a poem to match the mood.

I've been trying to get a little more poetry in my life and made a goal to read a poem a day. It hasn't exactly worked that way, some days I read 5 or 6 and some days I don't read any at all.  But yesterday I was flipping through my Dickinson collection and came across this poem.

Frequently the woods are pink,
Frequently are brown;
Frequently the hills undress
Behind my native town.

Oft a head is crested
I was wont to see,
And as oft a cranny
Where it used to be.

And the earth, they tell me,
On its axis turned, --
Wonderful rotation
By but twelve performed.

And then today this was my view during my lunch walk. Fitting, yes?

(

being grateful.

Hmm, you may have noticed I haven't been quite as diligent as I had lead you to believe I would be.  I'd like to say it's because I've been hard at work on my novel but mostly it's just that life, boring old life, has gotten in the way. Bleh!

So, here's my pathetic attempt at catching up on the last week's worth of entries...

November photo-a-day challenge #20
something old

Old books, my fave!

November photo-a-day challenge #21

Nighttime

The first Christmas tree of the season

November photo-a-day challenge #22

nature

The ginormous poinsettia dwarfing our coffee table and mocking my lack of  Christmas preparation

And apparently I'm out of storage space, so we'll have to pause while I figure out these technical difficulties...any pros out there?

Who knew this would be such a production?!

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #19
Written words

A card written in my grandmother's hand and passed down to me from my mother.  I've traced the words at least twice as they've faded so they're probably now more mine than hers but I cherish them all the same. And they've brought me hope and comfort often throughout the years.

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #17
Something funny

November photo-a-day challenge #18
Favorite food

I have a friend who has introduced me to the wonders of Pie Day.  In lieu of gorging yourself beyond all hope on Thanksgiving and then not having enough room to enjoy dessert, her family has claimed the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving as Pie Day, a day dedicated to the dessert and all its glory. She is out of the country this year so I took it upon myself to steal her tradition. I spent all day Saturday baking, decorated with quotes and images of pie, and invited a ton of people to share their own pies and the day.  It was a success! We had over 15 different flavors and mmmm, were they delicious!!

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #16
Memories

Keeping busy the past few weeks.

being grateful.

November photo-a-challenge day #15
Where I sleep

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #14
Transportation

A typical  night in traffic

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #13
Daily routine

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #10
Artwork

I made this collage (thanks to various pinterest pins) using old maps, modge podge, stickers and paint. This is my new mantra. (Gracias to the Avett Bros for the quote.)

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #9
In my closet/clothes

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #8
Books

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #7
Technology


This post is two-fold. I've finally joined the modern world and gotten a smart phone (isn't it cute?), and our internet is back up and running after several days of being down.  Hooray for technology!

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #6
Gratitude

So grateful to live in a country where we have so many freedoms. Did you exercise your rights today?

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #5
Seasonal

Starbucks salted caramel hot chocolate.  Yum!

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #4
Leaves

The next door neighbors

being grateful.

November photo-a-day challenge #3
Light

The lights in one of the Kennedy Center theaters. I've been there twice this week and man, I love that place!

being grateful

November photo-a-day challenge #2
Movement

the ghostly blurs of cosmic bowling (it looks way cooler on my camera)

being grateful.

November Photo-a-day challenge #1 *
An inspiring person

statue of Abraham Lincoln on the site of Lincoln's Cottage in NW DC

*in the spirit of full disclosure--I intend to take as many new photos as possible but some days there will be photos that I've taken previously that have been re-touched or edited, just so's ya know!

submitting to a challenge.

I'm going to be taking a sort of hiatus here on the blog for the next month. I've been slowly chipping away at a book I've been writing for a couple of years now and recently it's been weighing on my mind more and more. With November being NaNoWriMo I've decided to focus my writing attention solely on my book and nothing else for those 30 days. I'm not sure how much I'll get done but even if it's just a few chapters it will hopefully be enough to get me out of the slump and on towards actually finishing it.

November is also the gateway to the holidays and as we begin to celebrate the gluttony and excesses of our society by shopping until we drop let us use November to remember all that we have and give thanks for the many blessings that enrich our lives. So, while I'll be verbally silent here for the next few weeks I'm still hoping to post a daily image following (sort of) this photo challenge. One image of gratitude daily throughout the month leading up to and ushering in the holiday season. Hopefully it will help get my heart and my priorities in the right place.

Wish me luck and I'll 'talk' to you all again in December!