Autumn

Election Day–If Only it were a Walk in the Park

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Last week, I took a walk through Owen Park in Madison, WI. Tucked away in a residential area, it’s hard to remember that the city exists just beyond.

Made up of prairie and oak savannah, there was so much beauty that captured my heart.

Now, as I sift through my photos full of sunshine, it rains outside…sometimes suddenly, strong and steady, other times light and misty. It’s a lovely gray November day, so different than these photos, but perfect for sitting inside. The contrast feels wonderful…there are so many different types of beauty in the world.

Things are changing (as they always do). It is November, and so many leaves have already fallen, flowers have turned to seed heads, grass has turned dry–an orchestra of sound in the wind.

Yes, it’s Election Day in the United States of America, and yes, I am trying to redirect my focus as to not go crazy from all the commentary. With so much anxiety riding on this election, there is a sense that whatever I write today, it will be standing on the “before” of whatever happens. And there will be an “after,” regardless of the results. This is a scary thought in itself. So, as I wait, I turn to nature.

I turn to the prairie and the oaks for comfort, wisdom and hope.

I am first reminded to bend

and join myself with the music of life.

To let a lightness fill me, illuminate my insides, and connect to others beside me.

To have courage, to stand out, stand up, be as bright as I know I am.

To also allow myself to be soft, a comfort to myself and others.

To recognize that softness in others can sometimes be guarded by prickles, but it is possible to find.

And that just as amber big blue stem meets big open blue sky,

We, too can meet others different than ourselves and rejoice.

When the time comes, let seeds fall to plant new beginnings.

Let them fly….

We can never go back.

Somethings must fall and drift.

Relish the memories.

Know that the future holds space for new seasons.

This last photo was taken during a very slow walk in Governor Dodge State Park (Dodgeville, WI) in mid-October. This one reminds me…

To Look Up! 🙂

Wishing you well this day and every day.

Autumn Reading

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I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely book club in California via Zoom this autumn.

Here’s what they’re saying about When to Hold On:

“A Young Adult novel for everyone…It is a coming of age novel written in poignant free verse. Addressing young love, grief, the power of silence, family relationships and social anxiety, it has universal themes that engaged everyone in our club. Get this book in your high school library, now!”

Lauren Rice, CA

“The best thing about When to Hold On is how much the form conveys. It’s in free verse and the unspoken urgency and tenderness of youth are mirrored so seamlessly, and so much information is revealed in so few words. The feelings are ageless. Timeless. Uplifting. Heartbreaking. This is one beautiful book. Read it and read it again.”

Sandra L. Christenson, CA

‘Tis the Season for Snow

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Snow came early this year.

In fact, the morning that I wrote my last post was the day it all started. Exactly a month ago, back when we were still in the middle of November, I had at last pulled together my photos and poems about the beautiful fall foliage. The weeks previous to that, I’d let myself bask in the autumn light, watch as Nature shed its layers, and breathe in the changes both startling and inspiring. But it took a while for my thoughts to steep and my words to settle, like tea leaves sinking to the bottom of a mug.

That day, however, I awoke in the wee hours of the morning and felt the burn to finally release those words and pictures. And good thing I did, because after clicking “Publish,” I went to the window and pulled open the shade. In the blue pre-dawn light, I noticed a snow-covered landscape.

Technically, it wasn’t our first snow of the year, but it was much more substantial.

It was as though Autumn had chosen to masquerade as Winter.

Having released my autumn images that morning, I happily put on my boots, grabbed my camera, and tromped into the snow to find new things to see.

My favorite
were these purple asters
looking bold and determined.

Below, they remind me
of snow cones,
refreshing and cool.
Bunches of sweet ice.

Then the days warmed
…and snow melted.

…And a different cold morning
left a layer of ice fringe.

Where even
something so still
—frozen, in fact—
looked as though it
could
perpetually be moving.

When
—in just-above-freezing temperatures—
both ice and water
clung
like crystals and globes,
a chandelier
whose structure was grass
and the light reflected
came from a gray sky.

And under that purple-hued gray
and misty blue,
a frosted prairie
just two years old
stood around
this Great Mother Tree
where
beginnings and endings
come full circle

And today,
she stands in snow,
a map of white and black lines,
ever crooked
with shades of gray everywhere between.

Happy tromping! Happy writing! Happy finding new things to see!

Leaves Are My Joy

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These leaves in sunlight
clustered together,
colors lit,
bring to mind
the sound
of children laughing.
Those big belly laughs
and giggles that ripple out
from play
and keep on going
so that even the adults nearby
can’t help laughing, too.

— Kate McKinney

This trail beckons
with each curve and bend,
each long shadow,
each glowing leaf,
the blue haze in the distance—
trees waiting
to be seen.

—Kate McKinney

What shock! What glory!

To look up.
To see a golden-leafed maple.

To start a day
with the knowledge
that there is beauty
despite chaos and pain.

To realize
this tree is a tree
and without
doing more
or less

light is made splendid
through it
as it grows
toward the blue.

—Kate McKinney

Getting Up Close

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When exactly did these
feathery green leaves
of summer
transform into rainbows?

I could get lost
in their colors
crouching low
breathing in
the mix of autumn’s
changes.

What else do we miss
when we simply walk past?

~ Kate McKinney

Birch leaves collect,
curled edges folding into
one another,
light and shadows turning
scattered shapes
into glorious sculptures.

~ Kate McKinney
Autumn Flame Maple



What would it be like
to climb right into
those branches
with all that red and green
so close?
Would it feel like sitting
in the middle of
an orchestra?
Those complementary
colors
sending out
visual vibrations?

~ Kate McKinney
Asters

A painter’s delight—
purple asters in afternoon
sunlight

Asters

When clouds float past,
they add hues
of dusty gray
and deep blue shadows
below.

Clouds over Blue Mounds

A tiny, tattered
oak seedling can withstand
wind
and takes its time
turning red.
Change can take its toll,
but each year,
this little one
grows.

~ Kate McKinney

My Book

WHEN TO HOLD ON is a girl-meets-girl YA verse novel and draws from its setting in the Driftless Area the way roots draw water from the ground.

YA novel-in-verse

Indie Bound // Barnes&Noble // Amazon

Brynn Bailey, a quiet teen, always preferred the sound of the creek over talking, and that becomes even more true as she struggles to accept the recent death of her mother. Then she meets Zoe who seems to have all the words in the world, and Brynn wishes she knew what to say. As long as it’s not about her grief. But unspoken words have a way of stacking up, like bills on a counter. Soon, she is at risk of losing both love and the only place she calls home. To save them, she’ll need to learn when to listen and when to speak up, when to let go and when to hold on.

A Sneak Peek into the Novel

THE PAINTER

“I like to paint,”
she offers

which is just enough
to transform my silence into a question:

“What do you like to paint?”

Thankfully, it gets her talking instead.

She tucks a frizzy curl behind one ear.
“For me…it’s more about the way
I see whatever I’m painting. I try to
get up close
or pick an unusual angle. Try to see
what others might miss.
I use lots of color because
even grass isn’t just green. It’s also
yellow and brown, blue and purple,
even pink.”

~ Kate McKinney, WHEN TO HOLD ON

I’ll leave you with one last image—a river birch with blue sky peeking between yellow leaves.

Happy Autumn!

River Birch

Drink Up the Last of Summer

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Wild Bergamot may be fading soon,

but Bumble Bee insists

there is still nectar to drink.

A swift breeze reminds me

autumn is coming

but not quite yet.

Cicadas still sing in the trees.

Sunlight shines through green leaves

and yellow petals

like stained glass.

Nature’s rain collector,

the leaves of Cup Plant,

invite birds and insects to come

take a sip.

And shadows shift

through the long day

as we all keep changing.

So, let us take these moments

before summer’s end

and drink up!

Did you know you can eat these plants?

Learn how to harvest and eat Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa L.) and Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum), and read the inspiring story of how Alan Bergo, a chef from Minnesota, became a mushroom & wild plant hunter, otherwise known as…a forager. He shares his foraging knowledge and recipes through his books and website at ForagerChef.com.

Foraging has been a relatively new interest for me, and I’m still getting my feet wet. Over the last eight years, my family and I have been transitioning sections of our land from a vast mowed lawn (by the previous owners) to native plants and even sections of prairie. I’ve been excited to learn that many of these native plants (or weeds, as some people still call them) are not only great for the birds and butterflies, but also edible for humans!

You, too, can become a forager. Keep in mind, you shouldn’t go eating just any mushroom or berry you find; some can be poisonous. Do your research, and be sure it’s edible before tasting it. And it’s important to harvest sustainably, so no plant is wiped out. As our plants fill in, I’m enjoying a nibble here and there.

Every time I walk past Bergamot, the aroma begs me to try making a cup of Bergamot Tea! I think this will finally be the year.

As we transition into September, one of my all-time favorite months in Wisconsin, I wish you all the best. However you choose to treasure these last summer moments–look and listen closely, reach out to touch, breathe it all in, and taste the flavors.

Drink up, my friends!