Winter Mirror On My Wall

Winter mirror on my wall
Will you catch me when I fall
Into the spell of withered trees
Of ravens black that doth well please
The winter eye reflecting back
To guide the seasons on their track

Source

Ethereal Beauty

Winter shines her ethereal beauty

Allowing the veil to be moved

So we see her as she is

 

Christmas Day

A Merry Night

(Rumor is that tomorrow will be a white Christmas, with snow falling overnight)

I hope yours is lovely and bright ~ A merry night to all~

I Need Water

Cause sometimes girls just want to have fun ...

I hang the lights,
and trim the tree,
Outside there is no
Snow to see,
It's kinda nice,
I will not lie,
But one day we will
Whine and cry,
"There is no liquid
To be found,
I cannot drink but,
I will drown,
In the heat and in
The sun,
I need water,
Find me some."

Source

Free

Sometimes it would be nice to fly,
Stepping right up to the big blue sky,
I'd take one step and jump right in,
Walking away from all that has been,
Just fly away, one, two, three,
Into the quietness and be free.

Source

The Birds

Is it just me, or are the birds flocking together unusually late this fall/winter? I have seen huge flocks of hundreds of birds flying together back and forth in the sky for a week or so. I've never seen anything like it before, it's fascinating and beautiful. 

I tried to get some pictures, but they don't do it justice.

The canopy of birds above was just amazing. Here is part of it.

A Canopy of Birds

Soaring above, not a care in the world.

Blackbirds

It still feels like early fall here, and not almost-winter like it usually does this time of year. I think the birds are a little confused because the weather has been so warmish that they haven't flown south yet. So the flocks are really thriving. Sort of like The Birds, but in a good way. Or maybe these are blackbirds and it really is The Birds.

Weaving Patterns in the Sky

I Heard the Song

I heard the bird chatter her song~
She sang it proudly, sweet, and strong~
Then back she flew straight into the blue~

Moody Sky

It was a moody sky tonight that offered unusual clouds, winter birds and a hawk, plane streaks and planes, trees, lights, and the moon. I sort of love it.

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Marble and Chisel

I might just be swallowed up in the beauty, 

literally just outside my back door. 

Pink winter skies in their pale pale skin is always gorgeous, 

but when you add in the powdered mountains, 

the beauty really culminates.

[W]hat a severe yet master artist old Winter is.... 

No longer the canvas and the pigments, 

but the marble and the chisel. 

~John Burroughs, "The Snow-Walkers," 1866

Pretty Bales

A couple of years ago, I wrote about bales of hay and how I love the look of these rolled up bales versus the rectangular ones. It turns out that we do have the pretty rolled up version here, and just nearby. I couldn't resist posting these pretty bales, as we say good-bye to autumn this year.

Mortar and Stone

Some words that I am loving right now. 

Mortar & Stone

All around us

The ground is opening up

With a terrible thirst

And it's swallowing down

All the hope in this town

Of the way that we were

There's a smoldering pile

Where there once was a life

Where there once was a home

Now the only safe place

Takes a village of strength

We can't do it alone

We're not going down

When the wolf comes to blow

If we build our house

With mortar and stone

Stones are the ones that we love

And they're gathering up

Forming a wall

And the mortar within

Is the time that we've spent

To set it in strong

And it's a daily build

Always some cracks to fill

Always some hole in the roof

Letting the rain get through

And when it just won't stop

The creek is rising up

Running over the banks

Can't keep the flood away

But when the water recedes 

We're still standing right here

If we build our house

With mortar and stone

We're not going down

When the wolf comes to blow

If we build our house

With mortar and stone

Written by Jill Phillips and Andy Gullahorn

Copyright The Gullahorns Music, ASCAP, 2014

Buy the CD

House in the Field - Pastel Painting - by Victoria Ryan

 ("the wise man built his house upon the rocks

and the rains came tumbling down

the rains came down and the floods came up

and the house on the rock stood still")
-southern folk song

In A Word

I was given a gratitude journal tonight and thought it would be fun to write what I'm grateful for since I have much to be thankful for. So, in a word, something I am grateful for tonight is Rest.

What are you thankful for tonight?

My Autumn Prayer (repost)

I raise my cup to fall, 

To blessings given one and all. 

The harvest bounty laid, 

Before eyes and hands 

Bent in Grace.
~Bookish Kind

Little Winter Friend

I saw my little winter friend

Just lighten on a branch today

He rested only for a moment

Then was off again to play

SOURCE

I believe the bird I saw today was a dark-eyed junco. 

I vow this will be the winter to get some bird feeding supplies 

For my winter-window-watching pleasure.