There are many reasons I’m happy we live in Vermont, but a big one is that I’m grateful to have landed where each month is distinct from all the others. Asserted through our weather, the colors that surround us, and the resulting way we move through our days, this reliable sense of change within each year makes me feel grounded.

In a nod to yesterday’s celebration, I think the monthly diversity that makes up a calendar year could be likened to the mixed bag of personalities that surround any family’s Thanksgiving table. Each 30-day period possesses its own strengths and weaknesses but, due to its individuality, occupies a place that no other could fill and would be sorely missed if absent.

Bittersweet     ©2015 Elizabeth Fram                                                                        Bittersweet from my brother and sister-in-law’s garden is a fall treat. It adds a welcome visual spark via color, shape, and shadows — both inside and outside of the house.

That said, I have become very fond of the month of November. Pared down to essentials, it provides a crisp beauty and a sense of quiet following the exuberance of October’s visual fire and summer’s lushness. With the leaves now down, one can fully appreciate the beautiful structure of the trees and shrubs, which remains hidden for so much of the year and is now highlighted by the dramatic light and stark shadows cast by a sun sitting lower in the sky. Looking up through a screen of silhouetted tree branches to see twilight’s Prussian blue sky with a blush of rose, often accented with an evening star, takes my breath away.

Although literature tends to paint it as bleak, I think November has a lot to offer us visually and internally as we bundle up in preparation for winter. I find this time of year particularly inspiring artistically. Influenced by what I see outside, my brain feels less cluttered and more open. The garden has finally been put to bed and inclement weather makes being in the studio a welcome refuge.

November Arrangement     ©2015 Elizabeth Fram

I hope, now that the Thanksgiving cooking is behind you, you can put your feet up and relax this weekend. If possible, treat yourself to the visual inspiration of Geninne Zlatkis’ Instagram site. The farther you scroll, the more caught up you will become. A new Mexico painter, she takes stunning photographs of her surroundings, elevating the everyday to a new level of color, arrangement & detail — elements near and dear to my own heart. Enjoy!

❖

This week marks the 52nd post to this blog; a full year of weekly ideas and conversation. I’ve learned more from this endeavor than I ever would have guessed, and am grateful to you for your comments, encouragement, insight and most of all for continuing to read. Here’s to moving forward…