Beauty Surrounding Me

 When the day has been hectic,

When I wanted some peace and quiet before preparing dinner,

When I wanted to surround myself in vivid colors,

And I wanted to celebrate glorious autumn,

It only made sense to walk around my gardens and say a little prayer of thanks for the beauty surrounding me.

Thank You Edna St. Vincent Millay

Sometimes it is hard for me to describe how beautiful the world is around me. I can always count on Edna to help me out.

God's World

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

O world, I cannot hold thee close enough!
Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!
Thy mists that roll and rise!
Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag
And all but cry with colour! That gaunt crag
To crush! To lift the lean of that black bluff!
World, World, I cannot get thee close enough!
Long have I known a glory in it all,

But never knew I this;
Here such a passion is
As stretcheth me apart. Lord, I do fear
Thou'st made the world too beautiful this year.
My soul is all but out of me, let fall
No burning leaf; prithee, let no bird call.

Capturing Images of Childhood

I couldn't wait to return to my hometown Friday. I had a feeling the leaves would have begun turning. They had and my camera was busy all week-end.

Standing at the sidewalk of my childhood home I realized how much the trees had grown since I moved away.

Driving uptown I parked at the corner close to the first home I remembered as a child. Some of the buildings look so much the same.

As expected, the trees are much, much taller like these behind Russel's house.

I realize why autumn is my favorite season. This is what my childhood looked like.

Blog Makeover Inspired by the Retreat and A Keeper from the Recipe Box

Recently I returned from a women's retreat at WoHeLo Lodge in Field Spring's State Park. It was so fun to see old friends and make new friends. Everyone had a different purpose for the retreat. There was no agenda, no set plans. That was perfect for me.

Everyone enjoyed gathering around the table for delicious meals and meaningful conversations. Outside people covered the picnic table with the bright colored blanket  for word games and mobile making.

In the evening we missed having a campfire (because of the high fire danger),

but time inside was spent getting henna tattoos, doing drama games, playing charades, and board games.

Some people hiked, others took pictures, a group drove to the river to swim, and most everyone got lots of good rest and relaxation.

 I also got to spend quality time with my sister and try a new recipe: Autumn Sangria pictured above.
( see recipe below)

One of my goals on this retreat was to rethink and revise this blog. This blog and I have been through many revisions, many looks, many style changes, and many template changes. Slowly I have been revamping it the last week. For now I like the look. I feel I have come full circle with many of the things I first liked about blogging way back in 2007.

Take a look around. Visit some of my favorite blog links. Revisit the sibling writing assignments and my favorite recipes. Give me feedback about what you think. I look forward to hearing from you!
Oh... and try the sangria!

fall sangria

3 apples

3 pears

3 clementines

2-3 cinnamon sticks
2 tbsp honey or agave syrup
6 oz triple sec or cointreau
2 bottles of red wine (something fruity works best)
optional: fresh cherries

1. core and cube all fruit and put into a pitcher or carafe

2. add 2-3 cinnamon sticks & 2 honey, stir

3. add liquor and wine, stir and let sit.

it's best if you make this drink a few hours or even a day in advnace and let the flavors marinate in the fridge.  Garnish  with fresh, ripe cherries.

Here is the link for the blog with the recipe:
http://cailenascher.blogspot.com/2011/10/happy-hour-fall-sangria.html

You Begin

I know I have shared this poem before, but now that I am teaching art again, it had a whole new meaning. Enjoy.

You Begin
By Margaret Atwood

You begin this way: this is your hand, this is your eye, that is a fish, blue and flat on the paper, almost the shape of an eye. This is your mouth, this is an O or a moon, whichever you like. This is yellow. Outside the window is the rain, green because it is summer, and beyond that the trees and then the world, which is round and has only the colors of these nine crayons. This is the world, which is fuller and more difficult to learn than I have said. You are right to smudge it that way with the red and then the orange: the world burns. Once you have learned these words you will learn that there are more words than you can ever learn. The word hand floats above your hand like a small cloud over a lake. The word hand anchors your hand to this table, your hand is a warm stone I hold between two words. This is your hand, these are my hands, this is the world, which is round but not flat and has more colors than we can see. It begins, it has an end, this is what you will come back to, this is your hand.

Retreat

For me retreat means to take my own time to breathe, slow down, find myself, create, laugh, appreciate the beauty of nature, and share meals with new friends and old friends and one sister.

I am heading out today for a Women's Retreat at Field Springs State Park. I am trying to figure out what I want to take with me on this retreat. Do I want to write? Perhaps I should practice my new art skiils. Maybe learn more about photography? Sleep? Read? Appreciate poetry?

I will make a decision soon and as always will take so much more than I need. I am relieved the wildfire smoke has cleared a bi and the weather is supposed to be beautiful. When I return.... photos as always.