There is beauty in everything . . . MUSICA
What a week!
(Jack says hello too . . .)
Hurricane Sandy has sort of taken over Halloween for me. Knowing lives were lost, hearts are broken, homes were swept away, dreams of a lifetime burned, there are millions of people with no electricity, much less all the other problems this storm has caused, makes it sad. I know we will celebrate tonight, because life goes on, and it’s the right thing to do, I sent my disaster money to the Red Cross, and now, we do have children coming! Something must be done!
No matter what, to me, every bit of Mother Nature is beautiful; something as small as these dewy webs on the wire fence of our place in California for example, maybe not be beautiful or special to everyone, but to me, with the fog coming through the trees across the fields, I think it’s beautiful, and perfect for the season . . .
Another image I love is this spider, with the green swirls on his back; he’s only a decoration on the door of a shop . . . I couldn’t help but take this picture… the rough paint and the old door knob and key hole are pretty too.
Look at these wonderful little white squashes we saw in a farm stand on our trip around New England. Like little ghosts. They said Nature’s Halloween to me too . . .
And this little guy . . . on our door step …. pretty little thing, almost like a drawing, his fingers all splayed.
Which is exactly what we will be doing tonight. We have lots of children coming to the door, expecting candy, candles, and pumpkins, and good adults that make things nice for them, that’s our job.
Our ghost is in the window and ready . . .
Our pumpkins are all carved . . . this little mouse will have to wait until after Halloween for his pumpkin pie.
They say the cream rises to the top, and of course it is true, and the cream is rising from this disaster; brave, everyday heroes are coming forward, neighbors comfort neighbors, faraway neighbors in California and Montana are helping neighbors in New Jersey, we are all in this together, money is flowing in, because this is a wonderful country full of wonderful people. And as horrible as this was, when you think of other Nature disasters around the world the last few years, it could have actually been even worse. Especially here on the island.
I almost feel guilty, we are so lucky; for some reason, this hurricane hooked around Cape Cod and let this tiny speck of an island in the Atlantic go by. This photo was taken out on the walk Joe and I have gone on almost every day since 1990 . . . so very beautiful and special out there, it would break my heart if it disappeared, but of course it could . . . I call this view “Ireland,” and always say that our walks there are the best part of my day; to me, it’s Mother Nature in perfection.
But so, in a way, is this . . . the same view about five hours before the first high tide came rolling in, over the water, to the trees in all their autumn colors.
Just in case we ever begin to think we are in charge, something like “Sandy” reminds us that we are no match for Mother Nature. I still have no idea how they could ever evacuate Martha’s Vineyard if it somehow became necessary. Would we have to leave our pets and farm animals behind? No one would go. The ferry would have to be like Noah’s Ark.
This is the sandy road we walk every day; it’s on a very narrow strip of land . . . I’ve never seen it under water before . . . on the left is the pond, and about 100 feet to the right, is the sound. We went out to take pictures early on, but we were safe inside when the brunt of the storm came through.
Here’s the sound, and the beach we usually walk on…. before the surge . . .
I was surprised to see so many little boats left to ride out the storm, usually when a hurricane is on the way, all the boats are taken off the water. This is a view from the Steamship dock in Vineyard Haven. The strongest image I have of the whole thing is the noise the wind made, howling over the water, and through the trees.
We went to bed that night, feeling small, tattered leaves flying off the trees, flicking at the windows like a ticker tape parade, kitties close, candles near by just in case. We woke in the morning, going to every window at first light, peeking out to see what happened; relieved to see the trees still standing, that everything was still here. But, we worried, how was the rest of the coast . . .
When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. ♥ John Muir
Yesterday afternoon, I was making Chili for the neighborhood Halloween Party we’re having tonight, and went out to take a picture of this view from our porch; blue skies were smiling on me; the whole island had been washed clean. And this morning, now that the water has receded, as soon as it gets light, we are going out on our walk, to see how it looks out there.
During the storm, our wreath blew off the front door and went tumbling down the street; Jack and I happened to see it go from my studio window . . . Jack’s ears perked up like little soldiers and I ran outside, got blown down the street myself, but I grabbed it and brought it in to dry. Tonight we’ll put the wreath back on the door, light the pumpkins, and be grateful that we can, and think of our dear neighbors in New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York; how tired they must be. We’ll hand out the candy for them; and send prayers from over the water for the rebuilding of their dreams, and in case anyone is reading this, just so you know, our hearts are with you. ♥
Despite everything, this is a beautiful world; a gift from God, this little speck floating out alone in space, our world to protect as best we can and love. xoxo Take care Girlfriends, Have a happy, healthy, and safe Halloween!
As usual, I am not willing to pay a huge amount of money for these things when I know for a fact that if I am patient I will find them at a price that seems SO good, I am proud all day because I waited.
These linens are hanging on a quilt rack — so handy for everything, from quilts, to drying towels in guest rooms, so if you see one, you might want to get it … I found a green one on our New England trip for $35. Oh yes!
