Evelyn:
An 11/11 ritual, under a shaved full moon at 11:11 p.m. Carrying the wishes and intentions of a team on little slips of paper, I promised to release them to the universe, both on behalf of a college we all are working so hard to nurture and grow, as well as for each of us, who carry our own nest of hopes. I felt warm—that a handful of new people in my life would trust me with those little messages—and that I am part of something big—in my own life—with a new trail on this journey—and it is starting to feel comforting. I feel gratitude under the sage smoke, fire, and simmering light of intentions.
Monica:
I have gathered a few sacred objects for a ritual we will be attending tomorrow. I've been preparing for this all week—considering what my deepest intention is, what I want to let go of in my life to make space for what I need to receive, and what guidance might be helpful as I journey forward in my life. I came up with these objects that symbolize different aspects of my intention: heartfulness, aim, and wholeness.
Monica:
I went to my coworker's house to help her organize her papers and while we were sorting papers into piles, I looked out her back window and saw a beautiful buck grazing beneath the apple tree in her backyard. My coworker was surprised as the yard was fenced and the deer had to navigate through a narrow side yard to get to the back. I grabbed my camera and started shooting. I saw another pair of antlers turn the corner. Then there were TWO bucks grazing in the back yard. It felt like a renaissance-era painting of the Garden of Eden with the apple tree and the grazing bucks and singing birds in the branches above.
Evelyn:
Late days for me and I barely get home with the energy to figure out meals. Justin was pleased I had half a sub in hand, as he is quickly consuming things around the house. I couldn't help but to capture his ravenous energy at 9:30 at night, making things disappear within just a few chomps.
Evelyn:
All this hard work for this: a world of encouragement, an opportunity, being a part of nurturing other human beings and their dreams and goals, making a difference. Love notes attached.
Monica:
The golden hour is getting earlier each day. I've noticed that the best light is between 3:00 and 4:00 now, even though the sun is setting closer to 5:00. The light is softer, shadows are longer, and everything is more golden but for a briefer time. I just love this light, even though it means I have less of it.
Monica:
I made it out just in time for a rare colorful sunset and moonrise. My grumpiness gave way to a moment of sheer gratitude for another day of beauty and grace.
Evelyn:
Ybor City—Don Vicente Swing Dancing. The drive in is always so interesting, full of light and craziness, parties and restaurants. This venue is one of my favorites, but I get lost on the way in every time. Best exercise of my life has been the dancing that follows the trip into Ybor.
Evelyn:
Enjoyed the MOSI today, and near the end of my visit I stole off to wander the butterfly garden alone. Tremendous variety among butterflies, and the station was unmanned, so I walked into the viewing room and found a basket full of wings and parts situated under a microscope. I loved the variations in color, texture, decoration. Some of us are a bit more modest in our display than others; it seems that carries over into nature.
Monica:
I'm having a hard time transitioning into the shorter days of the season now that we've all had to set our clocks back an hour and it's dark by 6:00 p.m. I've been especially grumpy today, irritated with other people, the weather, anything and everything. Walking down to the beach, I noticed dozens of different mushrooms ripped from the ground and strewn all over the trail in bits and parts.
My irritation level skyrocketed, as I realized mushrooming season has begun and numerous mushroom-seekers are tromping through the woods in search of prized edible mushrooms. There's nothing wrong with harvesting mushrooms; I take issue with the mindless ways people are interacting with the forest, tearing out countless mushrooms that they have no intention of eating or keeping for study, then crushing them and dumping them on the trail. They perhaps don't realize that these mushrooms are a big part of the local ecosystem, growing out of decay, helping to nourish the forest floor in which majestic redwoods and other plant life grows. The mushrooms have their own life cycle that needs to be completed in order to grow again the next year. Treating the mushrooms so disrespectfully is akin to vandalism in my mind. GRRRR. Okay, my rant is over!
Monica:
I spent much of the day deep cleaning our home—dusting surfaces, clearing cobwebs, getting rid of things I haven't used in ages. By the time I finished, it was nearly 2:00. I hadn't eaten anything since the coffee and two slices of toast I had for breakfast and I was too tired to even think of cooking (or messing with my freshly sparkling kitchen.) Michael took me to lunch at North Coast Brewery and the afternoon light was just right to capture reflections on the polished wood table across the way.
Evelyn:
I had a beach walk with a high-school friend, catching up with the trust and fluidity that a good friendship can sustain, despite years and years of distance. It was warm, learning about each others lives, laughing and sharing stories about the lives of others in our old gang or our new gangs. Even in the tangles of life, it is interesting how things connect, how we recognize the teen and the young adult in each of us, despite hitting 40, and maintain a familiar smile.
Evelyn:
In Orlando, waiting in a pocket of unexpected extra time. I parked myself at a dead end to discover the edge of rough marshy terrain salted with yellow wild flowers. It was quiet, overcast, and breezy, and my soul joined the quiet moving dance of blossoms. I wanted to stand in the middle of what looked like a half mile of yellow, and look up to the overcast sky through lovely bright swaying warmth.
Monica:
It rained all today. I went into town to enjoy a leisurely afternoon of window shopping and thrift store hopping. Michael stayed home to nap in his favorite chair.
Monica:
I took the time today to gather some bits of color from the garden to place on the dining room table: a calendula flower, a couple of chive blossoms, and a twig from one of the plum trees on the property. The year is nearing its end and I've been in a contemplative mood, thinking about what I want in my life and what I want to let go of. I am gathering my energy, going within, slowing down for winter.
Evelyn:
I have this great fence around out courtyard. It is slated to be removed and rebuilt, with fresh clean wood and new hinges. However, there is something lovely about how decrepit it is, with rusting nails, rotting wood, and how all kinds of creatures are making homes between the slats. One afternoon we watched birds move in and out of the panels and eat worms and insects. At night, when we push open the gate all kinds of nightlife moves around. I like that it reminds me of rotting trees in the forest, becoming home to other things, returning to the dust it was born of.
Evelyn:
The building where I work is surrounded by jungle, and that jungle manages to creep onto the edges of the of world of work, resistant to the asphalt, glass, and rubber that are in denial of it. Even one of our welcome mats outside the building is completely moss covered... like a reminder to take off my shoes and breathe in the fresh air before I enter the abyss that is office and paper.
Monica:
When I woke up this morning and opened the shade in our bedroom, I saw that it had rained overnight. The rainy season has begun and my afternoon walk confirmed that the wet season is here. Little villages of mushrooms have sprung up from the leaf- and needle-strewn forest floor and raindrops have remained beaded on blades of grass and flower petals throughout the day. The sun isn't warm enough to evaporate them. The scent of forest overpowers the scent of ocean. Just yesterday it was sunny and warm inland. Today it feels like the onset of winter.
Monica:
A quick shot of the morning glory vine still blooming in Adriana & Kevin's yard. It's November and 77° outside. I love California.
Evelyn:
Inspired by an NPR article I bumped into today, I couldn't help but to add a photo of my own suitcase treasure, found in an antique shop in Tucson, AZ. Although I am not the suitcase collector like my sister, I am drawn to old things just the same. Jon Crispin's work triggered my nostalgia for the history my grandmother kept through small artifacts and hat boxes in her closet, and I found myself journeying the photography and web of links on his site for at least an hour. Just a few years back I remember hearing my family question where my grandmother's original engagement ring was. I have always been curious about Grandma's things. Even her purses were a treasure trove of nooks and crannies to investigate. I rummaged through Grandma's closet, sharing what I had remembered from one of my last visits with her before she died. In that time I did the same thing: perusing the artifacts of her life, emptying tins, hat boxes, and shoe boxes to uncover hankies, glasses, old laced pieces, delicate hat pins, photographs, and the collection of stories that followed. We found her ring, and I felt a longing for the days that I could ask her about what she had. She was quite the historian, really, and I am grateful for the little notes she was good at attaching to items she buried away. Perhaps I will photo-archive them next time I have an opportunity.
Evelyn:
The first day of fall for me always follows Halloween. Like clockwork, the temperatures begin shifting more drastically that last day of October, and I am eager to dig through warmer clothing as evening chills edge their way to my bedroom windows. I am exhilarated by my favorite scarf, after a late night massage, and feel gratitude for the things in my life that warm me.
Monica:
It's fascinating to watch a spider go about her routine, wrapping a newly caught fly as she injects it with her anesthetizing poison or simply mending a broken strand of web. There's a spider web on one of the rear view mirrors of our car that I've noticed stays intact in spite of my driving up to 70 mph on the freeway. I suspect the spider is living in the mirror housing. She found the perfect location for harvesting meals as well as staying sheltered and safe.
Monica:
We decided this morning to head to Petaluma for a supply run and a visit with friends. It didn't even occur to me that it was Halloween until we turned onto Petaluma Blvd and saw a parade of angels, demons, superheros, villains, fairies, monsters, and cute little bugs crowding the sidewalks with their trick-or-treat bags in hand. At Kevin & Adriana's house, Kevin let us have the honor of answering the doorbell for trick-or-treaters. I got to hand out the candy while Michael got to jump out wearing the bloody monster mask and wielding a hatchet to scare the kids.
Evelyn:
Ghoulish Glamour. Justin and I went to Les & Delene's to help distribute two storage bins full of candy. Visited by every type of colorful ghoul and princess, we basked in the delight of eager faces, felt gratitude by weary parents to whom we offered water, and chattered between candy eating, nacho chomping, and ongoing hauntings.
Evelyn:
A kid at heart. I think grown-ups love the opportunity to be something other than themselves, putting on a new career, or a new outfit, or even a new personality, just to bask in taking on life in another way. Justin and I attended Delene & Les' 3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving Party where not only the pumpkins were intriguing, but the costumed friends as well!
Monica:
An early evening walk down by the lighthouse. The sky had grayed over and there was a sense of quiet, in spite of the roaring ocean. A mama deer and her teenaged fawn grazed nearby, unperturbed by our footsteps.
Monica:
A group of knitters from Healdsburg rented the Farmhouse this weekend and I found myself "checking up" on them frequently, if only to get a look at their projects and soak up some of their feisty female energy. When I told them that I had a 6-year-old sweater project hidden in the back of my closet that I had given up for dead, they urged me to go get it and join their circle; they would help me out. I ran home and pulled my knitting bag off the closet shelf. When I showed it to them, they admired the yarn and commented that I had done a great job knitting what turned out to be a very complicated pattern. They looked at the pieces, figured out what was wrong, helped me to rip out the parts that needed to be redone, and proclaimed that I was more than capable of finishing that sweater. It felt good to be so encouraged and supported by complete strangers, to be welcomed into their circle of laughter and sharing. And it felt good to bring fresh energy to a project I had long since given up on but always hoped I'd someday have the courage to complete.
Evelyn: An unexpected yet brief trip to Cassadega landed me in shops of every kind of ornament and tarot influenced spiritualistic token. I love the energy of this place, hopeful to return for more adventuring soon. I am always drawn to places like this, expecting that somewhere in my history it has been a part of me in some way. I usually walk away with a stone or something that fits in my hand, however, this time I carried just my camera to capture the colors.
