(Leafbox, from previous Friday Favorite Chris Appelhans)
November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.
With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.
The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.
~ Clyde Watson
It is almost unfathomable to me that it is All Saint’s Day…November 1st. Something ominous happened over the last 31 days, I feel like I lost touch with reality somewhere along the way. The month of October was a complete blur, one in which I read alot but only finished one book. One is which my blog posts became as erratic the see-sawing temperatures. Too few horror films, too few posts, and procrastination that hit an all time high are highlights of the last month. It is not as if I didn’t enjoy myself as there were some wonderful days. More than anything I seem to have matured ever so slightly and have spent the last month actually going to bed at a decent time rather than staying up late (which is my most productive time usually). Never fear, irresponsibility will soon rise and I’ll be back to late nights and more frequent blog posts! I am sorry for the delays and the excuses and the lack over the past month.
Autumn is the eternal corrective. It is ripeness and color and a time of maturity;
but it is also breadth, and depth, and distance. What man can stand with autumn
on a hilltop and fail to see the span of his world and the meaning of the rolling
hills that reach to the far horizon?
~ Hal Borland
Enough with apologies, it is November, a month that means alot to me: It is my birthday! It is also Neil Gaiman’s birthday on the 10th, so expect some posts that have something to do with him. Despite their theatrical release in December, November has always meant Lord of the Rings to me. I think this mostly has to do with the fact that the extended DVD releases happened in November, so expect some LOTR related posts as well. It also means more time reveling in the gothic as the days grow longer and the nights turn colder. And late November means Christmas decorations go up, Thanksgiving meals are enjoyed, and a football game looms in my future.
The thinnest yellow light of November is more warming and
exhilarating than any wine they tell of. The mite which November
contributes becomes equal in value to the bounty of July.
~ Henry David Thoreau
Since we had cute, charming Halloween guests last night the true October round up will have to wait until tomorrow. Happy November 1st everyone, I look forward to sharing the month and the season with you all.
So dull and dark are the November days.
The lazy mist high up the evening curled,
And now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze;
The place we occupy seems all the world.
~ John Clare, November
Hey…you changed your banner too!
Tis the season!
I feel like someone tip-toed into my house and stole October right from under me. How the heck did November happen?
Yea for birthdays and for LOTR!!
The girls woke up this morning and immediately began playing with their Barbie magnets. Lydia got a cookie sheet which worked perfect as a big magnetic surface. Lydia was excited to go to school and use her bubble pencil. Thanks for the cute goodie bags for them. The girls had a great time! Thanks to for the yummy pizza. We’ve wanted to have you guys over for dinner, but Mary said a few weeks ago that you were booked. Just let us know when you’re free. I’d love to return the favor and feed y’all!
Your house is fun to go to on Halloween with all the fun decorations inside and out! Thanks again!
Love the new banner! Or should I say, I love Viggo! 😉
November is an excellent month. I like your new banner and your poems very much. Have a great November birthday and celebrate all month!
I plan to!!!
I hope you have a fantastic birthday month! Wish I could have a marathon LOTR movie watching!
That’s our plan, I can’t wait. I’ve never watched them all three in one sitting, should be entertaining and draining.
Bask in the glow of irresponsibility, I say… Here’s to a fantastic November!
I love fall and posts like this make me remember to appreciate it. Here’s to a crisp but sunny and slower paced November!
LOTR is an all winter long thing for me that starts in November. We’ve got it on CD read by Rob Ingliss. have yoou heard them? They are fabulous! And I was just thinking the other day that it was about time to give them a listen, winter being on the way and all.
So glad I found your blog. I too, celebrate a November birthday and always wished I’d been born in the Spring. You’ve found poems that actually have some lovely things to say about this month of diminished light.Thanks!
I love that ‘Leafbox’ picture! I can’t believe it will be winter soon. Fall passes by way too quickly.
Happy Birthday Carl! I just had mine on the 31st. Love this season! 🙂
I’m a little disappointed in the art work re-do. I so enjoy new and fresh pictures everyday, not the cheezy re-runs. It’s stifling my artistic apprecitation. Stifling.
S. and I have been looking at each other and saying
“how in the world is NOvember here? How? How?” –
It’s comforting to see the sentiment echoed elsewhere…
Sorry Tom, I’ll try to be more inspiring in the near future! 😉