The first real frost hit us last night and the grass is covered with a silver-white blanket of sparkling crystals. it is a quiet morning. i don't think i have heard any car yet or maybe the unfamiliar sound of the heating system is filling my ears and blocking any sound from the outside world. the sun is peeking through the clouds and i might celebrate Columbus Day with a long run. Most likely it would be the first run of the 'cold season', with gloves, hat and an extra warm running outfit. the leaves seem to be set on fire, displaying vibrant yellows and reds. autumn has just one flaw, and that is the fact that it is followed by winter.

The Nobel Prize for Peace.

Congratulations!

it is cold in the morning - very chilly. hopefully the sun will heat the air within the next few hours.

blue flowers everywhere and so is the vast profusion of orange. every doorstep displays all kinds of pumpkins, the windows are decorated with black cut-outs in the shape of ravens, witches, brooms, spiders, ghosts and the like. we haven't even celebrated Columbus Day yet, that is if there is actually something to celebrate - but this is beside the point - . every store window has been transformed into a world of grave stones, ghosts and cotton strings, trying to look like spider webs. even mummies and skeletons are on display. maybe it all is supposed to tell me, that it is about the time to start baking witch-cookies, glazed in orange, with dark brown chocolate eyes and sacrifice them to the goddess of the blue flowers.

I feel very sentimental about these two images. especially the picture of the little angel holding jesus christ as a baby. it is not the religious component that touches my heart, but the fact that this framed image was part of my childhood. if my memory is not fooling me, this picture hung next to my bed but that might not have been the case. All I recall is that it was there, all along. I think it is quite astounding that when i look at it now I feel protected. I do believe in guardian angels, and maybe it all started with this angel, protecting the little baby.

the other image, painted on wood, shows a "Minnesinger" on a white horse. the picture was hanging in the small hallway of my parents home. I always liked the colors, but never quite understood why the man in the lower right corner was either handing the mandolin to the singer or taking it away. Actually I'm not even sure if i cared too much about it. the white horse against the turquoise background had it's own fascination. the horse and it's rider seem to have sprung into my childhood fantasy from another world. a world full of miracles and dreams.

a face staring at me. a face, frozen to a mask. it's my face that is staring back at me. red lips, white skin. it is one of many faces that appear during the dark hours. those faces seem to be messengers from another realm. i cannot decipher their messages, and they scare me. these masks are performing a ritual dance and i don't know how to unleash their power. I'm scared. it feels like a spell has been put on me and these large black eyes lock me in and i cannot walk away from them. I wonder how it all started.

I like this sign. 'Road Closed'. it is so simple. I wish life would allow us to set up these simple signs as needed. 'Road Closed'. detour mandatory until new road is found. Parts of this particular road here were washed away during a torrential downpour and it looks like the county does not have the money, or is not willing, to repair it. I love running along this road, because it is still in very good condition for foot traffic . Whenever I pass this sign however i can't help but imagining where i would set up 'closed' signs along my path. Maybe i like this idea because i spent quite some time trying to find out: a) why a road broke down and b) how to repair it.

Abandoning a road can be a liberation or a revelation. i think we all deal with a lot of stop signs on our way through life, that make us wait for the right of way. Compared to those stop signs, a 'Road Closed' sign seems almost energizing as it does not fool you into 'waiting' for the next green light, as traffic lights do. this sign expresses the simplest of all messages: go and find a new way or a new road. And actually, what could be more exciting than having the chance to explore the landscape of life from a different path.

isn't this flower amazing? one single large beautiful bright yellow sun. At the beginning of October it is still blooming. My camera does not do any justice to the magnificent color. it's a neon yellow. it's a yellow that is so bright that it inevitably makes you smile. I feel like i have brought the sun into the house. i can't stop looking at it. it lifts the spirit and calms the mind and soul to a bright and hopeful place. I just love it.