
everything is in motion right now. eva took the ACT today, which is step one toward leaving home in a couple of years. all the leaves are falling. my husband just realized that his book is going to take another year-plus, instead of another 2 months. that means i will have to spend this winter not finding him agents, but actually deciding what what to do next with my life. it was going to be way easier to find steve an agent.
beech leaves in october
rice creek regional trail, saint paul, minnesota

my husband just finished a two day writing seminar. he came back after day one to describe an ice breaking exercise, during which all the people in class were forced to say one interesting thing about themselves. in a group made up of 50 or so very typical and mostly nondescript upper midwesterners, steve came home confirmed in his recent conviction that “everyone is interesting. everyone.” on a related topic, i found these leaves on a lowly little nondescript weed in an unremarkable trail-side thicket. they left me wanting to know more.
lowly weed leaves in late october
sucker lake regional trail, saint paul, minnesota
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i believe everyone has a story to tell and of course in my profession I hear many of those daily. Humans of new york really illustrates this well.
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I was hopinh you would end this with an interesting fact about yourself!
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i have three favorite color pairs: black & white, navy blue and white, and my current crush, yellow and gray. here is what color psychologists have to say about the classic yellow and gray combination: gray is practical, timeless, solid. yellow is sunshine, laughter, happiness and good times. i’ll take that in a favorite color pair. in fact, i’ll take that in a best friend.
yellow hawthorn leaf on gray wasp nest paper
island lake trail, shoreview, minnesota
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yellow and grey is one of my favourite combinations too.
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And mine as well … add a splash of navy & I love it even more ! Have a great weekend, Mary-Jo & family ! oxox
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it was the color of those leaves that caught my attention. but it was the single little striped fruit that kept me interested. like making small talk at a party with someone in a great dress, only to find out they also have a wicked sense of humor.
false solomon’s seal with red fruit in october
rice creek regional trail, saint paul, minnesota
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it makes me think of a Seuss illustration somehow, the great big stripy leaves, crooked stalk, and the itty-bitty berry…Love it.
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sure, these leaves are pretty. and technically they each serve the purpose of identifying a particular species. but their value to me is not their perfect colors or their diagnostic qualities. i picked these up in 24 different places, and i just need to look at each one to remember the location, the time of day, and even the weather. the leaves themselves don’t even exist anymore in many cases. but those places do.
a collection of found autumn leaves
all from minnesota
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i heard on the radio that photographing an event reduces your memory of that event but i experience the opposite. When i look back at photographs it triggers all sorts of memories and details that I might otherwise have forgotten. This is especially true for very old photographs of my childhood.
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some photos i’d rather forget were taken (you know, the ones of you when you weren’t camera ready…) but i truly love this collection!
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The leaves look like Glimmer!
All the best with your decision making!
exciting that he is writing a book and also that you have a choice as what to do next with your life. I find the uncertainty to be a wonderful thing.