December Extremes

With day time temperatures reaching into the 60 degrees F range, one would think that the ice on the river that began developing several days ago would melt away. It does look a bit slushy by 4 PM, but then the temperatures drop quickly into the low 30s and the river presents us with new ice patterns by morning. Canada geese flap back and forth trying to pick a spot to land and Big Blue, huddles on the dock in the morning sun, looking somewhat like the grim reaper. This morning a huge bald eagle flew low over the river ... probably looking for a meal through the thin scrim of ice.

The summers here are filled with the music of colorful songbirds, cicadas and crickets. Flowers and trees provide abundant food. But it's during the colder months that we really get down to the basics of life here on the river. The birds that remain throughout the winter must work harder for their meals. Without leaves on the trees and flowers in the garden they become more visable to my eye ... the Cardinal's red can cheer up the gloomiest days. With the bird feeders full of black oil sunflower seeds, safflower seeds and chunks of peanuts, we have joyous entertainment right outside the window.

a cardinal in the weeping cherry tree outside my kitchen window

Ice On The River!

7 AM, December 9, 2006

This morning we had ice on the river for the first time this fall. It won't last long. Tomorrow and the beginning of the week will be near 60 degrees F again. Boo!! Hiss!! We have way too much warm weather here. I want a bit of winter at least in December for the holidays!!

The meadow still hasn't been mowed but it's just gorgeous in the early morning sun with frost on the grasses and blackberry canes. I'll post more photos in the coming days of this morning's spectacular ice show!!

My Movie Mogul

That's my husband, Bill, holding the box, as he plays the butcher in a new film, entitled Disconnected, which hopefully will open in neighborhood theatres across the country in 2007. That is if he doesn't end up on the cutting room floor!

His last film appearance and also his first, was in Disappearances, which opened last year and is now out on DVD. In that film he plays a bartender and offers Kris Kristofferson a drink! He has one spoken line in both films. If he's not careful, his next film role will be as a baker ... in a film called, Discovered!! Maybe he'll have more lines by then!!

Because he's always been a film buff and has now gotten involved as an investor in independent film production, I call him my "movie mogul." Watch out Hollywood!!

Close Up ... for One Deep Breath

Lotus Seed Pod, Joan Z. Rough © 2006

This weeks prompt for One Deep Breath is "close up."

asleep within
swollen spheres
seeds of life

slender roots expand
in water’s fecund flow
goldfish spawning

in summer sun
lotus blossoms flourish
cycle unbroken

jzr

Winter Garden

The garden, December 1, 2006

It's winter in the garden. The beds have been put to sleep for the coldest months. We've trimmed back, added mulch and watch as new color schemes echo the season. Winter berry, holly and nandena with their red berries and green leaves, impose a holiday spirit on the landscape. They stand out against a backdrop of winter browns and tans.

But the star of the show for the last month has been this Baby Blessed Iris, which friend Maria, gave me. She never told me that it would bloom in December, leaving it as a surprise I suppose. It has been blooming for well over a month through the crazy weather we've been having ... from killing frosts to mid 70 degree weather days. Today it feels like snow, yet this yellow beauty just keeps on going and more buds grow evident every day. She will bloom again in the spring along with the other irises, be dormant through the heat of the summer and come back to life once again in late October.

Baby Blessed Iris

Then there is this plant which I bought as an annual and have forgotten the name of. I planted it in the spring. It bloomed vigorously all summer, through 100 degree days, and now still flourishes just before the winter solstice. This plant is obviously not an annual. I will definately plant more of this next spring if I can find it again.

The mystery plant, December, 2006

These two flowering plants with their "don't ever give up attitudes" are making the garden a real delight this year. There have been days of late when I've felt like walking off the job, but these two winners along with my mom, keep reminding me that every day is a gift and we must fill each one with as much grace as we can muster.

Sketching November ... For Poetry Thursday

Maples in November

Gray days in November bring about feelings of melancholy for me. The bright colors of spring, summer and fall are hidden, waiting for the planet's tilt to bring the sun once more over the northern hemisphere, when the explosion of color will begin again, taking us into the warmer seasons.

Sketching November

Eyes trace limbs
Across a somber sky

I draw lines staining
An emptiness no hand can fill

It's not the trees I desire
Only the murmur of leaves

jzr

My Mother's legacy ... for one deep breath

Mom before her diagnosis playing "choo choo" with great grandson Noah

The prompt on One Deep Breath this week is "legacy." Here is haibun about my favorite teacher, my mom.

At 83, she has lung cancer, emphysema and a host of other small dilemmas grinding away at her her body. The cancer has been treated with chemo. It’s dimished but not gone ... still hanging in there in one small spot.

tangled in her breathing tube
she says *#@+
then giggles

shrugs and smiles
confesses a great life
laughs at the smallest provocation

“Chemo brain fog,” renders her confused and shaky. It may get better with time, but probably not ... especially if she decides to do more chemo. She’s taking a break now. Will reconsider in three months after the next scan.

losing names dates
forgetting fouls the road
confusing conversation

I ask her to give me her keyes. Anger at first, then peace, as if she’s relieved. Now she says it’s the best thing she has done for herself ... is celebratory.

her spirit shines
through clouded days
she is my mother

teaching her children
patience
hope eternal love

jzr

Giving Thanks

We return thanks to our mother, the Earth
which sustains us.
We return thanks to the rivers and streams,
which supply us with water.
We return thanks to all herbs,
which furnish medicines for the cure of our diseases.
We return thanks to the moon and stars,
which have given to us their light when the sun was gone.
We return thanks to the sun,
which has looked upon the Earth with a beneficent eye.
Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit, in Whom is embodied all goodness,
and Who directs all things for the good of Her children.

THANKSGIVING PRAYER, IROQUOIS

Chicken Soup ... for One Deep Breath

river in autumn

The brothers arrive today from New England for Thanksgiving. last week I cooked up a pot of chicken soup for anyone who shows signs of cold or flu while they're here .... my grandmother's recipe .... so delicious and warming. It's filled with carrots, onions, parsnips, brown rice and tender chicken. We'll have it for dinner tonight with crunchy sour dough and a big tossed salad. Perfect for a chilly autumn evening!!

smell of chicken soup
warming on the stove
grandma’s penicillin
for soothing scratchy throats


Look for more haiku here describing sensory pleasures!

Fall Meadow

Most of the leaves are gone from the trees now ... the meadow fades to gold, bronze, brown, shades of beige ... colors of the season 'til warm sun and spring rain bring the grasses alive and the world turns green once again. The wood across the river displays lines of trunks and branches. Mounds of mountain laurel remain green through the cold and at night a few lights from several houses across the water whisper that others live here too.

I've called friend Phil and he'll come with his tractor sometime in the next weeks to mow the meadow down. I have this done every fall to keep the blackberries, honeysuckle, kudzu and oriental bittersweet at bay. I may have it cut again in the spring after the first flush of growth and I determine that these highly invasive species are getting out of "control." I hate doing it but I want to keep some space open for native grasses and wild flowers that would be gone if I let the others take over.

When we first moved here almost 6 years ago, the meadow was a "lawn" of weeds, cut weekly. We have let it grow except for the paths and the annual cutting. The varieties of wild flowers has increased and so have the blackberries which attract a multitude of birds and small mammals to feast throughout the summer.

I try to keep the meadow looking tidy and to provide some habitat for the local population of wild creatures. The growth also keeps silt from running off into the river from this piece of land. But I also fool myself ... I can't, don't control much here. The bittersweet I spotted growing down on the river bank wasn't there last year ... this is the first I've seen of it in that location and it was most likely carried there by a gentle song bird ... perhaps a cardinal or the mockingbird that lives in the cedar tree down by my mother's door. The river continues to silt in and change from day to day ... the birds come and go with the seasons.

faded goldenrod

For now I enjoy the fading meadow, notice the bent grasses where the deer sleep at night and look forward to the first snow fall that will render what I see out my window an entirely different landscape.

Sunset On The River

sunset on the river

Sunsets are extremely beautiful here on the Rivanna during October and early November. As the sun lowers behind us in the west, the trees on the the east bank flare up like a massive bonfire ... the slow moving river catches every glint and flicker as the day comes to an end. We sit and watch, saluting each spark with a sip of wine and gratitude for our special place in this world.

Tonight we will also raise a glass to the changes that are about to begin taking place in our country. Yesterday's elections were a call to change the way we conduct ourselves in this world. I pray that those who have been elected will be able to bring peace and hope to our entire global community.

There was one major dissapointment. The marriage ammendment defining a marriage as a union between a man and a woman, will be attached to our state constitution. There will be no allowance for men or women of the same sex, living together, to enjoy the conveniences of living a loving life together ... whether they are sexually active together or not. This ammendment will effect everyone. Unmarried sisters, for instance, living together will no longer be able to will their belongings to each other, make medical decisions for each other and so on. Hopefully, this is not the end of the story.

Halloween Haibun ... for One Deep Breath

This week's prompt for One Deep Breath is to write Haibun ... a combination of prose and haiku. Here is my contribution along with photos of the pumpkin carving my grandkids did while visiting us on the Outer Banks just before Halloween. Find more examples of haibun here.

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO VOTE TOMORROW!!

Blue Sky ... mild ocean breezes. Deena makes the first cut. Aha, a lid!! Zoe and Noah scoop stringy innards, draw faces with magic markers on bumpy skin. Deena wields her knife once more, cuts eyes, a nose, a mouth with missing teeth. Sun fills the empty shell!!

orange orb
filled with slimy seeds
a glowing jack-o-lantern

Photography Exhibition ... for Poetry Thursday

Yes, I'm back and I will post some photos from my vacation on the Outer Banks of North Carolina sometime in the next couple of days. It was a wonderfully relaxing time but I'm glad to be home.

This week's prompt for Poetry Thursday is to reflect on a favorite line of poetry or quote. I wrote this poem a number of years ago when I was deeply involved in exhibiting my photos. The above image is the invitation to my last exhibition in 1998.

Photography Exhibition

How can I say things that are pictures?
Tony Morrison

Split second
Perceptions

Enlarged
Flooded with light

Memory
Shadow

Portraits of myself
Behind the lens

Truth
Illusion

Hung like clothes
In the sun
To dry

jzr

The Sea and Haiku for One Deep Breath

This is the view from the living room and deck in the beach house we are vacationing in for the next week. It's really wonderful here at this time of year. Yesterday was rainy but lovely. Otherwise we've had sun and temperatures much warmer than we expected. It's been a very relaxing, lazy time ... walks on the beach with the dogs first thing in the morning, riding my bike, naps, reading and just day dreaming. It's been hard for me to think about my blog, especially because it's been hard to get photos up ... don't know what their problem is but it's annoying. And annoying isn't allowed here at the beach.

I did write a quick haiku for One Deep Breath and you can find more here.

I

watch
the sea
spewmy waves
a lone gull diving
pelicans dipping in the surf

Hopefully I'll be back with more before we leave this gorgeous place.

River Mist

This is what the river looks like these cool fall mornings. Tomorrow morning we will leave this behind for a week or so and head over to the ocean for our annual retreat on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The summer folks will be gone, most of the shops closed and there will be few people on the beach. Our daughter and grandkids will come a week from today and we'll build sand castles and have a good time. We rent a lovely ocean front home right on the ocean with room for all of us.

Hopefully, I'll be able to send you some images and maybe a haiku or two while I'm there if our internet connection is working.

Hope everyone has a peaceful weekend!

Autumn Palette ... for Poetry Thursday

The Rivanna River, early October, 2006

Autumn is such a nostalgic time for me. It is a time for remembering all of life's gifts, especially the gift of a life partner who, like a fine wine, only grows more wonderful with age.

Autumn Palette
for Bill

Across the river trees flare
yellow orange gold
the flow of water a painting
awash in late day light
ever changing in intensity
as ruffles of wind eddy the surface
invisible fingers at play

A walk we took years ago
before we became us
in woods of scarlet sugar maples
Vermont air crisp and clear
the lake before us blue shimmering
deep and endless as the sky
we wandered under
projecting our future together
on the white canvas
of a passing cloud

We were young and limber
ready to climb the mountains
flame red in the distance
never imagining this day
you and I burnished by time
settled on a river bank
reflecting in October light

jzr

Big Blue ... for One Deep Breath

After three days of gray clouds and flooding rains (5 1/4 " ), the sun came out yesterday, revealing one of the most gorgeous October days I can remember. Big Blue, as we call a our resident Great Blue Heron, perched on our dock taking in the warmth of the day.

I wrote the following for One Deep Breath's prompt, to contribute something about the countryside. Find more here.

big blue preens
gossamer plumage
at his feet frogs forage
dappled morning light plays
in groves of scarlet maples

The Body .... for Poetry Thursday

from Nicolaides The Natural Way To Draw, © 1942

This weeks prompt on Poetry Thursday is ... the body. So I dug out this mrs heartwell poem that "fits perfectly."


body tone

ignoring fleshy overflow
mrs heartwell wriggles
into tights and leotard
drives ten miles at six a m
to the fitness farm
where she huffs and puffs
lifts weights
attempts pushups
watches her body
bounce across glass

eardrums protected
with plugs of foam
she can’t hear
the instructor
barking commands
only the beat bumping
from speakers overhead
she just follows
the crowd pressing
harder and harder
fading in and out
like the dark

jzr

Books and Reading .... for One Deep Breath

Reading is one of my most favorite things and I'm a bookaholic. I cannot go into a bookstore without buying just one more. If this addiction were to alcohol and drugs, I'd be one sick puppy! But thankfully it's just books!! So my response to One Deep Breath's prompt to books and reading was quick and simple. Go here for more on the subject.

the book on the table
tempts me with its pages
delicious words
capture my senses
meaning ambrosial

reading through the night
story binds me to the past
the sweet history of breathing
flavors the dark with love
no time for sleep

i’ve drifted away
on somebody else’s raft
words keep me afloat
clinging to meaning
i survive an angry sea

jzr

Fall

The only fall colors here right now are in the garden. Sedums and fall mums in lovely colors remind us that tree leaves will soon start turning. Here in "warm" Virginia, it could be a while. And since it was a droughty summer, there may be little to none. Another week or so should tell the tale.

In the photo above, the darker burgundy flowers are Autumn Joy Sedums and start out a lovely pale pink, slowly darkening over a month to this deep, rich color. I don't know the name of the pink ones in this photo but they just opened this past week and are also Sedums.

I wrote the following poem a long time ago and it's about autumn in Vermont where we lived for well over 18 years. In the last 5 or so years we were there, we pressed our own cider from a small orchard of very old apple trees that produced several varieties of the best apples I've ever tasted. We also raised Romney sheep, angora goats and chickens. We were definately hippies and depended on the land and our livestock for much of what we ate. But I digress, here is the poem and yes, it often did snow in October!


Fall

The last of the crop dislodged
I gather windfalls firm and rimy
Rake the bruised into piles
Where pincered earwigs gather
Pulp ferments in the sun
Droning yellow jackets
Sample the brew

My children pretend not to hear
When I ask for their help prefer
The rustle of leaves tumbling
and diving scatter yesterday’s work

With sharpened knife I quarter
Blushing rounds pack the barrel
To overflowing lower the plate until
It resists pressing sweet amber liquid

I’m drunk on October apples
And wood smoke swishing mare’s tails
Across a field of sky
The threat of snow my morning

jzr