One Last Autumn Poem

Alatus
by Richard Wilbur

Their supply-lines cut,
The leaves go down to defeat,
Turning, flying, but

Bravely so, the ash
Shaking from blade and pennon
May light's citron flash;

And rock maple, though
Its globed array be shivered,
Strews its fallen so

As to mock the cold,
Blanketing earth with earnest
Of a summer's gold.

Still, what sumac-gore
Began, and rattling oak shall
End, is not a war;

Nor are leaves the same
(Though May come back in triumph),
Crumpled once by flame.

This time's true valor
Is a rash consent to change,
To crumbling pallor,

Dust, and dark re-merge.
See how the fire-bush, circled
By a crimson verge

Of its own sifting,
Bristles aloft its every
Naked stem, lifting

Beyond the faint sun,
Toward the hid pulse of things, its
Winged skeleton.

To the Sea with Friends!

We've had windy, wet weather for several days, and I caught a cold and sore throat - misery! But it's passing now. I also have friends visiting in town. Oriental is a long way from everywhere; it's not on the way anywhere! So I do appreciate their coming all the way to the end of the planet to visit us! Today I took them on a little tour of the area. My college buddy Becky particularly wanted to see the ocean. So to the sea we went!

Julia strolls in the sand.

The vines in the sand - couldn't resist.

So many tough little shrubs hang on for dear life, amidst the dunes.

Here are Becky and I. Can you tell it's windy? We made sure the water was behind us as proof that we did come all the way to the ocean!

The Fort Macon beach access area was vacant. Last time we came it was full of bathers.

Julia dashed around without even a jacket and wasn't cold.

Becky and her parents, Barbara and David. Becky was wise to bring a hooded jacket.

This little fellow scampered around on quick legs and came very close to me. How they bear the cold and wind, for the sake of a bit of food, I don't know. And what food was he looking for, on the sand? A little fish?

We stopped for lunch at a rather famous restaurant in these parts -- The Sanitary Restaurant. What a name ~ as opposed to the ...?  I think originally it was the Sanitary Fish Market. It's a large family-style restaurant with decks and windows directly on the water.

As we looked out the window at the marina, a large power boat came toward us, in a hurry. They tried once to rope up to the dock, unsuccessfully, and powered around to try again. They had a cute little doggie on board. See him?

There he is --

This weather also makes for a choppy river. The ferry ride back home placed us at the very front of the ferry. We had a long, fun day. I'm so glad they came!

Finishing Things Off

Adam and Julia continue to work on the "Minuet." They put the bottom on her, so now the dry fitting, with zip ties to join it all, is finished. Next step: epoxy! They need relatively warm temperatures for that, several hours above 60º, at least.

Before Saturday's market, I did finish one last pair of smittens. This pair is in a lovely wool called Jade Heather, by Paton Classic Wool. The edging is Bernata Boa.

This eyelash boa yarn is excellent for trim and accents. I have used it for light scarves, but generally I think one would need to be cautious using it for a whole garment.

Adam caught a nasty cold/sore throat this past week. Two days later, I caught it. I have lovely company this weekend visiting, but this cold/headache/stuffy nose/irritated sinuses is just so debilitating. I'm hoping one more good night's sleep will get rid of it! I missed the community Thanksgiving service tonight, and the chorale's singing, because of it. This illness is another thing I'm ready to "finish off" as soon as possible.

An Oriental Autumn

We have our own fall colors here on the North Carolina coast. It's not the brilliant eye-squinting yellow of Colorado, or even the rippling quilted golds and oranges of the mountains. But it's mighty pretty! Julia, Sandy, and I went driving, looking for some color for you. Our dominant color seems to be red!
Here's a shot of Fulcher's Tennessee Walking Horse Stables, just outside of town -- a double line of Bradford Pear trees. In spring bloom, they're pure white.

Some leaves are a deep maroon red.

Our church also has two Bradford Pears, framing the sanctuary.

Not certain of the name of this bush. It looks rather like a shrubby Japanese maple.

Here's a different kind of color. I've been wanting a photo of this pink roof and neon green door, with gingerbread trim.  Kind of, "preppy meets lace."

All over town are huge camellia bushes, blooming their hearts out. They're heavy with bloom, and the ground beneath them is carpeted with fallen petals.

This adorable one-year-old Japanese maple is solid crimson.

The owner of that maple caught me photographing her trees and we chatted a bit. This is the view up into another of her trees.

Just across the street another home has dozens of roses abloom. Literally hundreds of these rose bushes have been blooming in town for months. Is this a knock-out rose bush? I don't know.

Even little saplings and sprigs like this one, add color to our town.

Another large Virginia Creeper, brilliant in the woods.

I've been meaning to show you this spot. These are the Schoolhouse Condos -- apartments made from the two old brick schoolhouses in town. Lovely orange crepe myrtles grace the walk out front.

Another camellia:

This tree is so gorgeous. There are actually two of them in this yard.

We're expecting rain this weekend, and I know many of these leaves will tumble down and be washed away. Good-bye, Autumn! Hello, Winter! Down here in the South, there's not too much difference between the two.

A Week of Crochet

I've never crocheted so much in only four days! I'm stocking up merchandise for the Saturday market. I finished these smittens first.

Then I started in on this fabulous snuggie (neck-warmer). It's a scarf that doesn't have the extra 3 feet to get tangled in your coat/hair/hat/chair/elbow. Just enough to keep you neck warm, fasten at the front with a flower, and look gorgeous. Seriously -- you can't tell from the photos, but this yarn is to die for. It is so beautiful. The autumn colors rippling through in this "grit stitch" pattern was a winner!

The flower:

The grit stitch:

It's just so rich, and I had the perfect eye-lash yarn as an accent on the ends. (Yarn used: Patons Classic Wool, Lotus color, 100 grams)

Today I finished this snuggie.

A little closer. This white yarn is so creamy, silky looking. (Yarn used: Loops & Threads Country Loom, Warm Cream color, 140 grams. Also Bernat Boa eyelash)

I also made another "smuff" to cover ears. This is the bobble stitch, using Caron Simply Soft yarn.

This pair of smittens is also made with Loops & Threads Country Loom, Rich Blues color.

And one last pair of smittens:

I'm not done yet! I'm making more soap pouches now, to include in my gift bags of soap. I only have one bag left, so must restock.

A National Misunderstanding

I'm kind of an outsider, politically. I recently changed my status to "unaffiliated." I voted for neither Romney nor Obama. I look at the political landscape around me, and I see a war.  The election gives a false sense of a battle's ending. It's not ending.

We all know the nation is polarizing. The two sides (You cannot really call them extremes. They are too large to be the extremes.) are like strangers speaking foreign tongues, who used to live together and speak together. They really don't understand each other any more.

Take this article, "Mystery Unraveled: How a white, moderate, churchgoing, middle-class, middle-aged woman could vote for Obama." The writer purports to be someone just like me: pro-life, once a staunch Republican, feeling abandoned by that party. She looks at Obama and sees a man, a man with some weaknesses, but a president who deserves a second term to finish what he's begun. She doesn't believe he's a Muslim; she finds that ridiculous. She thinks the Obamacare model is reasonable (as did many Republicans not long ago, I'll add).

Basically, she looks at Obama and says, "What are you so scared of?"

Maya Angelou described her own reaction to Obama's victory speech: "I was grateful to see President Obama’s victory speech. I was over the moon to see the audience. There were about 60 percent white voters the other 40 percent were African Americans, Asian, Spanish speaking etc. I wept at that spectacle, it told me that the pundits that continue in our country to try to polarize us, to keep us apart, are not succeeding. Americans are waking up not only to the truth, but the truth in each other. Hallelujah!"

Well, that's a fine sentiment, Maya, but unfortunately, you're out of touch. The polarizing is in full swing. Check out this article. Since the election, petitions for state secession have been filed on behalf of twenty-three states. There are lots of people who can't stomach the thought of Obama as their president.

One thing I'll say:  both these women still see Obama's presidency as significantly about race. I don't know why. The man has never seemed black or white to me. He is, remember, half of each. He doesn't vaguely resemble the black men I've known in the South all my life. But for some, he is a black man, and he's in the Oval Office, and that's the most important thing to them. Evidently many people overseas are thrilled Obama was re-elected, because he's our "first black president."  Seriously? With all the troubles we have, there are people who are still all excited about the color of his skin? They might as well be excited because he is skinny, has brown eyes, or likes hamburgers.

Then there's the other side. I have many, many friends who do believe that Obama is a Muslim. I have many more who think he's probably one.  I have many who think he wasn't born in the U.S. They don't think he's just a bad president with bad policies; they think he's an evil man who has come to power as a result of many sinister conspiracies, and that his real goal is to strip us all of our liberties and turn us into vassals of a Socialist state in the next four years.

And I'm not joking you. This mentality is prevalent among many of the people I know in my general family/church/social circles. And they look at Obama, throw up their hands, and say, "Why aren't you terrified?"

It's extremely difficult to be in the middle between these two camps, but that's not my point. My point is that they can't even hear or see each other. And because the Obama camp won, the anti-Obama camp (I won't call it the Romney camp, because it was never really about wanting Romney; it was about hating Obama.) is more settled than before in their beliefs that the sky is falling, the world is ending, darkness is descending on us. In the week since the election, I've seen facebook post after post from Christians trying to calm their frantic, grieving friends in the horrific, dark days after Obama's re-election. They're desperate to explain how we can be utterly distraught and angry, and simultaneously peaceful and thankful since God is totally in control. 

I'm not sure politics used to be this way. Somebody is lying to both camps. People who think Obama's fiscal policies will produce a safe, prosperous America are deluding themselves.  People who think millions of murdered babies won't damage our people's souls, are deluding themselves. But ... people who believe that Obama is a secret Muslim born in Africa with a nepharious desire to transform America into an Islamic nation under Shariah law, to imprison all Christians, close all churches, and suck the life out of the country?  They're deluded too, deluded by their own media that has fanned the flames of hate to a blaze. The liberal media has its lies, as does the conservative. Each wants to push the poles apart. They've succeeded in this election, regardless of which side won. 

Whichever side you're on, I'd encourage you to read and listen to the more reasonable voices from the other camp. Assume for a few moments that they are sincere, that they love their country too, and that they might just have a few good points to make. If everyone did this, our nation would be transformed, and much of the hateful rhetoric would subside.

Anchors Away!

Bike rides are happening less frequently, now that the weather is chillier, windier, wetter. But we had a few nice, balmy days. We rode down a new road, and found this ~

There are many large ships' anchors around the county. You see them in yards and businesses. This is the biggest I've seen. I kept the car in the photo so you could see how massive it is -- the car is not too far away from it.
And the Neuse, always lovely, always changing, always there. In this weather, the sailboats are dotting the river.

A Virginia Creeper graces the front porch of a neglected house, and the setting sun graces its leaves as well.

We pass this huge bush every time we ride. It's a camellia, and is now in full bloom. It'll continue to be like this for many weeks.

The wasps were lively around it, and Adam said one very slow honey bee was trying valiantly to battle the cool weather and get one last dose of nectar or pollen to take back home.

May you find many blooms in your world!