Note: From my friend Kate, I got the notion of how important it is to live in place, to be completely immersed in the area that you live. I was going to do a multi-part series about living in place, but I believe this notion is so important that it deserves a category of its own, one that can be explored on a regular basis. While a Living in Place category might be similar to a Community category, there are some differences. Community, at least to me, focuses on the human element. It’s the way we come together to make our towns, cities, and, yes, even suburbs places of resilience that nourish people in good times and bad. Living in Place is more about the land, the environment, and I truly believe that only when we fully live in place do we begun to take care of the land, the water, and the air. Thanks so much, Kate, for planting this seed, so to speak.

 

In Maine, October is a tumultuous month, one of lashing rain, falling leaves, frost, brilliant blue skies, and air so crisp and clear that it makes you glad to be alive. It is a bright month of orange, red, and yellow. It is also somewhat sad. Lovely, warm summer has come to an end. The time for lunch on the patio will soon be over. Even on our little acre in the big woods, there is much to be done. The gardens need to be cut down, the leaves raked, the wood stacked.

Yesterday, was a very satisfying day of emptying pots with flowers and herbs that had been blackened by frost. It was warm enough so that scrubbing those pots was no hardship. It was also a day of hanging sheets, blankets, and quilts on the line. I feel a sense of urgency on every nice day to keep that clothesline full of sheets and blankets. Soon, it will be too cold to do so, and everything will go in the basement to dry. But until then…

Here are some pictures I took yesterday.