I was cleaning up after dinner tonight when Zoey came running into the house to report that she heard the starlings over by the lake. We all quickly walked over to the lake to see the dance of the starlings across the sky. I remember when we were living in town, before we moved to our property, and Stephen came home one night and told me about what he saw at the ranch. We have been taking evening walks over to the lake knowing that this is the time of the starlings and tonight was the night they came in swarms. It is a bit like trying to take a photograph of the sunset, or perhaps it’s just because I lack any photography skills, but there was no way to capture the beauty and sound of their flight.

Whenever I decide to write everyday in October, I always end up waiting until the last possible moment before bedtime to write. I think all day, what do I possible have to write about? Last month when we were in the store Placewares in Gualala, I bought Erin Lee Gafill’s book Drinking From a Cold Spring: A Little Book of Hope. One of her chapters is called “Begin Where You Are.”

Autumn weather arrived today. I wild harvested some usnea on our ranch last night and tinctured it this morning. Here is a link about Usnea if you’re interested. I finally got around to taking a photograph of the lone mullein plant growing by our lake. Here she is in the fading light of evening.