Those last few bits of colour

On the weekend, Lee and I drove through a snowstorm to southern Alberta, and the greyness of the trip reminded me of winter's lack of colour. So today I'm appreciating the last few bits of colour as autumn drains away into winter -- it won't be long and these few holdouts will be on the ground too.

I guess for the next few months, I'll settle for the colour of the sky on clear days, Shadow-dog's cozy sweater colours... and the dream of spring tulips. After a busy garden season full of colours, I honestly don't mind too much.

A belated anniversary moodling

Next spring's bulbs (178 of them)

When the leaves change and we reach Autumn Equinox, these Simple Moodlings close another year. Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking to start my online moodling (love letters to the world) at harvest time, when there's so much to do in the garden before that first frost, which seems to be arriving late this year thanks (but no thanks) to climate change. It's definitely not the best time to be marking a moodle-versary, with produce to process, spring bulbs to plant, and a garden to put to bed.

But at the same time, it's a season for slowing down and taking stock. The colours change, the days get shorter, and my spirit starts to relax into a deeper awareness of light and darkness, warmth and coolness, and the gift of time in general. As I watch the squirrels tucking our oak tree's acorns away for the winter, I am tucking away summer memories, and relishing the good muscle aches from spreading compost and collecting leaves to make next year's good black humus.

Life is a never ending cycle, and seeing the leaves fall in this covid season brings to mind the many losses and changes created by this pandemic. I think of all those we have lost to the virus, people who are slowly recovering from its effects, our medical people who are struggling to move forward as our healthcare system is being overwhelmed, and I wonder, at times, how our world will continue to function. Some days it's hard to imagine. But we keep on going.

On this feast of St. Francis, at this time when so many are so seriously ill with covid and there are still so many on our planet to be protected from it -- especially those with no access to vaccines, and children under 12 -- I ask the little saint of simplicity to pray for us, that we all do the right thing, not only for ourselves, but for our world as a whole. As I move into this 12th year of online moodling, I wish all my readers safe journeys through the darker months ahead.

May we all have the resilience of the bulbs I've buried deep in my front yard, and emerge into next spring's sunshine after a period of protecting the vulnerable through our patience, perseverance... and peace.

A little more autumn colour

People who follow these moodlings know that I'm a sucker for spring and autumn beauty. I love the shot at the top of these moodlings, taken by my hubby, Lee. Pictures clog this blog because my camera is always in my pocket when Shadow and I go for walks in the shoulder seasons. I don't pretend to be a great photographer, it's just that beauty stops me in my tracks, and Shadow is mostly patient with me trying to capture it. One of these days, I should delete about a million pictures in my computer files. But in the meantime, here's some autumn colour from the last few days.

 A view from Strathearn hill...

and here's a retaining wall near Mill Creek... love the wood pattern...

Heading down into the "Camel Humps"...

Enjoying a zillion different shades of autumn...

The tamaracks are just starting to turn...
same tall one in the middle of the last picture,
from the opposite direction...

A golden grove...

Shadow loves beach combing at the accidental beach...

while I love watery reflections...

and offroading...

with my good walking buddy.

Autumn beauty

The weather is turning, and the leaves won't be with us much longer. So today I am looking at the beauty that has surrounded me on walks in the last week or two, the photos I can't help but snap every year. This past weekend, Lee and I had a couple of really fine walks in nature even though the weather wasn't great, simply because the colours were. If you haven't had time to enjoy autumn beauty, this is for you.

Love those September strolls

I'm so lucky to live less than a kilometre, as the crow flies, from the North Saskatchewan River. Because we live near one of its elbows, there are two gorgeous parks extending out at almost 90 degrees from each other that are perfect for dog walks. So this week, Shadow and I have been alternating between Strathearn and Forest Heights Parks, watching from different vantage points as the river valley changes into its fall colours.

Looking toward Forest Heights...

Looking toward Strathearn...

and all the gorgeous colours in between the two outlooks...

Alberta isn't so fancy as Eastern Canada this time of year -- it just turns green and gold in the fall with a few small splashes of red here and there.  But those reds are stunning -- this morning I saw a gorgeous scarlet Burning Bush, but I didn't have the camera with me. Might just have to go back there tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll post my favourite hollyhock picture.

Don't you just love fall colours?