Every morning, it’s a little darker. I both want to honor the seasons – rest more – AND I want to take Peaches out on the walk before anyone else.

I want that quiet early morning to myself. Just me and Peaches without her getting woofy and tail-wagging scared of anyone else, much less someone with a dog.

BUT… then when I do meet someone – and there tends to be the same someones along the path – I’m glad.

If I see Cindy now, with little Stevie (short for Stevie Wonder) heading our way, we greet each other and Peaches dances and zooms around staid Stevie – a small chihuahua mix. Stevie now has a newly adopted sister, Daisy, who wants absolutely nothing to do with these rude older dogs who already know each other. Har-umph! The tiniest of all. She stands her ground.

And then – Saturday comes around. Tai Chi class is on Saturday morning. I love Tai Chi but I can do it on my own, in the quiet of my own home.

Okay, so I’ll go, I thought. See if I like it. The teacher was so glad to see me. Another participant was the wife of the fire chief who used to be come to class when I lived here 5 (6?) years ago. I saw my former teacher there, who was delighted.

The in, the out. I feel myself pulled in both directions. As much as I love fall, I resist the change: this area becomes very quiet in winter. Quiet can be one of the most nurturing settings. That deep stillness of winter could not be more different than the hustle and bustle of summer.

So I need both – the yin and the yang, to borrow the symbolism of that Chinese metaphor. One to highlight the beauty of the other, if I can just remember that. Instead of wanting the day to stay just as light as it is. And wanting the trail to myself.

Look at me. I just got groomed – Peaches.

Longer hair in winter – that snowy quiet time.

Shorter hair in summer to chase those scooting squirrels.

And my shop – closed for summer when there was SOOO much going on in my life – is open again.

If you want to soft silk scarf for the cooler months (or one for a friend), come visit salleyknightstudioonsquam.com.

If you’re thinking: “Well maybe…, I’m not sure…, possibly….. okay YES!

I’m offering an early bird discount on the scarves to say thank you,

and to encourage you to order them early knowing that they are reproduced (from my original art) in Canada, and trans-border items are taking longer, even with UPS.

code: EARLYSCARF15 – good until the 15th of November, 2025.

salleyknightstudioonsquam.com

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