Lengthening Shadows

Dear Diary,

All the snow has disappeared from the "sunny side" of lawns and fields. It still remains in the shadows. And those shadows are lengthening day by day as we slowly but surely slide into the dark days of late November and December.

In another month, these fence shadows will be lovely blue lines on the snow but for now the horses that graze in the field will enjoy a few final days of sun. It is a time settle in by the fire with a good book or perhaps a pile of old photographs to sort and label. Gathering all these faces from my family has been a wonderful and nostalgic experience for me and it seems fitting that in this month of giving thanks I can acknowledge their lives and influence. Yes, November is an inward turning month.

November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.

- Elizabeth Coatsworth