NOVEMBER IN THE NORTHWEST — AUTUMN LEAVES, VIDEO, AND A CLASSIC POEM

November in the Northwest can mean going from a day with weather like you see in this video...

to the gorgeous day that was Friday, November 7, 2014.

photo by David R.Brown—taken in Puyallup WA

Please enjoy these photos and one of several poems titled "Autumn" written by the English poet John Clare (1793-1864).

Autumn

by John Clare

    I love the fitful gust that shakes
    The casement all the day,
    And from the glossy elm tree takes
    The faded leaves away,
    Twirling them by the window pane
    With thousand others down the lane.

photo by Candace Brown 2014

    I love to see the shaking twig
    Dance till the shut of eve,
    The sparrow on the cottage rig,
    Whose chirp would make believe
    That Spring was just now flirting by
    In Summer's lap with flowers to lie.

photo by Candace Brown 2014

    I love to see the cottage smoke
    Curl upwards through the trees,
    The pigeons nestled round the cote
    On November days like these;
    The cock upon the dunghill crowing,
    The mill sails on the heath a-going.

photo by David R. Brown

    The feather from the raven's breast
    Falls on the stubble lea,
    The acorns near the old crow's nest
    Drop pattering down the tree;
    The grunting pigs, that wait for all,
    Scramble and hurry where they fall.

photo by David R. Brown 2014

photo by Candace Brown 2014

photo by Candace Brown 2014

photo by Candace Brown 2014

photo by Candace Brown 2014

Remember to pause and see the beauty all around you in unexpected places.

photo by Candace Brown 2014

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The Garden in October

Brrrrrr. I love the Thirties when it comes to the jazz and antique cars, but I'm not so sure I'm ready for the thirties on my outdoor thermometer. By late afternoon yesterday I could feel the chill that would come in the night. I'm starting to sense with each passing day, as I watch leaves fall and see the hydrangeas fade into shades of mauve, that time is short for this most glorious part of autumn. Already I begin to think of kettles of soup, knitting wool hats, and preparing for the holidays.

But this week, my husband and I spent some happy hours in our Tacoma garden, trimming and weeding, and saying goodbye to the blooms we've nurtured through a too-short summer that turned into fall. Today I want to share some photos taken that day. I know I will return to look at them in a few weeks, when November wind and rain have stripped the trees bare and my plants lie in repose under blankets of mulch. Enjoy!

All photos by Candace Brown  Copyright Candace Brown 2010