Descending brume.

A warm & fuzzy blanket, or a quilt of mystery? It all depends on how you look at this photo.

Nature photo of the day: lone haystack on another very brumy day.

springy, fresh air, summer warmth, 
autumn winds, crisp winter days 
appear to be only memories now, choked
by the fog, slowly disappearing into oblivion
just an echo of how the world used to be
blanketed by something i can't touch, but i 
feel it with all my soul 
is it happiness, coating my world? no
is it sadness? not really
is it dreams that fill my heart with longing? partly
is it questions that have no answer? most certainly yes
for i have gotten no replies to my questions 
i shout them into the universe, 
the only answer being on-hold music
and the distant barking of a dog in the village
i wonder when the mist will lift and the sun will come out
revealing to me the responses to my pleas
the day has to come 
when the sky will be blue and clear again
and all the riddles that cloud my thoughts
will drift away, as if they never did exist

- Csermely 

Maybe you didn’t know until now, for I didn’t either, that brume means fog… It’s so interesting to learn more words that have similar, or the same, meanings as other terms which we use as if they were the only way to express that thing. Even if you do not memorize a bunch of synonyms to a word, it’s still worth reading them sometimes, and the next time you’ll encounter that word you will at least be able to say that you’ve heard it before. Even if you’ve never used it in casual conversation.

For example, have you heard of the Ichneumon wasp?

There are so many old words to describe things in nature - weather conditions, the sound of wind in the trees, the lifestyles of animals. Many of these words and terms have been have systematically forgotten (or unremembered) as people started living on the land, instead of with it, not feeling the need to understand it fully anymore. If you love living with the Earth, now is the time to notice and remember these things again… Tania Tyler 🌿can definitely assist you in remembering these lost, wild words.

My apologies for writing a more dark poem than I usually do, but that is simply what our days have been like lately. Very, very, very, dark, and extremely foggy.

Take a look at the streetlamps still on at 9AM this morning!

Though we haven’t kept count, the foggy days most certainly outnumber the clear days this past month. I don’t remember having a cloudless sky since late September. We have to keep the light on a good part of the day, and sometimes I feel like a mole under the ground… Our small string of bright Christmas lights definitely helps to brighten up the room!

Allow me to ask you…

As David Barton recently said in this wonderful post, “and just as our ancestors have done throughout history, seeking joy and light amidst the darkness.” Now is the time to relax, if you can, cover yourself with a cozy blanket, heal, laugh, cry, be silent, whatever you need to bring your soul back to yourself.

In what ways are you slowing down & enjoying the Holiday Season this year?

If you read my last post, you’ll know that we’ve been quite busy lately. That’s just the way a self reliant life works - you don’t always have the luxury to relax when you want, but life makes sure you relax when you need it most. Don’t worry, we’re not burned out, merely a bit disheartened by recent life events, our hearts only slightly dampened by the day-long-fog.

The things that have made me happy lately: a late Thanksgiving meal last night, after we were gifted some pork from a fresh slaughter. The few moments when the sun shone through the clouds yesterday. Reading many wondrous posts here on Substack in the last few weeks. Listening to this audiobook while I draw. And experiencing a couple hours of winter weather last Sunday. As a vintage Thanksgiving song says: “I have plenty to be thankful for.”

Clearly, this year leaves plenty of needs and wants behind. But if you’ve seen the sun lately, send it our way please! We could most certainly use a sunny day, because everything feels a little more bearable when the sun is out!

If you look closely, the other side of the valley was slightly visible through the fog this morning. It’s like the memory of yesteryear, when vintage music was just everyday tunes and when making your own candles was a typical activity, looming on the horizon, reminding of us of what was, & can be again, if we recreate a world like that.

However foggy it gets, we keep ourselves occupied as we keep creating…

We started crafting our unique Christmas carol today. It changes every year based on what happened in previous seasons, which we learn by heart each year and sing (in Romanian) at several homes in the village, this year our must-go-to list is up to 23 houses! If it goes well, and there is some demand, we’ll share it online as well. Today I wrote a list of all the people we have to visit that Christmas Eve evening (or over two nights, since that’s a lot of cake eating for all & brandy drinking for the adults…), we’re also cutting firewood for the week ahead.

I’m very excited to announce that Cheryl Magyar and I are creating a year-long e-course for paid subscribers - starting early in January 2026. More details on that soon!

As for the journal prompt of the day:

What is your fondest fog related memory? Or do you not have one yet?

If you do not, I strongly suggest that you head out on the next foggy day and notice what happens to your soul when you step out in it. Does it bring up feelings of cozy autumns many years ago, or does it feel like a mysterious adventure you would have embarked on when you were a child? Share your experiences in the comments below, I’d love to hear your recollections!

With gratitude,