Goodnight and Farewell 2016

the last sunset of the year

a beautiful farewell

~

I wish you all

a new year full of inspiration,

 days and nights

that feel so good to you!

~

*

Winter Solstice

on the threshold of winter 

(even though it has seemed like winter for a few weeks)

when the light does come out

it is incredibly magical

I have seen this male a few times

one of his antlers is half missing, broken

I wonder what his story is

soon they will be dropping their antlers 

and begin to grow a new set

forest paths

beckon snow clad

most days are cloudy

when the sun comes out

it is time to celebrate

step out into the day

let the light pour into our eyes

and

kiss our skin

the shores of lakes

grow treasures of ice

as it has been a super cold month!

here we are on the threshold

between Autumn and Winter

the shortest day

and

longest night of the year

~

from my wee cabin

to yours

I wish you a lovely Solstice!

~

*

I Deem it Winter

Winter's Magic Wand

snow has fallen a few times

painting our world winter white

an early morning walk 

through my woods is good for one's spirit

sunlight begins to paint the day 

with light

as I drive down our road

6 inches deep in snow

a thought floats through:

this year it will not again

feel like autumn

on the threshold of a

new season

~

*

Pond Writing

last night was starry

which means that it got cold

20F when I awoke

the morning was frosty

sparkling and full of rainbow lights

the ponds froze over

as i admired the surface of the pond

i thought it appeared like a foreign language

script carved into the ice

a temporary story

perhaps written for the fish below

or a tale

for the world above

~

*

Autumn and Winter begin to Mingle

appreciating the mushrooms 

 as i studied them 

clear night skies

inspire frost to grace life

sunlight is revealed as tiny sparkling orbs

when mixed with frost

colors dance before our eyes

good medicine

some trees 

naked

the sunlight chooses them to present, show off and reflect

finding new treasures

Basidioradulum radula, Toothed Crust fungus

like an artful mandala

Plicaturopsis crispa, a Crimped gilled Polyporales

this is the underside, the top looks like

it was growing on dead wood:

~

*

Our Spell of Rain has Broken

near sunset

sunlight poured through a parting of clouds

and 

alpine glow happened on this handful of trees

in the cloak of the forest

witch's butter oozes from old wood

( Dacrymyces chrysospermus)

I found my first teeny tiny

sphere thrower fungi

(see that clear jelly ball? it gets thrown from it's cup)

above is another view of this tiny scene

(Sphaerobolus stellatus, sphere thrower)

the fungi continue to pop up 

(Suillus Grevillei, tamarack Jack)

a friend, spur of the moment, took us up in his plane

autumn looked beautiful from the sky!

Thank you Bill!

~

*

 

So much Rain lately

3 times the average rainfall this month!

when the wet earth is warmer than the air

mist rises

in the rainy seasons

mushrooms push up through pine needle soil

rain a perfect environment for lichens and moss to thrive

in the high mountains

rain becomes snow

~

*

Enjoying Autumn

as the sun began to set last night

a parting in the clouds

and sunlight kissed the top of the mountain

I have been studying our forest mushrooms

and tossed some old ones into my bushes

this young deer found them delightful

the other day I walked among golden giants

 

spied treasures on the forest floor

hiked along a creek

seemed we were in a fairytale

full of lichen, moss and fungi

through an opening in the trees

we saw winter kissing autumn

perhaps one of the tiniest mushrooms i have ever seen

strong enough to hold a raindrop

a week or more ago

autumn snow cloaked our world

for a few hours

now we are back to rain

and 

golden forests galore

~

*