The Gang of Five and More....

 Once more I find that I am playing catch-up.  Weekends get busy around here, and this past one was no exception. I did take some photographs, and write some mini-poems--but I also spent a lot of time getting re-acquainted with my camera, and digging out some of my favorite poetry books.  I finished reading Mary Oliver's "Why I Wake Early" and went back to reading the poetry of  Edna St. Vincent Millay.  I am also working on some illustrations for a small book a friend of mine puts together each year for his friends.  The pictures I'm including here were taken over the weekend--we had a lovely weekend weatherwise--a little windy, but sunny. 
All of these photos were taken around my home, Wit's End.  Above left is one of our cats:  Eddie, whose real name is Oedipuss.  Eddie follows me around the yard like a puppy!  He's a real hoot when I'm trying to work in the garden--he likes to climb on my lap, or curl up in front of me--makes yanking up weeds a little tricky, and there's nothing like having a furry cat on your lap in 90 degree temps!

The next picture, left, is our pond.  This view is near the dam.  Every spring we have baby ducks and geese on the pond, and a great blue heron stops by every now and then.  On the right is one of my favorite spots to sit and relax--the porch of our barn. From here I can see the pond, and a couple of my gardens, and both sunrise and sunset. A good place to sit and think, write, or sometimes even nap! (Cats and dogs enjoy it too!)

The last photo I took as sort of a visual for one of the mini-poems I wrote. I didn't have my telephoto lens, so it's a little hard to tell, but those little black dots are birds--I call them "The Gang of Five."  They hang out in that tree every day.

And here are the mini-poems:

Friday, January 27: 

High up in the oak

the gang of five--

sparrows--

survey their hood--

the empty feeders,

a moldy, cracked birdbath.

Not even the mockingbird scares them. 

They watch squirrels and chipmunks,

look the other way at a fly-by

slaying of a rabbit,

maintain stony silence

when the cat approaches,

then harass a red-tailed hawk

who ventures too close

to their crib.

Saturday, January 28:

I nearly missed it:

coyote on the run,

under the fence,

into the woods.

Safe now.

But who is more frightened?

Tonight, I walk faster,

carry a big stick.

Sunday, January 29

The stray cat, unhappy

to share his meal with the raccoon,

waits impatiently behind the holly,

frowns at me as I watch through the window.

Sorry, little kitty.

Tonight, it's first come,

first served.

Monday, January 30:

January tricks the daffodils

into waking early. Fools the tulips

and forsythia, too.

I warned them not to believe her,

even as I tossed aside my coat,

and turned my face to the sun.

Birds

I love cardinals. We have a lot of them hanging out in our yard.  Last year, a pair of them built a nest in the lilac tree right outside the porch window.  The nest was hidden from the outside, but I could clearly see the nest and, eventually, the babies, from inside.  I tried to photograph them, but Mama would get upset every time she saw me coming near the window, and since I didn't want to cause problems for the babies, I decided to leave them alone.  And then one day I peeked through the window:  the birds were gone, the nest abandoned.  Ah well...such is life.  So today's photo is of a mini-painting I did a few weeks ago.

And the poem for today: 

The red-tailed hawk dives from his perch

a kamikaze pilot on a mission.

I can't see his prey--only the rustle of weeds

near the pond's edge.  High in the oak

a group of sparrows huddle

their shoulders hunched against the rain

like bystanders who watch an assault and do

nothing. 

And now it's off to bed....

                                        



Why I Wake Early

That's the title of a book of poetry by Mary Oliver--one of my favorite poets.  So I decided to take that and see what I could come up with for today's mini-poem. I do like to wake early, sit on the back porch and watch the morning unfold.  I like staying up late for the same reason. There's a peacefulness in both. 

Today's photo was taken on my way home. I pulled off the road, but the little zoom lens on my camera is pretty limited, so the picture is slightly out of focus.  I like the way the three silos stood beside each other, in the same area as the lone tree I photographed last week.  I got a little creative too, and played with the color. To me it gives the photo an "old" feel.  Might make a decent painting too.

And here's my mini-poem:

I wake early, step outside

eyes shrouded with sleep.

The Big Dipper hangs low

and another line of planes

head toward Cinci or St. Louis.

Three cows in silhouette

lumber toward the barn. A heron

screeches overhead, angry

at my intrusion.

A Mouse in the House

Today's photo is of another 4-legged member of our family:  Charlie.  Yep, I'm a sucker for those big brown eyes!  (Bet you thought I was gonna say a mouse--I'll get to that later....)

I spent the weekend painting, working on a portrait commission. It's not finished yet, but here's a pic of the work in progress.  Still need to make adjustments to the eyes, etc. But it's coming along....



And here's the min-poem for today:

There's a mouse on the porch.
He drops clues on the bar--
a trail that leads to his favorite spots.
I should set a trap.
Catch the little thief--
make him pay for his crime.
The death penalty:
harsh sentence for petty theft.

Hump Day--ugh...

Up early this morning, heading off to work soon. My computer was running soooooo....sloooooowwww last night. I'm thinking it might be time to trade in the old laptop for a newer, faster model.  I bet I could get a whole lot more painting and writing done if I didn't spend an entire evening trying to visit various sites that take forever to upload. I did manage to get to a couple places of interest.  Try these:  Book of Kells and Coffeehouse for Writers. There are tons more writing and poetry websites, but these two were the most interesting that I landed on last night. 

Pulled out a couple of my writing/poetry journals last night and found several promising entries.  I think keeping a writing journal is a wonderful idea--write in it without worrying about whether or not anything usable will come from it--you'll be surprised what you'll find later on.  Even if it's only a sentence or a phrase--you'll often find yourself thinking "hmmm...I can use that" and off you go!  I've got a couple of little gems that might be the jumping off point for a poem or two. Now if only I had time to actually write them.....

It's Sooooo Good to be Back!

It's been a long time, but I am finally getting back into my studio, and back to writing.  I have several paintings in the works that are in various stages of completion.  Last week I was able to spend a couple of hours in the studio, and couldn't decide which painting to work on...the portrait of Charlie, my dog, or the Irish landscape scenic, or the purple pansies...too many choices.  I opted to work on the Irish landscape, but not enough so you'd notice. I'll post a picture when I've made more progress.

Meanwhile, today I attended a wonderful writing workshop, sponsored by Clear Creek Writers in Shelbyville, KY.  "Confessions of Working Writers II" was led by author Annie Jones, with authors Ann Gabhart, Virginia Smith and Sherry Chandler conducting short breakout sessions throughout the day.  The keynote speaker was Laura Resnick, who writes science fiction, romance, fantasy and creative non-fiction.  It was a wonderful day, well attended, and I left with a new perspective on my budding writing career.  Lots to think about, and you may see some changes in this blog, as I try to incorporate some of the things I learned from these talented writers. Here are some links to the writers and the two writers' groups I belong to. I highly recommend you check them out! 

Clear Creek Writers
Green River Writers
Annie Jones or Dear Helen Hartman
Laura Resnick, Ann Gabhart, Virginia Smith and Sherry Chandler

Since I am still here on earth, I guess I wasn't raptured, so please check back in a day or so for more updates!