It is a dull day. There are no mountains to be seen, and while that sounds a little depressing, its not somehow. Autumn is definitely over here in our neck of the woods. Even though the calendar still says Autumn, the weather is saying, "Not!" Everything is wet and each morning I get up expecting our first snow. Still, the swirling depths of winter are staying put in the mountains. When you can see them, the mountains are white and have been for at least a week. There's a nip in the air that tells me that it is coming. Somehow I'm looking forward to it with hopeful trepidation. I know that's weird and even though I hate the cold of winter, there is something serene about looking out the window each morning sipping a hot cup of coffee, while the snow drifts slowly to the ground.... there's something about the sparkle of sun on the snow, white and innocent in all it's purity. The blue of the sky in the evening as the shadows spread across the yard, is one of my favorite colours.... (it is really hard to pick, but the blue I've chosen for the blog is right up at the top of the list... it reminds me of the winter sky at dusk).
Since Thanksgiving weekend, there has not been a leaf around the yard. Those that were still hanging blew and drifted into the forest where they remain, decaying in preparation to feed the roots of the trees there in the spring. Deer are quietly and tentatively moving through the trees as they try to remain elusive to the coyotes that share the forest with them. Jiggs came home with a leg of a deer this morning. Obviously a fresh kill from overnight. It is the way of nature.
While the cold of winter fills me with dread, I realize that the movement of the seasons is part of life. Something that calls me back to who I am... I look at old pictures lately and see the movement of time in the faces of those who surround me, and in my own face. It is the movement of my life that happens so imperceptibly that it comes rather as a shock. Last weekend, I went to a meeting of the NPSW in FSJ. The meeting was held in our studio space and while I was waiting for Teapot to come and pick me up after the meeting was over I went around looking at the walls, where posters of past events hang. I have been a member of the NPSW for 13 years and there on the wall was a picture of a woman who I had never seen before.... I looked more closely to have a better view and pulled out my glasses. There in all its glory was a photo of myself as I looked when I first joined the guild, 70 pounds lighter and a whole lot younger and fresher.... it was startling to realize that I am no longer that young lovely looking young lady.
Part of this blog is change. I decided this morning that the red leaves of fall no longer were inspirational... I needed a change on the face of that which greets me almost every morning. Blue seemed right. Rather like Picasso's Blue Period, only in this case it is Ye Olde Batt's blue period. Don't get me wrong I'm not blue.... I actually feel pretty good these days. I've been accomplishing lots... that always makes me feel good. Just that blue reminds me of the time of year into which we are moving.
Since the leaves have disappeared maybe it is time for a little snow.... but just a little.... and I will look to the great wide blue....
