Fall into Winter

This is such a sweet/melancholy transitional time of year. One day warm, sunny, beautiful fall weather; the next day deep, dark wintery gloom. December always—always takes me by surprise. It still feels like summer is just barely past us and shazam! it will officially be winter in just a couple of weeks. How does that happen and why don't I ever figure it out?

We have had some breaks from the rain the past few days and it has made our walks real gifts. The colors have deepened, but the richness of fall is still there. Yesterday we walked along the pond, that was more a mud flat during the summer. It is full and swarming with wild birds. It has been a couple years since we have seen an egret, but we rounded a corner and there he was.

We continued and Beth popped her umbrella open, startling a nearby, but hidden, great blue heron, who shot into the sky squawking and flapping, and then soared, regally over the wetland.

Today we explored the other end of the pond where it had overreached its normal shoreline and was lapping onto the abandoned tennis courts. Ducks and Canada geese swam lazily among the tall grasses and cattails.

Back home, Ray pointed out some brilliantly colored orange peel fungi growing behind the studio. I have never seen these before. The color is amazing.

Ray put up some Christmas lights on the house and greenhouse, and decorated a tree near the road.

Nice to see later, as I headed back from the studio to the house. This is my commute.

I guess Christmas is really coming.  Seems like I post this song every year. It must be that time again.

I hope we can ease into it and enjoy the season and not get sucked into the stress-y stuff. I'm really talking myself into simple and sweet. How about you?