Underdeveloped Benefit of Winter

This morning while enjoying the colors of sunrise, I realized an underdeveloped benefit of winter.  During winter, I can enjoy the beauty of sunrise and sunset on the same day without changing my sleeping pattern.

This photo is of the sunset on Christmas Day as I viewed it from the Eccles Community Art Center parking.

Adding Warmth to a Winter Day

Brrr!  I believe the canyon had a high temperature of 25 degrees today.  A cold canyon day.  While driving home, I notice that some kind soul had given the Smokey the Bear sign a warm woolen scarf and cap.

A Visit with Santa

We had Santa visit our Family Holiday Tradition begin at the Eccles Community Art Center Event.  He was a kind and caring Santa with a real beard and a great laugh.

December's Winter Lights

A full moon, tonight, peeks through the clouds and around the mountain tops.  The snow reflects its light, silver gray.  In the shadows the snow seem cool blue.  Stars shine brightly in the sky.  The neighbor has a brightly lit Christmas star on their house.    On our outside light fixture,  our solar LED moon and star change colors.  December's winter lights.

Thanksgiving morning

Over night the canyon received a dusting of snow.  Our house is filled with the scent of roasting turkey.  The table is set, ready for family and friends to head over the rivers and through the woods.  Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving.

First Snow of the Season

Thursday morning,  I awoke to see a dusting of snow on the grass, the first snow of the season.  The TV weather reporter said that Salt Lake City, Filmore and other cities South received a significant amount of snow from the storm.  Here in Ogden Canyon, I received a dusting of snow.  The most significant event that this strom bought for us was our first hard freeze of the season.

The Full Super Moon

Last night, a full large moon peered over the upper canyon mountains, playing hide and seek with me.    A beautiful silver moon.

Later when I left the canyon, I spotted it again. It was seemingly trapped in black branches in the trees in the backyard of the house I was house sitting.  I watched off and on throughout the evening.  After a little Internet research,  this super moon appears to be the largest and brightest since 1948.

Then, this morning just after sunrise I saw it one more time in a turquoise and burnt orange western sky.

A Havest of Iceland Poppies

The November weather this week has been above average.  My mother must think that a cold change is expected soon.  Today, she harvested the Iceland poppies from the garden.  In the kitchen on the window sill by the sink is a vase of bright pink poppies with their curved fuzzy stems, wrinkled pink tissue paper petals, and bright yellow necklace of pollen stamens.

The vase in the bathroom is filled with more curved and twisted fuzzy stems, and fuzzy flower pods with just at touch of wrinkled tissue petals peeking out white, pink, orange.  This bouquet  has only one full blown white poppy commanding your attention.

Fall Back

Utah on Sunday switched back to standard time from daylight savings.  The sun is setting as we leave work which makes for some lovely muted orange light shining through the Art Center's beveled glass windows.  I love this glow and the rainbows the beloved glass and sunlight create.  It is however hard to assimulate to the darkness that come too soon to the canyon.  It seems like it is such as short twilight, you return home from work and it is dark.  A dark of night, witch very little light.  The moon seems reclutant to fight this dark.  I invariably find myself taking a nap from 7:30 to 8:15 pm.  The wonder where the time has gone.  Why am I unable to accomplish things?

Oh, sorry, I must have dozed off.  My bedroom light also seem reclutant to fight the dark.

November To Do list

It is the first Monday of November, and I have a moment to create a list of projects to complete.  Already on my November list:
Celebrate my mother's 90th Birthday -  done.  We took her out for dinner on her birthday, and then Pat, the director of the Eccles Community Art Center had a celebration for her on the First Friday Art Stroll with cake, balloons, flowers, and best wishes from all the patrons that attended.

My annual stint replacement surgery - done, I am feeling fine.

The November Art Stroll - done.

Vote. - done.  I mailed in my ballot.

The second annual portfolio review for high school students - done.
Done, done and done.
Still to complete:
Change my closet from Fall to Winter clothes.  Although the weather is still lovely, I know that we will be needing sweaters and coats soon.- done
Finish reading "Nemesis" by Catherine Coulter
Write and Mail my Thanksgiving correspondence-- done
Finish a watercolor painting- done

For work:
Create a paper bag turkey for the Toddler Art class.- done
Finish putting together the winter class schedule. - done

Look for more creative pursuits and take longer morning walks while the weather is so lovely.

What plans do you have for November.
Oh, it appears that I will be assisting with the making of Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Painted with Sunlight

Sunrise and morning rain clouds create a golden light that paints the ridges of the canyon's eastern mountains.  The eastern sky glows golden.

Getting My Hands Dirty

I spent the morning preparing my mother's garden ready for winter.  I harvested hosta leaves in shades of gold to pale lemon yellow.  Three bags full.  Digging in the garden, getting my hands dirty.

My brother stopped by.  He cleaned out the storm gutters on my mother's house.  My nephew moved her outdoor furniture undercover.  We are closer to being ready for winter weather.

Window Spooks and garlands

Today at The Eccles Community Art Center's Toddler's Art class, we created ghosts from interface fabric.  The children traced their hands and their caregiver's hands,  These became the ghost or window spooks.  The toddler'so worked on their scissor skills.  Then they were able to string foam pumpkins, ghosts, bats, and beads to create a Halloween window garland.

Lacewing

Tonight I watched a lace wing dance around my light fixture.  It's wings clear glistened with rainbow hues.  It's almost fluorescent green body suspended between the fluttering wing.  Childhood memories of stories of fairies dances rushed into my thoughts.  Might lacewing insect inspired our descriptions of fairies or do the dance in attendance at the fairies' bonfires?

I have notice that during the last few autumns that we often have a lace wing move into our house.  Does it come in on Mollie fur or on my jacket?

Lacewings in a larva state are like larval lady bugs. Mthey feast on aphids.  What do adult lacewings feed upon?
The Internet is so helpful.  Research indicates that adult lace wings feed on nectar, pollen and aphid honey dew.  This must be why I notice more lacewings in the autumn.

Lavender Rose

I trimmed the roses for winter.  The lavender rose had three partially open buds, which I cut to bring inside.  They  are a soft lavender with a pink blush on the curve of the outer petals.  I chose this rose for its lovely soft floral rose scent and as a remberance of my grandmother Bachman.  Grandma had a lavender rose in her back garden.  She often let me take blooms home to enjoy.

Yellow gold

The leaves of my mother's hosta  plants have turned a yellow gold as have the leaves of Box Elder and Cottonwood  trees along the river.  Today's rain had added intensity to the autumn shades of yellow gold as well as adding a foggy mist trapped in the dark evergreens higher up the canyon walls.  The oaks on the south facing canyon slopes have deepened into a rusty bronze.  The maple have dropped their leaves on the slopes, but a few leaves of orange still cling to the maples in my mother's garden.  And now, the sunny is breaking through the clouds.  Yellow gold.

Bewitching Night

As a staff member of the Eccles Community Art Center, I assisted in putting together a family arts and craft night activity,  We named it Bewitching night, and created Halloween themed projects.  We assisted the participant to create Halloween spinner, tissue tube bats, cats, pumpkins, and mummies.  They also created Popsicle stick spider webs and paper strip pumpkins.

Autumn Chores and Enjoyment

So I decided that I don't care for the term bucket list.  I was not sure if October or I was suppose to kick the bucket when the list was done?

I have worked on a few Autumn chores.  I took Mollie to the cabin this morning.  I mowed the lawn with the mulching mower.  It made confetti from the fallen autumn leaves.  We mowed until the gas ran out.  Thus preparing the mower for winter, and visiting the cabin one more time was on my October list.

For enjoyment, we took the long way home to view the golden cottonwood leaves on the trees which ring the dam.  The yellow, gold  leaves and blue water compliment each other creating seasonal beauty.

Later, I trimmed down the ferns in my mother's garden.  The garden feels a little sad this time of year.  So many of the plants have gone to seed.  The fern fronds have yellowed and browned.   The plants are becoming ready for winter.

Earlier,  I reorganized my closet, washing clothes.  I just heard the drier buzz.  Off to complete another chore.

October Bucket List

While reading the other day, I came across a Fall oriented bucket list.  It had a number of fun ideas for celebrating the Fall season.  I thought what if I created an October bucket list.  Here is a start:

Collect and press colorful autumn leaves

Catch the scent of apples, and acorns on the autumn breeze

Make my favorite applesauce cookies

Decorate my door with witches, spider webs and other Halloween decorations

See how many of my Halloween T-shirts, pins, scarves and ties that I can wear to work during the month.

Visit our cabin one more time before we need to winterize it.

Then I came across a zentangled spider web, so cool!  So I doodled a spider web, but decided to add

 another doodled or/and zentangled spider web to my bucket list.  One that I can create with better art supplies.

Send out Halloween correspondence - much more fun that a Christmas card in December.

Any ideas for other additions to my October bucket list?

Good bye Game Apps

So I have done it.  This evening, I used my finger to delete three game apps from my notebook.  Game apps  to which I have invested copious amounts of time.  I have felt unorganized lately, never getting chores, correspondence, or fun activities completed.  Now instead of exercising my index finger, my hand might pick up a pen,  paintbrush or grab the handle on the vacuum.  Stay tuned to see if this experiment works.