
There is a long time in me between knowing and telling.
~ Grace Paley
The journey from the heart to the throat to the mouth is a long one.
~ Mirabelle D’Cunha

Beside the question “where does the light go,” I might also ask: Where does the time go? Perhaps it is living with the light in the plants and animals and rocks and mountains and meadows and rivers of this earth. Perhaps it is living within us.
(“Where does the sunlight/light go?” is a question I’m pondering as part of my yoga practice and studies, one my teacher asked recently and asked us to consider.)

I’ve been out walking and meandering and sauntering, thinking about my Walktober walk for this year. I think it might be one from Elsewhere but in case that doesn’t happen, it seems a good idea to take into consideration what is close to home. There are many good, good walks to be found here. I don’t even need to leave home to find one.

I was scrolling through Instagram recently and on October 1st our county health department announced that it is Walktober. What??? How did they know?? Well, it turns out that the governor of the state of Maryland has issued a proclamation for Walktober and that this is the second year he has done so. I had no idea that the state had stolen my idea! Hmph. And not hmph. It’s good that they are encouraging people to get out and about during one of the prettiest months of the year.

Walktober may be official now, but the official post for it will not go up until October 11th. It seems to me that it will be less confusing for all that way. Look for it next Monday, October 11, at or around 4 PM EST.
[Walktober. Our dates this year are October 11th through the 25th. If you want to get your walk in earlier or later, go for it. Just let me know if it’s later since I’ll need to extend the dates. I am aiming for October 29th as the date I do the wrap-up. My alternative date is November 1. I will post the “official” Walktober post, as noted above, on October 11th. That will be the post you use for pingbacks or leaving a link. (It is easier for me if the links and pingbacks are all in one place, but I do find them if they end up scattered elsewhere.)
Please join us. It’s always so much fun. If you’re not familiar with Walktober, there’s a link over in the sidebar that will take you to a post that will introduce you to it. Or, you can click on this: Walktober. It’s an old post but it gives you the general idea. Maybe someday I will sit down and write up an About Walktober page.]

Now that Walktober business is out of the way, I can meander and ramble about what I’ve been up to lately. So much, really, and maybe not much at all. The days are like that now. Full and not full at all. And yet, still full even when they’re not full.
There have been lots of new things happening. The Yoga Sutras class. A new personal practice along with new studies. I’m studying goddesses, particularly those associated with fire, light, and the hearth. This is a kind of coming full-circle for me. I studied goddesses long ago. I resisted the divine feminine at that time. I thought it might be related to my Catholic upbringing and my unwillingness to consider any divinity or god. It’s only lately, after spending some time working with my female lineage, that I realized that church was only a small part of the puzzle. Transforming my thoughts from “I come from a long line of bitter women” to something more along the lines of feeling compassion for the struggle those women lived through has transformed my feeling towards them and towards goddesses.
I still couldn’t tell you what my beliefs are, but I can tell you that it is interesting exploring with openness and curiosity. There is a lightness to it now that I didn’t have back in my old days of yore.

I’ve been to see a new doctor. As you might or might not recall, my old primary care physician (PCP), who I liked very much, quit her practice. There was much sadness on my part because she was a wonderful woman who genuinely listened and cared about her patients. Finding a new PCP was not easy because there are few of them here. Finding another woman made it more difficult. Then, getting her to accept me as a patient when she wasn’t taking new patients brought up another hurdle. All hoops have been jumped through and after having to wait 10 months for my appointment time to arrive, I finally got to meet her on Friday. She seems good and seems to know her stuff. We’ll see how it goes. My only real problem with her is that it’s almost an hour’s drive to her office.
We have to take what we can get around here.

I’ve been to Assateague to enjoy a walk on The Life of the Dunes trail and on the beach. I didn’t see many horses. You have to go out to the OSV areas this time of year to find them. I’m hoping to get out there sometime this week to do some hiking and to look for them. It depends on the weather. There is rain in the forecast almost every day this week. We do need it, not quite desperately but getting there. Our chances for rain are not particularly high so I might have to get out there and do my version of a rain dance to ask the rain to visit us. “Praise the rain,” as Joy Harjo wrote in her poem of the same name.

We are still harvesting tomatoes from the garden. Would you believe we have new cucumbers growing, too? I have not seen very many Monarch butterflies so far, but I did hear a guy at the Visitor’s Center on Assateague asking about them. He said that they saw a large group of them flying out over the ocean and the beach. Did you know a group of Monarchs are called a kaleidoscope? They are also called an army but I much prefer kaleidoscope. It seems so much more appropriate.

I’ve been doing a lot of painting and drawing, too. As I’ve noted before, when I’m drawing and painting, I’m not writing. When I’m writing, I’m not drawing and painting. There might be a way to balance these things out, but I’m not there yet.

I reckon that’s about it for today. Thank you so much for meandering along with me. I hope you’ll join us for Walktober. In the meantime, let’s meet out at the Point for sunset this evening. Sunset is scheduled for 6:41 PM. It’s very warm and humid here today. You won’t need a jacket. In fact, you might want to go for a swim. It’s that warm.
Please be safe, be well, and take some time to look for beauty. It’s out there, and in there.

A few of the 10,000 reasons to be happy: 1,876) Painting gardens of flowers for practice and fun. 1,877) The Little Wookie looking at one of my drawings/paintings and saying, “That’s very nice, Momo,” in the same way a parent might say it to a child who is showing off their drawing/painting. It makes me smile every time I think of it. (He makes me smile every time I think of him. As do my other grandchildren.) 1,878) Exploring the divine feminine after jettisoning some baggage about the divine anything. 1,879) The new personal (yoga) practice I just started to learn. It’s a beautiful, almost-dance. 1,880) The slow but steady hints of autumn. Technically we might be already there (according to the calendar). Weather-wise, it still feels like summer.

Our sunset was at 19.10 and it seems to be galloping forward. It always fascinates me how it varies around the world. Walking season is just getting started here, Robin, but in truth it barely stops, even if it’s just a stroll on the beach. Every year I’m going to join you, and then it’s come and gone. I have a new blog this year. Perhaps I’ll make it! If not, enjoy!
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I didn’t realize your new blog had gone live, Jo. I’m headed over in a minute. I do hope you can find time to join us this year, but if not, maybe next year. 🙂
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I have a walk due next Monday which I will try and link with you, Robin. 🤗💕
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Congratulations on finding a new doctor that you seem to like. That’s hard to do in rural areas sometimes. And that you’ve been able to transform your female lineage story from bitterness to strength. That’s no small accomplishment.
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Thank you, Kathy. 🙂 It’s very hard to do in the Middle of Nowhere and I hope this new doc sticks around for a while.
It feels like an ongoing accomplishment. 😀
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There is so much beauty and light out there. I’m glad you’re able to re-think or perhaps re-cast your long line of bitter women lineage. That seems a heavy burden that needs to be lightened.
I will have to think about Walktober. How funny that it’s official! 😀 I walk every day, but hopefully we can walk somewhere new–or somewhere we haven’t been to since the pandemic.
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Thank you, Merril. 🙂 It’s been rather gloomy here for the past few days although every now and then it clears up enough for blue sky and sunshine to come through. There’s a low sitting by the Outer Banks (NC) that’s dragging these clouds around. Hopefully it will find a way to move on soon.
I was surprised to find it’s official (with a proclamation!). I hope you find a way to join in.
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You’re welcome, and I probably will. 😀
It’s gloomy here, too.
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Hard to believe we are in October already – where does the time and light go, indeed. Looking forward to Walktober (and I find it fascinating the MD has adopted it, too)!
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I’m looking forward to your walk, Eliza. 🙂 I’m wondering now if Walktober is some kind of national thing. A quick Google search shows it turning up all over the place.
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A good idea worth spreading!
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Loving the floral images. My season is about over other than the potted mums you can buy. I’m looking forward to the various Walktober posts soon to be enjoyed…
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Thank you, Mike. 🙂 I hope you’re going to join in, too. Our flower season is still going pretty strong. The zinnias in my garden are insane this year.
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Thanks for the Walktober announcement….looking forward to doing mine. Katie hasn’t decided if she’s telling me where she’s doing hers. I loved the ‘on the fence’ image, but then I decided my favorite was the morning glory. It looks like it contains the whole world’s light right there in it’s center.
Love your art project too! Aren’t they fun? 🙂
On a sadder note I don’t know if I told you that Katie is now stage 4 renal failure. So we’re working on things day to day. She’s still (mostly) happy and still asking for food, though we have to entice her to drink water these last two days. Our time is limited, but maybe not as short as I imagine. I can hope.
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I couldn’t click on the “Like” for this comment, Dawn. I’m so sorry to hear that about Katie. I know that’s the way of things, but it’s still sad. I can hope, too, that there are still quite a few happy days ahead of Katie. Sending love and hugs to you both.
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Thank you. Sometimes I think I will be OK. Other times I am a wreck. I know this is the way of things too. But still.
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Yes. But still. 😦
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Oh Dawn, I’ve been thinking of y’all and praying everything goes smoothly. This is exactly the way Dallas went (kidney disease), so I’ve been there. If you need a shoulder to cry on, or someone to vent to, I’m here for you. In the meantime, kiss the Princess for me!
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Robin your posts are like a refreshing walk, whatever the month – always a pleasure to be able to join you virtually with your conversational ways and how you drop in those gorgeous shots in an almost by the by way. Love the artwork too.
Goddesses and catholicisim – yes we share that and learning to look inward for them too – beyond that solipsistic me
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Thank you so much, Laura. ❤
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Oh my! Perhaps your governor got Walktober from us! The Last Green Valley (a 35-town non-profit National Heritage Corridor in eastern Connecticut) is celebrating 31 years of Walktober in 2021. I thought it was a nationwide thing! But I’m looking forward to participating in yours again.
I love the “on the fence” photo, it’s exquisite!
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Thank you, Barbara. 🙂 Sounds like it has been around a while. I didn’t know when I started it that it had been done elsewhere.
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Wow, so Walktober really is A THING?!? How cool is that? Looking forward to participating this year, though I can’t really decide where I’m going. I want to wait until we get a pretty and cool day (we’ve had a lot of rain). I love your drawing and painting — I find that a really good way to relax!
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Thank you, Debbie. 🙂 Drawing and painting are relaxing for me, too. They are also a good way to play and get in touch with my inner child. I’m waiting for a pretty and cool day, too. We haven’t had much rain (and could use some), but the weather doesn’t really want to cool off just yet.
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As far as I am concerned Walktober started with YOU… they copied YOU! 😉
Beautiful images as always and I went up north last weekend to take my pictures. I’m a tad bummed because I must have hit a setting on my camera by accident and many of my pics are washed out. Sigh. I may play with them, or use my phone pics or go out again this weekend!
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lol! I think it must have started elsewhere, Dale, but it still belongs to US. 😀
I’m sorry about your pics. I’ve done that (too many times!). I hope you can salvage some of them.
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Hey. It’s OURS 😉
I’m sure I’ll be able to play with them 😉
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I’ll be participating in Walktober. How cool that it’s a thing. Beautiful pictures, as always. As for bitter women…I think many of us have them in our family. Not easy being a woman in the “Good Old Days.” Especially during the Great Depression. My father, as a teenager, worked on a pig farm and gave most of the money to his mother to help keep the household afloat.
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Thank you, Laurie. 🙂 I’m so glad you’re going to participate. Yes, it had to be very hard for them back in those days. It probably would have turned me bitter, too.
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I’ve linked with the Arboretum walk. Thanks so much for hosting this.
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You’re welcome, and thank you for joining in, Laurie. 🙂
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My great pleasure!
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