Costumes Encouraged

Happy Halloween! We get one trick-or-treater every year. Just one. 

Patty gave me this lovely monarch butterfly from a recent trip....and I love it. It found a home on my wreath by our front door and goes so well with my pumpkins....and I was tickled with the reflection of the tree in the side light. Where did October go? Bring on November! 

Paul and I attended  the rally downtown today....costumes were encouraged so I went as joy. There was a festive and hopeful energy in the air...we're so glad we went! 

Be Like Ray

I dried some of the seaweed I picked up this summer and made this cyanotype print. The second and third layers didn't come through very well....so I'll be trying it again. I love the unexpected subject matter of seaweed....it's so Maine.

I'm going to be working on cards throughout the fall and winter for the garden shop next spring. Some may end up in the mail...but most will go into my stock in support of Maine Needs.

This was a print from the wet fresh seaweed this summer. Kind of magical don't you think! 

For those of you new to the blog....my sister-in-law Alyson and I text a photograph or two every day to each other....and we've been doing it for years. Our shares are often a montage of nature photos from our day with other little nuggets of joy mixed in...and it's a wonderful way for us to connect. 

I sometimes share them here too....but not always...but I had to share this one from Alyson....it made me smile all day long. 

She met Ray as he helped her cross the street in a busy construction zone. His smile...and his hat caught her attention and she asked his permission to take his photo. She said it was clear that he was pretty tickled with himself and his hat....and I'm pretty tickled with him too.

It's going to be a long weekend as we head into next week's election. Let's be like Ray....and be a ray of f%&#@ing sunshine!

The postcards on our fridge that give me hope. Please vote!

Dancing

Kate....blog reader and physicist from England sent me an email with some information about the moon. We all learned these things in school....but I never mind being reminded. Kate is the same person who introduced me to The Butterfly Effect....so I pay attention when she shares! Here's Kate's moon refresher...with a twist at the end:

"The moon seems to rise because the Earth is spinning on its axis, but the Moon also moves around the Earth every 27.3 days, which is why we get different phases of the moon (and lunar months). But it also sort of wiggles up and down a bit, which is why it's never in the same place each night. Basically, they are continuously dancing around each other. And I love that."

I love that too....the idea of the earth and moon dancing around each other. Thank you for planting that image in my head Kate!

Speaking of dancing....I've been keeping an eye on the Montauk Daisies right up the street. 

They started blooming at the end of September...and I walk by them several times a day. These are a couple montages I sent to Alyson over the past month as I've been tracking them. 

They were beautiful in their prime....such a breath of fresh air in the early fall.

 But here at the end of October...they appear to be dancing around as start to fade.

They are just as beautiful...and maybe even a little more interesting.

Definitely dancing!

This one...however...appears to be a little pissed off.

Or maybe it's the last dance before the bow! Let's go with that!

Moonrise?

if 

peace

had

an 

address.

it

would

be

somewhere

between

the moon

&

the trees.

@reviveyouroar

There are always more questions than answers.

We had a delightful dinner with Dana and Anne last evening at their Portland condo overlooking Casco Bay. We were able to watch the slightly waining full moon rise over the bay....and we could actually see it move. Or could we? 

Can the moon....actually rise? Or is the earth doing all the moving?

Dana has come to think about it as the earth rolling over....and we had quite a lively discussion about what is actually happening.

But I like the sound of a moonrise.....so I'm sticking with that. 

And somewhere between the moon & the trees is peace.

There are always more more questions than answers...and we all had lots of questions. But more important than any answers is that we were fully present while laughing...wondering....and watching a nearly full moon appearing to rise over the bay. It was spectacular....and felt like peace.

So Many Questions

Paul found the most unusual....and creepy object ever. He was on his bike when he got a glimpse of the hair.....and he had to stop to see what it was. And whatever it was....was stuffed into a little pink plastic backpack....with broken straps. It all looked a little suspicious.

What was inside was strange and creepy....but also made Paul laugh for hours.

I have soooo many question.

And just because it's Halloween week...I will allow this creepy found object to join the gang at the puzzle table. I moved tiny Jesus close by to keep an eye on her. But after Halloween...I know exactly where she will find a new home. I'll fill you in when the time is right.

And on a more positive note....look what I dropped off at Maine Needs today. They put out a call for feminine hygiene products last week...so that's where I spent the money I made from my cyanotype cards sold at Winslow Farm this summer. I'm thinking of Margie as I work on this puzzle...and I thought about her as I made my donation today. I had a powerful experience last year donating tampons.....you can read that story here: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2025/03/margies-bookshelf.html

If You See Something....

...Say Something!

I was photographing and admiring one of my favorite gardens on my morning walk. It was very wabi-sabi at this point...but it was interesting and beautiful. I happen to see a woman puttering up by the garage so I told her how much I enjoyed her garden all summer....and even at this end of the season stage. She was so tickled.

Rachel and I chatted for a while and I was admiring the little pink globe amaranth plants I've written about before....and she immediately asked me if I wanted some. Of course I did! 

Rachel just kept cutting....until I had a whole bouquet. 

If you see something...say something. It just feels good....and it almost always bounces back at you with a little joy. 

Some of Rachel's garden moments that caught my eye.

This was Rachels yard today.....

....this was mid August. More photos in the link above.

The dahlias are bulbs....but Rachel grows everything else from seed!

Me and my bouquet on my way home.

Clean and Simple

It is better to do something than to do nothing while waiting to do everything. Winston Churchill

That's how I feel sometimes this time of year as I anticipate a quiet winter and everything I want to do in the studio. But had a couple nice walks and did more garden cleanup today and most of the screens are washed. So that's something! 

I'm not sure if I shared this print before...I painted it several weeks ago and just turned it into a card to get in the mail....and that's something too. 

I love the simple layers of leaves...and just a touch of soft green watercolor. I tucked the print into a Michaels pre-made frame card and stitched around edge. It's clean and simple and in the mail as a thank you note to Bill and Kaki.

I don't know what I love more about this moment on my morning walk....the frosty edge of the vivid red leaf...or the shadows. Clean and simple joy!

First Frosts

These first frosts always capture my attention...and my heart. Once I tune into them...I can't stop looking.

It doesn't come across in the photo...but the little blue and green lawnmower was covered in a layer of shimmering frost. It made me smile.  

I love these ordinary moments...when a walk turns into a journey of noticing. When something as simple as glistening frost on a child's toy seems extra special. 

May it always be so. 

Pin Oak 101

Dotty commented on yesterday's post that she didn't know the difference between a pin oak and other oaks. I only know a little bit....so I looked it up. 

This is the pin oak in our front yard.....and I stand corrected because it actually has rich shades of yellow and orangey/red. Not bright like the maples...but still beautiful in an understated kind of way. 

Pin oaks are medium sized deciduous trees. The top branches point up...the middle branches point outward....and the lower branches point downward. Their leaves are smaller and deeply cut with sharp points....and they can be a little wonky. Which I love.

I found this online...and thought it was very helpful! 

We have a lot of Northern Red Oak in the woods....and they turn a bit yellow then straight to brown and the leaves are large and chunky.

For the second year in a row....we have virtually no acorns in woods and the backyard. Most years I rake and shovel them up by the bucket.

The acorns provide food for the squirrels and deer in the winter....so we're a bit concerned. But a few years ago we had a HUGE crop of acorns...it's called a Mast Year. I read that sometimes it takes a year or two for the trees to rest and recover from a Mast Year!

I have a great amount of respect for that....and so glad the tree knows to rest.

I did this watercolor in a bit of a hurry....so I'm not sure I love it. But I had to get it out of my head. I like the concept....but I know I can do better. 

Once it's good a dry...I may work the green leaves a bit more....maybe add red dots....or maybe they need a little white. 

This is cheap watercolor paper...so if I work it too much when it's wet...the top layer scrapes off. The paper is great for once and done....so I have to get it right enough the first time. And the price is right for my mass cyanotype printing sessions.

The boys are coming for dinner....so I'm a bit preoccupied! There is always joy in the house then the boys are here.

I wasn't very patient...and did a quick sketchy solution late this afternoon.

It's better....but I think I can still do better. More pin oak prints to come.

Artistic License

I needed a few cards to send....so I had a cyanotype session yesterday. My main goal was to play around with some small pin oak leaves from our front yard in honor of the season. Ironically enough...pin oaks generally go from green straight to brown...but I took some artistic license and gave them more color. 

As I look at these photos...I realize they are different prints. I did several...so I have more to paint And aren't the blues are so much prettier in natural light.

Everything changed when I splattered the gold.....it seemed to bring the print it to life! 

One card ready to go!

  

Tucked In

As I was driving into the Maine Audubon to get bird seed...I was stopped in my tracks by this lollipop shaped tree. I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers! 

There was a light frost here in Portland while we were away...almost all of the tender plants were nipped. So I've spent some time over the past couple of days cutting things back and doing some other fall chores. 

 

I love everything about this time of year...the colors...the dying and cutting back...getting the plants tucked in for the winter season. 

I look forward to the nesting inside season....especially because that means more time for art!

Paul and I enjoy being out on the patio under out blankets for as long as we can. We love the way the late afternoon sun plays with the colors in the woods as it turns more and more yellow...on its way to brown. Pretty soon the woods will be all tucked in too! I love this time of year!

Makes Perfect Sense

As I settle back into my groove here at home...I thought I'd share a few more moments from our Nashville trip. 

I picked up this prickly Chestnut pod on one of our walks in Nashville....and it's a nice addition to my bowl of fall findings. 

Bill and Kaki love doing dishes by hand so use their dishwasher as a drying rack. It makes perfect sense keeping the drying dishes off the counter.

It made me smile one evening watching Kaki scrub potatoes in the sink....then putting them in the dishwasher to dry. It makes perfect sense!

A stunningly beautiful mosaic wall in the Nashville airport.

I made a couple montages for Alyson while I waited for our flight....just for fun. We still share photos every day. All the images were found at the Nashville airport while I was walking.

Home

No matter how wonderful a trip is...and this was a good one....there's no place home. And this is what home looked like this afternoon.

Speaking of home.....one afternoon while Paul, Bob and I were out and about we drove into our old neighborhood. Paul and I lived in the servants quarters of a large home in Belle Meade....a wealthy and somewhat ostentatious suburb of Nashville. We had no reference point for where this apartment was located until the day we arrived.

Mary and Martha...the two elderly sisters who lived in the home were progressive and down to earth women committed to renting their small apartment to divinity students. We paid $150 a month for a fully furnished apartment accessed by the small spiral staircase off the kitchen. 

I still remember driving up this driveway seeing for the first time where we would call home for the next six years. Paul and I were in our little Dodge Colt...and my mom and brother were behind us in the farm pick-up truck with all our belongings strapped in. Home is where the heart is....and for a little while this stately Bell Meade house was our home.