this fall

my friends and family know:
this fall has been very hard at work,
the hooligans very challenging
i have the best assistant in the universe,
and yet
work has been overwhelming.
 so when this surprise, 
beautifully wrapped in translucent paper,
came in the mail
i thought: this is it!
 the beauty of this gift
has touched my heart. why?
 this is essentially a government publication
but
julie johnson oversaw that the research presented inside
was honored by
her beautiful handmade paper
fine photos and writing and layout
and, 
finally, 
it's bound with her own twined dogbane.
did she know how 
 it so touches the thoughts i'm exploring
about the honorable harvest.
 a few walks help me get through the tough days.
and
 some of the contact prints emerging from the 
depths of the old enamel pot
are extraordinary.
and then
another
 gift.
yuko kimura and i agreed upon a trade
her tiny, exquisite sample book
came, also. 
i am in awe of this beautiful work
 it fits
in the palm of my hand.
i am grateful to these amazing artists,
(lori, you, too!)
who add such grace to my life.
thank you.

harvest

 the honorable harvest has been much on my mind
 and this weekend i found myself marveling
over these seedheads
black eyed susans
lots of seeds to feed this little one,
and i almost missed it.
  old/new tub spent two years outdoors and has ecoprints
it's actually quite clean and shiny.
 around here you can be looking for stuff
 just walking
and you catch a cliff 
out of the corner of your eye
like this one.
i once watched a young man, sam,
spider himself up a far higher cliff.
i was in "charge" of him.
thankfully his skill
was exquisite,
as he crowned that cliff
waved hi to me.
 i've found a very intimate field
on my way home form work.
an amish place, 
small fields.
you know how when you ride a horse, 
or drive a team
or hike often
over a field
how well you get to know it?
i love that.
i was taking this sneaky photo
and then moved forward, 
and there was a young amish man, watching me, intently,
as i watch his corn ladies!