these sumac leaves, always joyful harbingers of the coming crisp sunny days and cool nights of autumn, also remind me that it’s time to start thinking about the holidays. each year i get one step closer to shedding the “shoulds” of holiday busyness, and spending more time in front of the fire with something aromatic simmering on the stove, the way it’s supposed to be.

sumac leaves in prematurely festive green and red

north oaks, minnesota

in morocco, we learned that handmade rugs have a plush winter side and a looped summer side. i finished this fall nature pattern and decided it looked like a patterned rug, and given the amount of texture, i guess this would be the winter side. on the other hand, i don’t know how i feel about sleeping side by side like sardines with my family on top of a mullein stalk and a row of milkweed pods. maybe a little more wine first.

collected on one september walk

vadnais lake trail, saint paul, minnesota

i intentionally tucked this pintade feather into an obscure page of one of my journals while we were in france, so that it could be stumbled upon later with surprise. well, surprise, surprise.

pintade (guinea fowl) feather

autignac, france

a red squirrel ate lunch around here, and carelessly left behind his (local, organic, compostable) lunch container. shame on him. leave no trace, indeed. has he never heard of a recycling bin?

discarded red pine pine cone scales chewed by a red squirrel who was after the seeds

sucker lake regional trail, saint paul, minnesota