Ready for Some Good News?

I sure am, and so for a few days I'm gong to avoid the Internet and cable news - I've had enough of the negatives, especially the never-ending political blather spewed forth 24 hours a day. I'm more than ready to turn away from the negatives and concentrate on the positives: our four grandchildren, good health, and the upcoming holidays.

And all the while I will thank God for our blessings of family, friends, and the freedoms we should never take for granted, because the world it is a changing. 

Over the last few weeks I have witnessed the best of the fall season with amazing colors, bright blue skies, and warm temperatures. Most days have been picture-perfect. 

So my advice is to look around you and rather than focusing on the endless news cycles, pop in seasonal DVDs, make some popcorn, and hug your family.

My Favorite Time of Year

As I reflect on the beauty of each season, it's difficult to choose my favorite time of the year.

When April and May roll around, I always say, "Ah, this is my favorite time of the year!" This spring was especially lovely with the flowering trees, greening grasses, and the plethora of blossoms of all shapes and scents.The tulips, daffodils, and primroses gave way to roses, lavender, and our spring and summer perennials of all shapes and sizes.

Early June was changeable with its warming days, coolish nights, and occasional thunderstorms.This year robins pecked their way through the vent screens and made a nest in our attic.The sound just about drove our kitty crazy. She could hear the chicks chirping, but couldn't figure out where they were hiding. As soon as the winged family left, we patched up the hole. There was a limit to our hospitality.

I wanted to hold onto each moment June provided because I knew July and August would bring the heat and triple digits. Faded rose petals, patches of dry grass, and hot nights seemed to linger until mid-September. Fast forward to October and I declared, "This is my favorite time of year." The warm autumn colors are clinging to the trees and the sounds of migrating Canadian geese fill the skies. They are reminders winter is not long in coming.

The hardy geese will remain to feed on the golf courses and parks and then lay eggs along the river banks. Spring comes again and life burst forth. The cycle begins anew.

Each season holds a special place in my heart and I'm grateful to live in a region where I experience the fullness of Nature's changing seasons. So, here's to my favorite time of year, no matter what the calendar says.

Autumn Nights

Chorus of crickets harmonizing as a soft breeze

combs the trees,

branches gently swaying...

Harvest moon winking at me through filmy clouds 

in the autumn sky,

a familiar face.

Memories flood back. I close my eyes recalling

games of hide 'n seek

with childhood friends...

Running, tripping in the dark through yards,

over rock and bushes

to touch Home Base.

Autumn's cool breath mixing with summer's

waning warmth beckons me

to stay and listen...

But turning a deaf ear to go inside and close

the door and miss

the chance to rest.

Tonight I pray Old Man Moon and cricket friends

resume their autumn play

for an audience of one...

Sitting in my Adirondack chair, head back,

absorbing the sight and sounds

of nature's best.

Change - It's good even when it hurts.

Gosh, it's been thirteen months since I've updated my blog. Briefly, it's been one heck of a year. But I'm back on track and anticipate the coming year with the growth, challenges, and surprises it will bring. Our family dynamics have changed with the maturing of our three grandsons, and I am grateful for the love and joy they bring to our lives.

My writing has changed direction a bit, as I am focused on my first novel, as well as a fictional short story for an anthology which will be published sometime next year. But my first love is writing Memoir. Joining a critique group a few months ago has been challenging. It helps me see what I need to work on, throw out, and improve, but the reinforcement, encouragement, and camaraderie is invaluable. If you are a writer, I encourage you to join a writers' support group or critique group that fits your needs. We need to leave our solitary offices and meet regularly with other writers.

Have a wonderful fall and coming winter season  Talk to you soon. I promise. . .

Ode to Fall

Creatures of the Night

As night falls, I hurry home

switch on lights, close doors
to the cold night air
and imagine the Boogey Man
outside, in the dark,
ready to pounce.

Sundown comes
filmy clouds drift
across the blackened canvas
to kiss the star-dappled sky
painted purposefully, perfectly
by One more skilled than any mortal.

On velvet pads

nightlife crawls over wet grasses,
along woody branch,
through their realm
unseen by man
one hundred times as large.

Why fear what is hidden?
Nocturnal life lives in twilight.
Where I stumble, predators are agile.
Cats fleet of foot, owls dive with
unblinking amber eyes opened wide;
they survive another day.

Invisible world could teach me to trust,
to open windows and doors,
tiptoe outside, breathe night air,
creep over damp soil,
look under leafy screens,
meet creatures one thousand times as small.

To appreciate lesser inhabitants

may be contrary to human logic,
but to embrace the universal plan
set in motion purposefully, perfectly
by Him eons ago
is worth the endeavor.

Labor Day, Back to School, New Beginnings

My favorite time of year is here. Even though Labor Day isn't the first day of fall, it feels like it to me. The nighttime temp got down to 45 degrees and the daytime temps will be in the low eighties. For our area, that's just about perfect.

It's time to plant winter pansies, green and burgundy colored kale, yellow mums, and to trim the dried rose blooms off; they are just about done for the year.

It's been a hectic summer here at home and my writers' critique group took a hiatus; thus, my writing projects suffered. Although I did enter four literary contests this season. Results of three are to come in October. When I write to specifications and deadlines, I turn out my best work.

I have had my new computer only two days and already I am at it more, updating my blogs, checking in on others', and I've even cleaned out my office. Fall does that to me. It reminds me of the "Back to School" feeling when I was a youngster: new clothes, new books, new teachers, and the promise of an exciting year.

Happy Labor Day, one and all. Check in on my blogs. I promise to update them more often. To read about my memoir, Through the Tunnel of Love, A Mother's and Daughter's Journey With Anorexia, as well as some of my short stories, poems, and essays go to:  www.authorsden.com/donelleknudsen

Fall is in the Air

No matter where I live or visit, the fall season has always been my favorite time of year. Except for September 1988 when our family was transferred to eastern Washington state. No one in our family was happy at the idea of being uprooted, and I was sure I'd never be happy again. I fought the move with every fiber of my being, but I thank God that He knew what was best for us. Personally, I have been blessed beyond belief and I find myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to grow in more ways than I can count.

It's funny, but just when circumstances seem to take a turn for the worse and options run out, that's when fate, God, destiny, whatever you choose to call it, steps in to make things right.

2008 has been, perhaps, the happiest time of my life in recent years. I know just as the tides ebb and flow, so will good fortune, but this year I relish every day, every event, every moment, and every breath I take.