Leafing Fall Behind

It's intensive winter prep time. A hard frost is predicted for Saturday night and many folks, in addition to preparing for Apple Fest this weekend (an annual event that can draw up to 80,000 people to this town of 640), are scurrying to put gardens to bed and winterizing homes as if our lives depended on it (indeed, they do).

My mid-afternoon TCC practice on the deck was a delight. As the woods thin out I see farther and farther into what was previously dense and green. Yellow and gold have taken over completely. There are tinges of green, sure, but only enough to add a taste of lime to the yellow-gold-orange main entree.

One strong, stiff breeze midway through practice sent leaves tumbling en masse. As the forest opens up I sight glimpses and glances of light that illuminate the deep woods and transform it into a glittering fairyland.

While I moved in the 60 degree heat yellow and gold leaves reflected the light back to me in a dramatic undulating incandescence. Yep, we're at the height of this annual convergence of fall into winter and ...  it's golden.

Leaves Falling, Geese Honking

The day started out wind swept and rain drenched. In early afternoon the sun glimmered through big blue rips in the clouds and by midday the atmosphere brightened to full sun.

My late afternoon TCC practice outdoors was absolutely glorious. The temperatures rose to almost-60 and the forest blazed with color. Yesterday the first fall of leaves began and today leaves continue to accumulate on the driveway as they flutter from heaven to earth.

Mid-practice a gaggle of Canadian geese approached from the north, honking and calling back and forth like a bunch of conventioneers yelling to each other in a large auditorium. They were so loud and raucous that I paused mid-form to observe their approach and departure. Soon the largest contingent of geese I've even seen--at least 70 members strong--passed overhead heading south. It was a special moment, grand and glorious.

It felt so warm outside that I practiced in shirtsleeves as I soaked in sunbeams and feasted my eyes on nature's delicious palette of colors. It feels as if winter is fast-approaching; I'm reveling in the fullness of color that surrounds me right now before winter's curtain of white begins to drop upon every living being.

Smiling in the Dark Reflection

Day six at the new library job. I feel more relaxed than I did the first four days (i.e., two weeks). I'm also starting my day later in the morning to guarantee that I'll feel alert and capable as I work into the early evening hours.

By nature, I'm a morning person because that's when my energy is strong and my mind operates in "drive." On work days when I don't get my TCC practice completed prior to leaving for work, I can feel myself (body and mind) dragging and blanking out by the end of the day. Then I'm not well-equipped to do either a post-work practice or a blogging session.

My evening blogs tend to be short and not-so-sweet because my mind struggles with ideas, content, and vocabulary. That certainly seems to be true this evening even though I do feel more rested and relaxed following my TCC practice than I felt before I began.

By practice end this evening I saw myself smiling in the dark reflection of the window. Yes! I've done it again (started practice when I'm tired and ended up feeling better). It is hard to convince the mind to go along with a practice session when I'm exhausted. When I succeed, though, I'm always glad that I persevered.

Split Practice

Today was my first day since starting my job at Bayfield Library where I felt fairly relaxed and perfectly comfortable woman-ing the front desk. Of course, I'm still faking it to a certain extent. But now I've come to the conclusion that I will, indeed, be capable of learning this job--including all of its idiosyncrasies--over time.

Which reminds me of a story a friend told me years ago. She received a masters' degree and then returned to school years later to earn her teacher's certification. It was a major shift for her to become a classroom teacher and, when she walked up to the front of the room to face the students, she felt like a fake. Suddenly she realized that her students thought she was a teacher even though she didn't believe it herself.

Luckily I have a good relationship with books and also plenty of experience handling them through years of bookstore work. The computer system and book readers and DVD watchers are who I'll come to know better in the weeks ahead.

I didn't manage to complete my TCC practice before work today; the first half of my practice began at 8:15 p.m. and the other half around 8:50 p.m. In the interim Frances and I purchased airline tickets to visit my sister and her boyfriend in West Virginia over Thanksgiving weekend. Once I knew that we had our tickets finalized it was easier to attend to my practice.

From Do-ing to Be-ing

This morning's silence was broken by the repetitive on/off of the furnace blower fan. The outside thermometer read slightly less than 30 degrees; it's obvious that last night we hit our lowest temps yet this fall. There's a crackle and snap to the air.

Yellow ferns in the south ravine turned rusty brown overnight. Though I didn't see froze glistening from the grasses, it does appear that fall is proceeding at an accelerated pace.

Thankfully, my morning TCC practice converted me from a human doing to a human being. I rolled out of bed, my mind overwhelmed by the mountain of chores that awaited me. As I moved I gradually felt my body unwind, my mind shift into quietness. By three-quarters of the way through the form my pace slowed, my mind unruffled.

Now I'm calm, refreshed, and ready for an enjoyable and (perhaps) productive day.

Filled to the Brim

Yep. It was a full to the brim day. We started off running errands we'd intended for yesterday but had to abandon after a power outage hit our house and closed most businesses in downtown Bayfield, Washburn, and (rumor has it) Ashland, for almost six hours.

Then we hurried home to feed the geese before attending a reading and booksigning of Guerrilla Publishing: How to Become a Published Author for Less Than $1500 & Keep 100% of Your Profits by Barbara With. Another quick stop-and-go at home and on to Little Sand Bay for a potluck picnic celebrating a neighbor's 40th birthday and she and her husband's 10th wedding anniversary. It was a fabulous day after several days of never-ending rain: sunshine, 50 degree temps, and clear blue up above.

Whew. Catch a breath. Now, finally, after the sun dipped over the horizon and temperatures quickly followed we're back home. I'm upstairs in front of dark bedroom windows practicing TCC. It's quiet except for the sound of Namaste's barking as he reminds all woodland creatures that he is home now and he is the one in charge.

Funny. Lately I notice that my morning practices feel better than the evening ones. By the end of the day my body aches and creaks a little. Who knew? Could? This? Be? A? Sign? Of? Aging? Nawwww. I'm just tired. Well practiced, calm, and relaxed, I'm ready to settle back in my easy chair and read until my eyelids come fluttering down....

Cat & Mouse, Deer & Woods, Sound & Silence

Success! Today I found the first evidence of Chiripa's skill as a mouser. We adopted said kitten in February with the hope of obtaining assistance in the snaring mice department. Thus far Chiripa has exhibited no interest in shouldering such responsibilities. Sure, she's watched a few mice, even chased them into a corner or under a dresser but never before, ever, has she killed one.

Since our house is the only sheltered warm spot on our 25 acre property and for another quarter mile plus in any direction, we provide the ultimate luxury accommodations for woods-loving rodents. Frances and I agree, once you look into the shining eyes and notice the sweet little ears of these creatures it is difficult to kill them. Consequently, we've always set live traps but ... we're not totally opposed to allowing nature to take its course.

I practiced TCC early this morning, shortly after I stepped on the dead mouse lying on the living room carpet. It hadn't been light for long but the yellow vegetation continues to expand, gleam, and grow each day and gives the grey morning skies and darkened woods a welcome glow. The south ravine still harbors a wealth of luxurious, thick, glossy, green grass but slowly and surely the green is converting to gold.

I began my practice with a CD playing but quickly shut it off after I realized that the sound of wind brushing through and circling 'round treetops was music enough. When I neared completion, I noticed that the Healing Sound "szu" (liver) was amazingly similar to the sound of the breeze through the leaves. Tssssssuuuu.

Midway through practice I felt, or maybe saw, movement in the woods before me. When I focused my attention into the trees, I noticed two deer flowing gracefully by. We often see a mother and fawn crossing the drive, stopping at the salt block, and even licking and playing with each other. They're another gift and blessing we receive from living in--and paying close attention to--our surroundings.

Yes! The day has begun....