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!