#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

A gang of painted turtles stretched out on a log in the wetlands, enjoying the sun as much as I was, passing them on my bike. I stopped to say hello. One has to be so very very quiet and stealthy to catch the turtles sunbathing with a camera. They are quiet camera shy, skittish and slip out of sight in less than a blink of an eye. A cheerful sighting for me. Walked Charlie. Started later than usual, worked on a poem for a long time before rising from bed to take to workshop tomorrow. A poem about poppies I’ve been working for a bit. Looked at poppy poems by Sylvia Plath and (“The Red Poppy”) Louise Gluck. Found this recording of Plath reading “Poppies in October.” Feel I made some progress with the poem and felt like the long bike ride and swim after that. Definitely a couple of degrees cooler today in the pond, but still pleasant enough. People on the beach and in the water. Lots of people grabbing the Sunday of long lasting summer. Afternoon managed to get myself going on taxes and paperwork, so, by dinner I felt lighter. Not done, but progress in the quiet house. Family dinner. Frank cooked the meal while I made apple crisp from the apples we bought at a nearby farm. A ride with Charlie to the town next door in the open air, under a blue sky and there were pumpkins galore, and hay rides advertised. So restorative after taxes! A happy house when Wave comes home on Sunday nights for dinner and we gather around and everyone enjoyed the crisp most of all. After dark, I pushed the stroller and Wave up the driveway to get the mail from the over filled box. The clouds cleared for some stars. Our neighbors shouted hello from their porch. There’s a concert, rock music, somewhere nearby, and I’m enjoying the music through the open window. Crickets and comforting air of the equinox approaching.