A Monday meander: Away and back again

The brilliant reds on the foliage of a blueberry bush in the rain garden.

With an eye made quiet by the power
Of harmony, and the deep power of joy,
We see into the life of things.

~ William Wordsworth

01. Morning Light

Before I start meandering and rambling, a note on some of the images.  If I’ve included a number in the caption, the photo is a response to Susanna Conway’s December Reflections prompts.  I’m playing a short game of catch-up since I wasn’t here on the first of December to start on time.  The rest of the images are from this morning’s walk around the ranch.

02. Favourite Photo of 2018 (I am unable to post my favorite photo because I am respecting the wishes of others by not posting their faces anywhere on the internet.  I thought this made a good stand-in for it.)

I’ve been off on another adventure.  M and I went up to the Scranton area of Pennsylvania to visit with old friends, J & L.  It was great to see them again.  I think it’s been well over a year since our last visit with J & L.  While we were up that way, we attended a concert which was not my usual cup of tea, but it was fun.

03. Orange (Taken on today’s morning walk for today’s prompt.  It’s not completely orange but there are oranges in it.)

We saw (and listened to) the Marshall Tucker Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd in an arena in Wilkes-Barre.  The southern rock genre apparently has great appeal to the northern Pennsylvanians who are most likely to have voted for the current resident of the White House.  The type of patriotism (or is it nationalism?) that wraps itself in both the American and Confederate flags is odd to me.  I wondered about some of those folks who had grown up in the Wilkes-Barre and Scranton areas, whose families might stretch back to the Civil War era.  Did their great-great (add however many “greats” might be appropriate) grandfather fight for the Union?  How would that great-great grandfather feel about the embrace of the Confederate flag by their descendants?

Making a comeback. The weather is warm and the roses, which were dying back after last week’s freeze, are confused and blooming again.)

There were also times when I felt we were attending a political rally, the kind the current resident of the White House is so fond of throwing on a regular basis.  Others mentioned the same thing.  If it hadn’t been for that, I think I would have enjoyed the concert more.  Not that I didn’t enjoy it.  There was some very good music.  There was also some not-so-good music.  A certain lead singer might do better to retire and let someone else sing the songs.  He did have someone else there to do just that on some songs, but not all.  Still, I admire his gumption, to get up there and sing the songs he used to sing even if his voice isn’t quite in tune anymore.

And for those inquiring minds who want to know, of course Lynyrd Skynyrd played Free Bird (for 16 minutes).  I don’t think the fans would have let them leave without playing it.

Still present.

The best part, of course, was spending time with friends.  The concert was Friday night.  On Saturday there was a trip to Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, and on Saturday night we went out to dinner and met some of our friends’ friends.  The food was delicious and the company was lively, funny, and quite enjoyable.  We left on Sunday morning, or maybe it was shortly after noon, after brunch/breakfast and a small shopping excursion.  The shopping in Scranton is somewhat better than the shopping here on the Eastern Shore so we picked up a few things we can’t get here and did a little bit of holiday shopping while we were at it.

The dandelions like to bloom almost year-round.

I’m taking it easy today.  The Toddler Plague I contracted while in the Bogs over Thanksgiving still has a hold on me.  I think that’s because I’ve been on the go, with little time to rest, since I got sick.  Most of the congestion is gone, but there is a lingering cough and I still feel utterly exhausted.

A cedar at the edge of the woods.

This morning’s walk was slow and short and lovely.  The weather is warm today (near 60°F the last time I checked).  It’s mostly cloudy but the sun peers out from behind the clouds occasionally.  The tide was higher than usual this morning which caused some flooding in the woods.  I was unable to get out to the dock because my wellies sprung a leak and my muck shoes are not high enough for me to walk through the water that the tide brought up in front of the boardwalk.  Since the high tides are trending higher lately, I really should get out and buy new wellies or I won’t be able to get to some areas of the property (and still keep my feet dry).

Where the light shines through.

That’s about it from me and the Wabi-Sabi Ranch.  Thanks so much for dropping by today and joining me on another meander.  I’m not quite out of my blog hiatus mode.  There’s more travel in my near future.  Once I’m settled back in after that, I’ll make a serious attempt to get caught up with y’all.  Winter will likely give me plenty of time to do so.

I don’t know what sunset will bring this evening.  The clouds appear to be breaking up.  We should go out to the Point and have a look.  Late autumn and winter sunsets are often quite colorful.  They are not particularly reliable, but a trip to the Point is always nice (and not that far).  Sunset is scheduled for 4:45 PM.  I’ll see you there.

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂

Another turkey tail.

A few of the 10,000 reasons to be happy:  946)  A weekend with friends, old and new.  947)  Colorful fungi in the woods,  948)  A peaceful, slow, and lovely morning walk.  949)  Naps.  And more naps.  950)  The luxury of rest and naps and slow walks in the woods.

On the forest floor.