November 2026

"And Pandora said, I wonder what's in this box?" p. 266 Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

p. 287

Epoch: an event or a time marked by an event that begins a new period or development

"Freedom is exercised in the confrontation by each other, in the context of an infinitely extensible work of imaginative understanding, of two irreducibly dissimilar individuals. Love is the imaginative recognition of, that is respect for, this otherness." ~ source 

"Her entire body relaxed and she laughed.  She laughed like she hadn't laughed in a long time." p. 286 Garden Spells 

I

Jack-O-Lantern 2026 Edition 

Ken's yoga class was exactly what I needed 

Law Family Halloween celebration in Hamden

 

M

One day...

Perhaps....

Quark cheese watching British bake off. It's been awhile.

Revive Your Roar 

Ravenous Butterflies' Facebook post Nov 1, 2026

 source 

T

U

V

"What It Takes to Be Free" by Maria Popova here

"The tree was shaking with eXcitement, like it was laughing along with them." p. 285 Garden Spells

"Yellow joy was radiating from her. When you're happy for yourself,  it fills you. When you're happy for someone else,  it pours over." p. 284-5 Garden Spells  by Sarah Addison Allen 

"Zingier than zingy"  ~ Nigella Lawson

October 2026 part 2

"As if filled with lightning bug, lit by his hope." p. 12 Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen 

"But I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things." ~ Vincent van Gogh

"Circus life under the big top world / We all need the clowns to make us smile...." Jonathan Cain

Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos)

Full moon 🌝 beautiful on the rise and the set

"Galileo" by Indigo Girls

Happy Halloween 🎃 birthday 🎂 🥳 Hana

Josh Baldwin's "Evidence" while driving to the Boro for last swim/dives of 2026 bonus: got to see Joe first listen here 

Lovely  source

Natalie Merchant "Carnival" while backing out of our driveway "mesmerized by what my eyes have seen"

Oshibana is the traditional Japanese art of creating intricate compositions using pressed flowers, leaves, and other botanical elements

Psithurism: the sound of wind in the trees

Quiet way of life aligning in our favor... Quiet dignity  p. 164

Reading Garden Spells again now after Reading this one:

Throat calm

Unrepentant p. 154 Garden Spells 

"Vulnerability... by trying to make you happy... By trying to give you happiness,  I lost my own." p. 162 Garden Spells 

eXile's blast from the past "I Want to Kiss You All Over" July 1978

 

Zwain, Hana 🥰 birthday love ❤️ 

Theo of Golden

Arrived a little late to the party, but again, as with Ted Lasso, I'm so grateful 🙏 

"But the giving is part of the gift." p. 220

Cabal of generosity p. 218

Daily with an enormous amount of faith...

Enjoying reading again, finally!

"Fado a genre that dates back to the early nineteenth century in Lisbon... infused with a sentiment of resignation,  fatefulness, and melancholia ... " p. 330

Grateful to have arrived and to

Healthy exercise in attentiveness 

 "I have tasted heaven" p. 335

Joy blooms naturally when we get out of our own way.

"Keener sense of wonder p. 219 source

Late for the Sky by Jackson Browne  listen 🎶 here

Movement of sound and silence p. 321

Neil Young "Harvest Moon" listen 🎶 here

"Ocean in a thimble" p. 320 further thoughts 

Pastiche: literary, artistic, musical, or architectural work that imitates the style of previous work

Quixotic : exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic, and impractical, often characterized by a devotion to romantic, lofty, or chivalrous goals without regard to common sense or actual constraints.

Requiebros: a Catalan word meaning "flirtatious remark; amorous compliment p. 327

"Slow movement of color... Shifted kaleidoscopically across the room." p. 355

 "The project seemed worthy of a movie." p. 218

"Unwittingly,  Mr. James Ponder and Mrs. Anita Gidley had become apprentices in the world according to Theo." p. 219

Verbivore poem: Herbivores eat Brussels sprouts, carnivores eat birds, cashivores eat dollar bills, and verbivores eat words.”

"Walked into the familiar nocturnal quiet of Broadway. " p. 335

eXtemporaneous : composed, performed, or uttered on the spur of the moment

"Zany guitar surf rock" ~ Rich Garmon 10/13/26