Lofty Notions by the River

~ rabbitpatchdiary.com

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It is now October, and “morning has broken”.  The day dawned fair and the air was crisp at the “early service”.  I have always love October .  The bright blue skies, of October,   when filled with   the majestic billows of stark white cumulus clouds, has no rivals for beauty.  Leaves in autumn hues are loosed in October and bring a friendly wildness to the wind.  October is full of pumpkins, small fires in gardens, where tomatoes used to grow -and chrysanthemums.  . .and there is also the “Harvest Moon”- and apples.  I thought of all of this at the early service and  my heart grew increasingly grateful.  

I spent the last day  of September, doing the things, I never tire of.  Lyla and I meandered by the laughing river, for a while.  On this day, she was content to watch the river.  Lyla is usually quite a little chatterbox . . . until she gets to the banks of the river.  There, she is thoughtful and  unlikely to say anything.  I do the same.  I want Lyla to develop the habit of observation . . and contemplation, so I dare not “disturb the peace”  of such moments.  At some point, a boat will appear or a Coast Guard plane will fly by, with a pilot in training, and divert our attention.  Otherwise, we are satisfied to sit in silence.  When I was in elementary school, if I  had so much as glanced out the window, the teacher accused me of “daydreaming in class”  and promptly wrote a note to my parents.  She acted like it was sinful.  I never understood that train of thought.  I made good grades and completed my work, so it seemed I could afford the luxury of wondering about things, for just a little while.  Besides that, I am older now, and I know for sure that imagination has pulled me through many a “rough patch”.  I was always able to imagine making it through and better times to come.  I could imagine the heart of others and their plights.  Imagination is  really the heart of compassion.  If you imagine enough, you are bound to create-and to solve problems when they arise.  . . so I nurture this in Lyla-and everybody else, too.

Lyla and I went to the big flat rock by the little bridge, after our lofty notions .  This is where the river laughs loudest. We listened til some squirrels made a ruckus in an old magnolia tree.  I have noticed them out in great numbers, stealing pecans mostly.  The sudden coolness must be making them second guess their storehouses.  Lyla laughed at their antics.  We walked a good ways, til Lyla fell asleep.

 Jenny finished her writing assignment, while Lyla finished her nap by the young dogwood outside the kitchen window.  

The last night of September was especially beautiful.  The sky was a very dark blue with clouds that passed, so that the light of the almost full moon  was dappled and constantly changing.  I felt like I was watching September leave . . and with a lot of fanfare.  

I drove back to the rabbit patch, not too long after Lyla had her “honey cakes” and bacon.  It was another beautiful drive.  Kyle nor Christian were home when I pulled in the drive.  I brought my things in and went straightaway to work.  I pulled the spent stalks of the “old house flowers” as they were long past their glory.  I put on a load of laundry and put the window fan away.  I also need to clear out the beds of loosestrife, which is also know by lythrum- that mama does not like. I started a roast , started a pot of corn  and will fry the last okra of the year.   I meant to gather branches while supper cooked, but twilight swiftly turns to night. . .  It is October, after all.

Dear Diary,  I am glad for moments spent in silence by places like peaceful rivers and old rocks.  I am glad for the moon and friendly clouds-and autumn leaves in the wind . . .  and I am glad for October, for it is a lovely time.

45 thoughts on “Lofty Notions by the River”

  4. Ma’am,
    I used to wonder what the ” early service” that you refer to in many of your posts was about. I figured out late that it meant your quiet time spent in communion with nature and your creator. What a marvellous way of describing it. I used to wonder if you went to church every day to catch the morning mass.
    I love the way you describe of summer saying goodbye and fall taking over. The pecan collectors and the beauty collectors( yourself and Lyla) are doing your wonderful best collecting memories for later.
    And you have written about a way of ” imagination” and “daydreaming” and how they pulled you out of many a tight spot. I belong to an old school of thought where looking out the window brought retribution and a sharp knock on the knuckles. I have a vivid imagination too. It is good and bad. I can imagine the worst possible things that can happen to me and often they don’t happen but usually when I imagine positive, it turns out positive. People like Norman Vincent Peale have written a lot about ” Imaging” and how it can even cure illnesses.
    As usual, I am grateful for your words and the positivity that inspire me to write back to you, the source of which is your post. I am thankful for the friends I meet through your blog for they seem to be like minded people like you.
    God bless you !
    Susie

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    2. you can dress quite casually at my early service! ha! I feel like the earliest light is really about holy. So beautiful and peaceful-always hopeful too. imagination is a wonderful tool and ought to be cultivated, i think. I love norman Vincent PeALE. thank you dear-you leave me such beautiful gifts in your comments. love Michele and happy October!

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  16. Well your first line got me to singing Morning has Broken by Cat Stevens…love Cat Stevens and that song! I don’t understand why adults want to stifle children’s imaginations either, it’s such a disservice and it takes us so long to get them back!! I’m so glad you encourage Lyla and let her sit with her own thoughts without influence. You are very wise Michele, along with so many other wonderful attributes!! Lyla is so lucky to have you, just as lucky as you feel to have her. Wishing you an October filled with peaceful, blue-sky days, moonlit nights with Autumn winds!! Love Deb xo 🙂

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  17. As a child in grade school…most of my report cards told my parents that I spent too much time daydreaming. I still love to daydream and I encourage my grandkids in imagining things also. It makes life so much more fun when you can see the possibilities.

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  18. Pingback: OUR DAILY GRATEFUL POST! | ONCE UPON A HOT FLASH

  19. Beautiful, wonderful post of advice, love and wonderment.

    Like you I am an ‘imaginer’. I like to conjure up the story which that ‘something’ would have as a background.

    I’m also a planner. I plan for the worst so that I can then rest assured that I know exactly what to do if *this* happens. It saves time and makes sense!

    Such a lovely post Rabbit. It allowed me to see into you just a little more than I would normally see.
    God Bless.
    Sending love and squidges ~ Cobs. xxx

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  20. Oh how I’ve missed coming here. It’s like drinking a long cool refreshing glass of spring water in a cleansing breeze. I so encourage you to keep teaching Lyla how to observe for that is so important in order for us to understand how we are connected to All. I was actually punished if caught daydreaming in school even pulling all A’s. School bored me and I just loved looking out the window and letting my imagination fly.
    October here has yet to turn really chilly so the leaves are still on the trees. Keeping all fingers crossed we don’t get hit with a lake effect squall that will bring a lot of damage to trees with leaves on still. The air has gotten so fresh with the turn of the calendar. Hubby is getting me three more bags of mulch tomorrow and I begin to prune back those rose bushes that have gone dormant and then protect the cane with a cone of mulch and leaves. Did you by any chance see my post titled “Grand Tour” with the video of my gardens? On it you will not only see the three outdoor barn cats but some of my in-home babies peeking out the sliding glass door when I shot this video. Tee, one of the cats in this video, was tragically hit (we think) by a car and had to be euthanized on the 25th. I normally do not take videos because I’m just so darn busy BUT this event has me making more time to shoot videos. To have Tee’s voice and interactions with me on video is now priceless. My Heart is just breaking that he is no longer with us.
    Thank you, Michele, for this wonderful paradise you have created here. And the really good news is, I no longer am getting the warning sign about your site being a phishing site so I can get here from my laptop. YES!!!
    Much Love, Amy🌹

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    1. Thank you so much-I read about Tee-so tragic. I am so sorry-and Rusty is sad too. I do not know why the warning came-and then went. I did see your beautiful garden-goodness worthy of a magazine-and I am just sure they are enchanted too. I love when you visit the rabbit patch. xx Michele

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