Stillness

Winter, in its dormancy, has a stillness that permeates through the echoes between the branches. Many trees do not have the vibrancy of their leaves, and much of the perennial landscape has abandoned life above the soil and gone into a still and gentle hibernation. Some species of animals take this time to hibernate in warmer dens--their voices silent--not to be seen or heard until spring. Nature's vivid colors are absent, and the gray and brown hues have a restful quality about them.

In winter, I am able to find stillness more than in any other time of the year. In the spring, I am active with preparing the garden for the growing season. Summer is filled with maintaining the growing plants. And autumn is a time when things slow down, but there is lots to do to clean up and prepare for winter.  At this time of year, the garden is resting, sleeping, still, and I find myself moving a bit more slowly and having more breathing space in between tasks.

If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind! The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation. - Chuang Tzu

In Traditional Chinese medicine, the Chinese believe that for optimal health we humans should live in harmony with nature. The seasons guide us by dictating where we should focus our energies. Winter is a time of rest and replenishment, a time to conserve our energy so we may have more vitality once the activities of spring begin. It is a time of reflection and introspection.

As stillness is one of the words I have chosen to guide me through this new year of 2012, I am content to find stillness in this cold and windy winter and carry it through to spring, summer, and fall. To find those moments during the mass of deadlines, the prattle of mind chatter, and the bustle of chores as the year steps into spring is a welcome challenge. I hope to stop my clock periodically and sit abidingly in the stillness to remind me of its cherished value.

Many years ago, winter was my least favorite season. The gray cloudy and cold days could bring me to the brink of depression. Colors were dull, and the forest seemed lifeless. The days seemed to linger and never move to the next. The holidays were over, and it seemed there was nothing for me to look forward to until spring when the gold of daffodils and the lively colors of tulips adorned the landscape. Over time, I found the wisdom and value in bringing my attention to rest and replenishment. Now, I welcome it. Winter seems to be a season when there is more of an expanse of time. I have eventually found the magic in settling in stillness.

Nature consistently and calmly demonstrates its wisdom by simply following its age-old rhythm. No matter what happens, winter comes, rest comes--and the stillness predominates.

When winds are raging o'er the upper ocean
And billows wild contend with angry roar,
'Tis said, far down beneath the wild commotion
That peaceful stillness reigneth evermore.
-- Harriet Beecher Stowe

I am linking up with Holly at Your Gardening Friend for Friday's Photo Blog Hop.

© copyright 2012 Michelle A. Potter

Snow Splash!

Visit Wordless Wednesday for more photos.

© copyright 2012 Michelle A. Potter

New Year Promise

Happy New Year! The Sage Butterfly has a new look. When I returned from my blog-cation, I noticed that my blog had suffered from some sort of technical misalignment. The blog appeared fine if viewed on Google Chrome, but the misalignment appeared if viewed in IE or Firefox. I looked at the HTML code but could not identify any problem. Reading some of the Blogger forums, I found that others were having a similar problem.

Months ago, I had planned to unveil a new look to The Sage Butterfly, perhaps at the one year blog birthday this year, but having no other options to correct the problem I decided to go ahead and change to the new look. I may be tweaking it here and there for a while until I settle into a new look for 2012. Enjoy!

A new year always holds such promise. We are allowed to start over in every or any area of our lives. I like new starts. I think I like them because they offer a wiped canvas to start fresh, to begin new projects, to improve on others, and to see the near future as an attainable horizon.

I am a list maker, and this is the time when I make lots of lists. Pondering the home improvement projects, the garden projects, and the personal projects is something I feel compelled to do at this time of year. The lists help me keep everything in one place instead of scattered around in my brain.

A personal goal for me in the new year is to commit to maintaining good health. This holiday season, I suffered from a severe case of bronchitis. Rest was something I had not been doing much of in 2011, and this forced me to take things a bit slowly. It was one of those cases where the illness just never seemed to go away. It dragged on for quite a while.

I am recovered and hopeful for the promise of the new year. The bloom and sparkle of a new year brings bright prospect and optimism. Words that come to mind for me as I plan for 2012 are:

Enthusiasm

Passion

Creativity

             Amusement
                                                        Stillness

What words come to mind for you in 2012?
© copyright 2012 Michelle A. Potter

quiescence

In nature, there is a time for everything.

There is a time to sprout and grow.

There is a time to flourish and flow.

There is a time to slow down.

And there is a time to rest.

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There is also a time of reflection...a time to reflect on all for which I am grateful.  Cat at The Whimsical Gardener has created the Thanksgiving 30-day Challenge.

sunrises

mornings in the garden

beauty of blooms

surprises that make me smile

special visits

magical sights

nature walks

quiet moments

sunsets

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Like nature, I am in the midst of slowing down. Although there are a few chores left to do in the garden, there soon will be nothing left to do in the garden until spring. With the chores in the garden decreasing,  the joys and festivities of the holidays will keep me very busy with family visits, cooking, baking, short holiday trips, and celebrating this special time of year. I hope to find some time to rest as well. And so with all of that, I will be taking a blog-cation until January.

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.
Ovid

Blogging has offered a very interesting time of discovery and exploration. I have met so many wonderful bloggers and gardeners. And I will miss the interaction that comes with blogging on a regular basis during these weeks until the new year.

To all the readers of The Sage Butterfly, I wish you pleasant holiday feasts and happy moments. I hope during these fun and hectic times of celebration, you will also find some time to rest.

See you in the new year of 2012!
©Michelle A. Potter

The Garden of Loral Acres

In late September, I visited my mother and stepfather and took a few photos of their piece of heaven.

Long ago when my mother and stepfather moved to this piece of land, they created a name for the property that combined parts of their names, Loral Acres. Living here for over 30 years, they have made many changes from creating perennial beds and vegetable gardens to selling off pieces of the land to reduce the workload to creating new vegetable and herb gardens.

Okra blooms abound...

My mother loves flowers, and plants them all around the house.

Her Oakleaf hydrangea is very large with a plethora of blooms. Even in their dried state, they offer a lace-textured complement to the leaves.

The pyracanthas flank the side of the house with lots and lots of berries.

Ice plants are in pots and other containers.

At one point during their residence on this land, they had a very small chapel built on the property. A cypress vine climbs the side of the door.

A screened-in porch sits among the trees as a secluded place to read or nap.

The property is filled with blooms and special spots.

One evening while I was visiting, the sky gave us the most interesting and beautiful display.

Loral Acres is a very quiet and peaceful place, where no cars or trains can be heard. In the distance, there is the sound of mooing cows, crowing roosters, and singing songbirds. I can see why my mother loves this place.

©Michelle A. Potter

Autumn Amble - W4W Ephemeral

I often take a walk for exercise, fresh air, and clearing the mind. In the basement is a treadmill for those rainy days, but nothing can really compare to walking outside. I take different routes to refresh my senses and to get a glimpse of various nature scenes as they grow and change through the year. It is impossible not to notice all the color at this time of year--the reds and golds and the shadowy light of the low-lying sun.

As I walk through these leaf-filled paths and under the glimmering leaves, I try to savor these images for they are temporary and soon will be gone. Here, autumn has just passed its peak. Now, the leaves will begin to fade to brown and beige and fill the forest floor. Autumn and its artistry will soon be a memory. I am joining Donna at Garden Walk Garden Talk for Word for Wednesday - Ephemeral. Autumn is an ephemeral event.


Ephemeral - brief, episodic, fleeting, transient, impermanent


Although I enjoy living in an area where the seasons cycle through the year, it is always bittersweet to see a season end. Perhaps that is the charm--the seasons leave us wanting more and so we never tire of them.

Another attribute of the seasons is they are never really the same. Each year's autumn may be cooler or warmer than the previous year's autumn-- or more or less colorful. Plants and trees change and grow and therefore are different each autumn than the previous autumn. So, much of what I may see this autumn may be very much altered next autumn.

Much of the time I walk alone so I can completely focus on what I am seeing, smelling, and hearing.

Sometimes it is nice to walk with some like-minded friend who may notice something I did not.

I realize we have weeks to go before the end of autumn, but the array of hues will not be here for long. So, I say goodbye to autumn until next year. Thank you for the exquisite display of colors, textures, and magical sunlight. Thank you for the cool breezes that feel refreshing after a hot summer. I am much obliged to you, Mother Nature, for the opportunity to experience this season of resplendence. Late autumn has its splendor as well, so I say farewell to the undeniable radiance for which autumn is most recognizable.

As I come to the end of my stroll through the pigment of autumn, I stop and relish as much of it as I can...until next year.

©Michelle A. Potter