Blogtober 26: Autumn Delights the Senses

 

In the morning darkness I walk down the stairs, cross the living room and turn on the light. All the shadowy furniture suddenly appears familiar and cozy. The fire lights and warmth radiates into the room. How quiet the world is before the light. 

When I awake early, I like to read and write. I savour my uninterrupted time and the stillness of the house. 

Last night's Hunter Moon was not visible because of cloud cover, so I was glad to see it shining bright as dawn arrived. I stepped out the back door in my bare feet and snapped a photo. It was a wee bit chilly out there. 

Later, I noticed the sun slanting its light on the mantel, highlighting the dried hydrangeas and casting a sharp candle shadow on the wall. Another fleeting moment of beauty caught.

I've spent much of the day at my computer, working on various writing projects and emails. After lunch I went for a walk in the bright sunshine, with fluffy clouds on the horizon. Is there any month so beautiful as October? 

The friends who came for brunch yesterday brought a bag of quince for us. I asked for two; they brought five. How fragrant they are. I'm not certain what I'll do with them yet - what would you suggest? 

A shorter post today after two days of lengthy ones. Thank you for sticking around through the month of Blogtober. Just a few days to go. I always wonder what I can say in a daily post, but something always comes up. Until tomorrow...

Blogtober 25: A Simple Woman's Daybook

 

Outside my window

It's evening and all is dark. After last night's gentle, steady rain, the sun shone for a short while before clouds moved in for most of the day. Without the sun's warmth, autumn's dropping temperatures made us very glad for our jackets when we walked in the afternoon. 

What I'm Wearing

Burgundy cords, a print shirt, cream pullover, pearl drop earrings, and cozy black socks. I don't wear blankets, but I have a soft throw on the arm of my chair that's ready to drape over my legs should I feel cold. So cozy. 

People I Spent Time with Today

After morning services, two friends came for brunch at our place, along with our eldest daughter and her husband and their daughter. I prepared a variety of foods that were layered in open bowls, arugula, roasted butternut squash cubes, sausage pieces, sauteed onions and red peppers, all topped with poached eggs, and then Hollandaise sauce. It's an idea from a meal I've enjoyed at a restaurant, and turned out quite well. With it I served the apple muffins I made yesterday, and buttered and toasted English muffins. 

A story that came up in conversation had to do with the vehicle we just sold. When we drove in the cooler months, I could never get the temperature to suit me despite having my own controls on the passenger side. I would turn it up but still be cold, and resorted to carrying a blanket to place over my legs, if needed. Tim was always warm and kept turning his heat down. Well, several years ago, when the vehicle was in the shop for a regular tune-up, the mechanic told us that the heat controls were reversed. So all the while I was turning the heat up because I was cold, it was Tim getting the benefit, and he kept turning his down because he was hot. Things were much better once that was fixed. 

What I've Been Thinking About

We had a provincial election yesterday. The decision was clear, but I've read some disgruntled speculation that the voting was rigged. I don't believe there's any question about that, but it makes me sad that just because someone doesn't like something, there's a quick suspicion of wrongdoing. Yet, this is the way democracy works - the vote might not go the way everyone wishes, but the majority has the say. 

And I've also been thinking about how modern society is so polarized. It's as if we can't agree to disagree and still be friends. I find that very sad. Each side in an issue has positives and negatives; the world is rarely black and white. 

I am thankful

for many things, but in particular lately, my home. It's a cozy, warm place, not large, but more than sufficient for our needs. It is here where I relax, employ my creativity, feed my body and soul, find comfort, and it's one of the places I engage with family and friends. How blessed I am to have a home. 

An Activity I'm Enjoying

Scuffling through the piles of leaves on the street. Such whispers and rustles, crunches and scuttles. This poem expresses the delight!

October

The summer is over,

The trees are all bare,

There is mist in the garden

And frost in the air.

The meadows are empty

And gathered the sheaves --

But isn't it lovely

Kicking up leaves!

Rose Fyleman

Things I'm Looking Forward to This Week

I'll be getting a hair cut, which is always pleasant and relaxing.  

Dinner with friends on Thursday evening, and out with the family on Friday evening. 

I hope to plant garlic in the garden - the experts said to wait until some rain fell as the ground was so dry. I'll also put in my spring bulbs. Isn't it wonderful to plant now with the expectation of colourful tulips and daffodils popping out of the ground in a few months? 

What I'm Reading

I picked up the above book while going through my bookshelves this afternoon. It's a re-read that I'm looking forward to. 

Louise Penny's Miss Wolcott's Ghost is next on the list.

I continue to dip into Miranda Mills' The Cozy Commonplace Book. 

A library visit will likely happen after my hair cut, and I'm going to look for more of Elly Griffiths' books. 

What I'm Eating

I mentioned brunch above, but what I'm really enjoying these cooler days is soup. Supper this evening, after our large brunch, was kale and white bean soup. I had a rind of Parmesan Cheese in the fridge and added that while the soup bubbled away. It added a layer of richness. Rye Krisp crackers were all I needed to complete my meal. And a square of dark chocolate for dessert. 

Wishing you a week filled with moments of beauty and grace.

Blogtober 24: A Day Mostly At Home

 

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string."

L. M. Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables

An ordinary day here, cozy despite the lowering clouds and light rain that fell most of the day. Now it feels like Autumn has truly arrived. Lights are needed all day indoors. When I come downstairs in the morning, the fire glows in welcome. I turn a small table lamp on for breakfast rather than a strong overhead light. We are not turning back our clocks this year and the mornings are going to be dark for much longer than if we did. 

After my post about paintings of women reading, I was tickled to find this 2027 calendar in our local bookstore and brought it home with me. None of the paintings I mentioned are included, so I'll learn about more of them. Do you use a paper calendar? I like to have one in my office, as well as a yearly planning book. We keep a digital calendar together, as well, as that is what my husband was used to in his career. It is handy to be able to open my phone and make appointments without fear of conflicting with another engagement. 

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?

Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme

Remember me to one who lives there

She once was a true love of mine.

Simon and Garfunkel's adaptation of an old Northern English song

When I looked up the lyrics, I noticed that the original is a bit different than the one that played through my mind as I bundled up herbs for stews and soups. Rather than parsley, savoury is used in the original song.

I cut the herbs yesterday in the sunshine knowing that soon wet and cold will dampen them. Rosemary is fine all year round, as is sage, but thyme and parsley falter in the winter. 

Tonight marks two months until Christmas Eve. I do love Christmas and start planning for gifts to make well in advance. Several years ago I made flannel ragged edge quilts for our three eldest grandchildren, this year it's the younger two who will get them. I used leftover fabric from the nightgowns and/or pajamas I make for them each year. These are not bed quilts, per se, but good for snuggling with while watching television or being read to. I finished one today and the other is about half finished. 

Apple Muffins with a Dutch crust seemed appealing today, so I baked a batch. The house always smells homey after baking a treat. 

I'm posting this fungi photo again because Granny Marigold introduced me to a charming poem about mushrooms that I thought I'd share here. 

The Elf and the Dormouse by Oliver Herford

Under a toadstool crept a wee Elf,

Out of the rain to shelter himself.

Under the toadstool, sound asleep,

Sat a big Dormouse all in a heap.

Trembled the wee Elf, frightened and yet,

Fearing to fly away lest he get wet.

To the next shelter - maybe a mile!

Suddenly the wee Elf smiled a wee smile.

Tugged till the toadstool toppled in two.

Holding it over him, gaily he flew.

Soon he was safe home, dry as could be

Soon woke the Dormouse - "Good gracious me!

Where is my toadstool?" loud he lamented.

- And that's how umbrellas first were invented.

And with that I'll close my computer and settle into a cozy evening while the rain drips a very little bit outside. 

Blogtober 23: Gardens and Geese

 

Yesterday's walk with a friend was in Butchart Gardens, full of colour and change. Gardeners are working in the beds putting in the winter plants - English daisies among them. In other areas, shiny balls are hung in enormous trees. It takes a long time to decorate the gardens for Christmas.

The Dahlia walk is still awash with colour. 

In the Japanese Garden, the deciduous trees are a lacy mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows. 

Although the morning was cloudy, sunshine poured down in the afternoon, and all day today. It feels like the earth is holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. All this sunshine is lovely, but unusual. 

In my own garden today, I clipped flowers to make three small bouquets. The roses are Harlow Carr, pink and fragrant. 

I'm loving the hydrangea bushes with their intense colour this year. I keep wondering when they will begin to fade. I've clipped lots of them for indoors. 

This afternoon, while walking, I heard the geese honking and looked up to see a long trailing V of birds flying overhead. Colder, wetter weather will come, they seem to say. 

Blogtober 22: Small Things That Bring Delight

 

Enormous trees and grand ocean vistas are all wonderful, but the little things found in the forest are enchanting. I kept my eye out for fungi on our walks and was happily rewarded with some lovely specimens like the Fly Agaric above. These had such fat stems. I saw another with a much more slender stem. These look like little houses for tiny fairies. 

This clump lived on a fallen log. The tallest was about 2.5 centimetres or 1 inch. 

I think a small creature used this for his umbrella and then placed it in the tree. 

A truly good book is something as wildly natural and primitive,

mysterious and marvelous, ambrosial and fertile as a 

fungus or a lichen.

Henry David Thoreau

The latest Louise Penny novel arrived yesterday. I'm eager to begin, but will wait until I've finished my current books. I hope it's as good as a fungus, as Thoreau expressed. I'm about half-way through Elly Griffiths' The Last Remains, and I've also begun an older book, Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther. 

She unwrapped the chrysanthemums and arranged them in a square glass jar, between herself and the light, so that the sun shone through them. They were the big mop-headed kind, burgundy-coloured, with curled petals; their beauty was noble, architectural; and as for their scent, she though as she buried her nose in the nearest of them, it was a pure distillation of her mood, a quintessence of all that she found gay and intoxicating and astringent about the weather, the circumstances, her own age and the season of the year. Oh, yes, October certainly suited her best.

Jan Struther

On the beach a few days ago, Tim cut a piece of bull kelp - tangles of it lie on the beaches, tossed up by the waves. He blew into one end and made lots of trumpeting sounds. He said it took a lot of effort. I suggested that our granddaughter who plays the trumpet might find this fun. 

It's always lovely to sleep in my own bed and roam about my house that is much larger than a travel trailer. And it's equally lovely to slip into my daily routine once again. I walked with a friend this morning, bought a few groceries, did some small chores, and spent a couple of hours with the two youngest granddaughters after school. Cora is still very pleased with her earrings. 

Blogtober 21: Time at the Beach and Home Again

 

Yesterday evening the half-moon shone through a bit of fog. I love the silhouettes of tree skeletons in autumn when the leaves have fallen and bare branches remain. Some trees are full of lacy stems and twigs, while others reach out in tangles. 

Yesterday, the last day of our little jaunt, we walked on Long Beach, BC. The sun warmed our backs and glinted off the waves. If I had had a towel or something to wash the sand off, I would have walked barefoot on the sand. That would have been a sight - bare feet and a light down jacket. 

Mist floated in the air and water had its way on the sand, creating undulating designs as the waves rushed upon the shore and receded. Long Beach is about 10 miles in length; we didn't walk all of it. It runs between Ucluelet and Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The vast Pacific Ocean. 

We had to raise our voices over the noise of the unceasing surf. Not many surfers were out as the seas weren't high and it was low tide, but it's a very popular spot for surfers year round. It's also subject to rip currents and there are signs warning of the dangers. The water is very cold year round and only very hardy souls swim here. None today. 

For lunch we drove into the town of Tofino and ate at the Wildside Grill. They have no inside seating but we found a pleasant table in the sunshine. There are signs warning people to protect their food from the marauding crows. This pair watched for us to drop our guard, but we were very diligent. Also, we both enjoyed Seafood Chowder, and I think the crows much preferred the french fries at the table next to ours. 

I'm not a fan of ice cream, but Tim is, and decided to treat himself to a Salted Caramel Sundae. It came with a surfboard-shaped chocolate! He offered me a bite and oh my, I ate probably 1/3 of the sundae. I'm just very picky about my ice cream. Salted Caramel ice cream is amazingly delicious! We made certain the crows got none of that either. 

This morning we packed up and drove home, winding through narrow valleys where autumn colour lined the road, and fog hung in the trees, up over the mountain, down again, and into our very own driveway. 

All is unpacked and sorted, and normal life begins again. 

Blogtober 20: For the Love of Trees

 

A number of people commented on the trees in a recent post. I was reminded of a French woman who lived on Gabriola Island. She had a restaurant there in a log building in the forest. After a delicious dinner, I asked her what brought her to Canada. She had been living in Paris during the unrest of the 1970s and said she just wanted to live where there were trees. So she moved to western Canada, to a relatively remote island, and made her life there. She has since died, but I think of her from time to time. She spent the majority of her adult years there in the trees. 

Trees are so important to the health of our planet, producing oxygen and cleaning the air from pollutants, to name just two of their benefits. 

The large maple leaves in my last post are from Western Maples, also known as Big Leaf Maples. They can be huge. And unlike Eastern Maples in the other part of our continent, they are not red, but golden in autumn. Still very beautiful. 

Long time readers might remember our exploration of large trees a couple of years ago. Some of our trees are very old and very large. In the above photo I'm standing beside the Red Creek Fir, the largest Douglas Fir tree in the world, and about 1000 years old. Just imagine the things happening in other parts of the world when this tree grew from a seed to a sapling to the enormous specimen it now is. 

For those interested in numbers, the diameter is 4.2 metres (14 feet), with a circumference of 9.8 metres (32 feet) and a height of 73.8 metres (242 feet). The top just disappears into the sky. 

But a tree doesn't have to be massive to be appreciated. I love listening to the wind in the trees. Such a gentle sound. I also love looking up, up, up into the sky to see the tops of trees when I'm in the woods. I have to lean way back to see them. 

Here's Tim standing in front of the world's second largest Sitka Spruce tree. He's 6 feet tall and is dwarfed by the massive tree. 

I would be hard pressed to choose favourite tree, but I am partial to a birch tree with papery white bark and delicate leaves. Do you have a favourite tree?

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider,

every green tree is far more glorious

than if it were made of gold and silver

Martin Luther

Blogtober 19: A Short Jaunt

 

Because it seems that sunny weather is hanging around for a bit longer, we decided to take one last camping trip before winterizing the camping trailer. Ucluelet, on the west coast of Vancouver Island was our goal, just 5 hours drive from home. We made good time, arriving around 4:30 on Sunday afternoon. After settling into our campsite, we drove to Amphitrite Lighthouse. Dusk was falling and the day had been cloudy. It's always a joy to see the waves roll up onto shore or crash into the rocks. 

The sign indicated there should be a life ring nearby, but none was visible. Then, walking a short distance away, I spied a round white Life-Saver candy in its wrapper, and I couldn't resist placing it beneath the sign. We giggled and I hope the sight brought a smile to others' faces, too. 

This morning we hiked along the coast trail (not the infamous West Coast Trail), for about 6 kilometres, and then 6 kilometres back. Such gorgeous views at every turn. The shore is rough and jagged and the site of many shipwrecks in the past. 

The view from our campsite - a pretty red bridge, a marina with boats sitting still in the clear water, and as the tide came up, shorebirds began looking for food. A very peaceful scene to watch. 

Last night was a wee bit chilly, but we have some heat in the trailer, and lots of blankets and slept very well. Tomorrow will be another day of exploring. 

Not too much time for blogging, so I'll catch up with everyone later in the week. 

Blogtober 18: There be Bears!

 

This is a repost from our trip to the Yukon in 2022. We were talking about bears and I rewatched the videos and admired the power and agility of these grand wild creatures. 

On our trip to the Arctic over the summer of 2022, we did not go to the American state of Alaska, other than for one 10-kilometre stretch of the Alaska Panhandle. The road to access several gold and copper mines in BC, Canada, runs through Hyder, AK. That small community is accessible by land only through BC.  

We stayed in the small town of Stewart, BC, and crossed the USA/Canada border there. Hyder, Alaska bills itself as the "friendliest little ghost town", and a ghost town it is. There is one bar, one gift store, and a fish and chip restaurant, plus a very few families and old-timers. Hyder's electricity and phone services are supplied by BC.

During the pandemic, when the border was closed, life was made doubly difficult for these few Americans who lived in Hyder. The only way out was via seaplane or boat. The few children in town attended a Canadian school in Stewart, but that ended abruptly. Residents would phone their grocery orders into the Canadian grocers, who packaged everything into boxes and left them at the border crossing for the Americans to pick up. 

This is a remote area of BC, with tall, steep, densely forested mountains lining narrow valleys where water rushes down, down, down to the sea. The main attraction of Hyder is just a few miles beyond the town at the Fish Creek Wildlife Observation Site. 

In the most beautiful, lush, green temperate rainforest, pools of water are home to many kinds of waterfowl, including the Common Mergansers seen above. 

In mid-August, summer is already drawing to a close, and salmon begin their long trek upstream to spawn in the many rivers and streams. The USA Fish and Wildlife Department constructed an observation deck alongside the stream. Here we watched salmon lay their eggs and die, bodies decaying into the water and soil. 

Exciting as the salmon run is, it was no match for another event that takes place at the same time - grizzly bears fattening up for winter. From the safety of the observation deck, on two separate days we watched grizzlies fishing for salmon. 

The first bear we saw was in the evening and we waited about an hour before he showed up. The next day, en route to the observation site, we saw another grizzly cross the road in front of us and head down into the bushes by the river. We quickly and raced in so as not to miss anything. 

The people who stood along the observation deck were mostly quiet as we waited for bears to appear. Once they did appear, everyone was silent, watching the amazing spectacle before us. It was like being part of a nature documentary, with the bear running back and forth in the water after the salmon. 

I have to confess that at one point several tourists began laughing and talking quite loudly and the bear was looking around at the noise. My teacher mode kicked in and I said, "Shush!" They shushed immediately. I did feel a bit bossy, but really!

It was an amazing experience to be so close to these bears, and they took no notice of us watching them from above. Notorious for their poor eyesight, they couldn't see us above the wooden barrier, but I would think they could smell us. Regardless, they paid us no attention at all. In the above photo, the bear was directly below me in the stream. 

I uploaded two videos of bears running in the water and splashing as they catch salmon to YouTube. Now after several years, I can still feel the excitement I felt seeing those magnificent creatures. 

Grizzly Bear in the Morning 

Grizzly Bear in the Evening 

This is my private channel, but the videos should be visible with the link. Searching for them on Youtube won't work. This is new technology for me, so I hope it works! Tim took the videos while I took stills. 

Memories are wonderful for reliving adventures such as this one.