Saturday was a day for errands, finding good deals (warm gloves for less than 50c!), exploring a bookstore and mini art show, working on my book in a comfy leather chair in the library with a beautiful view of the redwoods and the rain, including a woman playing barefoot with her dog in the creek.
Also got out for a walk to Cascade Falls (vibrant spray in my face!) and saw outdoor sculptures at O’Hanlon Center for the Arts.
Today’s new year omen was seeing the glistening drops on trees that have almost completely bare branches except for a few clinging brown leaves. To me these trees are beautiful, even without green leaves and budding flowers. They have a different kind of beauty when you can see their structure, the stark outline against the gray sky, raindrops clinging to them. Yesterday seeing the sun making them sparkle was magical. This time of bareness shows that in order to grow, we need to let go of things we no longer need. When the leaves drop it allows more light in when the days are darker. We need energy to nourish ourselves through the winter and to be able to put out new grow when we are ready. It doesn’t make us any less worthy if we aren’t as outwardly productive. There’s a lot of growth going on internally during this time. What a boring world it would be if the trees always stayed full and green, we never got to see them in their majestic fall colors or their bright green buds or blossoms.
August 24 memories – going to Tennessee Valley Beach on a foggy day, another ridge trail hike with Julie, taking care of Nata and Kris’s cat, Elvira. Seeing the movie PlanetWalker and getting to hear from both the director and the subject, spending lots of time outside of work with mom and the family in the hospital – Covid, surgery and lots of health issues. Everyone being super supportive, getting to know the walkway by Marin General, Emmy getting to go to Hawaii, going to Tennessee Valley Beach at sunset – absolutely beautiful! Mom getting transferred to Smith Ranch, going to Point Reyes and camping at Olema campground (seeing cute Frenchies there), seeing a beautiful sunset at Limantour Beach, elk and whales spouting and another beautiful sunset – lots of sunsets this month. I needed lots of time at the beach, it was a hard month.