We’ve been kicking through the colorful leaves, stepping out at night for a look at the bright moon, and enjoying the sun still coming our way this autumn.
But I’ve taken a page from the Scandinavians, who welcome their long winter by creating a cozy interior vibe. I embraced this tradition after visiting Stockholm last year. Cozy, for me, meant buying a few special lights and placing them strategically in darker corners of the house. It was a psychological boost; don’t ask me why. It made last winter somehow more charming. When spring showed itself and the days grew longer, I stashed all the lighting and forgot about it right up until last week, when I couldn’t deny how short the days were getting. The lights have come out again. They don’t blaze up a room; they need the darkness to deliver the glow that delights me, especially in the early morning, when I’m making coffee.
I also got out a hand embroidery project I’ve been waiting to launch. I used to do embroidery all year round. Not anymore. I put it away last April in favor of outdoor activities like gardening. Now it’s become a thing to anticipate when the days are short.
This is a starter project from a kit by one of the most skilled embroiderers out there, Mary Corbet, who has had a website for twenty years and has amassed some of the best how-to videos and picture instructions on stitching techniques I’ve encountered. This project involves beading with tiny, tiny beads that require a steady hand. I’ll finish it soon and get back to my preferred projects, bringing birds to life with thread.
Without ritual, seasonal changes just happen to us. Because I have this plan: special lights, favorite craft, I feel some control. Not over the weather—the blustery days, the low ceiling of clouds, the spitting rain, the driving rain, the freezing rain—but over my own internal weather.
And that turns out to be its own kind of fine.
Photos by Susan Palmer
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