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Janisse Ray's avatar

Sarah, first thank you for posting the notice about the Open Mic. Then let me say how beautiful is this meditation on winter's brown. You are incredibly attuned to the wild world, and you notice so much. And you write beautifully about it. I'm so glad to know you.

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Becki Clifton's avatar

Oh Sarah! This one took my breath away! I could FEEL the details in your noticing. I gophered in the woods today seeking embellishments for my Christmas mantle. I admired the turkey oaks still clinging to their mottle-colored leaves. I thanked each tree which allowed me to take snippets…pine, cedar, & holly. And I gathered dried grasses with fluffy tufts of seeds & stems with brown coins on it (reminds me of eucalyptus). It was a lovely afternoon, indeed. Thanks for appreciating the brown with me. 💜

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Sarah Kelsey's avatar

Thank you! That's a lovely way to spend a day! 💚 In a way I have to keep a list of reminders of the good things about this season, because I often struggle with seasonal depression. I'm hoping this year will be better, particularly if I actively focus on the good. I think that last part of this post is a bit of a Cope Ahead Plan.

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Becki Clifton's avatar

One of yall PLEASE send me the zoom link to the Open Mic. I need this in my life!

Beckithewriter@gmail.com

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Janisse Ray's avatar

Becki, that word "gophered" is awesome! And I saw photos of your mantle. I was truly jealous & plan on copying it. The plant with the brown coins is Baptisia. Wild indigo.

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Becki Clifton's avatar

When you’re surrounded by gopher tortoise burrows in these old woods, that’s the only word it could be! Of course you’re the one that’s shown me I could use it because Google doesn’t think it’s a word. 😆

Thank you for the plant ID, I didn’t have a chance to look it up yet.

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Sarah Kelsey's avatar

I agree! After seeing those photos, I insisted to Tyler that we get some bubble lights and lamented that our cats would never let us decorate our mantle like that. I have to settle for making decorations and finding someplace in the yard to display them.

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Annette Naber's avatar

I miss color the most as we are moving into the wintering season and I wrote about it in my new book, Seasons of a Wild Life. And yet, winter opens our eyes as you also described to the nuances of the muted colors, but also to the winter "bones" of trees and shrubs, the structures we miss when leaves are hiding them. Still lots of visual interest there, just so different and much subtler than the screaming colors of the growing season.

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MK Creel's avatar

I really enjoyed this piece on wintering and surviving the brown season. So many beautiful images (and sounds). I will carry them with me like seeds.

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