A Blustery Day

In preparation for my upcoming position as a crisis counselor, I have been reading case studies and novels on suicide and major depression. Though not as emotionally demanding as the real thing, it still takes a lot to read through these for hours at a time. So this week, aside from watching the Grand Rapids Symphony play music from Fantasia [with clips from the two films being shown], I traveled to Grand Haven Pier... illegally.

This Thursday, the lakeshore was being hit with steady wind at 45mph with gusts at 60mph, making for some beautiful waves. This means that in order to get out to pier, I had to cross some police tape, but I had never seen Lake Michigan like this. 

Tom joined in, and was supposed to tell me when a wave was about to hit us while I was taking pictures.
He didn't do a very good job at it ;)

Northern Lights

We had unseasonably wonderful weather this week. Pairing Autumn foliage with sunny, 75-degree weather inspired me to visit my old stomping ground at Center Lake Bible Camp. Being the off season, the camp was occupied by, maybe, 8 people. After greetings, I was free to wander the camp, taking pictures as I went. It was the kind of day where you didn't have to be doing anything to enjoy the weather. Which is good... considering how little I did.

Later, I joined up with Nate in Ludington for a chance to catch the Northern Lights. Even though I was only able to pick up a faint green glow and sporadic light pillars, the night on the pier was so warm and enjoyable that we didn't care. Regardless, I have now seen the northern lights... I only hope I get a chance to see them in greater splendor.

 

Just Drive

I love driving.

Often, I don't have a destination or a reason, but I will just drive. It helps gives me change of scenery, a place to think, and comes loaded with all my favourite music. Thanks to my job I had with the Grand Rapids Press I know the greater Grand Rapids area fairly well. Today I drove around the Ada/Lowell area. It was nice to see some of the neighborhoods I've helped deliver papers in again. I was able to enjoy the beautiful properties without having to work ... and not at 4am.



 

Rest assured, any pictures were taken while the vehicle was stationary.

Rosy Mound and Nordhouse Dunes

I couldn't tell you exactly why this week was as bad as it was. Situations hadn't changed that much; I am still without work, still "turtling" with my finances, and still unsure of when any of that will change. I am still exercising, still looking for jobs, and still finding the joy in my circumstances. However, just before this weekend, I became incredibly restless and anxious. I desperately searched for employment that had nothing to do with earning my social work license, I micro-analyzed my recent interactions, and began doubting the assurances granted to me.

However, grace came in the form of a trip to Rosy Mound to talk with two close friends, and spending last night in Nordhouse Dunes. This gave me the opportunity to test a sleeping bag in close to freezing temperatures. Both the bag and my friends warmed my heart when I needed it most... and both probably have sand that will take a long time to remove all of.

White Pine and Musketawa Trail

Thanks to the charity of others allowing me to borrow their bike and bike accessories [playing cards in the spokes is a must], I have been able to ride some of the local biking trails. These trails include the White Pine [Comstock Park to Rockford] and Musketawa Trail [Marne to Muskegon].

Both were beautiful to ride in the Autumn, and though the Musketawa took most of the day to ride [50 miles], it beckoned me to pause and appreciate its beauty... and the breaks were also appreciated.

Taking my apple-pickin' time

Even if I am in the thick of a chaotic schedule, I still love to find time to attend to my apple tree. I find it calming to spend time fertilizing, pruning, and treating my tree.

However, I've had all the time in the world recently, and I haven't put in time with my tree. There's a lot of other projects around the house that I haven't finished either. When I have nothing but free time, I find it difficult to accomplish anything I should be doing.

This week, however, my apples were fully ripened and needing to be picked. I was feeling sickly and generally unmotivated, but it was a nice day and I wasn't particularly interested in seeing how many job leads hadn't gotten back to me.

I got out my ladder, bushel basket, and began picking through branches sorting out the apples for pies [good apples] and saucing [blemished apples]. As the afternoon turned to evening, many of my neighbors had passed by, paying their compliments to the tree and it's yield. I always felt blessed by the apple tree, and it had been wonderful being able to bless my neighbors with free apples. By the end of the day, my mood had improved, and the autumn sunset provided a beautiful backdrop to finish to.

Before I put away my ladder and baskets, I snapped some pictures. Now I'm posting them here. Because that's what blogs are for.

Red Moons

Using a shoe and my trashcan as a tripod, I took pictures of the Red Supermoon Lunar Eclipse.

That's the first 'red moon'.

I also performed a new comedy set in a festival tent, alongside a cornhole tournament using a megaphone in lieu of a microphone. This was during Red Flannel Days in Cedar Springs.

That was the second 'red moon' 

Get it?

Subtle.