Connecting With Nature

Autumn holds a wonder all its own.  - Laura Jaworski

Digitized Photo 

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Autumn days slowly transition into eye-catching, picturesque scenes of color. Each day I enjoy discovering fall's beauty in ordinary and extraordinary places. While researching the topic of self-care, I found connecting with nature has positive effects on emotional well-being. Trail walks, apple picking, and other outdoor activities helped reduce stress and anxiety during my recuperation time. The warmth of a September or October day allows me to breathe in fresh air, reflect upon the earth's beauty, and relax. 

For years, my family has picked apples. Recently, we traveled through the countryside on the way to the apple orchard. Remembering years past I looked for trees with a tinge of color. Once we arrived at Stribling Orchard, we found a bountiful apple tree. My little grandgirls arrived before us so their bag of apples was bountiful. The fresh country air and the sweet-tasting red apples made our faces smile.

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September day

sun radiates

family gathers together at the orchard

excitement begins with the first pick

baby smiles

munches apples

Autumn delight

 @CVarsalona, 2024

Trinet poem

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As I search for the best place for vivid fall foliage in Virginia and West Virginia. I reflect on last year's parade of trees. They were dressed in Autumn finery. 

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Height of Fall Fashion

fall's fashion

debuts soon

with a kaleidoscope of color

some autumn trees are fashionably late 

Autumn's parade

is a

must-see event

 @CVarsalona, 2024

Trinet poem

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The Jama Rattigan is hosting Poetry Friday on her blog, Jama's Alphabet Soup. Her post will make you hungry because she is writing about doughnuts.

Pumpkin Picking

Last week at Poetry Friday, Anastasia Suen, invited writers to create #smallpoems for October. Since my family was planning an outing to the local pumpkin farm, I thought I might have inspiration there. What started out with excitement for a fall excursion, ended up with disappointment. The beautiful October weather took on grey tones and damp drippings. The missed opportunity left me with store-bought pumpkins instead of plump pumpkins from the pumpkin farm.

pumpkin picking

is quite an art

but weather is tricking

there goes my heart

©CVarsalona, 2023, #smallpoem draft

After I sent my October #smallpoem draft to Anastasia Suen, she replied. "Even your comment is a small poem when I add line breaks!" I felt her thoughts made my small poem complete. See the revised poem.

I am missing

picking pumpkins

with the grands today.

Weather issues

are preventing

the fun play.

©CVarsalona, 2023, #smallpoem

BUT, the story is not finished. With a quick change in weather patterns, the sun came out. Plans quickly changed again and off we went to a pumpkin patch in Great Falls. When we arrived, there was a distinct briskness in the air. I was happy that I brought a new pumpkin hat and booties for Baby Lila, our little pumpkin. 

It's Time To Be Grateful!

🍁

I 

partake of

fall's juiciness,

it's succulent beauty,

and inspiring moods.

I am grateful for

Fall.

©CVarsalona, 2023, #smallpoem

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I keep playing with words. Perhaps, I should blend thoughts into one poem.

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Fall

feels crispy on

this sweater-weather,

scattered-leaf day.

Pops of pumpkin-colors

decorate landscapes.

I am in awe of

Fall!

©CVarsalona, 2023, #smallpoem

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I lingered over these poems long enough. I will join Two Writing Teachers for the weekly Slice of Life and enjoy reading friends' Slices of Life.

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Summer Waves Goodby

This weekend as my family drove around curvy bends, the faint markings of fall appeared. Soft leaves from green-canopied trees danced in front of us. Nature shared its seasonal contrasts. The last days of summer were fading so we followed the road's path to celebrate late summer's bounty.

along scenic roads

dancing leaves pirouetted

summer breezed by

evening shadows

rustled whispering reeds

seasons transitioned

©CV, 2021

🌅 🍁Summer waved goodby. Autumn returns.

Enjoy the shift in seasons that nurtures our souls. 🌅 🍁

Two Writing Teachers

Nudges

Still feeling the positive effects of yoga, I lingered a bit in my car when I pulled into the driveway.  I was engrossed in the action in my garden. The day seemed like a cross between late summer and early autumn. A single bee hovered over one of my front garden plants until others came to the area but they did not disturb the first one. The new visitors were on a mission to independently collect food from other flowers. Then, fluttering in, a lemon-colored butterfly entered the scene opening its wings to announce its entrance.

"By all these lovely tokens September days are here, 

with summer's best of weather and autumn's best of cheer."  - Helen Hunt Jackson  

Seasons announce their transition.

nudging us to notice 

in good faith, in good time

for everything, there is a season.

Do we hear the gentle bend in the wind;

see the cascading leaf upon the pavement?

Seasons announce their transition.

Summer moments linger

under a heavenly sky.

Earth waits for nature to tip its hand-

waves goodbye to summer bees;

whispers hello to abundant autumn. 

©CV, 2019

"For everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven."

- Ecclesiastes 3:1

(I lifted part of the scripture verse as an inspirational piece for the double cherita above.)

I need one last nudge to find my flow, make time for the creative spirit to flutter, and settle down to bring the best of summer's inspiration to fruition at the Embraceable Summer Gallery. With faith and patience, this will happen.

Thank you, Ramona Behnke, for hosting Spiritual Journey first Thursday at your blog, Pleasures from the Page, and nudging me to ponder your interesting theme.

Red Leaf Calling

“Nature will bear the closest inspection. 

She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, 

and take an insect view of its plain.” 

-Henry David Thoreau

I ventured out into the rain
one end-of-summer type of day;
spotted a trinket from Mother Nature.

Regal

invitE

Dared summer to bless its

autumnaL entrance

Early

And begin fall's

Festivities.

"... and all at once, summer collapsed into fall." -Oscar Wilde

While summer may be officially over, 

it continues to bring its sunshine to fall. 

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Did you see Sunkissed Summer Gallery of artistic expressions? 

Take a peek here to remember Summer 2017.

Now, turn your attention to Two Writing Teachers for the Slice of Life. 

Inspired by Nature

On days when writing slows down, I turn to nature to find inspiration. Henry David Thoreau said, "We can never have enough of nature." I am a firm believer in Thoreau's words for nature is my observation window into life. Through the looking glass of nature, I peak at the world with different eyes. I retreat into its depths. Nature never disappoints me. Despite its unpredictability, I can still find splendor in nature.

Today, in hope of finding fall, my family and I took a spontaneous trip to upstate New York. While the leaves have not yet peaked in the Hudson River region, I witnessed the beauty of the season. I was awed by the change of color that I have not seen yet on Long Island. I was inspired to take photos and sear all the memories of this fall day in my mind's eye.

As the sun's rays glistened onto lakes, streams, and the mighty Hudson River, I noticed small objects that complimented the scene: a stray log floating, a solitary, tiny red leaf on a trail, and leaves cascading in mid-air. I approached a man-made dam completed in 1906 and was taken aback by the beauty of rushing water flowing with a forceful, rhythmic motion. Prior to visiting this area, I heard that at the time of its completion, Croton Gorge was the largest dam in the world and second largest man-made structure next to the pyramids of Egypt. Naturally, I wanted to see for myself this structure that has withheld the forces of time. My family and I found the gorge to be a serene place for rest and reflection. 

What did I learn this fall day? Writing promotes self-discovery and peaceful scenes like I experienced are reminders that daily living needs not be rushed. Nature promotes the slowing down of life so that it can be savored. I returned home contemplating the beauty of an autumn day and the fun of a spontaneous Autumnventure. I turn to writing in the evening hours to savor a day well spent. 

I write tonight to preserve the wonder of an autumn day and offer this as my slice for Two Writing Teachers' Slice of Life Tuesday.  

October 20, 2016 is National Day On Writing sponsored by NCTE.

Let's Celebrating Writing Every Day! 

Invitation to Autumnventure Gallery

While on a quest to find fall on Long Island, I stumbled upon an interesting news article, "Change Agents-Cover Story," in the New York Post on October 12, 2016. The headline read, "Daring new looks for a season that's layered in effortless luxury." As I pondered the thought and read through the article, I saw more than clothing trends as the main topic. I focused on the season of autumn as the dazzling component.

A found poem emerged from the short piece and a follow-up creative project for my newest gallery, Autumnventure. Enjoy my DIY fun and the open invitation to create digital inspirations alongside me for the gallery. 

From Article to Found Poem

to Digital Inspiration
Autumn Cover Story

to Creative DIY Decorating Project

#PoetryLove is Present!

Knowing full well that Autumn is a change agent that transitions us to a new season of adventures, I invite you to create a digital offering (from the options below) that proclaims the majesty of autumn for my newest gallery, Autumnventure. Embrace the wonderlust spirit and find fall with me. Capture the fall season in your locale or on a minication and color the world with autumn joy! 

By November 19, 2016, I will collect all offerings of photographs, original artwork, inspirational quotes, short videos, audio readings of original short poems, and music titles that showcase Autumn as a change agent. All submissions must have your name and locale at the bottom and sent in the right format. (See below.)

What Do You Need to Do?

• Be creative. Capture your autumn adventure using an option of your choice. (Free images are available from morguefile.com, pixabay.com, or photosforclass.com.) 
• If you create an imagepoem/digitpoetry, write a poem or poetic expression. Then, superimpose your words on the image using a photo editing tool, like PicMonkey or Canva.
• Sign the digital composition you offer with your name and location.
• Post your digital expression in jpeg form (450 pixels is the best size) using the following hashtags on Twitter: #Autumnventure and @cvarsalona.
• Send your jpeg offering to @cvarsalona at gmail with the subject heading, Autumnventure. 

Wanted: 

Student Voice (#stuvoice) for Autumnventure Gallery-please encourage your students to engage in this creative writing/artistic project to showcase their talents and amplify their voices.

Previous Galleries: 

If you have not perused the  latest global gallery, Summerscapes, you can access it here. At the bottom of the gallery you will find links to the others. Last year's fall gallery, Autumn's Palette, can be accessed here.

Enjoy the experience of finding fall and sharing it with a global audience. Thank you for considering this creative challenge.

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Now please join the charming children's poet, Irene Latham, at Live Your Poem for the Scarecrow Wish Poetry Friday Roundup here. Irene has created an original poem for the occasion.

Finding Fall Quest

Now that the season has changed, I have been contemplating a new direction that will lead me to wonder more while I wander through fall? But first, I am seeking fall in his glory, ablaze with color, so I can capture the season. All I found so far are yellow-tinged leaves that drifted down and carpeted my sidewalks after two days of storms. 

I remember past autumns and am looking forward to similar scenes from friends around the globe. The following is from Autumn's Palette Gallery that you can view here.

Has fall dropped its calling card with fire-red and umber colors in your community? Are the squirrels scampering around looking for acorns to store? If so, perhaps you will join me on a finding fall quest that brings a sense of wonder that nature offers each day.

Now that the first leaves have touched the ground in my neighborhood, I am inspired by feelings of wonderlust, the urge to move from my daily routines in search of new directions and adventures inspired by the colors of nature. My thoughts drift from home to winding hiking trails, peaked mountains, abundant apple orchards, colorful pumpkin patches, and sumptuous vineyards where autumn offers a variety of memory-making day or short stay trips.

I'm ready to wander, wonder, and enjoy the fall season? 

Are you? 

Consider taking an autumnventure with me as I embrace the wonderlust spirit and find fall. I'm ready to find the majesty of autumn as it continues to boldly make its appearance. I hope you join me in my finding fall quest.

I openly invite my Slice of Life friends to capture fall in their locale or on the minications and join me in coloring the world with autumn's joy. 

Please visit Two Writing Teachers here for Slice of Life Tuesday.

Some slicers have graciously offered their digital inspirations to previous galleries I have created. You may recognize some names among the writers who graced Summerscapes. I applaud their efforts.

Celebrating the Fall Season

As I continued to find fall this week, the weather turned to crisp autumn-like days. The creative spirit was awakened and I decided to invite fall inside. With DIY decorating dreams flying high, I prepared for a seasonal make-over. 

Thoughts of staging my house for the season led to an impromptu gathering of friends so after my professional development program on Monday, I devoted time to indulge my senses in autumn's colors, tastes, and smells.

Realizing that each one of my seasonal make-overs brings a sense of anticipation of what is to come, I recalled various past projects to get inspiration. Knowing full well that it takes planning, patience, and perseverance, I ventured to the attic where boxes of decoration wait for me each year. One pull-down of the attic stairs led to a procession of items carefully passed to my crew of not so intrigued men (husband and son).  

Next, the glue gun was fired up and the magic started.  A trip to the lake park by our house provided me with nature's bounty: acorns, berries on branches, and leaves. Creation time brought the season from outside in. After the front porch was decorated each room inside took on the colors of the autumn. A seed of an idea blossomed into a seasonal surprise.

What's a gathering without food so up next was the planning of the menu. Taste buds would need to be properly satisfied so while I prepared the main components of the meal, friends chose complimentary dishes to bring. 

Finding Fall Menu 

Hors D'oeuvres: apple flatbread pizza, Grandma's flatbread pizza, harvest nuts with candy corn, cheese platter with crackers and asiago toasts, autumn salsa and pumpkin chips, pumpkin pasta pockets with sage butter and hazelnuts, sauteed mushrooms, grilled eggplant with fresh basil, apple wedges with caramel dips, assorted wines, pumpkin ale, and autumn beer 

Entree: grilled pork with an apple, sauerkraut, and onion side, sweet potato and squash casserole, bread, cucumber, tomato, and onion salad, kale salad, grilled squash

Desserts: assorted chocolate chip cookies, apple crisp, pumpkin cakes, carrot cakes, dessert coffee with Bailey's Irish cream and fresh whipped cream, vanilla ice cream

The weather remained moderately crisp throughout the evening. The flickers of candlelight, hum of conversation, and satiated taste buds made for a memorable evening. As we all bid each other good night, I gave thanks for fall season and the years of friendship.  

As the week comes to a close, I celebrate fall and those who gathered together yesterday to savor autumn's tastes, smells, and sights with a short slideshow. I do hope you will find fall and join me in its celebration through my newest global gallery of artistic expressions, Autumn's Palette. You can enjoy last year's gallery here. 

For all those who enjoy creating digital inspirations, please see the unique capabilities of the digital tool Lunapic. 

Please visit two sites that celebrate along with me:Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres and DigiLit Sunday with Margaret Simon.