Creatures – Page 5 – Skelton Sketches

The Dancing Days…

Posted on November 6, 2015April 29, 2017 by lindaskelton

Just outside my window, reaching an arm to frame my view, stands a young oak tree. He has taken the place of the grand willow left behind in Powell River.

Instead of willow boughs swinging sinuously in the breeze, now curled brown leaves fall translucent with autumn sun.

Only they don’t just ’fall’. They dance their way to the ground swooping and twirling—one last fling before winter. In so doing they catch my eye and are a great distraction from sitting at my computer trying to string words together…

So I succumbed to their charm and composed a haiku to celebrate.

Curled leaves sashay down

Glowing gold though life is spent

Transfigured in death.

And since one verse couldn’t quite capture their grace, I wrote another:

Riding morning breeze

Oak leaves swirl dancing carefree

I watch in envy

And another.

Flurry of oak leaves

Fly wild outside my window

How can I sit still?

But when I did go out in hopes of capturing their image in flight I was surprised and sidetracked by a ‘rafter’ of turkeys [yes, that’s the technical word for a group of them; and now we’ve both learned something new!] happening by…

(They’re definitely not as good looking as eating— American Thanksgiving here we come!)

Alas, the leaves are mostly fallen now,

And blown away besides–thanks to the cyclonic winds of our new leaf blower that has no sense of the beauty of fallen leaves, only of tidy walkways…

The rains have returned after an exceptionally dry summer

And some subtle first snow flakes fell scarcely seen first thing this morning…

The dancing days are done. It’s time…

to stow away gathered seeds,

and fallen treasures…

Well, almost time. Maybe I can wait a little longer…

till the turkeys have stopped meandering about and have been eaten,

till the trees have all put away their fall color…

and till I’ve dug out some candles to brighten a darkening world in their stead.

–LS

For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness. ^Ps.18:28

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jn.8:12

While the earth remains,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night,
shall not cease.

Gen.8:22

Flutter-bies and Friends…

Posted on July 8, 2015April 30, 2017 by lindaskelton

I got to go ‘birding’ again last week. We hiked along a little string of lakes and wetlands and listened for birds… My most interesting find was the American Three-toed Woodpecker, apparently not a common find for most people—yay! I spotted something (though I had to be told what it was!)

I must confess I was soon distracted by things more easily seen and photographed–

like this “White Bog Orchid”…

And these sweet fairy bells—”Twinflowers”

And trying to name the trees.

And by the last stop I found myself stalking unidentified butterflies and dragonflies through a meadow-like marsh quite oblivious to birdsong…

And all this before ten in the morning.

Wonderful way to start the day!

–LS

Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Ps.40:5 KJV

Ripening Springtime

Posted on May 28, 2015April 29, 2017 by lindaskelton

The sweetness of the wild rose…

The quiet of an early morning stroll on the Rail Trail listening to birdsong…

The shimmer of little goslings preening in mellow evening sunshine…

These are the tokens of ripening springtime.

How sweet it is.

–LS

“…and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.” Is.35:1-2