30 November, 2013

320/365 Bookmarked?


Memory confirms

I’ve seen it but can’t pinpoint

The title or page.

29 November, 2013

319/365 On the Hunt


Wings out-stretched to ride

The wind, a hawk glides o’erhead

With swift elegance.

28 November, 2013

318/365 Tradition


Honored customs can

Benefit from a new frame

Of mind as we grow.

27 November, 2013

Thanksgiving

Tomorrow holds so much expectation.
 
Traditions,
while supplying a context
for our observations and
expectations,
can sometimes benefit from an
occasional update.
 
 
 
For many of us, of a certain generation, 
Thanksgiving traditionally marked
the beginning of the
 "holiday season."
 
In recent years we've seemed to carom from
one event to the next
with barely a pause for breath,
let alone time
to actually enjoy or reflect
on our holiday traditions.
 
Thanksgiving
can become lost in the holiday
shuffle fueled by
magazine spreads, Pinterest and other
media options that bring images,
 wish lists, and DIY projects to our
attention with dizzying speed.
 
There is no shortage of blessings
 in my life that
could/would/should
prompt my thankfulness.
 
Tomorrow
will be a day of celebration.
 Norman Rockwell's
universe rarely
-if ever -
aligns with mine
but it doesn't make my family
any less special
or my thanks
any less sincere.
 
I hope your day will be spent in
the company of those you
hold dear.
 
 

317/365 Thrilled


Each item crossed through,

The finished list marks the day

A complete success!

26 November, 2013

316/365 The View from my Window


Dazzling sunshine tells

Only half the story as

Frigid north winds howl.

25 November, 2013

315/365 Options


The pause between plans

A and B gives a heartbeat’s

Chance to change your day.

24 November, 2013

314/365 Echoes


The mem’ry of a

Newborn’s mewl reverberates

Deep within the heart.

23 November, 2013

313/365 Distraction


Things necessary
Vie for attention amid
Bright lights and glitter.

22 November, 2013

312/365 Stretch


Doubt gives way to glad

Relief as one last effort

Satisfies our reach.

21 November, 2013

311/365 Snowfall


Streetlights obscured by

Falling snow create spectral

Pools of dampened light.

20 November, 2013

310/365 Relief


Questions addressed can

Ease the worry created

By tacit concerns.

19 November, 2013

309/365 Cold Determination


Swirling winds nip as

Shoppers bustle in and out

Under sunny skies.

18 November, 2013

308/365 Starry Night


Lightly frosted roofs

Reflect  the subtle glow from

A star-speckled sky.

17 November, 2013

307/365 November Rain


Drumming rain coaxes

The wakeful to linger in

Drowsy contentment.

16 November, 2013

306/365 Moonlight


Radiance fills the

Eastern sky casting shadows

Deep in the still night.

15 November, 2013

305/365 Family


Blood ties or chosen

Bonds – the heart lays claim to those

Who enrich our lives.

14 November, 2013

304/365 Days' End


Tasks completed, plans

Reviewed and talk winds down as

Thoughts turn toward rest.   

Change of Plans

 
Charlie and I are waiting for it to warm up a bit
before we take a walk
and as my run to Webster City has
been cancelled,
I have what amounts to a free day.
Yippee!
 
What to do!?
As with any free time - it will fill
much too quickly
and seem much too short.
 
It struck me, yesterday, that we
are half-way through November.  How that
happened is a mystery, but it
means that I need to get started
on Aidan's advent calendar which is
traditionally delivered
at Thanksgiving.
A tradition that started when we lived hours
 and hours away
as a way for me to share the
holiday anticipation with him.
 
One year he received fancy envelopes
containing a carol for each day.  His dad
sang them at bedtime.
 
Another year it was the pages
of a lovely story of a pine tree
 rewarded for its
kindness to other forest creatures.
 
His own tree and ornaments one year.
 
Last year his reading skills
allowed me to mark off
pages for him to read everyday
from a schmaltzy cute paperback
about a homeless dog looking
for a family during the holidays.
 
Other years have been a combination
of whatever
school supplies
trinkets
gum
coins
bills
games
puzzles
will fit in the chosen container.
 
Pinterest
 
It's time to choose a container and theme -
a task that gets harder as he grows older.
If I want to keep the containers manageable
the content is pretty limited.
He doesn't like chocolate
which eliminates an easy default.
He's a boy - cute stuff only goes so far.
 
So today will be dedicated to strategy.
Making plans and lists.
Sorting through materials on hand.
Necessary groundwork
for productivity
if this Christmas project
 is actually going to happen.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


13 November, 2013

303/365 November Moon

Mottled moon, high in
A pale blue sky, waits with me,
For the sun to set.

12 November, 2013

302/365 Bright Spots

Small victories lift
The spirit, instilling hope
When life seems mundane.

11 November, 2013

Monday Night

I find myself at the end of a busy weekend
looking forward to a busy week.
 
So a short recap of the trip to
Minneapolis is in order.
Driving.
Laughing.
Eating.
Shopping
Laughing.
Eating.
Scrabble.
Laughing.
Eating.
Driving.
 
Naphtali took good care of us.
We're all still speaking so we can
call the weekend A Success.
The weather was mild so the red coat
didn't make it's debut
but tomorrow's walk to work will remedy
that situation.
 
This morning it snowed and
though it is that time of year and you know
that snow can fall at
any time, the first
snowfall always seems so unexpected.
Little more than a
light dusting, it still
packs a psychological punch.
 
My calendar actually looks rather full this week.
My work week starts tomorrow.
A lunch date Wednesday.
Quick trip to Webster City and back on Thursday.
An open house that evening.
Friday night I'll help serve
Thanksgiving dinner at Kennybrook. 
 They're expecting 360 guests
- three dining rooms, three seatings -
I'll be at the library all day Saturday,
 partying that night
and finish the weekend by
working Sunday afternoon.
 
I think it's time to set my clothes out for the gym
in the morning and
head to bed!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


301/365 First Snowfall


Driven by fierce winds

Flakes flew past leaving a few

To dust the rooftops.

10 November, 2013

300/365 On Waking


Sunlight filters through

Matchstick blinds lending rosy

Charm to cozy rooms.

09 November, 2013

299/365 Gloomy Day


Low-flying clouds on

The horizon foretell the

Advent of winter.

08 November, 2013

298/365 Perseverance


Ears pinned flat against

His head by savage winds the
Dog ambled onward.

Road Trip

Heading North this weekend.
My mother and sister want to see
my daughter's new house.
Tonight will find me at their place
- a ninety minute drive -
and in the morning we'll point the car
in the direction of the Twin Cities and see what
the day brings.
 
They had snow in the cities earlier this week
and, even though Naphtali
assures me it will be gone before we
arrive, the weather provides a good excuse to
debut a recent thrift store find.
 
 
I rediscovered a forgotten fact about
vintage wool coats:
They are wool.
With a satin lining.
No thermo-tek engineering here. 
It should be well-suited for
the predicted mid-40s this weekend
but probably won't stand up
to the frigid extremes we'll experience
later this winter. 
 
For some women it's all about the
shoes, jewelry or purses.
Me?  It's coats. 
This one was just too fun, and
- even with the dry cleaning -
 too cheap, to leave hanging. 
It will require a certain attitude as
its main accessory
and, as I've pretty much been in a
damn-the-torpedoes mood lately,
it should be perfect.
 
 


07 November, 2013

297/365 Bravado


Saucy squirrels taunt

Neighborhood dogs enjoying

A safe, fencepost perch.

06 November, 2013

296/365 Laughter

Disbelief becomes
comic relief as friends share
outlandish stories.

05 November, 2013

295/365 Rainy Day

Shimmering mists wrap
the countryside in a thick
cloak of mystery.

Rainy Day

It's raining today so outside activities and
projects have been postponed.
There are a couple things calling for my attention
before work but they can wait
a few more minutes.
 
I baked gingerbread cookies yesterday
using a maple leaf cutter.
I love the mellow combination of molasses
and spices.  We enjoyed our portion and the rest
will go to work with me today.
 
This is the view outside my bedroom window.
It creates a gentle rosy glow throughout the room
but the leaves are thinning quickly
and soon we'll be surrounded by bare branches.

 
Hard to believe from this shot, but Charlie
seems to be having some anxiety issues.

I'm working to incorporate more exercise into his day,
hoping it will have the same positive effect
for him that it does for me.
 
This is the new bracelet. 
It's going to work with me today, too.

04 November, 2013

294/365 Kitchen Magic


The aroma of

 Fresh-baked gingerbread fends off

The chilliest winds.

03 November, 2013

293/365 Tricks of the Trade


Morning’s shifted light

Has the last laugh as vigor

Fades with setting sun.

02 November, 2013

Killing Time

It's too late to start anything new
before bedtime
but I have too much time to do nothing
so here I am.
 
Pictures will be added another time
because I'm already at my desk.
You'll have to come back.
 
Tim sent me shopping for my birthday.
(He also came home with flowers,
 and fixed his signature shrimp pizza for supper.)
 
He acknowledged my
thrift store purchases
and alterations
 and said it was time to have
some new things.
Hard to argue with that.
We agreed on a price range and
thanks to a great sale
and some coupons
I was able to spend almost twice
the allotted monies.
 
I came home with a mixture of
classic
fun
and utility pieces.
 
I'm normally a careful
and almost reluctant shopper
but
(and this is where the promised picture comes in)
 my way out of the store
passes the jewelry counter.
Something caught my eye and I
made an instant decision
- and I do mean instant -
that a particular
bracelet was going home with me.
(Well outside the allotment but hey - it was my birthday)
 
It's going to be so much fun to wear
and the c/w will factor out to pennies in no time!
 
 
 
 
 
 


292/365 Holiday Onslaught


Glitter and sparkles

Whisper insistently that

Festivity reigns.  

01 November, 2013

291/365 Voice Over


My son’s voice echoes,

For tonight, the clearing piping

Notes from his childhood.