I See What You Meme

It's an odd time of year. The seasons are in flux. The days are getting markedly shorter. We have shifted from waking up in the dark to driving home in the dark.  One day, the weather requires jackets and gloves.  The next day, you're wearing shorts and sweating in the sun.  All of this chaos seems to breed instability.  I am all but convinced that is why our collective unconscious uses this time of year to celebrate the dead .   Does that sound morbid?  Halloween in itself is a dichotomy between fanciful fantasy and morbid horror.  It's a day to be someone (or something) we are not. For some, that could be a kitty cat, a princess, or a cartoon character.  For others, it's a zombie or a grotesque monster.  Are we communing with the dead, scaring away the demons, or just playing make believe in an effort to escape that which we fear?  In the Christian tradition, Halloween is followed by All Saints Day. Although technically celebrat...

As the weather turns slowly from summer to fall, I am increasingly aware of other changes making their way into my life.  I don't fear change. In fact, I know that change is a "normal" part of the life process. If we push too hard against inevitable change, we meet resistance and frustration.  Sometimes, though, changes come on so slowly that we don't even notice the gradual shift until the "new" has been fully replaced by "the old". Some gradual changes... I'm writing less on a formal basis these days. There was no conscious decision about this. I have just become more involved in other things.  I still think about writing quite a bit and I often write "for myself" (journaling, etc.) but I am blogging on a less frequent basis and my writing for other publications has slowed down. It's ok because I know that everything cycles back around eventually. I'm reading more.  I had gone for a long time without reading f...

I often feel that February is the longest month.   I realize that in terms of actual  days, it takes up the smallest space on the calendar.  However, February is the last full month of winter. For those of us who live in the land of seasons, it can be dark, cold, wet, and downright gloomy.  The seasonal cheer of Christmas is far behind us.  Valentines day is done.  The season of Lent is upon us, so for Christians, this is a time of sacrifice and reflection.  The days can drag on. It is around this time every year that I feel the itch of spring.  The Earth is feeling it as well.  Our bulbs are inching their way to the surface.  The leaves are making their final free-falls from some of our trees in an effort to make space for new buds and leaves. The stores are filling with Easter baskets, pastel dresses, and (heaven forbid!) bathing suits.  We have days where the temperature barely pushes 45 degrees.  On other days, we are...

    Photo taken March 20, 2011 What season are we in? Has anyone invented a solar powered leaf vacuum yet? I need one.   Anybody got a match?