Spring lives inside my snow globe
With its delicate blossoms, a
Tiny stream painted blue and
Little animals sitting quietly in
The artificial grass.
I go to my shelf
Wanting the feeling
Of spring as the storm
Outside rages, and hail pellets
Pummel my windows.
It was just barely over a year ago,
When my true love came to me,
And said, "This relationship stinks, you know,
So I demand that you set me free."
The revelation sent me to depths quite low,
My tearful reply: "I see."
Not willing to give up so quickly was I,
Stubbornness – a big part of me.
Though adamant on her part in saying, "Good-bye,"
I would somehow get her to see.
Then convince her to give us just one more try,
And she would then be mine, hopefully.
My stories about Daddy and me
Make Daddy out to be
An oaf, but that's not true.
He was smart and had common sense too.
Daddy was 38 when I was born.
I was his only child.
He worked his way to become assistant fire chief
Of a large Cleveland suburb, which he did admirably.
'Twas the night before Kittymas
When all through the house
Not an creature was stirring,
Not even the mouse.
The kitties were snuggled
And snuggly in their beds,
While visions of homemade cat treats
Danced in their heads.
Many church Sunday schools
Have Christmas programs every year.
Family members gathered to see
Their pride and joy perform fearlessly.
When I was five my kindergarten class
Did the carol "Away in a Manger."
I was chosen to sing the song.
The other kids had motions to go along.
Thanksgiving arrives so quickly it seems,
then again, it's family tradition.
We kick back and watch some NFL teams,
Well – for me – that's the primary mission.
To visit those we haven't seen all year,
renders this day a special occasion.
Barely noon – Uncle Joe's on his eighth beer,
and on the verge of inebriation.
But good Joe's not the only one impaired,
lest we forget, there's my Great Aunt Mary.
None of the booze in the house shall be spared,
Seems she's located the cooking sherry.
Be patient, my friend, for
You do not understand
I'm lonely, afraid and
Need a helping hand.
Even though we are
Different and often
Disagree, can we live
Here together in peace
And harmony?
I am too thin, too tall,
Too quiet, too loud.
I limp, I'm clumsy and
Fearful of crowds.
I am not perfect, but this
I know, we're both
God's children and so
Please respect my humanity.
Autumn brings chilly winds,
Falling leaves, rainy days
And mud.
Occasionally, fall days are
Glorious with bursts of color,
Bonfires, homecomings and
Long walks in the woods.
Although not my favorite season
I do look forward to it
With delight.
Each season its own merit,
Giving us its days
To enjoy and create memories
Which help sustain us
During the years
To come.
My Daddy took me to the park
In the park was a kiddie pool
Daddy brought my bathing suit
He also brought a towel along
He thought he was well prepared
But you shall see how well he fared.
Maybe they are sometimes hairy
And sometimes can look sort of scary.
They do have lots of wrinkles
When they smile the wrinkles crinkle.
I'm sorry to tell you that we are sappy
And what's more can look quite happy.
Honey bee
Hovering by the blossom
Sweet reward
Lily pads
across the pond
Like stepping stones
As they wed
Daughters changing
to new names
THEY SAY ... "Meet the Press" is the longest-running TV show in American history. It started in 1947.
THEY SAY ... That President James Garfield could simultaneously write in Latin with one hand and Greek with the other!
THEY SAY ... The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backwards and sideways.
THEY SAY ... The term "Here's mud in your eye" is an allusion to a horse race. The losing rider is very likely to get mud in his eye from the horse that is winning.
Westlake resident Amie Volle wrote this in 1993 at age 15, just before she was badly injured in an accident. She volunteers at the Knickerbocker two times a week, and the residents look forward to her visits. Many of the poem's themes are still relevant 20 years later.
Imagine that the air was clean,
the water fresh,
the grass so green.
Imagine that school was fun,
work was easy,
our job was done.
Imagine that there was peace,
a world without drugs,
the war would cease.
They Say... Robert Wadlow of Illinois was the world's tallest man at 8 feet, 11 inches. He died in 1940 at age 22.
They Say... That they have a road called "Tater Peeler" in Lebanon, Tenn.
They Say... The ant has the largest brain in proportion to its size.
Goodbye winter! (Please go already)
Want to feel upbeat, let's anticipate the early spring flowers and blooms.
As you drive by a river or a lake, look for a Weeping Willow near the water. It's one of the earliest trees to bloom. The small leaves look almost like a green haze on its dropping branches.
Where are the leaves?
Where are the flowers?
Where's the green grass
And soft April showers?
Either winter stayed too long,
Or else I came too soon.
Next year I'll by pass April
And not fly north 'til June.
I looked into the closet,
I looked underneath the chair.
I looked behind the stair,
I can't find him ANYwhere!
Elden, did you hide him?
Because you thought he was a toy?
But no, baby Elden just grew up
Into a happy little boy!
Put lipstick on a pig: A term used to describe a weak attempt to deceive people by trying to make an ugly person or thing appear attractive.
Rub salt into the wound: To increase someone's pain or shame. It came from the custom of errant sailors who were flogged on the bare back, and afterward salt was rubbed into the wounds.
Blind alley: A gate or opening in a wall at one time was called an "eye." So an alley with no opening at the end was called "blind."
They say: In Houston, Texas, they have an intersection of Clinton and Fidelity streets.
They say: That teenage girls who wore socks "bobbed" to half length became know as "Bobby Sockers."
The following are the ingredients for a good life.
As you know your tastes best, some will take a full measure, others a tablespoon, teaspoon or perhaps as little as a dash, pinch or hint.
List of ingredients: Caring, Fortitude, Optimism, Humor, Empathy, Courage, Resolve, Trust, Patience, Love, Giving, Friendship, Fidelity, Compassion.
Whisk them all together for a recipe that will last you a life time. Bon Appetit!
On skid row: It means the rather grimy quarter of the city. The expression comes from the Seattle timber industry. A "skid row" was a row of logs down which other felled timber was slid or skidded. It became slang for an area that the lumberjacks would seek brothels and liquor.
A-1: This was started as a Marine insurance term. The ships were graded by letter; the cargo by number. "A" meant the ship itself was perfect; "1" that the cargo was likewise perfect.
Pleased as punch: Comes from puppet show Punch and Judy. Punch had a lot to be pleased about; his quick wit was triumphant even over the devil.
They say ... He was a premature baby. He was born before his parents were married.
They say ... He's studying to be a trapeze artist so he can catch her in the act.
They say ... He is a dry talker who is usually all wet.
They say ... The only exercise she gets is running up bills and jumping to conclusions.
sunny men set on the outside of parachutes
wait wait then spread fog across bread
the inland note, the island temper
funny how men set
in long pajamas creeping cats up on the side
until the baggage runs dry in the mosque uptown
until the dimmer runs low in the lights downtown
until Papa quits the union? we’re eating twice
It's been called nature's poetry.
Clouds are for dreamers with magical moments as they morph into various shapes and sizes and hint at the definition of infinity as well as immensity.
Cloud gazing is relaxing to both mind and body. You get a deep sense of harmony within a serene atmosphere.
If you're a "joiner," consider The Cloud Appreciation Society. It has more than 50,000 members!
Why not a life with "your head in the clouds." Keeping looking up, it is something you will never tire of!
Over stormy seas
The mighty ship struggled
To stay afloat.
It was a seaworthy boat.
Against raging winds
Thunderous waves, sleet and rain
The stalwart vessel
Pitched and groaned
over and over again.
The overburdened ship
Nearly went under
Leaving passengers and
Crew to wonder.
Havoc: From the Middle Age French word "havok," it was a war cry – a signal for the invading warriors to attack, sack and plunder a village.
Raining cats and dogs: This phrase goes back to the Middle Ages when people believed that cats and dogs had magical powers. Cats were thought to have a lot to do with storms and dogs with wind.
Like a bat out of hell: Moving extremely quickly or suddenly. The phrase came into use at the turn of the century and Charles Earle Funk later theorized that bats avoid light as if it were cast by the fires of hell.
I look in the glass
And what do I see?
An aging woman
Staring back at me.
Where has she been?
What has she done?
Was her life full of joy?
Were her days full of fear?
The morning was a little cool and it was drizzling. Mum said, "Dress warm or the wind will go right through your coat."
I was helping to pull the wagon mostly because it was empty. The Depression was in full swing so buying a new coat or anything else was out of the question. "Where are we going, mum?" I asked. "You'll see," she answered. My birthday was next week and I thought, maybe we are going to get a present for me.
She was wearing a white silk kimono as her soft hand slides across my shoulders as she passes me on the way to the coffee pot to get her morning cup.
We shared the paper across from each other on the kitchen table, in the cozy sun filled breakfast nook, at the "No Rush" retirement pace.
Well, just the other morning, I went out for a jog,
Not in the best of shape, I sat down on a log.
A little exercise was all I was contemplatin'.
Never thought at 5 a.m. I'd engage in conversatin'.
Now it is important to note, that the path I do take,
Is rather remote – and acquaintances – so few do I make.
But do you ever get the feeling, that something lies ahead,
Whether it's just a premonition – or something more instead?
You are my alpha, my omega.
You define me,
Refine me,
Then set me free.
I am.
You are.
My reason
To be.
We are all surrounded by "white noise." A cacophony of babble, racket and hubbub that we tend to accept as part of our American lifestyle. Elevator music, hip-hop radio racket. Everywhere you look, people have sound plugged into their ears, etc.
I walked out of the downtown office building along a short, tree-lined way to the parking lot. I heard a bird sing. I don't know why I picked this particular sound from all the background roar, but I did.
Instamatic: Name of a Kodak camera. Also to mean to do immediately, right now; to do without hesitation. Rocky Balboa used this term in the first "Rocky" movie.
It's all Greek to me: Is used to mean that something is completely unintelligible to the speaker. Greek being a particularly tricky language to grasp because of its different alphabet.
Throw one's hat into the ring: To enter a contest or to become a candidate for office. An early 19th-century boxing custom to show you wanted to fight. Teddy Roosevelt used the saying in 1912 when he announced his candidacy for president.
Little garden gnome
Sitting on a shelf
Lonely little guy
Whispered take me home.
Sorry, little buddy
No garden do I own
A third floor walk-up
Is all I've ever known.
They say: Everyone calls him "Webster" because words can't describe him.
They say: He is as glum as a bankrupt undertaker.
They say: He calls a doctor when all he wants is an audience.
Break a leg: To wish an actor prior to his going on stage to "break a leg" is a well-known practice. Germans enlarge on the malediction, wishing him to break his neck as well! It's said to bring him luck and make sure that his performance will be a success.
Fiasco: It can mean failure or a type of bottle. In Italian, the word is used to describe a type of bottle with rope around the bottom. The French use it to mean a humiliating failure.
Grand slam: Think this word comes from baseball or tennis? You would be wrong! It was first used in the card game Contact Bridge.
They say: George Washington explained our flag's features to the people in stirring words. "We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing liberty."
They say: Justice is blind. This is an ancient principle. The Egyptians, who applied it literally by their courts, would meet in a darkened chamber to make it impossible for a judge to see and recognize the accuser, defendant or witnesses.
They say: No one can boast of his modesty.
Warm apple pie
Holding hands
Cold beer, hot day
Scratch an itch
Field goal to win
Pride in your children
Anonymous good deeds
Sharing
A no-hitter
Happy endings
Filet Mignon
Cute as a button: To be charming, pretty or attractive in a dainty way. The "button" referred to here is actually the flower bud on a bachelor's button.
Cock and bull story: A rambling or incredible tale; a tall story invented as an excuse; lie. In 17th-century London the stage coach stopped at two inns: The Cock and The Bull. The waiting passengers would exchange stories and jokes.
Kitty-cornered: A colloquial variation of cater-cornered, meaning "diagonal." This French word was in use as early as 1519.
I was three cars back from the big yellow school bus when the two large caution lights, like dragon eyes, started winking and the red stop sign by the driver's window popped out.
Oh no, stuck again as the miniature people dribbled off. A small blond girl half-skipped up her driveway towards her waiting mother.
Mom placed a wisp of her blond hair behind the child's small ear as they met. Her child, as the Irish say, was "safe home."
A mutual hug; the child's arms around her mom's waist, mom's more of a "bear hug" – backpack and all.
They turned, hand-in-hand, headed for the house, school day events to review.