golden oak, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I went down to the woods today, as I'd planned to do when I took this day off to observe Samhain. It was a much different walk than I'd anticipated. So many wonderful, big old trees damaged. I had to climb over many limbs, branches, and even whole trees in the path. My heart breaks for them.

There was beauty though, too. I freed a couple of small trees from the snow, and they bounced back up, bent but not broken. Patches of gold broke through the bareness. Crows called to each other, laughing at the puny problems of humans. Who needs a path when you can fly?

It's going to be a long recovery. I am grateful that I have electricity and internet, when so many still do not. No word on when power will be restored at work; my boss called and told me to come in tomorrow afternoon, to do what can be done by generator. It'll be a lean paper next week. I'm pretty sure I know what the front page story will be. *g*

For today, I count my blessings, and remember those loved ones who have passed.

Blessed be.

secret writing, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

Wow, it was cold today! I'm sure that 40-something degrees will feel warm in February, but in November it's mighty chilly.

As asakiyume has found the secret language of leaves, I have found the secret language of dead logs. Fascinating.

( dance, embrace )

breezy willow tree, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

The willow has always been my favorite tree, ever since I can remember. It was the first tree I learned to identify. It's one of the first to turn green in the spring, one of the last to lose its leaves in the fall, and it turns precisely the same yellowish-green color both seasons. I especially love the weeping willow, because it bends to caress the earth, and any who stand beneath it.

My wand is made from a willow that was the daughter of a tree on my grandparents' farm. Both trees are now gone.

My niece is also named Willow, named after a friend of my brother's from school, and whose sisters were friends with my sister and I.

My mother's favorite tree is the elm, but I always thought of them as haughty, with their branches all up in the air, inaccessible. (There is an elm in the cemetery next door, however, that makes up for all the stuck-up elms I've known in the past; it reaches down to say hello and is quite friendly.)

This willow tree is in the parking lot up the street from my office. It is a sober sort of tree, as it is in front of a funeral home, but it is not a sad tree. Today, it was dancing in the breeze as the morning sun lit its bright yellow-green branches.

flame, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I took a walk in the woods at Heritage Park on my lunch hour, where it was mostly brown and grey, punctuated by bits of bright orange. What little color is left really stands out in the mostly bare woods.

( not quite drab )

peek through, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

Since my tax refund made it into my bank account, I decided to splurge a whole six bucks and go see Ironman 2 today. It was a fun movie; if you enjoyed the first one, you'll probably enjoy this one too. Robert Downey, Jr. was born to play Tony Stark.

The guy sitting behind me didn't find it so captivating, though; I heard snoring several times. Expensive nap, that. *g*

On the way home, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to stop at Mittineague Park, the place I went with Flickr friend Rusty a while back. I took one of the trails, and it was very pleasant.

( in the woods )