My first thought this morning when I began my walk beside Medicine Lake was
It Looks Like November.
The colors were muted and dark, the sky gray, and the wind blustery. But the temperature was mild and as I walked along I found more and more colorful little scenes along the way.
Some milkweed pods had burst and their seeds were clinging to the outside of the pod and on several nearby plants. Because so many of the leaves were on the ground I was able to explore side paths that took me to areas nearer the lake and to a lagoon beside the lake that I had never gotten so close to before.
There were many Canada geese and mallard ducks on the lake. Although there may have been some other breeds of duck as well, but it looks like the coots have moved further south. I saw none on my walk today.
I saw signs that a beaver had been very busy along the lake with three newly downed trunks and several other stumps of tree trunks that bore the marks of their very sharp teeth. And near the end of my walk I explored a path to a lake view with a bench that I had seen before but never visited. As I approached the lake I found a very well camouflaged great blue heron standing in the water. near a bed of reeds. His long legs looked like the reeds that surrounded him
November
Besides the autumn poets sing,
A few prosaic days
A little this side of the snow
And that side of the haze.A few incisive mornings,
A few ascetic eyes, —
Gone Mr. Bryant’s golden-rod,
And Mr. Thomson’s sheaves.Still is the bustle in the brook,
Sealed are the spicy valves;
Mesmeric fingers softly touch
The eyes of many elves.Perhaps a squirrel may remain,
My sentiments to share.
Grant me, O Lord, a sunny mind,
Thy windy will to bear!— Emily Dickinson
I work to find reasons to enjoy this cloudy time of year. Sometimes I need to look more closely at the landscape or explore new paths, but the sacred beauty of the land is always present. I just need to look for it.
May you walk in beauty.
0 Comments