pre-travel grounding

 travelling is almost upon me!

 birdsfoot trefoil and purple vetch

that theme again, 

bloodroot and violet,

goldenrod and aster

those brilliant compliments

are the opposite of winter

and tucking in.

they are about generosity, 

livliness, 

shocking me out of dreariness. 

 sunset sometimes provides an entertainment

 bringing along clouds

dancing at the horizon

 coyotes chatting a little bit later,

 and the clouds are so worried about it all.

but the nutty structure

woodhenge, i absurdly call it

plays pick up sticks

to pass time.

 a few backporch flowers.

the hibiscus will come to school with me in september.

and on the dirt road where the new place lives

where i see a continual, untidy, glorious

parade of wild things

(the mower goes there, too).

swamp milkweed

said to me, "look here, velma,

LOOK i say, we're here, you must 

pay attention."

i know this because i did find sweetgrass this summer

for the first time,

i took one or two threads of growing silver

with the tiny flowering nibs

and then the blasted road crew

mowed them down.

~~~

i leave tomorrow

at the crack of dawn

for women's studio workshop.

this is the closest to 

new york city

i will have been in 50 years.

around the place

 there are reddish rocks here

and in spring especially these little bits

of potsdam sandstone

show up.

i think the road crews 

fill up at the local sand pits

and some of them 

 have a bunch of this stuff.

i like it.

i like the layers.

 and i like holding them in my hand as i walk.

 it's a leftover pumpkin 

and prints on old pages

 old pages, latin.

and contact print over pressure print

lichen under and on cotton under plants.

i've been having a conversation with my friend catherine.

 work here 

and at the new place continues.

i love

the honorable nature of work clothing.

hanging out with plants

 i learned a little about an herbarium late tuesday afternoon

 and biology museums

 the work of many many students

 for many classes over many years.

some, like this, retained brilliant color

but weren't even mounted.

 deep woods

 i remember "discovering" indian pipe 

in the early 1980's

and dyeing with it

a stack of walks

pressed memories, 

assignments,

i felt sad all the same.

and excited by the learning.

turning

the land has turned her face towards autumn

this week,

i shut windows at night

to keep in the warm

wake to a chilly scarf

draped over my face

my open bedroom window

 reaching into the recent past

letting in the cool

so happy as summer winds down. 

 light and shade

layers 

on the hill meadow

where sheep and the mare called flame

used to pasture.

and smiling susans

today i have much to do

or nothing

as it pleases me.

i love rare days like this.