to get discouraged by what we couldn't control... And we have hope for aiming for the gravel and goshen stone hauls for next year... maybe ... 

I have to make some big decisions next. Do I continue giving you ghosts for poems, or go to another collection...?

Maybe you will have to employ your ability to delay gratification... 

There are several more collections from the last two years, plus some from the vault...

The End.

x~J