Goodbye Autumn, I'll Miss You

     Snow! This is what greeted me at 7am on my way to work today! Yesterday had been another blissful, autumn day, that I had taken lazily, for granted. Autumn, like it's predecessor season, is cruelly short-lived in Wisconsinland. Too readily, Wisconsin defaults to the extremism of the long, bitter, northern winter: a rather sadistic state wouldn't you say?! I love the breathtaking bursts of colour-as creation takes on her most lavish garb-the slight chill in the air, wooly socks, and cozy cardigans, all washed down with a generous mug of pumpkin spiced latte: and all this is gone in a matter of weeks. Wisconsinland is not kind to my favourite season.

     Today was a blustery, icebox, interrupted periodically by shy, snow flurries. This is only the beginning my friend, WINTER IS COMING! And she is not kind. Still, even in the death of the world around me, there is an eerie beauty in the bare tree branches, and the silver grey sky. Best of all, the close of Autumn and the commencement of Winter brings me one day closer to being back on Irish soil once more. More on that later. In the meantime, let's send Autumn out with the dignity she deserves.          

"Hello, hello, hello, hello,

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye,goodbye,

That's all there is.

And the leaves that are green turn to brown." 

Stranger Side

       

A funny little heart in a funny little box, never take it out cos it might get dropped...

....bottle up and hide, tell a little lie if you must.

See the crooked man trying to walk a crooked mile, see the crooked lady with her crooked little smile...

...they see us as we pass and they don't know what to make of us...

...cos you and I, we see a stranger side of things...

...you and I

...we dream a stranger kind dream

...we walk a weirder side of the street.

          Happy Valentines Day! Yep that dreaded/loved/tolerated day of love/misery/pink has come and gone again, and I'm kind of sad to see it go! I was going to post today as a Bit Of Ridiculous #2 but I feel like I've said all I need to say about valentines in other posts so I decided just to be semi-happy about valentines, because it is just another day, and I like most days!

         This valentines, I got many sweet gifts from sweet friends, went to the Northland vrs Maranatha game (which we won!), was blessed by a wonderful, happy, splendidly, ridiculously fun, surprise visit from my bestie Heather Jerome, and can't get Gabrielle Aplin song lyrics out of my head!

        How was your valentines? Ridiculous or ridiculous? 

I've got this friend...

I've got this friend...

...I don't think you know her.

She sings a simple song...

...it sounds a lot like his.

It'd be a shame if they never meet.

Triona, I'm so glad we've reconnected this past year. You have been such a good friend to me. I'm going to miss you like crazy!! Thanks for spending this wonderful day at Miss Courtney's Tea Room. 

Crimson

Image by Marion Boddy Evans

One choice. One tree. One fall for humanity.

Image by Matthew Town

One lie. One liar. One bite, is all death required. One great regret. One squandered chance, and yet...

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...one hope. One day. One name above all other names.

One bridge between then and now.

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One way to discover how.

One price. One tree. One drop of crimson covers me.