I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people.
I thought, "This is what it is to be happy."
Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
As a Libra, I'm one of the air signs. I know, I know. You're thinking astrology is a bunch of bunk. But, it's actually been around since ancient times, a common link between the patterns in the heavens and life on earth. Much can be garnered by understanding nature and the reflections it has on us as individuals. Anyway, I'm happy to finally throw open a window and breath glorious fresh, cool air. There's nothing I adore more than air in my face, in my hair and wafting through an open window, that thin, cool air, that lets me hear the melancholy whistle of the 3:30 a.m. train in Linworth. Summer is like purgatory for me. I loathe claustrophobic, humid air and actually have to sleep with a fan pointed directly at my face on summer nights.
Air signs are said to be flexible, like the breeze. It's true, I like a fresh perspective on just about anything, and am forever changing things, including my mind. After shopping at a certain grocery store for six months, I switch. Nearly every month, four days before the new moon, I spin off into rearranging mode at the manor. Next time you visit, I promise, nothing will be in the same spot. I thrive on reading new poets, trying new recipes and meeting new people. As you well know, rearranging my blog template and header is a favorite pastime.
Speaking of blogging, the blog community has certainly been a great conduit for airy inclinations, since air signs are said to be communicators, story tellers, and link people socially. There's nothing I enjoy more than hopping aboard my magic little cyberspace carpet and breezing around the bloggyhood, sharing a manor ghost story or a new willow poem, or two, with my friends.
Could this be the reason I dreamed of flying as a child, and why my worst nightmares are of tornadoes, now that I'm grown?
What I want to know is how you find the time for everything you manage to do? I envy you your industriousness.
ReplyDeleteKaren, I connected with a distant cousin online a few years back, a wonderful woman I didn't even know existed. She said the women in her line were short, round and very industrious. Well, the second two attributes certainly apply...teehee!
ReplyDeleteI'm 4ft 10in and since the injusry to my ankle has prevented me from running getting rounder by the day!
ReplyDeleteI'm still to be convinced about the zodiac - my sister used to ask all perspective boyfriends upon meeting what their signs were. If they didn't fall into the right category she rejected them ... one divorce later she started to use a better system to weed out the unsuitable (sorry that sounds flippant)
I love todays photo and the poem.
Isn't the blogworld great?! I really enjoy all of the new people I "meet".
ReplyDeleteI am bound at the hip to the Metro horoscope - Dear Bernice Always gets me right.
ReplyDeleteI am Earth, not so airy or perhaps I am, writing and painting a place I don't live in - Paris...
Lovely blog!
merci
carolg
I'm a libra too. I can relate and I am mesmerized by the blogosphere.
ReplyDeleteI love open windows and fresh air in the house. And an open door. If the weather is not too hot or too cold, the doors are open. But changing things up all the time? Not me. I like my rut.
ReplyDeleteKaren, the reason willow gets so much done is because she begins the day at 3:30am while the rest of us don't.
ReplyDeleteEven though I'm Piscian, I often feel like a fish out of water and share the traits of Libra...forever changing, adapting and rearranging. I guess change is the only constant for me too.
Hey, I don't think it's bunk, not at all. It's complicated, though ... much more nuanced than merely the sun sign.
ReplyDeleteThat said, you're a true Libra - a lover of the arts, of harmony and balance and beauty. Libra expresses the graces of Venus as she manifests in the mind. That's you!! Classy, smart, balanced and gorgeous.
I wonder if Pisces always feel like a fish out of water? The world you describe is alien to me. I revel in dry heat - letting the sere atmosphere shrink wrap my skin. It's one of the things I love most about my space heater :)
ReplyDeleteWillow,
ReplyDeleteThat is what keeps us interesting!
rel
Air has been good for me -- here of late it comes in metal tanks.
ReplyDelete((blush)) Reya, you are always welcome at the manor. ;^)
ReplyDeleteAbe, I'm so sorry you have to tangle with that oxygen tank. I hope it works its magic. Blessings, my friend.
ReplyDeleteDon't think I've met a fellow Libra I didn't feel a "connection" with. Funny about the air, I never put two and two together. I have my doors and windows open all the time right now and I am in heaven. One of my favorite sounds is to hear the leaves as the wind blows through the trees.
ReplyDeleteWillow, I'm a Taurus, earth sign, but I so envy you the air you are enjoying right now. It looks like it might finally rain today, but the air is muggy, hot and heavy. Not a bit cool. We are just waiting for a breath of cool air. We only had a couple of cool days in October. It is supposed to cool off again soon. But not soon enough for me. I'm enjoying your fall posts vicariously.
ReplyDelete"Cyberspace carpet"...ha...love that!
ReplyDeleteShari, while I love to visit a temperate climate, I wouldn't like living there. The change of the seasons is dear to my heart.
ReplyDeleteI've always felt that a landscape does not exist in its own right, as
ReplyDeletesomething finished or complete. Its appearance changes at every moment, because it is the surounding
atmosphere that brings it to life ... the light and air which vary continually. Such is the 'air' of blog, and I am very thankful to be breathing it with you.
It's not letting me post today for some reason, so let's try this again:
ReplyDeleteI've always felt that a landscape does not exist in its own right, as
something finished or complete. Its appearance changes at every moment, because it is the surrounding
atmosphere that brings it to life ... the light and air which vary continually. Such is the 'air' of your blog, and I am very thankful to be breathing it with you!
And speaking of flying...
ReplyDeleteYou might like these folksy paintings that have been added to my Christmas list: http://www.etsy.com/shop/rowenamurillo
Thanks for sharing your airiness with us!
Trena
Airy in political season? Running for office are you?
ReplyDeleteHeh-heh, that would be "airy" not "gassy"! :^)
ReplyDeleteI love the quote. There is alot to be said for the astrological signs. Mine is Pisces and it suits me well.
ReplyDeleteLove this post. Couldn't agree more. I love the fall and the cool air. We've had intermittent snow here, but we'll just call is crispness for now!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I should start reading horoscopes to get to know myself? ;-)
ReplyDeleteCrispness. Leslie, I love that.
ReplyDeleteI'm yet another Libran, and have just come inside, because the clocks have been put back and it's pitch black outside! It's been a windy day here and I reek of woodsmoke, having demolished a huge pile of garden debris in a glorious, crackling bonfire. True Libran behaviour I think!
ReplyDelete(And, yes, I too dream of flying, very serenely, just out of reach. You know what it means!)
I'm Aries, a fire sign, and like nothing better than wide open windows and cool air. My eldest niece draws up astrological charts but I'm not convinced - yet;-)
ReplyDeleteWonderful post as always! I always enjoy our visit. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAs a Gemini with four moons
ReplyDeletein Gemini, I am the earthy
intellectual, the earth sign.
I married a Libra, as you know,
your birthdays only being a day
apart. Tall women suit a short
man with a large
ego.
Your love of Autumn has
taken some of us for flights
of leaves, dream flights,
voyages of emotion, and
Fall has barely arrived; from
your love of wooly socks,
to your adoration of crisp air,
you pull us along with your
apron strings, with shining
strands of your hair, cooking
this delicacy, smelling that,
photographing head stones,
loving even the lichen--and
now it is the very air itself.
Your love of networking, of
fellowship, of poetics, of
meeting new people, of throwing
incredible balls at the manor,
bring us back by the hundreds,
every day. Your blog counter clicks
hotly like a whirling meter on
our natural gas.
I thought of your little river,
the Scioto, this morning, as
took a magnificent walk along
my muddy Puyallup, running
fast and high after the rains of
the last few days, ankle deep in
golden castaway leaves, making
my socks wet, soaking my cuffs,
and I noticed my shadow was
15' long pointing west as the
bright orb in the east rose
above the Cascade foothills
and shone upon my back,
surrounded by mists rising
like angelic wings off farmer's fields
and throngs of maples, and I
noticed my own breath, my own
mist, rising to join the fog brethren
surrounding me, and I could see
the river more clearly this week
because most of the trees stood
nearly naked and unashamed,
their spindly branches looking
so slim, like pasty legs on those
first days at the beach.
Oh I dreamed of flying as a child too ...and I would still love to fly, to feel the wind beneath my wings ;-)
ReplyDeleteLove the quote!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Taurus myself, but I can definitely appreciate/envy what you're experiencing now! And I must say, the blogosphere truly is a wonder...
ReplyDeleteI'm not an air sign, but I could have written the second paragraph myself. I despise the humid oppressive heat of summer and love the cool air of autumn and the icy breezes in the winter. The only thing I don't like is air blowing on my face at night...cause it tickles. : )
ReplyDeleteI am charmed with it (the settings of your photos) enormous site, excellently!
ReplyDelete(I am sorry, almost I do not speak English, but there is no problem)
Well, it happened again magpies,
ReplyDeletewhile endeavoring to express
my feelings, to respond to
Willow's latest posting, I
waxed on with run-on prose,
and when completed, it
seemed to have a kernel
of a poem in it. Turns out
it did. Thanks to the Muse
of the Manor.
The new poem is entitle
MORCEAU MISTS if anyone
wants to swing by and read it.
I am a moon child aka crab;-) I too find air intoxicating--wind, storms and the cool air of spring or fall--never summer with its heavy hand--fans are a must and you wouldn't want to sit next to me in a crowded airplane...your insight to your self is a joy and why so many enjoy your creations whether it be poetry or recipes or a ver cool hat--kudos my dear
ReplyDeleteDinersity, diversity, diversity, that is what being an online junkie is to me -- barbara
ReplyDeleteI'm an aquarian, an air sign too. yep i'm a big horoscopes fan! hehe. guess what blog hopping and editing my template are also my favorites. :D
ReplyDeleteSome ancient star-gazer illogically connecting up dots to make a lion, crab, or plough shouldn't influence our lives. What if he'd connected them up differently; a hat, a pair of socks, a Willow tree perhaps?
ReplyDeleteyour post.. if they are as fresh air every morning!
ReplyDeletetells you a Leo and according to the Chinese horoscope year of the tiger! grrrr
Glenn, your line "trees stood
ReplyDeletenearly naked and unashamed,
their spindly branches looking
so slim, like pasty legs on those
first days at the beach" is so beautiful. I see you've come back to claim your nugget of a poem. I hope this was it. I'm on my way over to read...
Cro, I think in my case he must have seen a hat, sock and willow tree!
ReplyDeleteJo, I adore your beautiful notion of the atmosphere bringing a landscape to light. I've never thought of it in this particular intriguing "light". I like the way you think, my friend.
ReplyDeleteBicoca, in the Chinese was born in the year of the monkey, the Curious George variety.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was working in the "real world" I always found out what sun and moon sign the people I would be meeting were born under; so important to know how to "deal" with them!
ReplyDeleteWe know your sun is in Libra, but under what moon and rising sign were you born Willow?
Jane, I need someone to chart me!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, it certainly sheds a new light with relationships and how to deal.
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting. I am a Pisces, and while I love the ocean, lakes, and pools, my biggest nightmare is of drowning (well, of my kids drowning, a nightmare I continue to have).
ReplyDeleteI like an open window, too--but it's best when it's raining. I adore rain, and I don't mind tornadoes, for they often come with thunderstorms (one of my favorite things in the world).
Everything the zodiac says about my sign works, honestly... and my sister and I are compatible despite being very different, for she is a Scorpio (another water sign).
Great post... good insight into you...
I think astrology is bunk, but is it not possible that the seasons and yearly events, at which times we celebrate ourselves on our birthdays, influence our characters? I am a scorpio and love the late fall, in England a time of conkers and Guy Faulks, dead leaves and a hint of the winter to come. Death has always fascinated me.
ReplyDeleteOh you MUST get your chart done Willow! Search on the American Astrological Association for a reference; it's not expensive and can be truly helpful.
ReplyDeleteInteresting -- I have many Libras in my life -- all strong influences. I seem to be drawn to them though I'm a Pisces.
ReplyDeleteafternoons are to die for, with the cool days inviting a sunny walk in the woods, or along a stream. love the insights, this is a gem
ReplyDeleteYou had to have seen "The Wizard of Oz" very young, my dear! You must have related with Dorthy and the tornado... the holidays are coming; you must rearrange for that "one and only" Christmas tree of yours... so beautiful and enchanting! Turn up the fan on your feet there... for more creative powers! :) The Bach
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Christmas trees, you've been know to celebrate All Saints Day by putting yours up. Are you going to this year, too?
ReplyDeleteAir is easily a strong part of your Libra life...loved hearing about the fan! I need to always feel close to moving water...I can leave for a short time but always return to the waters edge...funny how we all are?!
ReplyDeleteI'm a Taurus and like to have my feet planted flat on the ground...there are sun rising and moon rising signs and I am solidly Taurus all the way around my round body! My brother in-law swears by astrology..to much to his detriment I feel but alas...so much of it is true.
ReplyDeleteI don't get claustrophobic..surprisingly..my mother was a Taurus and couldn't even have the covers up to her neck for fear of smothering...how different we all are..I have to say though, my worst nightmares are of tornadoes also~the monkeys in Wizard of Oz made no impression on me as a kid..but that tornado...oh my.
Willow I love you dearly, but we are worlds apart with our weather inclinations. I'm a Summer girl through & through, the hotter the better for me. Interestingly I was born at the height of Summer & you made an entrance in Fall. Is there a link to be made here about our preferences? Keep on flying around on your cyberspace carpet, it's always a delight to have you visit.
ReplyDeleteMillie ^_^
Diversity is what makes us all so delicious, Millie!
ReplyDeleteI think it's my airy Gemini moon that makes me want to communicate. Do you know your rising sign and moon signs? They say your moon sign tells you what you've mastered in previous lifetimes, your rising sign is how you appear to the world (the cloak of personality that people see first), and your sun sign holds the key to the qualities, talents and personal characteristics you came here to master this time around. I'd say you are a very accomplished Libra already. You do that Venus thing with such elegance and grace, and wicked skills too, I might add!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Angella. I really need to have my chart done, to fully understand myself.
ReplyDeletehow funny before I saw this entry i was looking at your sidebar thinking she changes her quotes and images on there alot she must be a gemini like myself they are so mutable and sure enough you are air sign!
ReplyDeletei've had nightmares about tornadoes, too, since i was a child. must be something about growing up in the midwest. have you seen the film 'a serious man'? there's a great scene at the end that is reminiscent of these dreams....
ReplyDeletethat's cool that you change things up in your life -- good for you for welcoming in the new like that~
btw i don't think astrology is a bunch of bunk!! ;-)