A Vagabond Song

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THERE is something in the autumn that is native to my blood—
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.

The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry
Of bugles going by.
And my lonely spirit thrills
To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills.

There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir;
We must rise and follow her,
When from every hill of flame
She calls and calls each vagabond by name.

~ Bliss Carman

Lower Bidwell in the morning

Through Gates of Splendor

I find myself wondering lately how to inch back into blogging, just as I wonder how to inch back into life. There are so many things I think about sharing with you, just as there are so many things to be done around the house… but the words seem kind of hollow and the motivation is somewhat lacking.

I think I’ll start with daily trivials. This is me sticking my toes in the water.

What have I been doing lately? Well, I have been walking a fine line between working hard and trying not to work too hard at all. I’ve been getting new things into the shop - gearing up for the holidays. And then besides the every day chores and the business things, I have the added task of sorting through some of mom’s belongings that I brought home with me after the funeral. I brought a heavy car-load home with me from the Bay Area - stuff to go through. There are a few treasures I found concerning family history that I plan to share with you soon. But that will have to wait for another day.

Before mom died, one of the posts I was composing in my mind had to do with Garden Gates. I had seen several really neat photos recently of beautiful gardens and mossy stone walls and thought about making a kind of “collection” here. Life has shifted quite dramatically for me recently. And yet from my new perspective, the Gate has not lost its beauty, but in fact gained a new symbolism. In honor of my mother, who has recently walked through the most significant and most beautiful threshold in all of our spiritual experiences, let us enjoy the beauty of these more temporal ones, while keeping in mind the unseen.

First here are a few photos from the trip we took to Ireland earlier this year. While these are more like "ruins" than gates, they convey the same emotions in me.

This one is sits quietly on the side of N70 (in the Ring of Kerry) just outside Kenmare:

There was a stone stairway leading to this derelict church and graveyard. Foreboding, but beautiful:

Stone walls framing the coastal farms, very near the Cliffs of Mohor:

This was just outside Bunratty Castle near Shannon:

Here is a beautiful walkway that leads us to a surreal forest cottage.

via bubby and bean

From our visit to the Japanese Gardens in Portland, OR

I also encourage you to visit my friend's blog, where she shares many photos from her home garden, a very beautiful and peaceful place.

Well... I think this has turned into something less about gates and more about stone walls and moss. Haha. Oh well. Hopefully you enjoyed it anyway. :)

More soon...