29 Comments

Tara, Well done. I loved your newsletter. I new, having just found you. I am a meditative poet who also writes on Substacks. Here is a link https://davekarpowicz.substack.com/. I look forward to your next post. D

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Lovely to meet you, Dave! Thank you for the link. I think we are going to enjoy each other's posts. :-)

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Tara, I think so too. D

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I am thrilled to have found your newsletter, @tarapenry! Your Ash tree poem is wonderful. Thank you for these beautiful gifts and recommendations.

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Thank you, Angela! The magic of Notes brought us together. :-) Oh, I chuckled at your “Sewer” photo and caption!

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I'm glad that sunrise helped reset your compass, as it did mine.

Thank you for including it, along with all these other wonderful gifts.

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Ah! Every time you snap those photos, know they’ll be appreciated over here on the arid side of the mountains. :-)

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Beautiful round up. Love the photos.

What is bringing me hope? The death of Sinwar. Jews are not allowed to celebrate a death but this one gives me great relief, gratitude and hope.

Joy?- It's Sukkot. Celebrating with friends.

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Oh my goodness! That’s huge. I just came out of class and your comment was the first I saw of that news from Gaza. Boy, I hope it means change of many kinds.

I hope you have a joyful and delicious holiday.

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We have two ash trees at our house, both planted by me, but now much, much bigger than me. Over the centuries, ash trees have given people beauty, shade, and so many useful objects made from their wood, including oars and other boat parts, certain parts on wooden wagons, and even beautiful fine woodworking pieces.

No wonder there is a holiday especially for them: Ash Wednesday! 😉

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Hahaha!! Switter, you make it clever every time!! Ash Wednesday. Oh, I’ll remember that. 😂😂😂

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It even has religious significance to some people. Druids, maybe?

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Tara I appreciate the shoutout of Sexism & Sensibility and I’m so glad it’s providing some snack-y nutrients. That’s exactly what this post did for me. Beautiful ❤️

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We are both good snackers. :-)

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Lovely to see what's moved you this week, Tara. Thank you.

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There’s always a surplus of riches on Substack, isn’t there? It will also be nice to sit still and read more deeply when that time rolls around again.

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Darling Tara I've missed you! Somehow I've kept missing you the last couple months, I haven't been here on Substack very often and, when I have, I must have missed your posts. Thank you for sharing such beautiful insight, pictures and suggestions. I look forward to what lies ahead💕

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Donna! 🤗 I’ve been picturing you having a nice, outdoor summer, and here it is mid-October. Now it’s my turn to scale back my frequency a bit, but first we’ll have a little poetry jamboree. I won’t ask you to recite “David” from memory … but go for it if the spirit moves! 😅 I hope you’re having a colorful fall with no fires.

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Enjoyed the ashen whimsy. : )

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That was fun to write. :-)

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What a gorgeous, generous post. Thank you, Tara.

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Oct 19·edited Oct 19Author

Thank you, Robin! Compiling it was a pleasure.

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A picky poetry reader here. I don’t seem to be made of the right stuff for its proper appreciation. I am very able to and want to read poems written by friends and acquaintances, and a few particular poets such as CS Lewis and Wendell Berry. Otherwise I have no patience. But. Now I am quite interested in the Rime Of The Ancient Mariner, listening to it over and over and hope to write some time about the experience. I am also reading Malcolm Guite’s book, Mariner.

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I see nothing wrong with pursuing one's own taste in poetry. I could listen to Coleridge on repeat, too. (I used to reread Kubla Khan that way. The lines made just enough sense, and just enough nonsense to keep my attention for years.)

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Yes!

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I love your love of books. It resonates with my own, the slow savoring of delicious writings and word magic, of ideas that float. It feels wonderful and warm, and best of all, a measured pace that considers what is imbibed…like sipping a fine wine. That is the way to immerse oneself in books! I don’t find that aesthetic so much in my usual world, and I love feeling the cozy nook of your newsletter!

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How nice to meet you, Liz, with our mutual taste for word magic - yes, yes to all of your delightful phrases! Thank you for reading "October Comforts"!

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So much here I’m saving this and will have to come back to tap on those links and check out those books mentioned. Thank you! Glad to have found your newsletter!

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Thank you, Sara. Lovely to meet you!

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