Disappearing act
Dear blog readers,
If you remember anything from this year of outdoor adventures, do you know what it should be? (In other words, Kathy, if you learn anything from this year of outdoor adventures, do you know what it should be?) I have repeated this at least sixteen times and you poor readers will probably have to hear it ANOTHER sixteen times before the year ends. You poor things.
But here it is, once again for anyone who is still reading after that first paragraph: Do Not Believe Your Mind When It Tells You Not to Go Outside. It will attempt to abort your opening the door and walking outside. It will tell you, over and over again, often in a slight whine, “I don’t WANT to go outside. It’s too cold (substitute the current weather condition which might not look or feel optimal).” If you believe that Mind you will stay inside. I have too often believed that Mind before this year.
Today, Day 283, the thermometer said 44 degrees in the early afternoon. The memory of yesterday’s cold and rain surfaced. Momentary dislike for having to go outside surfaced.
And guess what? After about three minutes of feeling slightly cold, it suddenly felt JUST RIGHT. Once again, the Mind could not see accurately. It was even pleasurable. And, you know what? I might even go outside tonight again and help split up yet another load of firewood.
So there, Mind.
Here are some pics from two evenings ago (or was it three?) when I walked down by the lake. Today I wanted to spare you more photos of garden produce and soggy leaves. Except of course for the leaf which hangs above this blog. It’s already posted, so it can stay. Here we go:
The lovely Huron Bay
Log, water, earth, sky
One thin reed
I actually could be babbling on, telling stories about the evening down by the lake, but let’s just let the pictures tell the story today. You can supply any inner story-telling you like, if you want to imagine the feeling of spending an hour down on the lake during one of the last 70 degree evenings of September. Of maybe the rest of 2009. But we won’t go there in our story-telling, shall we?
Guess what these are, littered all over the sand.
Then, because we can’t really stand NOT to photograph leaves (it’s going to be an autumn of leaves, let me assure you! Just like it was a winter of snow, and a spring of flowers and now it’s Glorious Leaf Season…) here you go:
Leaf and sky and a lil bit of sun too
Here’s to autumn! Let’s raise our apple cider to the sky and enjoy the glories (and, ahem, the colder days) of the season.
Love, Kathy
P.S. 8:15 p.m. Just finished splitting another load of wood. Only maybe two more to go! I LOVE splitting wood. Really. Hope you didn’t believe any previous blogs you might have read. 
32 comments
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September 29, 2009 at 7:28 pm
pelagian7
Your philosophy is my religion! Hierglyphs were sacred writing in several cultures, letters and words were seen as ordinary. Why, maybe because our adjectives can’t do nature justice.
September 29, 2009 at 7:45 pm
centria
Hi pelagian 7…glad this resonated with you! Words and thoughts can be hard, because they tend to mess up the actual experience of things, sometimes. But I get such joy in using words, playing with them and realizing their fleeting ephemeral beauty. Very interesting about hierglyphs being sacred; words ordinary. Thank you.
September 29, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Gerry
Oh, the lacy leaf was best of all. Of course we have to have colorful ones too, else what’s a nature-lovin’ blog for? But the lacy one is special.
September 30, 2009 at 6:29 pm
centria
Yes. The lacy leaf was best of all. You are so right. But you know what, Gerry? It’s hard to choose between all the beautiful leaves. Every one looks so unique and amazing. Doncha think?
September 29, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Jessica
Hi Kathy, I just got off work an it was another rainy drive home. Hopefully you are done with wood chopping by now. It is a tad warmer down here, but not for long. They were showing a large front that Canada is sharing with us. They said Nashville, TN is going to be 70º tomorrow. Oh to be 70º here. LOL Beautiful photos as always.
Jessica
PS If I sign my name with TMM next to it maybe it will help you tell the difference between all us Jessica’s
September 30, 2009 at 6:30 pm
centria
Jessica, you need never sign your name withTMM. You are memorized. You are Real in my brain. 70 degrees? Whatcha talking about? Will it ever be 70 degrees again here? It’s 47 right now. Haven’t checked to see about freeze warnings. We’re really too close to the lake for that. Hopefully not!
September 30, 2009 at 12:13 am
CRD
From a glance at the title and the first photo, I thought for sure I was the subject of today’s entry. I hereby declare ‘evisceration’ today’s motif.
September 30, 2009 at 6:32 pm
centria
Chris, if I knew what evisceration meant I would have called you asap to see what was up! Hope your day has gone better. Don’t want to you to feel like that eaten-up leaf any more. Love, Your Mama (Good talking on the phone earlier!)
September 30, 2009 at 6:56 am
Cindy Lou
My guess on the mystery photo is……fish scales!?!? Our color is so far behind usual this year, hey? We have very few branches in our yard that have changed! Wonder why?
We’re getting another truckload of wood to be chopped/split sometime this week….oh boy! I didn’t have to help w/ the first one as Ricky was around, but I know I get to help with this one.
Thanx for the books! Love ya!
September 30, 2009 at 6:33 pm
centria
Cindy Lou, ka-ching! You win! The first person to guess. Fish scales, it is. I am still not sure what they were doing on that particular stretch of beach. Did someone land there and clean their fish? Must have been. Let me know how your wood chopping/splitting fun goes. It’s weird how you can start out not liking it and pretty soon it’s one of your fave activities. Hope you enjoy the books, too.
September 30, 2009 at 8:11 am
Georgia Mom
POOR CRD! I WAS WONDERING IF IT WAS CRD OR CWD. PRESS ME ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL RED MAPLE LEAVES. MAPLE TREES ARE SCARCE.
September 30, 2009 at 6:34 pm
centria
Twas your grandson. Would you like the red maple leaf on a card? Or simply pressed separately? Let me know! They are beautiful now.
September 30, 2009 at 8:34 am
Steven Harris
SOmetimes we need to really hammer the message home to ourselves before we cotton on. You’ll get there.
http://doctorbeatnik.wordpress.com//
September 30, 2009 at 6:35 pm
centria
Steven, yep. The message does sometimes need to be repeated again and again and again and again. And again. And you know what? Maybe I’m getting there. A tiny bit. Slowly…
September 30, 2009 at 9:58 am
Jocelyn
I like your first picture up there. Well taken
September 30, 2009 at 6:35 pm
centria
Joeclyn, thank you! So glad you like it! Thank you also for stopping by.
September 30, 2009 at 11:35 am
Michael
you can trick your mind, and say – just be outside for 2 minutes // and then it is not so cold, I use the same trick to work out, just do it for a couple minutes, the commitment is less – and then you end up choosing to keep going once you’re started.
September 30, 2009 at 6:37 pm
centria
Michael, really, you use that trick to work out? You are so right. Just starting to do it, that seems to shift the energy. It’s interesting how easily it can shift. Thanks too for the visit!
September 30, 2009 at 12:45 pm
s8529226
these pictures are amazing!
http://s8529226.wordpress.com
September 30, 2009 at 6:37 pm
centria
Thank you! I’m just a photographer-baby, but it’s been fun to learn this year. Glad you like them.
September 30, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Carla Sanders
Fishscales? or fake fingernails? My favorite, that spiny log. It’s a riddle: What giant creature used to live in this lake? A big tree!
September 30, 2009 at 6:38 pm
centria
Carla, it’s YOU! You are so right. Fishscales. Not fake fingernails, ha ha. (If they WERE fake fingernails, wouldn’t we be wondering what they were doing down by the lake??) You know what, there’s LOT’s of old giant log-creatures down in the bay. Lots and lots, from logging days. I think that spiny log was beautiful, as well.
September 30, 2009 at 1:48 pm
janet
One of my teachers used to say: If you’re thinkin’, you’re stinkin’.
Maybe not the most elegant way of putting it, but you get the picture.
Isn’t it funny how the stronger our intellect, the more likely we are to get caught by our thoughts? I’m smart; I’m sure this is true. And don’t get me started on beliefs…:-)
And speaking of pictures, these are some beauties! I especially loved the reed.
September 30, 2009 at 6:40 pm
centria
If you’re thinkin’, you’re stinkin’…ha ha Janet!! Yes, our thoughts are like spider web traps. The flies go in and the web catches them, and darn it, we’re lost. Spider webs are dangerous to thoughts. They truly are. I like the reed too. Well, guess I probably liked all the pics. They were the ones that survived the chopping block. Good radio show Monday! I love listening (when I remember.)
September 30, 2009 at 5:59 pm
triciajune
Good job getting past the mental block.
September 30, 2009 at 6:41 pm
centria
Thank you, triciajune. Just takes a little prompting some time. Or ignoring. Or both!
September 30, 2009 at 6:15 pm
joehurrycreations
What a beautiful post that was. I could really imagine walking by the lake with all those beautiful pictures helping lead my imagination. What an amazing place you live so near! I wish I had some wood to chop now!
I must say you’re so right about not trusting your mind. I constantly have that same experience. It tells me I don’t want to go outside, but if I do then I don’t want to go back inside. It all feels so much more natural out in the fresh air and the sound of the trees.
Anyway, keep up the good work!
September 30, 2009 at 6:42 pm
centria
Thank you for enjoying this post. It was so fun. And chopping wood can be fun too although the first time I did it this year it was…not…so…fun. In fact, the regular blog readers can probably remember a little annoyance. It is beautiful out in the fresh air. Glad to hear you’ve had the same experience. And thank you so much for stopping by AND commenting.
September 30, 2009 at 6:48 pm
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September 28, 2010 at 6:01 am
Elisa's Spot
I don’t wanna be up this morning Kathy. It’s raining and I love lying in bed listening to it. Though, today, the staying in the bed thing is more about stuffed up nose and stuffed up energies blah. I got downstairs. I dutifully took the meds. Dutifully, not joyfully, made the tea. Opened the window to hear and feel the rain and the breeze.
The raindrops are clinging to the sand cherry outside of the window over the tops of the new pots of basil and rosemary I got last night to place on the windowsill. Bright yellow windstorm blown leaves are flung across the lawn, casualties of–fine, they stand out brightly and defiantly against the/my gloom. And then, the wind moves talking in the trees and the nose breathes in. The hands go up, darn them anyway. Someone inside smirks. The eye meets a flaming green and orange maple. It also glows in the dark. Did you ever notice how all of that leaf glowing can make it always seem a sort of twilight? Twilight seems to be another sort of space in between. But, unlike spaces in between, twilights feel like someone died or will do so–very long rather agonizing places.
I used to be afraid of thunderstorms and lightning too. Now I play with it. Spaces in between I can sit quietly or I can create. Twilight, I dunno yet.
September 29, 2010 at 8:24 am
Kathy
Yesterday it would have been hard for me to sit with you in the in between place. Much restlessness, grasping. Today, much easier. The sun is shining here. Your writing is beautiful…the wind moves talking in the trees. Here too.