exquisite floral plates in this British book

frost

This morning when I let the dog out there was frost on the grass. His pawsteps sounded crisp on the grass. Must be cold on his pads. In the east, dawn was yellow and the sun not above the horizon. A Carolina wren was making liquid music and a couple of crows cawed. Morning traffic made a low background hiss. A bark at the bear-like black dog who lives in the yard with the swimming pool. His owners were pulling in in their van. Do they work at night?

I would have taken a frost picture, but Kamath insists on going out on the porch with me and it is easier to hold him than catch him if I let him down.

Pink streaks were rising in the northwest and a siren sounding as I let Buddy in the screen door. Dogs bathroom breaks are a lot more interesting than ours.

an attractive pearl trimming

Look at the pretty card of buttons I scored in Hendersonville Friday.

Last Harvest

trolls

Yesterday we went for a walk in the woods and found this troll house.




















And this troll

Maiden Spinster

I believe there were days when
you could not bear to spin.
trapped on your low stool.
It became a task too cruel
while outside sunlight burned,
banners snapped crisp,
and hoof beats fell like laughter.
But in winter when dark wrapped
close and wind racked rock
you were glad of colored fire
and crimped wool with lanolin
that could not work if cold.

Autumn Gold

I don't have many pictures of Autumn, aka Fuzzy. But
Here is a poem (not a great one)I wrote about him. I don't know when.
He vanished just after Katrina devastated New Orleans and I was still frantic for Jane who was trapped in her house with a phone line that friends and family could call in on, but she couldn't call out. Bad days, those were.

Scent Lessons

lavender boiling
ripped grocery bag yielding faint blue of hydrocarbon
fruit spilling orange, yellow, bruised, cheap
You, blonde, big Norwegian
once human
now lie on the flooring of old oak and poly (whatever that is)
watching with those greengold circles
me cleaning
your litter
stale male urine wafting, marking
your place
to you an alphabet of knowledge
the a b c's of cat