Poetry Thursday - Year's End by Richard Wilbur

Here is a lovely farewell, Year's End a poem by Richard Wilbur, as a turbulent year closes and we anticipate the arrival of a brand new year.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

Monday Must - One Last Song for the Season

    Before we move into another year, I wanted to post one last song for the holiday season.  I really appreciate this duo, The Piano Guys.  They have a lot of fun videos and some fantastic performances, but I love this one especially because the pianist's daughter sings on the final verse.  She is sweet and quite good, but the bonus moment is the look on her father's face as she runs to him for a hug after the song is finished. The love just shines in that moment, and as I see it, that is what Christmas really ought to be about.

Christmas Eve Hike

Winter teases the edges of the lake,

with lacy patterns of ice and snow.

In the sand and in the woods,

we find Christmas red

and Christmas green.

Beside the cold December lake,

grows a whole forest of evergreen trees;

a beautiful place to walk on Christmas Eve.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, 

I wish you all of the joys of  this beautiful season.

Poetry Thursday - Winter Solstice

On the last evening of autumn

I lay upstairs on the guest bed 

on top of the gold and white quilt

that my grandmother

 made for me decades ago.

I look through the window

for a long while.

The horizon is glazed in autumn fire

though the earth is hidden by snow

and the maples are bare and shivering

beneath those glowing skies.

The longest night is falling;

the color bleeds from overhead

and spills into the lake.

The trees become only shadows

against a shadow sky

and I watch through the window

until my breath and I

are only shadows

 in the quiet upstairs room

on the last evening of autumn.

Monday Muse - December Song

"Why does it change with the seasons?

And why can't we just hold on

to silent nights, holy nights,

and angels singing lullabyes,

and heaven and nature 

singing good will to all"

~ Peter Hollens

I found this young artist, Peter Hollens, online recently and have enjoyed his many acapella performances on YouTube.  This is an original song, performed acoustically with other performers. His lyrics are meaningful and the ensemble of musicians work exceptionally well together.  The cello is one of my "someday I will learn to play it" instruments, so I loved hearing it on this seasonal song!

As a Monday Muse bonus, I have linked below to another of his performances.  It is highly produced, in terms of videography and the layering of Peter's own voice in harmony with his lead vocals.  I generally prefer the organic quality of a live performance, but his singing of this beloved carol is incredibly beautiful, so if you are interested, here it is. 

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you joy.

Sunday Stroll - Approaching Solstice

In the winter, everything goes slower,

from collecting the mail at the end a driveway 

that is lost under many inches of snow,

to collecting the firewood 

that keeps the house warm.

We have to lean into the winter,

learn to walk at a winter's pace.

We have to listen to the hush,

that falls over the earth,

as winter settles into place.

We have to learn, all over again,

 to cherish the warmth

and comforts of home.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

Sunday Stroll Invitation

"The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory."

Gary Zukav

As the winter solstice approaches, we find ourselves with short days and long nights.  Though the day is short and the snow is deep, I am setting the intention to get out and take a long, slow hike.  My photos are likely to be "white on white" but the fresh air will be welcome in these lungs that are getting a bit too used to stale indoor oxygen!

If you have time this week for a Sunday Stroll, please post about about it on your blog and then come back here with a comment and a link to your post. Even if you think you don't have time, or if you believe it is too cold or the snow is too deep, perhaps you could manage a few steps outside your front door with the camera in hand... perhaps you could pull in a few long deep breaths of December sky and release a few deep exhalations of your own,

You may use the Sunday Stroll button at the top of this post on your post or side bar if you would like. I will add participant names to this post so other strollers can walk through your "neck of the woods"  too. I'll check back often and try to keep the list updated.





















Quote from: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/garyzukav528252.html?src=t_winter

Monday Muse: Blackbird Peregrine

Dark Days come 

but, Love, don't let go

My dear don't give up

We'll go through it all.

Wake up, oh my dear

Let me keep you near

Stay and hold my hand

Don't you let go

Don't you let go

Keep your hand on my heart

Even if days turn dark

~ Blackbird Peregrine

I find music to be one of the best ways to lift a little of the winter darkness.  Exploring new artists gives me a feeling kindred to that adventurous sense of exploring new terrain or unfamiliar cultures. Here is a sweet little duo, that I enjoyed encountering for the first time recently.  Love their camaraderie and the tapping of their stocking-clad feet in this video. 

Sunday Stroll: A White Quilt

Put on your warmest winter cap.

Let's take the trail through the herb garden,

where the roses are bending down,

to kiss the autumn goodbye.

 Let's walk up the hill to the front garden.

 Let us lay down near the sycamore tree

on this white quilt of snow,

and catch snowflakes on our tongues for a while.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

Steve has already been out and about photographing

 the beautiful prairie around him, 

where autumn lingers.

Sunday Stroll Invitation

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? 

And then it covers them up snug, you know, 

with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, 

"Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” 

― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

If you have time this week for a Sunday Stroll, please post about about it on your blog and then come back here with a comment and a link to your post. You may use the Sunday Stroll button at the top of this post on your post or side bar if you would like. I will add participant names to this post so other strollers can walk through your "neck of the woods"  too. I'll check back often and try to keep the list updated.


quote from: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/winter


Steve has already been out and about photographing the beautiful prairie around him, where autumn lingers.

Monday Muse: Winter Song

"I still believe in summer days

The seasons always change

and life will find a way"

I am going to resurrect my old tradition of posting a "Monday Muse."  These are songs, or art, or news stories that inspire me.  As a musician myself, I am very appreciative of acoustic performances. This cover of a beautiful Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson song really resonates with me.  Love the ease and gentleness of this performance and the lyrics seem just right for this season.

If you have a favorite acoustic performance, please include a link in my comments.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you joy.

Sunday Stroll: Memory of Roses

God gave us our memories 

so that we might have roses in December."

 -   J. M. Barrie

By December in these northern hills,

 the roses usually are a memory.  

This year, 

the roses and other blossoms are lingering.

Fruit is still clinging to the branches,

The wind-riders are hesitating,

waiting for the just the right wind

 to carry them away.

The greens (and reds!) are still flourishing

in the garden.

Flocks of geese are behind schedule,

flying home through 

the silver skies of early December.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

Other Strollers:

Steve has already been out and about and captured some stunning photos of birds at Out on the Prairie.

Wouldn't you love to see your name here?  Just take a few photos as you stroll around your neighborhood and then post a comment here or on the Sunday Stroll Invitation post immediately preceding this one.

Sunday Stroll Invitation

"God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December." -   J. M. Barrie

If you have time this week for a Sunday Stroll, please post about about it on your blog and then come back here with a comment and a link to your post. You may use the Sunday Stroll button at the top of this post on your post or side bar if you would like. I will add participant names to this post so other strollers can walk through your "neck of the woods"  too. I'll check back often and try to keep the list updated.


quote found at: http://www.egreenway.com/months/

Steve has already been out and about at captured some stunning photos of birds at Out on the Prairie.

Sunday Stroll - Clinging to November

The world seems bleak, brown and gray, 

at first glance, but beneath the maples,

the vinca is evergreen.

Sycamore leaves and seed balls (achemes) fall,

Buckwheat seeds cling to delicate stalks,

and a few last grape leaves 

cling to the vines.

Milkweed seeds catch the wind and sail away.

A few radish blossoms open gently,

pushing back against the chill.

A few dying leaves cling to the young plum trees

in the northeast corner of the garden,

while elsewhere buds are forming for next year's leaves.

In the garden, all is calm. The air is still.

We match our pace to the breath of the earth,

moving slowly and quietly 

across the still-green grass.

Take a deep breath,

and when you exhale,

let your wishes take flight

in these last days of November.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.