This is my finished November piece. It will be joined to the bottom of the September and October pieces, essentially completing the fall season. It is the most representational of my 3 pieces so far, which has gotten mixed reactions from people. Some like it best of the 3, some like it the least. I'm in the latter group. I had fun practicing (not making perfect yet by any means) satin stitch, and placing the leaves. My inspiration was the view out of our breakfast room window, looking at a 22 year old crab apple tree. The window frames it like that, with the trunk off center, which I really like. My husband also built me a compost bin for leaves, which will break down into little bits and enrich my gardens next summer.

November is a bleak month, but we've had some unusually sunny days, which makes it much more tolerable. The short days are really hard, but at least it's only 21 days to the winter solstice. (but who's counting?) I try to remember to live in the present, not the past or the future. I think the journal project has helped me be more aware of the joys in each day, even the little ones.