21 September 2009--Last (official) Day of Summer

                         Brief Glory

Doomed leaves blaze

With desperate color

As an icy wind nips

Their frangible stems.

Already, some are slipping silently

Down the sharp-edged air,

Tracing slow, irregular circles,

Settling with a sigh

On the yellowing grass.

Tomorrow is the official beginning of autumn. I hate to see summer go, especially since she only arrived here around the second week of August, and seems to want to linger. Autumn, however, is my next-favorite season, so I do welcome her, only regretting that she foretells the inevitable onslaught of winter, my least-favorite season. Actually, the only thing I really hate about our harsh Québec winters is the darkness of the compacted days. The leaves and acorns on the right were found around my apartment building today. The leaves on the left are stamped and embossed. The arrowhead was found years ago by one of my sons in our then-backyard. 

The layout is not as good as I wanted it to be, but that's the fault of Rascal and Fripon. They not only love  to chase leaves but to eat them. When I started arranging the leaves, they were at my elbow,  sniffing and trying to claw one out of the arrangement. While I was aiming the camera, one  would run  away with a leaf in his mouth as if it were prey. As I chased him, the other took advantage of my distraction to nab one for himself. The leaf at top right bears a jagged edge as evidence of capture. Finally, I managed to make a hasty arrangement and photograph it.  

Soon, I’ll hear geese overhead calling me to follow them south for the winter.

                                              

                                                            Summer’s End

     

Geese v-lining south

Noisely trumpet triumph;

Feathered thieves are

Stealing summer.

 

 The rocks and driftwood in the picture on the right were found in Nova Scotia and Québec years ago. Note the split-open rock with the orange center. There's also a piece of petrified tree. The Champagne cork? Hmmm! Perhaps a romantically-inclined couple toasted their love on a rocky beach somewhere.

All rights reserved for the two poems. 

                                                          

11 September 2009 Chip...or Dale?

As I sat knitting in the sun on my balcony yesterday, I caught a movement at the corner of my eye. Turning, I saw a chipmunk on the wall, just beyond the balcony railing. We eyed each other for a moment then he continued his jerky He took cover among some empty flower pots way downand a folded chaise longue. I slowly stood up. He huddled there, keeping an eye on me. My camera was just inside the door; should I go for it and risk scaring him away? I did. He stayed. I decided to for a handout. He was still there when I came back,   but would he run away if I approached to put down a cracker? the wall, and onto my balcony.
I suspect that this was not the first time that he’d enticed someone into giving him a treat, because he was immovable as I broke off bits of cracker and placed them as close to him as I dared. As he munched his way around a tad of tasty saltine, I caught him in still and in video mode, happily eating his treat. Now the treat’s for you!
I can't but take a moment to offer a prayer for all those who died, were injured or lost someone on this day in the 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. By the grace of God, Never Again!

9 September 2009--Violet Sunsets and Butterscotch Socks

From the vantage point of my 3^rd floor balcony, I’ve been privileged to watch and share with you all some colourful sunsets. They have all displayed magnificent shades of red and orange. Then, a few days ago, the sun decided to set in shades of violet.

The sight brought vividly back to mind a sunset I witnessed during a trip to Spain with my husband in 1982. As we ate our evening meal in front of a panoramic hotel window, we watched as the sun disappeared, blazing first vivid red, shading to orange, then through degrees of pink down to pale and darker shades of violet, until nothing was left but the black velvet of night. I don’t remember what we ate that evening. I feasted too heavily on the sunset.

 

The half-finished sock is my first ever. The yarn is from Three Irish Girls (click their logo on the right side of this page to go there). The colorway is Grady, and the yarn is TIG’s Lindon Merino. The pattern is as basic as it gets, and comes from the book peeking out from under the sock, “Getting Started Knitting Socks”, by Ann Budd. The book contains instructions for five different weights of yarn in about as many sizes. I love it because I actually understand the instructions with the first reading. There are detailed pictures, too. In case you’re wondering, I’m not on the payroll of Three Irish Girls nor of Interweave Press, source of the book mentioned above.

Now, back to enjoying the weather we should’ve had here in July!