As promised to a friend...

Wouldn't it be something if computer screens
were equipped with scratch-n-sniff capabilities?

The Global Warming Test...

Makes sense to me.

Go here.

h/t to Jimbo at the Parkway.

Old Florida roses...

No green thumb
needed.
They thrive on
neglect.








.















































Pale pink dominates, reaching to six feet high.







It's Sparky's playground.
He is forever chasing lizards
under and around the bushes.

Click on a photo to make BIG.

feeble...

no end
no air
no any\thing.
entombed within
blackest foul shadows layered
heavy, relentless,
bloating, feeding
on the soul
that was life.

Sunday sermon...

Whatever is or is not is the way it is.

amen.
relax.
enjoy life.

Soft soliloquy...

music sighs
and breathes
against my soul.
warm, worn comforter.
serene soothe-ness
from a time ago.

the Pondering....... store

the Pondering....... store

be gone such doubt that
blinds the old eyes from seeing
the young day dawning.

suffocating light
folded within the shadows
gasps and breathes no more.

Rain...

rain, steady plain rain
no extra fancy sky light or cloud noise
or whirling wind
just rain
steady.plain.rain.
seeps in every crevice known
and too many not. surprise. some not.
drip...
drip...
drip...
drip...
lasts longer than the rain.
this will not be the day that
I quit smoking.

to imagine what
you are becomes the glaring
image that is not.

dreams that will never
be haunt me in the daylight
break my heart at night

Census reflection...

Not only did Elisson win the last Haiku Challenge, he
has unknowingly provided me with blog fodder.

How wise is our government to provide us with a warning...
er, advance notice... to expect the census form in the mail.
What a clever way to spend tax dollars in double labor, paper,
ink, postage. I also took it as a way to insult my intelligence
but perhaps I'm being too sensitive.

Anyway, Elisson's post caused me to ponder what I was doing
when all those other censuses were happening...

1960- nine years old, living with parents and three siblings in
Uniontown, Ohio. The last sibling wasn't born until 1964, a
year or two after we moved to a farm in Portage County.

1970- Student at the University of Akron, majoring in nursing.
Soon to change major to education.

1980- Living in Florida for six years. Married for two years.
Working a shit job that lasted nine years.

1990- Still in Florida, still married. Working for the local
Safety Council.

2000- Still in Florida, widow for three years. Five years, at
this point, welding under a microscope.

2010- Still in Florida but unemployed for the last 15 months.
New love in my life and attempting to start my own business.
Contemplating relocation.

That would be my Reader's Digest condensed version.
May we all be around to blog, in much more detail, the
happenings that take us to 2020.

What was going on in your life?

*UPDATE* the last (possibly) Haiku Challenge at Sparrow's...

*UPDATE* please VOTE before 11 pm Thursday!

All things come to an end. Or do they?

This may be the last time Sparrow does the Haiku Challenge.
She's been doing this faithfully for two years or more. At the
minimum, she deserves a hiatus. And, lots and lots of thanks.

Her topic for this possibly final week is:

************************** LOVE **************************

Let's do a knock-out job for her this week. Deadline 10 pm.
**********************

Source of all life's true
joy and pain. It comes to an
end. Even the best.

*
We know there will be
tears, so we brush each other's
away. Live for smiles.

Walk along the river...

Finally, some beautiful weather...

When all is said and done, it's just another day...

59 times and counting.

uh... 59 is how old I am today. O.L.D. old. 59. yikes.

Haiku... on a roll

Camera captures one
image. We were there. We know
the complete story.

*
morning glory and
moonflower bloom once each day.
short, glorious life.

*
Is it who I am
and what I want to be that
struggle in my soul?

*
Life as it is, if
we open our eyes and hearts,
is already good.

*
the jasmine perfume,
mixed with honeysuckle, tell
us that Spring is here.

*
One day without the
sun's beams does not mean the world
stays forever gray.

*
Green leaves bouncing on
top of the breeze are laughing
like children at play.

*
The elegant white
heron hurries nowhere. He
glides and struts a waltz.

*
Blue sky and ocean
sparkle like your eyes. I am
held and happy there.

*
quiet night reminds
me how far away you are.
Sweet dreams bring you back.

UPDATE: Haiku Help...

UPDATE: please VOTE before 11 pm Thursday.

I didn't expect Sparrow to have her Haiku Challenge
this week because of all she's dealing with concerning
her little doggy-girl. I should have known that a strong
lady like her would handle all things with grace and:

******************** STRENGTH *********************

Even if you don't have a haiku to enter by 10 pm tonight,
it would be nice if you simply offered her some words of
comfort and encouragement. Help hold up a friend.
She's always there for others.

Well, shoot... while you're at it, go over to Walking Man's
place and give him a boost, too. He's in the hospital.

my haiku entries:

Think about how much
you've done so far. Be amazed.
Then do it again.

Lean on me when you
need to breathe. Sharing burdens
makes us all stronger.

We possess what we
need. Some choose to drain others.
Selfish. Lazy. Waste.

I don't know any more...

I might even know less
than the day before.

the Pondering.......store is still there...

the Pondering....... store

*UPDATE* Haiku thank-you...

*UPDATE* Please VOTE at Sparrow's before 11 pm.

Sparrow's doggie-girl is getting better, thank goodness.
No question as to why she chose this topic for her
Weekly Haiku Challenge...

___________________ RELIEF _________________

Submit your entries by 10 pm tonight.
_____

liking the answer
to a question that you were
hesitant to ask.

popping the blister.
finding the hidden splinter.
hearing "I love you".

rumble and roar...

more photos here.