put like things together

one of the first fundamentals of getting organized is to put like things together–all the tools in the same place, all the lightbulbs in another, all the sewing bits in one basket. you get the idea. i am by nature, a very organized person. so, in this composition i am simply putting my natural instincts in play–putting all things bird in one nest.

bird nest with bird bits

the bush that keeps on giving

the burning bush along my driveway refuses to let go of its leaves. choosing instead to let the color in the leaves slowly fade away while holding on tight to stems. like i’ve said several times now, it’s a weird year. but a pretty one. loving the harlequin-like pattern created by these diamond-shaped leaves (wiki calls them ovate-elliptic leaves 🙄).  pale pink and yellow harlequin pattern anyone? yes. please!

burning bush leaves in mid-november (Euonymus alatus)

it’s official

last week rain came and knocked down the last of the fall leaves. and today snow. so it’s official. winter has arrived in the north.

enjoy your extended autumns, my temperate friends!

white oak leaves with dusting of snow

woven in time

these lily leaves capture the transition between summer and winter perfectly. how pleasing those browns and greens are together. truly, every season has its own grace.

lily leaf weaving

every year a new challenge

i have been doing STILL for almost ten years. And this year has been the hardest of all to meet my daily STILL commitment.  i have been asking myself why. and i think the answer, in a word, is medical. between my 85 year old mom, myself, and my daughter…it has been a year of doctor appointments and hospital stays. medical events are often not scheduled. so, more often than any time in the past ten years i find myself nearing the end of the day without a STILL subject to photograph. this autumn was generous with its extended display of fall leaves in unusual colors. i am the primary caregiver for my mom. she is having coronary surgery on monday. i’ll be spending a few nights at her house. so, if in the near future, you see a tardy post or two, you will know why. i have not gone away. my schedule is simply less predictable than usual. but i am here and will be back soon.

frost-bitten fall leaf