Nature Notes
It is November, the heart of fall, and Jack Frost had his first visit recently. The days are shorter, the nights are colder, and clocks are set back. Animals have taken the season’s cues and are preparing for the winter ahead. Birds flock in droves. Turtles take cover under leaves. Squirrels fluff up their dreys. And frogs find shelter in holes, under leaves or mud.
A pair of Carolina Wrens are frequently seen singing on my deck and recently starting sleeping in this little roost house on my front porch. Other birds may find warmth in bushes and trees, but wrens like to be near the house.
I’ve also been roosting. I’ve gotten out extra blankets and made soups, muffins and hot tea.
Roost: a support on which birds rest; to settle down for rest or sleep ~ Merriam Webster
Reflect
You may want to think about a space that comforts and nourishes you. It will be very particular to you – your tastes, desires, and personal creature comforts. It may include your favorite books, a candle, or objects with special meaning for you. You can think of this as your own roost, or safe space for resting and retreating as the days grow colder.
~ When I think about creating a place where I will be restored, I imagine. . .
~ Is it spacious or small?
~ The colors that provide me with comfort are. . .
~ Objects that have special meaning for me . . .
~ Other elements that help me to feel safe or cozy (warmth, light, natural elements, etc)
Create
If you feel inclined, you could explore this further by making your own “roost” that will support and nourish you as we enter the last weeks of fall and prepare for winter. Using art materials that you enjoy, make a roost such as:
~An image using pastels, colored pencils, or markers
~A collage created with scrap paper, fabric, ribbon, yarn or twine
~ A watercolor painting
~ A three dimensional roost made with nature materials or clay
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit
