Thursday, November 24, 2016

LISTENING TO SILENCE








This Thanksgiving Day:
peaceful, quiet, delightfully mild, delicately overcast. Autumn leaves are quickly slipping away from sullen trees. The stark forest is acutely aware of its impending nakedness. Regal hawks sailing in the sky. Dozens of small birds hungrily flitting and scampering through the weedy terrain. 

I'm in a reflective mood - - neither particularly celebratory nor thankful.
Long ago I was thankful for my talents, my looks, my successes, my friends and relatives, my lovers, my health, my optimism.

Today - - my looks have faded, my health has vanished, optimism is minimal, friends have dwindled, relatives and lovers have died, life as I once knew it is slipping away as quickly as autumn leaves....

But I am here, worn and battle-scarred, yet surviving nevertheless. That's all one can do. 
I hope your Thanksgiving was peaceful, bountiful, filled with hope and all good things.

Grabbed my El Cheapo camera today and documented glimpses of my nothingness. 

 I took this pic this morning while laying in bed - extremely reluctant to get up. Bosco and Scruffy were looking out at the fog. This is a cell phone photo, which explains the blurriness. 
(I have an El Cheapo cell phone, too)

 I had initially planned to have a spiral-sliced ham today. Then I thought "What the hell for?" So I put it in the freezer to save for December. Instead I'm making Salisbury steaks and herbal potatoes.

A view today from my back porch, looking north toward the neighboring cow pasture.

The sun has been shyly peeking through the clouds this afternoon.  This tree is visible through one of my windows (how exciting!)

 I still have my little Halloween pumpkin

 Pine cones on a tree
(as if you couldn't guess)

 Same tree, different view

 I've had this antique painting in storage for years (it's one of the few things the movers didn't "lose"). Today I unwrapped it and hung it in my bedroom.

I suppose I'm cat crazy. Shoot me!

24 comments:

  1. Jon, I just raised my glass eastward in celebratory toast --should reach you 2 or 3 hours ago. Preparing chicken here. And yes, you are cat crazy --for which, as an admirer of your photos, I am thankful.

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    1. I just received your toast, Geo. It took awhile due to the damn Time Zone. Chicken sounds fine to me. You've made one turkey very happy...

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  2. Raised a glass of Malbec in your direction, East and slightly South. Be there around the same time as Geo's.
    Take care, Jon.
    Mike

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    1. Mike, if I could buy wine in this dry county I would raise a glass north to you. I'll have to toast you with apple cider.

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  3. At least you're not eating creamed possum ;) I think holidays tend to make us more reflective as the years roll on ....

    Enjoy the silence and that beautiful nature which surrounds you. Happy Thanksgiving !

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    1. Well, I have plenty of 'possums around here to choose from.
      Right after I posted this, I started hearing gunfire blasts from nearby hunters.... but all in all it was still a peaceful day.

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  4. Salisbury steak sounds pretty darn good! (Where'd the 'Salisbury' part come from, anyway?)

    Aside from calls from SIL, Tom's offspring and Aretha Franklin slaughtering the National Anthem (be VERY GLAD you don't have a television!)
    ... ours was blissfully quiet. Getting ready for supper 'out' now. In the words of my dear late father, "This year I'm going to be thankful for salmon." That, and perchance, a martini. Happy Thanksgiving!

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    1. Martinis will enhance any holiday....
      It's true that I don't have a television, but I still watch the news online. Which is why I get migraines.

      I didn't know Aretha Franklin was still alive...

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  5. Fuck cooking! It's a holiday!! For ME too!!! We went to a movie and then a shrimp and scallop dinner, seaside. Afterwards, we took our shoes and socks off, rolled up our pants and walked the shore.

    Being the Queen of the Slow Cooker, I have a great recipe for Salisbury Steak. It makes the house smell good for hours.

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    1. I totally agree with your sentiments about cooking. Now that I live entirely alone I really don't give a damn about cooking.

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  6. John's daughter's in law did the whole thing. As far as I was concerned riding on a country road would have been fine. I don't feel the need to do what every other person in the USA does. Just call me Scrooge.

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    1. That's exactly how my mother used to feel about it.

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  7. It's not October ending, but November. However, maybe this tune will fit your mood--it never fails to get me in a melancholy glow.
    https://youtu.be/Reiqwbo4b7Q

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    1. I made a YouTube video with that exact same song (entitled October Farewell).
      I was never a Manilow fan, but I LOVE that song!

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  8. Karma and I had our usual quiet holiday. Was so peaceful. Had leftovers. Was a good day. :)

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    1. Peaceful holidays at home are always the best.

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  9. The pumpkin and the leaves make a fantastic sight together. Do they really match that closely or is it just camera magic?

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    1. The pumpkin and the leaves were nearly the same color and the pumpkin does indeed look camouflaged. Magic by Mother Nature!

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  10. Jon,
    You do live in a beautiful part of the county Jon with your ever changing scenery. Much better than your bleak and bland west Texas home. I too had a quiet Thanksgiving (at the hotel yet) and a Day After Thanksgiving. We have a three mile long road down to the Broadkill River which I often walk in the glorious silence (see me blog today). Today I saw a beautiful giant blue Heron. That's all I need. No Black Friday shopping craziness for me which was only a few miles away. I'm glad you had a peaceful Thanksgiving.
    Ron

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    1. Fortunately, Texas is now only a bad memory....I'm glad you had a peaceful Thanksgiving (and Day After).

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  11. Oh, you should have sliced some ham before you froze the rest. Boiled ham and potatoes....ham gravy....ham & baked beans.....ham and green beans......I picked the wrong time of year to become vegan, can you tell?

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    1. It's definitely a sin to be a vegan during the holidays.
      Ham and pancakes.....

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