Seasons challenge at IA

It’s Autumn

The challenge theme at Inspiration Avenue this week is Seasons.

Here is my (undoubtedly) unpopular view on Autumn.

The Autumn always gets me badly, as it breaks into colors.

I want to go south, where there is no autumn, 

where the cold doesn't crouch over one 

like a snow leopard waiting to pounce.

~ D. H. Lawrence

Me, thinking about winter.

I hope you're enjoying the weekend, and if you love autumn

like everyone else I know, may you have plenty of colorful leaves,

apple cider, pumpkin carving, and brisk walks through the fallen leaves :-)

IA Weekly Challenge

Autumn

We're still hanging on to summer here. 

Although the temperatures have turned cool, there is still 

predominant green from all the rain we've had lately. 

And I'll be happy to have the green around a bit longer.

But painting a girl named Autumn has put me

in the mood for Fall's stunning colors.

I've been seeing pumpkins, mums, and cornstalks

appearing in the markets. There is always a

sense of anticipation and abundance in the Fall.

Suddenly I'm longing to replace my tired potted

summer flowers with something orange or yellow!

I don't have a story for this painting.

It's probably just too obvious that the girl

is daydreaming on the porch with a cup of tea.

Has the book she's reading caused the dreaming?

Or is she having a hard time concentrating on her

book because of the dreams circling in her mind?

The challenge at Inspiration Avenue this week is 

Autumn Splendor.

Be sure to pop over there to see the entries in the challenge!

They'll all be posted Sunday afternoon.

"Autumn" will be in my Etsy shop.

Have a wonderful Sunday whatever season it is ~

whether it's still summer where you live 

or if you have moved on to autumn . . .

. . . or, like our friends waaay down south, 

you are beginning to enjoy the springtime ;-)

Beach Treasures at IA

Forgotten Treasure

 Angie of Artangel really sent me 

out of my comfort zone on this IA challenge.

Beach Treasures is the theme this week.

I love beach treasures.

I collect beach treasures.

I have a humongous basket of sea shells,

and enough sand dollars to open a sand dollar store.

But since the days too long ago to count,

when I lived at the beach and painted

watercolors of beach scenes,

I haven't painted any beach treasures.

Practice makes perfect,

and no practice makes a mess.

After a few false starts, this is my

beach treasure painting.

I was intrigued by the idea of the

splendid treasures we pick up and then

leave lying around forgotten when we think

maybe they're not that special after all.

Like this conch shell sitting forgotten on the chair arm.

In my mind, it's autumn and the beachcomber has

gone home (to the big city maybe), totally

forgetting the beautiful conch shell.

Perhaps while daydreaming in her little cubical

she realizes she never packed the shell

and wonders if it's still sitting there

on the arm of the chair.

Hmmm...well right now it is.

In the top photo, sunlight was streaming in

the window, and I don't normally photo my

paintings that way, but I couldn't resist.

The pic above is without the sunshine, 

rather more boring.

Now that I have opened my new Etsy shop,

HeARToftheMagpie

I can say the painting is in my shop! Yay!

When I said I was out of my comfort zone,

it's apparent when I see this in my shop.

This one has no whimsy, no cute girls,

no bright colors, nothing humorous...

it's the exact opposite of everything else there.

Which is a good thing, because

variety is the spice of life!

They say.

Please check out all the beach treasure art

at Inspiration Avenue. You'll be glad you did!

I will be linking this up with 

Paint Party Friday also

since I finally completed something in time :)

Go see the incredible artists' work there too!

Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

November

The theme this week at Inspiration Avenue is

The Forest for the Trees

the inspiration of Judy,  from Judy Goddard, Artisan.

I love trees, and got to thinking about them.

I know it's easy to miss the big picture 

by concentrating too much on the details. 

But. 

The opposite is also true. Sometimes we miss 

something important by taking too broad a view. 

 Imagine . . . you're walking through the forest,

a chill wind blowing on a brisk November afternoon.

Leaves are underfoot, but none remain on the trees.

Easy to miss the entrance to a fairy domicile

tucked among the roots of an ancient oak tree. . .

Even though the lights are blazing and smoke 

from the cooking fire is pouring out of the chimney?

You might think the tiny lights and the moss-green door 

are some last bright autumn foliage.

And that pungent, smoky aroma . . . isn't that just

the smell of burning leaves in the November dusk?

Look a little closer. . .

If you knocked on the door to beg for some warmth

in the autumn chill, would you be invited in?

Whine? Who, Me?

I have noticed that Fall is the favorite

time of year for so many people.

I used to love Fall.

 Until I realized it is just a big scam by Mother Nature

to distract us from what will be coming next.

Around here ~ which is western Pennsylvania ~

the Autumn vistas are quite spectacular.

Stunning golden trees that look like they

are lit from within. Blazing reds and oranges.

Wood smoke in the crisp, cooler air.

Wonderful displays in front yards

of pumpkins, scarecrows, mums,

and cornstalks placed there by neighbors

who count Fall as their favorite time of year.

And of course, Halloween.

One of the funnest holidays around.

The magnificence of the autumn display

seems to be in direct proportion to the

awfulness of the winter to come.

Look at New England.

I'm sure autumn is even more spectacular

there than here. That's where all the

Leaf Peepers go, isn't it?

And if there's one place I'd dislike

more to spend the winter than here,

it would be there.

On the other hand, what about  Southern California?

I can only say this because
I was one of these people myself ~

Californians desperately pretend autumn

is a season there, trying to get in the spirit.

And moan about how they miss the changing

of the seasons. Then they glide right through

November, December, January, and February

in glorious sunshine with outside temperatures

hovering around what our furnaces are

struggling to maintain inside the house.

I want to go back there!! Please!
I promise to never complain again
about no seasons!

Autumn comes and goes so quickly.

It seems one day you are admiring

the maple tree in the neighbors' yard

and next thing you know,  it's Thanksgiving
and the views outside give new meaning
to the term "monochromatic".
Brown, brown and more brown.
Like a moon landscape, but browner.

Alright, enough whining and whinging.

I love the verb 'to whinge'.

Whinge: Complain persistently and in a peevish or irritating way.

It seems more descriptive than 'whine', which

sounds too much like a delightful beverage.

And I realize that is exactly what I'm doing ha!

(Whinging, not drinking wine.)

So. I think I have just enough time to go to
the market, buy some pumpkins and mums,

dig out my Fall decorations, and make
an awesome display in the front yard.

Did I mention I love Autumn?

Odd Weather

We cooked chicken on the grill tonight, and tried to imagine that it is not 10 days before Thanksgiving. We have had the most spectacular run of warm weather ~ it's going to be a huge shock when the weather starts acting like it should and we get blasted with our first real taste of winter. The temperature has been in the mid-sixties all day and it is still relatively balmy at night. So we had grilled chicken, potato salad, sliced tomatoes . . . you could almost imagine it was two months earlier.

I don't know what you call this weather. It's not Indian Summer; "Autumn" doesn't seem right ~ the leaves are all off the trees already; it's just Odd.

We are somewhere between this:

and this:

Probably a whole lot closer to this. Ugh.

Eulogy for Five-and-a-Half Trees

There's something different about fall this year. Last fall I gave the OK for (to me) the unthinkable: I caved and agreed to have 5 huge poplar trees removed from our backyard. It's so sad to me to cut down a tree. I love trees. But these trees were a very unfortunate choice for a small city yard. They were planted about 15 years ago by the previous owner, who obviously also loved trees. She apparently just didn't realize the scope of these particular trees. Originally there were 6 trees; one died of natural causes about 5 years ago. And to make myself feel better about being a tree-murderer, I remind myself this species of tree is not long-lived: they were reaching the end of their existence. So it was more like euthanasia.

Every August the leaves would begin falling off these trees at an alarming rate. We would literally be knee-deep in leaves if we didn't rake feverishly from August through October. Mr. Magpie was in a bad mood for 3 months, and Magpie Jr. would do more complaining than raking until I dismissed him to save my own sanity (bad parenting, I know). We would spend an afternoon raking, and the next morning it looked like we had never been there.

Those trees were a thorn in our collective sides (to put it nicely), but the day the tree guys came was bittersweet. I remembered the sweet shade in the hot summer months that they gave us. I knew the climate of the backyard would be forever changed: all the shade-loving perennials I had planted over the years would now be stressed (and they were, this summer). The patio would now be in need of at least an umbrella to alleviate the heat (and it was, but I never got around to buying one). One thing I missed that I never thought of til it happened, was the sound of the breeze sifting through the treetops. The backyard was silent this summer.

Before I begin to weep at the thought of my favorite squirrels, who lost their homes, and the perplexed birds who found new places to roost, I will shift my thoughts back to the leaves, or lack thereof. And the neighbors on either side of us, who eyed those trees warily during wind storms. Even though our yard is fenced, those same neighbors raked their share of our leaves, not once complaining (at least not to our faces!). Since I do like both sets of neighbors, I can take comfort in their new leaf-free state.


We had a few estimates (okay more than a few) on the cost of removing these trees. Another reason for weeping, but never mind. Every one of the (very knowledgeable and experienced) tree guys shook their heads and tsked-tsked, implying that they were the wrong trees in the wrong place. So, I miss those trees, but realize it was all for the best. When I talk about planting new, more appropriate trees, Mr. Magpie turns white as a sheet and refuses to talk about it. Well, maybe someday when I find the perfect tree.

Listen! The wind is rising,

and the air is wild with leaves.

We've had our summer evenings,

now for October eves!

— Humbert Wolfe

The Birds and the Bugs

We planted a nectarine tree about five years ago for the birds and the bugs to enjoy, and they did enjoy it immensely this past summer, as evidenced by all the misshapen, half-eaten little fruits lying on the ground. Same with the apple tree, which we didn't plant because it came with our 80+ year old house. The apple tree may be close to that in age! One project on my "definite" list is to have the apple tree pruned back into shape.

Since I am not a fan of putting chemicals in my yard, and I am probably too lazy to do what the organic fruit growers do, the birds and bugs will enjoy those trees for years to come. The squirrels love the apple tree, but I've never seen them show any interest in nectarines.




September is a time for going through the garden and trying not to get upset at the mistakes of the previous spring and summer, but to keep them all in mind to fix next year. The grapes were poor this year. My fault for not pruning them earlier. But again, they are keeping the birds happy!

The red twig dogwood must be the ugliest autumn shrub; the leaves shrivel to a disgusting color and hang there, refusing to fall. But they redeem themselves in the winter when the stems turn a brilliant red that glow in the sun against the snow. Beautiful!

It's even a little hard to look at your successes, because they were so gorgeous just a month ago and now also look pretty sad. Some things still look pretty good. The sedum is especially pretty this year. The morning glories just don't want to quit. They reseed themselves each year, and this year they just exploded all over the yard.

This must have been a good year for the honeybees. I saw quite a few, and in past years it seemed like they had all but disappeared. In fact it reminded me of one more thing from childhood! Remember going barefoot and stepping on a bee? There were so many on the clover growing in the lawn, that we had to be careful not to get stung. I don't remember having to do that for many years!

Enjoy autumn while it lasts!

Autumn is On the Way! 

Summer is winding down. Signs are all around: children's voices from the bus stop in the morning, the potted plants looking a little overblown, the robins have been gone for three weeks now (why do they leave so early??) , and the nights are cooler (yay for sleeping and turning off the AC to get a fresh breeze in the morning).

So I've been perusing my favorites on Etsy and notice that I have many awesome things earmarked to buy someday (some are purely in my dreams when I get many more $$$$ than I have right now). But I was noticing a distinct theme that matches the mood and the season.

First is something I have had as a favorite thing for a while now. These are the most enchanting Fairy Doors! And the prices are ultra-reasonable! I don't know what I am waiting for, maybe to find the most perfect spot to put one, someplace the fairies hang out and would love a new entrance to their magical place. Visit NothinButWood and you will be enchanted too. We could all use a little more enchantment!




Next is something that even made my husband smile, and he is usually unmoved when I say 'you've got to come and see this cute/awesome/enchanting item I found on Etsy!' This guy looks exactly like his little cat Oliver right down to the stripes and the head-tilted smile! Marjji's Black Forest Cat conjures up images of autumn in the Black Forest, but it's no place for this innocent little cutie!





I am in love with charm bracelets and I didn't even know it until I was introduced to some amazing ones on Etsy. Here is one that I think is oo-la-la and it even has an autumn theme. KatherineCooper's Autumn Hedgerow Charm Bracelet makes autumn even more stunning than it already is. You will rival the flaming maple tree in your front yard when you wear this! And I'm not sure, but I'll bet it jingles enticingly when you move around. Well, I will have to dream on about this one...

Next and last one for today; I actually have to get some work done (horrors), but couldn't stop before including this.


I don't know what this has to do with autumn unless it is autumn baking, but this is too good to leave out. I love to bake (and eat) and I loved Julia Child, so it is all good. I love collages too, so there you go. Without further ado (I am much too guilty of ado) here is an enchanting collage from AnnaCreates. I love the sentiment in the quote. Life is too short to worry about fat, although too much fat might make life shorter altogether. There's an original quote from moi, sorry! This would be great hanging in a kitchen!




Adios for now. Have a happy and creative day!