Connecting with October

There is something magical about October's crisp air and a countryside outing. When the weather report changed from rain to sunshine this past weekend, the family took advantage of the weather to celebrate autumn. What awaited us was a few hours of unequivocal joy. 

We packed up the grandgirls who stayed with us throughout the weekend and followed their parents to Buckland Farmer's Market. The country store was filled with the tastes of the season but I first followed the little grandgirls to the playground area. It was filled with large bouncy areas, slides, and structures to get lost in, like the huge corn maze. Excitedly, I edged myself toward the corn maze. 

I took the lead into the first pathway. My son, daughter, and youngest grandgirl were immediately immersed into a maze of corn stalks taller than any of us. Corn was all over. Being dazzled by the sunlight and walking paths, we sauntered through row after row. At times, we stopped to take in the sights. Other times, we tried different walkways only to find a dead end with no further path. Aurora was amazed by what she saw inside the maze.

corn maze connection

nature trail filled with pleasures

little eyes open wide

©CV, 2021

Upon leaving the corn maze, I joined my four-year-old grandgirl who was enjoying her Sunday funday time on the farm playground. A huge series of tires embedded in the earth awaited her. The first time trying to climb up was unsuccessful but determined to stand on top of the tire, she tried again. I could not believe how proud she looked as she found her balance.

poised above the earth

she finds her balance and smiles-

stability

©CV, 2021

autumn memory

child and pumpkin connect-

hued splendor

©CV, 2021

Nature shines in color during the autumnal season inviting us to connect with the earth.

Autumn that year pained the countryside in vivid shades of scarlet, saffron, and russet, and the days were clear and crisp under the harvest skies.

-Sharon Kay Penmann

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I've wanted to join the Inktober and Poemtober challenges this month but never seemed to find the time. The prompt for October 25th is connect. Since I love the word, connect, I made time to compose my ideas both in digital art form and poetry.

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Today is Slice of Life Tuesday at Two Writing Teachers.

Thankfully, I join the writing community.

I 💗New York in Autumn

Autumnal colors rock the runway this season. Color trends as noted by glowsly.com are "a mix  of deep, creamy yellows like Butterscotch and Dark Cheddar, along with soft, nutty browns like Sugar Almond and Hazel." Yesterday, after hours of dark gloomy rain that poured down incessantly, I noticed how beautiful the streets looked with their vibrant colors left on the trees. Streets were strewn with beautifully-colored wet leaves. 

My neighborhood was decorated in autumnal shades that were as brilliant as the clothing lines that are in the stores.  The "it-orange of the season, Orange Tiger" was blazing bright and the trees donned a shade of deep brown like colors on the runway, Rocky Road and Chicory Coffee. Long Island Autumn, trending the colors of the season, is surely dressed to walk the New York City runway.

f

The above image poem has been digitized to present a bold colorization of foliage in New York State. It is not a photo of my neighborhood.  It originated as a scene photographed while traveling from Long Island to Central New York, then used for the Inktober 2019 day 27 challenge with the word coat as the prompt. 

Perhaps you will join me in singing along with the I Love New York radio ad song, circa 1977-1980 and understand why I, as a New Yorker, am proud of my state.

Now for another favorite site of mine: Two Writing Teachers that brings us the Slice of Life Tuesday weekly. 

Inktober Fun

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the Earth  seeking the successive autumns."

-George Eliot

As the autumn season progresses, colors become more vibrant and picture-perfect. I, like many others, are lured by the beauty of an autumn day. Whether its a red and gold day or a grey one, I watch earth change its fashionable attire and capture the sight. Below you will find my October sightings that I turned into my Inktober/Poemtober offerings. 

Inktober Day 21 - treasure

Blog post-Autumn Treasure

Today was one of those special autumn days that stayed warm all the way into nighttime. The following quote states what I felt as I decorated the house for the Halloween party I am having tomorrow night.

"I was drinking in the surroundings: air so crisp you could snap it with your fingers and greens in every shade imaginable by autumnal flashes of red and yellow."

-Wendy Delsol Stork

I am pausing for a moment to listen to Autumn in New York
with Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

Other Inktober/Poemtober poems I had fun creating with a Halloweenish flair can be found at my Buncee dashboard. They are all examples of animated digital storytelling.

Howl Chant was created for Poemtomber. I intend to share it with my little granddaughter because she enjoys sing-song chants. 

Monster Fear is an animated story poem that I submitted to Michelle H. Barnes for her October Ditty created by Rebecca Herzog and for Poemtober. My blog post can be accessed here. 

Ghost Night Out! is my newest animated story poem for Inktober day 22/Poemtober.

October has been a busy night noticing, wondering, and creating and it is not over yet. As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post, I am not the only one capturing a glorious autumn photograph. The host of this week's Poetry Friday, Karen Edmisten, also snapped a photo of a beautiful autumn tree in full color followed by a Helen Hunt Jackson poem, October. I am heading over to Karen's blog to link up.

If anyone has an offering for my Abundant Autumn Gallery, please send it to me via Twitter at #AbundantAutumn or to my Gmail address. Thank you. 

Apple Picking Memory

Last weekend was filled with wonderful memories. Wishing to relive my children's autumn excursions, the family traveled to the Virginia countryside. I was expecting to see fall through the eyes of my twenty-eight-month-old granddaughter.

Our first stop was Sky Meadow State Park's fall festival. Upon entering the park we followed the windy road to the top of the hill. We immediately went to the children's playground that was piled high with haystacks in the form of a little house. She enjoyed the peek-your-head through wooden signs and the farm trucks. Sierra gleefully played before scampering through the pumpkin field, then off to listen to the banjo player strumming his country tunes. The only sight that was not readily accepted by her were the hens that pranced freely around searching for dropped food.  

Remembering our annual childhood apple and pumpkin picking trips, we drove to our second stop, Hollin Farm Orchard. The apple orchard was set in a slightly hilly area near the Blue Ridge Mountains. When reaching the top of the orchard, I looked out to the magnificent expanse while my granddaughter hung on to her little bag waiting to find the just-right apples to pick.  

I am including the above image poem in the Poemtober/Inktober 2019, day 17 challenge. 
The prompt is ornament.

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You can read more about my fall getaway with photos and poetry here. 

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I am excited to announce the winner of Michelle Schaub's book, Finding Treasure, that I reviewed last week at the Last Stop of the Blog Tour.  Congratulations Irene Latham!

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Join me at the ever joyful Jama Rattigan's blog site here where she hosts  the

Poetry Friday Roundup for this week.