September!!!

Oh my, the first day of September -- Fall cannot be far away.  Indeed, I found these two 'first fallen' leaves on my walk while we were in the middle of August.  I had to bring them home to give myself hope that our hot, wet summer was fading away. 

Most of the month of August I was working on a Fall punch needle picture and enjoying the thoughts of pumpkins, leaves falling and crows crowing -- does their call
really mean "Summer it almost over - Caw, Caw, Caw"?

 

I wonder if Mr. Crow is wearing a bell on his cap to let us know that time is moving on and we can celebrate the beautiful days of Fall any day now.

 

We heap up around us things that we do not need as the crow makes piles of glittering pebbles." - Laura Ingles Wilder

 

 

 











Summer Time





As July becomes a realty I finish up a new-to-me punchneedle design.  Obviously it is not geared to summer -- but I do love this autumn design and had to get busy on it, even though the Fall months are no where near. 

This design is from Doreen Frost's imagination  and skill.  I have heard people say that they prefer to create their own designs and I would have said that myself at one time.  BUT these days the idea of starting from scratch just does not appeal to me. 

As I stitched this piece the only change I made to the design was to use reverse PN so that instead of the loopy finish I ended up with a textured, almost drawn piece.

 
It so pleased me to sit here in my studio punching each stitch and watching the design become real.  Where is your creativity taking you these days?

"Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair..." - Susan Polis Schutz

The Winter Garden

As we delve deeper into winter I spy this beauty outside my studio window.

The Oakleaf Hydrangea never fails me.  From one season to another it gives me beauty while reminding me of time passing. 

When I took this picture the sun was shining, the air cold (but not freezing) and all was right with the world.  Entering a new year, this beautiful plant reminds me that everything has its season and some are able to remain beautiful throughout all four seasons.

"January is the quietest month in the garden...but just because it looks quiet doesn't mean nothing is happening.  The soil, open to the sky, absorbs the pure rainfall, while microorganisms convert tilled-under fodder into usable nutrients for the next crop of plants.  The feasting earth worms tunnel along, aerating the soil and preparing it to welcome the seeds and bare roots to come." - Rosalie Muller Wright, editor of Sunset Magazine 1999

Farewell Autumn

We are officially into Winter now - but I'm behind the times, letting Autumn stay a little longer in my studio.

I crave the warm colors of Fall as Winter brings with it bare branchs, grey days, dampness and cold.

At least now I have a remnant of that most favorite season of mine. 

"Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.

Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.

Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.

Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance." - 

Yoko Ono

Fall is coming

The other day, I walked out the backdoor to be greeted by a beautifully rich sign of Fall.  The Oakleaf Hydrangea, which has been full of white flowers all summer, has changed her coat to brown.  Much like fabric looks after being coffee stained -- this lovely brown color has appeared.

Such a rich color -- it only adds beauty to the already gorgeous green leaves.  I'm so thankful for this welcome sight.

"Never take anything for granted." - Benjamin Disraeli

All around me...

...I see the colors of rust and tea dyed cloth and hot apple cider.

Our Birch tree looks like the leaves have clung to its trunk - or it has been decoupaged by a somewhat incompetent 'paster'.  This is actually the layers of the trunk slowly changing color and releasing themselves from the bark.

I see all of the leaves which sheltered us during the summer now laying on the ground, ready to decay into the earth beneath them.

Some would look at this 'weedy mess' and see just that.  But you and I see the colors and the textures and its all quite beautiful isn't it.

"Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods and day by day the dead leaves fall and melt." - William Allingham

Red Leaves

These are the first Autumn leaves I've found this year -- found in the middle of September but I'm just now getting around to showing them what with one thing and another.

I remember the day -- it was cloudy and I was surrounded by green everywhere.  Looking down at my feet I spied a red leaf, laying there in all its glory.  I looked up but could not see where it might have come from - probably blown away in one of our rainstorms.  A little bit later I found another deep red leaf.  Could this be an omen of a beautiful Fall coming our way?

"October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider horizon more clearly seen.  It is the distant hills once more in sight, and the enduring constellations above them once again." - Hal Borland

Autumnal Equinox

The actual equinox was last Tuesday - so I'm just now catching up.  This is my very favorite time of the year.  Our leaves don't really color up until October but I know their glorious colors are coming.  I know we will have days of the clearest deep blue skies of the year.  I know that the air will be crisp.  I know that I can go back to wearing sweaters and long sleeved shirts.  I know that this is my favorite time of the year.

"Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking successive autumns." - George Eliot

Last Flowers of Summer

As the days shorten, the air cools and leaves begin to turn - I've found two late bloomers to share with you.

We drove up to Linville, NC to a native plants nursery high in the hills.  While walking through their greenhouses I spotted two spots of color.  They were very brave in their stance - given that it gets a lot cooler up there than it does here.  I love the idea that these two plants wanted to share their color just a little while longer.

"Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world". - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Leaf" Pocket

An autumn design in the middle of the hottest summer on record!  It felt good to think of cool, crisp October days as I worked with these fall colors.

The leaf is a 'find' from long ago -- again I'm searching through my stash to see what I can find that will go well with these petite pockets.

I'm thinking that dried flowers or branches will be a good addition to this Fall themed pocket.

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.". - George Eliot

Light and Shadow

This time of the year -- the end of fall, the beginning of winter -- is the time when shadows come out to play.  Here in western North Carolina all the leaves have left the trees -- so their bare branches stand out against the late fall sky.  During the summer there are few shadows - mostly shade from all of the leafed out trees.  But now those bare branches and the clear golden sunshine combine to give me shadows when I walk.

I love this time of the year.  I love being able to see the mountains in the distance because they are no longer hidden in the denseness of the leafy trees.  I love the sunshine which often appears in all its glory after we've suffered through some grey, cloudy days.  I love the fact that the shadows of the trees are before me on the pavement as I walk up the hill and that I can walk over the shadows and marvel at the shapes that they take.

Even though this is the 'shadow time' I feel that I can see more clearly at this time of year than at any other.

"Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, the light and dark which that thing provides." - Junichiro Tanizaki 

Bare Trees

We are having the most 'delicious' days.  Bright sunshine, deep blue sky and warm weather.  After all the rain we've had lately these days are truly a treasure.  As I walked today the change in the trees became very apparent. All of the leaves are gone (which is a blessing for those who have to mulch them) and now their bare branches stand out against a vivid blue sky.  I love this time of the year.  I feel like I am surrounded by magical, mystical sculptures.  Old trees that have occupied these hills longer than I have serve to guard these forests and I can only walk among them in wonder.

"If you would know about strength and patience, welcome to the company of trees." - Hal Borland

Falling for Fall

I'm reveling in the beauty that surrounds me at this time of the year.  Fall brings with it colors and scents and sounds and feelings so particular to this time of year. 

Color - how many colors are seen during a walk in the woods?  Colors that only appear for a short time each year.  Colors to savor and remember later on when the trees have lost their leaves and the colors are mostly grey, black and white. 

Scents - the scent of stew cooking in the crockpot, of freshly poured tea awaiting its first sip, of cider and pumpkins and cinnamon and every manner of warm smells.

Pictures - because I know that fall won't last as long as I would like it to I must take picture after picture.  Pictures of the changes in the woods, of the blue sky peeking through coloring leaves. 

Sounds - the crunch of leaves underfoot as they pile up everywhere.  This is a Fraser Magnolia leaf - at least 15" long.  Its HUGE!  During the spring and summer we are blessed with beautiful white flowers - during the fall we find these large leaves on the ground, dwarfing all the leaves around it.

Feelings - who can resist the feeling of a cool, crisp October day.  This is a day to wear my favorite sweater, to sit with a cup of tea on the porch looking out over the ever changing woods beyond. 

This is fall!!

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." - Albert Camus