{"id":9613,"date":"2025-10-25T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=9613"},"modified":"2025-10-23T02:23:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T02:23:01","slug":"another-autumn-and-a-poem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-autumn-and-a-poem\/","title":{"rendered":"Another Autumn, and a Poem"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-saturday\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20190916ff\/20191026-backyard-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Brian H. Gill's photo: autumn scene in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. (October 2019)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Autumn in Sauk Centre, Minnesota; looking east from our back door. (October 2019)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m keeping it short this week, (finally) telling how this summer&#8217;s infection turned out, and sharing a poem my father wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-autumn-and-a-poem\/#anew\">A New Normal and a North Window<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-autumn-and-a-poem\/#autumn\">&#8220;Autumn Yard Work&#8221; and Rejoicing<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Don&#8217;t worry, by the way. The poem is short: only 14 words, including the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-black-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-black-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"anew\"><\/a>A New Normal and a North Window<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/called-to-holiness-not-stupidity\/#idplanned\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20210209ff\/20210317-DSC08994-SaintPatricksDayAndMe--trim-329.JPG?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Brian H. Gill. (March 17, 2021)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Me, in 2021.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Normally \u2014 or, rather, what used to be normally \u2014 I&#8217;d be spending most of the day at my desk, looking stuff up, reading, writing, or thinking about what I&#8217;d been reading, writing, or looking up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, in April, a sore on my shin wouldn&#8217;t heal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, I got to know the folks who come to town each week for a Wound Care Clinic, and spent most of the summer&#8217;s days keeping my feet as high as practical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news, some of it, was that the household already had an easy chair by the north window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The open sore wasn&#8217;t open any more by the time summer ended. But now I&#8217;ve got a new &#8220;normal&#8221;: spending a fair fraction of each day in the easy chair by the north window. Often with a cup of coffee, always with something to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new routine keeps my feet up more than before, which is supposed to help with blood circulation: and did strongly correlate with getting that sore healed.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/webcam\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20250726ff\/20251022-Webcam1252pm552UTC-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Part of south Sauk Centre, MN; webcam, ca. 12:52 p.m. \/ 5:52 UTC. (October 22, 2025)\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">My webcam&#8217;s view, around noon, October 22, 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s a nice view out the north window: basically the same as my webcam&#8217;s, but from a different angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/webcam\/\"><strong>Webcam: Sauk Centre MN<\/strong><\/a><br>&#8220;&#8230;my corner of small town America, deep in the heart of darkest Minnesota&#8230;.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Lately, I&#8217;ve been enjoying watching the leaves turn to their autumn colors. And that reminded me of something my father did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a name=\"autumn\"><\/a>&#8220;Autumn Yard Work&#8221; and Rejoicing<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/i-am-not-samuel-but-im-someone\/#paying\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/AutumnYardWorkII20131228-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"'Autumn Yard Work,' Bernard I. Gill.\"\/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">&#8220;Autumn Yard Work (II)&#8221;, Bernard I. Gill.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>My father didn&#8217;t write much, but he did have a way with words. That&#8217;s something I inherited from him, along with a habit of thinking about life, the universe, and all that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Autumn Yard Work (II)<\/strong><br>Life passing<br>Leaves falling<br>Birds flying<br>Clouds floating<br>I&#8217;m watching<br>Rejoicing<br>(Bernard I. Gill)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I can&#8217;t, offhand, point to any one example, but I very strongly suspect I learned my habit of paying attention to the wonders and beauties surrounding us from my father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or maybe it&#8217;s something hardwired: an inherited predisposition to notice where I am, and think about what&#8217;s there. If so, that&#8217;s a pleasant counterpoint to other very-likely-inherited glitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In any case, I think rejoicing is a good idea. Even when \u2014 <strong>particularly<\/strong> when \u2014 everything <strong>isn&#8217;t<\/strong> copacetic, the snail&#8217;s eyebrows, and the bee&#8217;s knees: and I don&#8217;t have &#8216;beautiful feelings&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;Oh, what a beautiful Mornin&#8217;<br>Oh, what a beautiful day.<br>I&#8217;ve got a beautiful feelin&#8217;<br>Everything&#8217;s goin&#8217; my way&#8230;.&#8221;<br>(&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.allmusicals.com\/lyrics\/oklahoma\/ohwhatabeautifulmorning.htm\">Oh, What a Beautiful Morning<\/a>&#8221; , from &#8220;Oklahoma!&#8221; (1943) via allmusicals.com)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Bottom line, rejoicing is a good idea, no matter how I&#8217;m feeling. It&#8217;s also possible at any time, although sometimes it&#8217;s more of an intellectual exercise than a rush of emotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This might be a good time to stop writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides, I&#8217;ve talked about life, perceptions, and making sense before, more or less:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/storms-health-a-biopsy-and-unsettling-news\/\"><strong>Storms, Health, a Biopsy, and Unsettling News<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (July 12, 2025)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/storms-health-a-biopsy-and-unsettling-news\/#biopsy\">Biopsy and Good News<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/holy-thursday-dealing-with-an-infection\/\"><strong>Holy Thursday, Dealing With an Infection<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (April 17, 2025)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/holy-thursday-dealing-with-an-infection\/#helping\">Helping my Body Heal<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/i-am-not-samuel-but-im-someone\/\"><strong>I am Not Samuel: But I&#8217;m Someone<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (January 17, 2021)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/i-am-not-samuel-but-im-someone\/#paying\">Paying Attention<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/still-rejoicing\/\"><strong>Still Rejoicing<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (July 2, 2017)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/still-rejoicing\/#joy\">Joy, Zest, and Mud<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/still-rejoicing\/#emotions\">Emotions Happen<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/still-rejoicing\/#swooning\">Swooning Saints and Ham Sandwiches<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/the-virtue-trap\/\"><strong>The Virtue Trap<\/strong><\/a>&#8221; (October 23, 2016)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/the-virtue-trap\/#truth\">Truth Matters<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/the-virtue-trap\/#uriah\">Uriah Heep and The Screwtape Letters<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;m keeping it short this week, (finally) telling how this summer&#8217;s infection turned out, and sharing a poem my father wrote. Don&#8217;t worry, by the way. The poem is short: only 14 words, including the title. A New Normal and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/another-autumn-and-a-poem\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"A short post. How the summer's infection changed my daily routine, and a short seasonal poem my father wrote. Also paying attention and rejoicing.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Another Autumn, and a Poem","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[223,239,192,170,209],"tags":[64,84,8],"class_list":["post-9613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-creativity","category-family-stories","category-journal","category-poems","category-series","tag-faith","tag-family","tag-health"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-2v3","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9613"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9616,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9613\/revisions\/9616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}