tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33969020274181368842024-03-14T02:17:17.322-04:00Carol R. WardLiving the dream . . .C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.comBlogger1850125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-79199971799924275782024-01-13T11:09:00.000-05:002024-01-13T11:09:50.032-05:00Christmas and Birthday and Gifts, Oh My!Feeling a little nostalgic today. We finally got some significant snow, but as this seems to be the pattern our weather has been following lately, it immediately warmed up and started to rain. While I appreciate I don’t have to clean off my car or shovel the sidewalk, it would have been nice to keep the white stuff around for a day or two.
<br><br>
I miss the Christmases I used to have when I was a kid. Mostly, I miss the snow. The snow would start coming down in November, and by Christmas we’d be up to our eyeballs in it. Thanks to global warming, it’s rare we have a white Christmas anymore. In fact, the weather was so mild I was still wearing my fall coat until the end of December. And really, I only put it away because I refused to wear it for New Year’s, even if I could have got away with it.
<br><br>
My birthday comes about 2 ½ weeks after Christmas, and I was hoping for snow for it but all I got was rain. And as anyone who has a birthday near Christmas will tell you, it really sucks. People think that just because Christmas is barely over, your birthday is no big deal. But let me tell you, nothing could be further from the truth.
<br><br>
Birthdays have always been a big deal to me. Not just my own birthday, but anyone’s birthday. Sometimes my big deals don’t always work out the way I envisioned, but at least I try. Take the daughter’s 16th birthday. I worked like a dog planning a surprise party for her. I’m not sure the party was a total surprise, but I know the fact that her boyfriend showed up without a present was. Seriously boyfriend? And here I thought I’d planned for everything. LOL
<br><br>
This year I had a milestone birthday, and while the one or two people who still thought of birthdays as no big deal made me sad, the number of Facebook happy birthday wishes helped make up for it. And my stitchery guild sisters sang happy birthday to me at our meeting, two of them contacted me privately for more birthday wishes, and I talked to one of my sisters for an hour and a half – and while I was talking to her, my other sister tried to call and had to settle for leaving me a voice mail. The hubby got me a generous slice of the healthiest cake he could find – carrot cake – that was still pretty decadent but hey, it was my birthday. 😊
<br><br>
On to the presents . . . the hubby and I usually get each other one big present for Christmas and a couple of little ones. This year we made the decision to get our own big present. So the hubby got himself a new colour printer, and I got myself this:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNsX08Zc6pIpcv50zOzxAD2pRW6Z4nf1njS7_pqgt1Aw_aUFHTQ57rPUJVGlB0LNu-8N4ruMUPslG7v38QQWxYQFIegmo1FrzZkcaDbMSQY_AvGC5YVLhAALuztwqvmT_BuTVPFAiuS1shqVefXPAboIqdj7aW-b33Ju55AAcZ85UDiZGGl91mvZKmTlM/s4690/sewing%20machine.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3437" data-original-width="4690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNsX08Zc6pIpcv50zOzxAD2pRW6Z4nf1njS7_pqgt1Aw_aUFHTQ57rPUJVGlB0LNu-8N4ruMUPslG7v38QQWxYQFIegmo1FrzZkcaDbMSQY_AvGC5YVLhAALuztwqvmT_BuTVPFAiuS1shqVefXPAboIqdj7aW-b33Ju55AAcZ85UDiZGGl91mvZKmTlM/s400/sewing%20machine.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
It’s a Singer Quantum Stylist computerized sewing machine. It took me a while to settle on which machine I wanted. For a while the leader was a Brother machine that did embroidery, but I figured if I was going to embroider something other than an edging, I’d probably do it by hand. Still, the Quantum did come with its fair share of decorative stitches:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgS6qjgV2UYnyA1CfBaL3jjpz4KmjGbATYOCelYSF37SvGvFfswPyE37hBN1KoYQ7biMLGfi3P4XM11hC6Pc2_AkkbEN6HE2CXUnL5GdG_kEhZsUkFl6a9CExa2vWpB-xS-Ou3aPzT1HNt1mDlP_0Q4hsKm9qhN0T8dJMtpLGA5sAwP86eoCW7YSNMujO/s4052/stitches.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="4052" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgS6qjgV2UYnyA1CfBaL3jjpz4KmjGbATYOCelYSF37SvGvFfswPyE37hBN1KoYQ7biMLGfi3P4XM11hC6Pc2_AkkbEN6HE2CXUnL5GdG_kEhZsUkFl6a9CExa2vWpB-xS-Ou3aPzT1HNt1mDlP_0Q4hsKm9qhN0T8dJMtpLGA5sAwP86eoCW7YSNMujO/s400/stitches.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Have you seen pictures of those stitching calendars? The idea being to do a stitch a day for an entire year? I always love looking at them and I always intended to start one of my own, but by the time I remember I was going to do it, we’re usually well into the new year. But this year, my daughter gave me this:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMK_uDfPmT9DrwVTWYwQCwyjvZfEzH1nxPN-LRwQ0KimUcCIsW4JOie6LwpripC2Jn9k09HUDQQ9IKYYwegY5blYmiuHyBXRfkXS0IYlFgt4d-wdHM9BHukC6hBvjyVDYRsRcMpgZLspUZZB7h9MU4T9Q4g93wr1ekcTLaW7ol1COq1EQo-Q4tQ4qj1Md0/s425/stitchin.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="423" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMK_uDfPmT9DrwVTWYwQCwyjvZfEzH1nxPN-LRwQ0KimUcCIsW4JOie6LwpripC2Jn9k09HUDQQ9IKYYwegY5blYmiuHyBXRfkXS0IYlFgt4d-wdHM9BHukC6hBvjyVDYRsRcMpgZLspUZZB7h9MU4T9Q4g93wr1ekcTLaW7ol1COq1EQo-Q4tQ4qj1Md0/s400/stitchin.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Not only does it tell you how to get started, it has iron-on templates for the base to work on, and pages and pages of ideas and inspiration. We went away for the new year, but I took my stitching bag, and the book, with me so I could make my start. I don’t know which is harder, coming up with a new little image for each day, or actually stitching the little image. It’s going to be a challenge to keep it up, but so far I’m having a lot of fun.
<br><br>
And apparently, great minds think alike. I don’t remember every mentioning the stitch-a-day calendar to my sister in New Brunswick, but she must know me better than I realized because she sent me this for my birthday:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tmyV_HtpGLnQNEFAuXgCCzeexxt7aUaxyiFd6wAq4KBBKs6tmSkZi3eWNyKSFucNBQx_2Fcu7I8h5Azmakg4po-hTqWSKFmugVWjf6YNmBcJaTrdMm3dNTHddDs395y-Ras-v8Oly_kH7VkgDGdXgvEMozDecFq3CgzDe5TtbDQfDZknM_02D8om5sI3/s3409/kit.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2908" data-original-width="3409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tmyV_HtpGLnQNEFAuXgCCzeexxt7aUaxyiFd6wAq4KBBKs6tmSkZi3eWNyKSFucNBQx_2Fcu7I8h5Azmakg4po-hTqWSKFmugVWjf6YNmBcJaTrdMm3dNTHddDs395y-Ras-v8Oly_kH7VkgDGdXgvEMozDecFq3CgzDe5TtbDQfDZknM_02D8om5sI3/s400/kit.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
This is a whole stitch-a-day kit, that includes thread, material, and a tutorial. Looks like I’ll be set for next year too. LOL
<br><br>
I can see this is going to be the Year of Sewing. I’ve yet to figure out my sewing machine, but I’m keeping up with my calendar and I still want to finish my zentangle. In the next guild meeting I’ll be learning sashiko (Japanese embroidery) and I’ve just started a 12-week stitch-along course in Blackwork.
<br><br>
But that’ll be a post for another day. 😊
<br
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-91871189945989425302024-01-01T08:00:00.001-05:002024-01-01T08:00:00.133-05:00Happy New YearWell, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? 😊
<br><br>
While I’d love to report I got scads done during my blogging break, I’d be lying if I did. After getting off to a slow start, I lost a week to illness. It might have been a bad case of food poisoning, it might have been a prolonged IBS attack, it might have been a reaction to a medication I was taking – we may never know because I was unable to get a hold of my doctor.
<br><br>
But in due course I recovered, and then it was full speed ahead for Christmas. You may recall that during the summer I went on a jam making frenzy, the idea being to make jam sampler baskets instead of cookie baskets this year.
<br><br>
I left it a little late to get the baskets, and the only ones left were rather on the large size. Now I’d already planned on including scones or biscuits (gotta have something to put the jam on, right?), but even with the scones the baskets were a little sparse. So I made four different kinds of fudge. LOL
<br><br>
The home made ornament for this year was the fabric stars I learned to make with the stitching group. It took me about four days to turn this:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7MNDexSWhe3F2pz4kj8xWXkOxK_-l6MLOBNo2-YWvZa1AhVIgnZ0OrH57SyiML1TxnyCEeG6lIGfaNy17bWQ4oeFrDEYeYF_53OoL23ab0eDbT-IO1_easFX6xN03QfY22vquTVsRPpM4mXDmXhzrF3JmN-ViEVufUL8Kfj7DOvq7rppXjc6dJ0zAdI2/s4729/strips.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2902" data-original-width="4729" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT7MNDexSWhe3F2pz4kj8xWXkOxK_-l6MLOBNo2-YWvZa1AhVIgnZ0OrH57SyiML1TxnyCEeG6lIGfaNy17bWQ4oeFrDEYeYF_53OoL23ab0eDbT-IO1_easFX6xN03QfY22vquTVsRPpM4mXDmXhzrF3JmN-ViEVufUL8Kfj7DOvq7rppXjc6dJ0zAdI2/s400/strips.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Into this:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzO56q-5SJ4Jd0LiwrbuniSoL2DT7H3vXyGzOqH-uDUpnZOmYS7qoDZ_noeNtTGrmkTB90n8F-eyZvRhET9RilrSG1CH26cLVdyol-whcEdX1jnKcURI6SfWn5pM1oMpyg228D8v469gnJ9S026b3CDDSBanMh58XIdWWRIDOreGJrq5CX4WvgW6osFcM/s4186/stars.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2719" data-original-width="4186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzO56q-5SJ4Jd0LiwrbuniSoL2DT7H3vXyGzOqH-uDUpnZOmYS7qoDZ_noeNtTGrmkTB90n8F-eyZvRhET9RilrSG1CH26cLVdyol-whcEdX1jnKcURI6SfWn5pM1oMpyg228D8v469gnJ9S026b3CDDSBanMh58XIdWWRIDOreGJrq5CX4WvgW6osFcM/s400/stars.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Half a day was spent cutting, a day and a half was spent folding and ironing strips, and two days were spent actually folding the strips into stars. I averaged about 3 stars per hours. But it gave me an excuse to sit in my chair and watch TV.
<br><br>
I had fully intended to make tiny God’s eyes using metallic thread and tooth picks as well, but they never got past the experimental stage. They turned out to be more fiddly than I expected, and while I’m tempted to give them a shot now that the holiday madness has died down, we’ll have to see if I’m in the mood for them or not.
<br><br>
One thing I did do while on my break, was a lot of thinking about what I want to accomplish in the new year. I came to the conclusion I could get a lot more accomplished if I eased back on the blogging.
<br><br>
When I first started blogging, many, many years ago I was writing short, pithy posts on random subjects. The last couple of years I’ve been bogged down in this strict blogging schedule that takes more out of me than might be apparent.
<br><br>
Coming up with a subject, researching, writing the post – these things can be pretty time consuming. So with that in mind, I’m scrapping the poetry posts – it’s getting harder to find new forms anyway. And I’m finding the only poetry I wrote last year were examples for the new forms, or homework for my poetry group. I wasn’t writing poetry for fun any more.
<br><br>
I’ve also decided that the posts on this blog are going to appear a little more randomly – I’m no longer locking myself into posting every Monday. If I have something to say, fine. If I don’t I’m not going to worry about it. This means I might post once a week, or two or three times a week, or skip a week completely.
<br><br>
AND I’m going to focus more on the crafting side of my life here – what I’m working on, the progress I’m making . . . I have a lot of things I’d like to accomplish craft-wise in the year ahead and a lot of things I’m going to learn. I’m taking a class in blackwork embroidery, and another in sashiko. And that’s just for starters.
<br><br>
I confess I went a little crazy, the last few weeks, shopping online for craft supplies. That alone should be worth a couple of blog posts. 😊
<br><br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-51823322810118778442023-12-24T10:59:00.001-05:002023-12-24T10:59:33.828-05:00Happy YuleAs promised, here are a few of my favourite Christmas videos to help make the season bright.
<br><br>
<br>
<center>I'm Climbing Up the Christmas Tree
<br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jckLWc1ilEI?si=4rN_tr4_LThWnmA4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br><br>
Imperial March/Carol of the Bells
<br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/66M8NwkRmew?si=W2Fn0-rqf5y-ACD1" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br><br>
Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire<br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n3M7IR6jkpc?si=boCEbLgko1GRW8of" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br><br>
Little Drummer boy – David Bowie and Bing Crosby
<br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lCpXMy5GalI?si=GD9SbAoTED-sJhvO" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br><br>
Faith Hill – Where Are you Christmas<br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Bt3Y3HJpXQs?si=HK7KfAvIMGmYpMYl" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br><br>
TSO – Christmas Eve in Sarajevo<br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MHioIlbnS_A?si=NWb0_FU_jtz_Y_R-" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br><br>
TSO – Christmas Cannon<br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4cP26ndrmtg?si=d44ErQQhCGbplcSf" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br><br></center>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-60648481575665709562023-12-03T08:00:00.001-05:002023-12-03T08:00:00.154-05:00I Break For ChristmasDecember always seems to sneak up on me – so much to do, so little time to do it in. So this year I’ve decided to make things a little easier on myself and take a break from blogging for the month.
<br><br>
I’ll probably be back to post a few of my favorite Christmas videos, but that won’t be until later in the month.
<br><br>
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and I’ll see you in the New Year.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAVx1SjVyFpHPYhmbOqFGuckDnoGutBNrFMdemwtrvZfPU_ovQ1jWqMHbKYlrx60gfZXFasuuwSkndE088MlbjimuOxRnJUlfeMAGUHADpjb21XEgyuYfrr31PELEc4O-PjLXJEHpiiJyKCDcl4_oUvT-l-MzMS1wCTZXUHXxROHNXfY2LVpbb3XK7QWJ/s1280/wreath-5831768_1280.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzAVx1SjVyFpHPYhmbOqFGuckDnoGutBNrFMdemwtrvZfPU_ovQ1jWqMHbKYlrx60gfZXFasuuwSkndE088MlbjimuOxRnJUlfeMAGUHADpjb21XEgyuYfrr31PELEc4O-PjLXJEHpiiJyKCDcl4_oUvT-l-MzMS1wCTZXUHXxROHNXfY2LVpbb3XK7QWJ/s400/wreath-5831768_1280.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-18442709962430943352023-11-29T08:00:00.001-05:002023-11-29T08:00:00.158-05:00Espinela Verse Form<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1741/poetry.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1741" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/poetry.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
This Spanish form was named for Vencinente Espinela, and is often referred to as “the little sonnet.” Being a musician, he designed his form to be pleasing to the ear when recited. Here’s where it can get a little confusing.
<br><br>
It is also sometimes incorrectly referred to as a Décima, which is a Spanish term for any ten-line stanza. However, there is also a popular song form from 15th century Spain called the Décima which consists of forty-four lines (an introductory stanza followed by four ten-line stanzas).
<br><br>
The Espinela has only two stanzas, with four lines in the first and six in the second for a total of ten lines. Each line has eight syllables, and it follows a strict rhyme scheme of abba/accddc.
<br><br>
Schematic:
<br><br>
xxxxxxxa<br>
xxxxxxxb<br>
xxxxxxxb<br>
xxxxxxxa<br>
<br>
xxxxxxxa<br>
xxxxxxxc<br>
xxxxxxxc<br>
xxxxxxxd<br>
xxxxxxxd<br>
xxxxxxxc<br>
<br>
I think the nickname of “little sonnet” is an apt one, it is very much like writing a sonnet. And like a sonnet, the Espinela can be written on any subject.
<br><br>
<br>
<i>Evening Song
<br><br>
Skin still warm from the summer sun<br>
Glimmering in the fading light<br>
Waiting until the moment’s right<br>
Waiting until the day is done<br>
<br>
Waiting for that special someone<br>
The touch, the taste, the feel of him<br>
The bending to another’s whim<br>
Anticipation building slow<br>
Reach the peak and then overflow<br>
The moment caught, too soon to dim. <br></i>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-77776543688324582412023-11-27T09:43:00.000-05:002023-11-27T09:43:48.377-05:00Time For Christmas Crafts<i>Some Christmas tree ornaments do more than glitter and glow, they represent a gift of love given a long time ago.</i><br>
— Tom Baker
<br><br>
<i>The best things in life are handmade.</i><br>
— Unknown
<br><br>
<i>Christmas magic is silent. You don't hear it — you feel it. You know it. You believe it.</i><br>
— Kevin Alan Milne
<br><br>
<i>Crafting is like meditation, it allows you to focus your mind and release your stress.</i><br>
— Unknown
<br><br>
Yup. It’s that time of year again. Time to dive into the Christmas crafts. Every year, since the daughter was first able to hold a bottle of glue, we’ve had the tradition of making a new ornament for our Christmas tree. The tradition became a little sporadic once she grew up and got a life of her own, but I carried on, and now sometimes I get the granddaughter to join me.
<br><br>
This year, I finally stiffened the snowflakes I crocheted several years ago. Actually, I’ve crocheted hundreds of the snowflakes, and mostly gave them all away. These are all I had remaining:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOyH68rL2LhpSBKFP2mIcg8ZJTCX6IqEInXEc9u9jDVz_v83v25LXuB9GutDeTwe3oCwW5xVL0VtUy2GesYBg_eCVwYRvWYspFYwiIhsDe8UdoFKTf-qPy-NO1ERFNpbhkeOrC6pqx9Bdkc5WGO-SbpRiOQrbyjifWWWv8nsPBzdp4254HFD30Xx7rWvd/s4824/IMG_4067.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2652" data-original-width="4824" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDOyH68rL2LhpSBKFP2mIcg8ZJTCX6IqEInXEc9u9jDVz_v83v25LXuB9GutDeTwe3oCwW5xVL0VtUy2GesYBg_eCVwYRvWYspFYwiIhsDe8UdoFKTf-qPy-NO1ERFNpbhkeOrC6pqx9Bdkc5WGO-SbpRiOQrbyjifWWWv8nsPBzdp4254HFD30Xx7rWvd/s400/IMG_4067.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
I used a solution of half mod podge glue, and half water to dip them in, and then I pinned them to cardboard with waxed paper under them to keep them from sticking:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0YLyTk9wKBB2Vf-whihxWfUU4vcdsRBXn_gTSdPzZYr12iFuhfzfHofGMIQp-WB1Tt9HQdRpaKhsM7eiF7CTqgBMVq43wHkrGNjLmgPBwh_AgZiorJxaDPUrn14WBGXak4FUpB7J_7Aq-Y0Yd5OJcpzN80sZPzrqiJcLnbg56eRI6ZwwJOYOuTbnMsyu/s4088/IMG_4069.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2344" data-original-width="4088" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0YLyTk9wKBB2Vf-whihxWfUU4vcdsRBXn_gTSdPzZYr12iFuhfzfHofGMIQp-WB1Tt9HQdRpaKhsM7eiF7CTqgBMVq43wHkrGNjLmgPBwh_AgZiorJxaDPUrn14WBGXak4FUpB7J_7Aq-Y0Yd5OJcpzN80sZPzrqiJcLnbg56eRI6ZwwJOYOuTbnMsyu/s400/IMG_4069.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
It worked pretty good, although I had to peel the snowflakes off of the waxed paper when I was done.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WplLuhcN_EwL9Am8WNca3rkYQcWQ8cjfS6eRjwsxJb6kYtFhvzJAe3y0uq3RdWB-HfNqqxUMUbnzEkDs-9b2jVoK6NgaXiqwBK7VeCT5oCmOzffgsKJcD2D2a2FkBdTcYtxGNulq-W9g9uQSD33AKhaGUl4guV9Sju8ylRvaV4GlMbbjPUKail9ZjU49/s4507/IMG_4071.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2715" data-original-width="4507" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WplLuhcN_EwL9Am8WNca3rkYQcWQ8cjfS6eRjwsxJb6kYtFhvzJAe3y0uq3RdWB-HfNqqxUMUbnzEkDs-9b2jVoK6NgaXiqwBK7VeCT5oCmOzffgsKJcD2D2a2FkBdTcYtxGNulq-W9g9uQSD33AKhaGUl4guV9Sju8ylRvaV4GlMbbjPUKail9ZjU49/s400/IMG_4071.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
If you’re local, and you want to see them in person, a few of them will be included in the display my stitchery guild is putting up at the local library for Christmas. I still have lots of the crochet cotton left, so maybe I’ll be making some more.
<br><br>
And seeing as I gave all of my Christmas prints away to a good cause (I’d had the fabric for yeas and never did anything with it) I found myself going up to Fabricland on the weekend to get some more.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUyEECZf_AYGspMhe08SIS86GWaWHIJRTfTKJIiqOSB72QSllQsuyHnrX9HwvaqXylpbJ7lHjAX9IBMC-FDzQ1rxBC-mHfZWhMJELPTno_FBNfCZLto1IAqVxF9S8zJ9PqZGNVjR59szO6iPa05aZpVF0CgxVH7Y_b5wHrGzDideurTGxuKa4XSdDyS6F/s3017/IMG_4074.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2920" data-original-width="3017" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinUyEECZf_AYGspMhe08SIS86GWaWHIJRTfTKJIiqOSB72QSllQsuyHnrX9HwvaqXylpbJ7lHjAX9IBMC-FDzQ1rxBC-mHfZWhMJELPTno_FBNfCZLto1IAqVxF9S8zJ9PqZGNVjR59szO6iPa05aZpVF0CgxVH7Y_b5wHrGzDideurTGxuKa4XSdDyS6F/s400/IMG_4074.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
The prints I chose have the Khaos seal of approval. LOL I’m going to make some more of the folded stars for the Christmas tree this year.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXq2584S8xbowTgtqlFtAAurQonPbsQAejUTykYVr67SNfKov0XbOY_kEtscdpx2YzU45-6FUQHFOT8AefC7nB-u7knMfP0vU4djms_MkycBfFBIMC7yKkaTsk3r40eXHBzPrgJxMxb2CWeuK849Q35-DgtEVzN7fYcVNNBverm6GLvKkjhAgJYqqisD-J/s1364/star.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="1259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXq2584S8xbowTgtqlFtAAurQonPbsQAejUTykYVr67SNfKov0XbOY_kEtscdpx2YzU45-6FUQHFOT8AefC7nB-u7knMfP0vU4djms_MkycBfFBIMC7yKkaTsk3r40eXHBzPrgJxMxb2CWeuK849Q35-DgtEVzN7fYcVNNBverm6GLvKkjhAgJYqqisD-J/s400/star.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
The granddaughter likes to do origami, so I’m hoping to talk her into giving it a try herself. She was over on the weekend to work on a super secret Christmas present, and was doing great . . . until my sewing machine conked out on us. Grrr!
<br><br>
I had her do a sewing test – sewing along lines drawn on a piece of paper with the machine unthreaded – and she passed with flying colours. A couple of the lines were darn near perfect! And even the ones that weren’t perfect weren’t off by much.
<br><br>
She also used a rotary cutter for the first time, and I was really impressed with how safety cautious she was. Those things are really sharp, but without being told she figured out how to engage the safety shield when she wasn’t using it.
<br><br>
Looks like she’s a chip off the old sewing block. 😊
<br><br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-84088638950963313922023-11-22T08:00:00.001-05:002023-11-22T08:00:00.129-05:00Cameo Verse Form<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1741/poetry.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1741" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/poetry.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
For such a short little poem, there sure are a lot of rules to the Cameo. This rather interesting form was invented by Alice Maud Spokes. It is written as a single sentence of thirty-five syllables spread out over seven lines. The syllable count is 2-5-8-3-8-7-2.
<br><br>
There is no rhyme to the cameo, but each line should end on a strong word. Line breaks should be naturally occurring, where you would pause in speaking. The poem should be a single thought, so avoid using semicolons.
<br><br>
Schematic:
<br><br>
xx<br>
xxxxx<br>
xxxxxxxx<br>
xxx<br>
xxxxxxxx<br>
xxxxxxx<br>
xx
<br><br>
This actually isn’t as bad as it first looked. In fact, it’s kind of a fun form.
<br><br>
<br>
<i>spider, <br>
busy spinning webs, <br>
you think I don’t see you up there<br>
but I do<br>
and I’m about to get my broom<br>
to ruin all your hard work<br>
again. <br>
<br>
<br>
lazy, <br>
you sleep in the sun<br>
when there are mousies to be found<br>
and hunted, <br>
which is the job of the housecat<br>
and you know it, lazy thing, <br>
not me. <br></i>
<br>C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-16518955665767110702023-11-20T08:00:00.001-05:002023-11-20T08:00:00.144-05:00Folded Fabric StarI’m a glutton for punishment, I tell you what. I was barely home from my adventures in Nottawasaga when I joined a workshop with my home stitchery guild to make a folded fabric Christmas star.
<br><br>
The presenter of this workshop, Susan C., was kind enough to do half the work for us ahead of time – she cut and ironed the fabric strips (four inches by fourteen inches) we’d need. As far as I’m concerned, this is the hardest part of the star, folding the fabric strips in four with the raw edges on the inside and then ironing them (reducing the width to one inch).
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJc04I7mGFvsQ6K807YzsuOFTx3WuX-FMsLZPtiJn4nn04QCJ5fsxTdYYguOmemHmNRfXhHDxLPWdwSX7krw2qIwG8-nZqyoZ41KkwAUVNDDeYY4li8ESbX7nxHUeb5jNZPUx2zvKzFfhEHYJ7Gt_r5GDViylxQRSRSOcaJxwG_tNQcUP7PGiZYPEvmvBy/s1284/supplies.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="1284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJc04I7mGFvsQ6K807YzsuOFTx3WuX-FMsLZPtiJn4nn04QCJ5fsxTdYYguOmemHmNRfXhHDxLPWdwSX7krw2qIwG8-nZqyoZ41KkwAUVNDDeYY4li8ESbX7nxHUeb5jNZPUx2zvKzFfhEHYJ7Gt_r5GDViylxQRSRSOcaJxwG_tNQcUP7PGiZYPEvmvBy/s400/supplies.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
The bundle was passed around the table and we each picked two pairs of strips to make our stars. The first step was to fold the strips in half and lay them out in a square, then tuck the raw ends in the fold of the next strip in the square.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2E_dsmM0GFuHCi2aI5uJ7xZuOMszueyPyLzJkaR4Q7nU2dw2QXbDungElofkDGT7rFtM2vEffeYi02WHMiuf7iNBZw0wyTXnHsUHPChpApwSPSvfe6eVHL8Nce-PS8O_u_3Cv56BWDDJu8dasJgZgYrXG_sChNbFf7DIZg1nHf8HGBAhk8k7jtpLPw3vq/s2901/step%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2894" data-original-width="2901" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2E_dsmM0GFuHCi2aI5uJ7xZuOMszueyPyLzJkaR4Q7nU2dw2QXbDungElofkDGT7rFtM2vEffeYi02WHMiuf7iNBZw0wyTXnHsUHPChpApwSPSvfe6eVHL8Nce-PS8O_u_3Cv56BWDDJu8dasJgZgYrXG_sChNbFf7DIZg1nHf8HGBAhk8k7jtpLPw3vq/s400/step%202.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Then we were supposed to gently work the folded ends towards the middle to make a square in the center. Of course I was so busy taking pictures I messed up. So my square looked like this:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd98ptdymmRQAyzyca-MTSBaE7s8mSIfzdUp_1DARWWu125p1xd2QuzQ5AeVhtMP13zbqybGAoMEef4u1ZsnsBosQ4cVLxKVbUlzPk7GcNwxbkRAhx76_K8LM_TmL5hr9yx6u-83VOvYjcNbXe15OVYPPnJB9fDk8YEIvSWeB8aHV4wSIi5dpusB-slLsw/s3613/step%204a.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="3613" data-original-width="3041" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd98ptdymmRQAyzyca-MTSBaE7s8mSIfzdUp_1DARWWu125p1xd2QuzQ5AeVhtMP13zbqybGAoMEef4u1ZsnsBosQ4cVLxKVbUlzPk7GcNwxbkRAhx76_K8LM_TmL5hr9yx6u-83VOvYjcNbXe15OVYPPnJB9fDk8YEIvSWeB8aHV4wSIi5dpusB-slLsw/s400/step%204a.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
When it should have looked like this:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazXVEFyu_3ehyphenhyphenMyGbRUdVU8l0IVuaEKXb3_Cw2OPSLQjKMRfzE66CWUsDYyMjOd675A0Rps6xHMgHAI-h8L56i9iv4kInBQVmccn5qLJgcSV6CiHwgLQGdlXwqIFEgwrldcoJET0DZM10FLYIrIX-drHDY8P36eOjd2DibLEV7lO8afWda93BMr80tF40/s3826/step%204b.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="3826" data-original-width="3427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazXVEFyu_3ehyphenhyphenMyGbRUdVU8l0IVuaEKXb3_Cw2OPSLQjKMRfzE66CWUsDYyMjOd675A0Rps6xHMgHAI-h8L56i9iv4kInBQVmccn5qLJgcSV6CiHwgLQGdlXwqIFEgwrldcoJET0DZM10FLYIrIX-drHDY8P36eOjd2DibLEV7lO8afWda93BMr80tF40/s400/step%204b.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
So then you take the long strip at the top, and fold it to the right.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkT5u6uNcPNlzaILPmzi9fnv3m8R1OEiVJNLZPad5u3bW8HBkIiAAwV4FjGF77pyKa3UctT5Ihd2EOiVLgUN3qwIt2Mz0fM2G0w_Q1Pjyg_eyeWgZb9s7dCVi69kIfWi5daFZl07-8fVol_dSwHCGe52MUw7vVgFB26crIiYRboC5iXI956wtTM1awZJwp/s2928/step%205.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2494" data-original-width="2928" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkT5u6uNcPNlzaILPmzi9fnv3m8R1OEiVJNLZPad5u3bW8HBkIiAAwV4FjGF77pyKa3UctT5Ihd2EOiVLgUN3qwIt2Mz0fM2G0w_Q1Pjyg_eyeWgZb9s7dCVi69kIfWi5daFZl07-8fVol_dSwHCGe52MUw7vVgFB26crIiYRboC5iXI956wtTM1awZJwp/s400/step%205.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Then you flip it over, and fold it down again so that there’s a point.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmViYt5Y-Md0BGrx4nkZ4F5tzQIMWvfixYvrKaQXGNNKaJ4QVHzOtDSOLTrKhEkRLWerc5pvwvJ1Xrvf-9k_7VueIF9b4oJUKR49exJRA9Hu7Scp9fmQ0NxX9xUeFuUKIa8wj_-a930icv3ZjkQtv1I4TR1Cujmnpv-xGvQ5xOhmnZXwuw7Rmf-jx2SqrA/s2888/step%206.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2520" data-original-width="2888" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmViYt5Y-Md0BGrx4nkZ4F5tzQIMWvfixYvrKaQXGNNKaJ4QVHzOtDSOLTrKhEkRLWerc5pvwvJ1Xrvf-9k_7VueIF9b4oJUKR49exJRA9Hu7Scp9fmQ0NxX9xUeFuUKIa8wj_-a930icv3ZjkQtv1I4TR1Cujmnpv-xGvQ5xOhmnZXwuw7Rmf-jx2SqrA/s400/step%206.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Next you fold the strip lengthwise, so the point is folded in half. At this point you might want to use a daub of glue, just to hold it in place. And it helps if you have a clip of some kind to keep it from slipping while the glue sets.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfL5UXiRivOIxQlUPsuYbSMzVnaObOTCVJXPuJp-yyttY1yjni2dV4iELveMDOGmxk5xP9RBz6qHyFqKkjkBZzqnu1w_pbpdRrnkKbTwbjBikhyphenhyphenfcaPfwSlJy4kSsIzfJrIw3dhc31rKeRQZcPHcJyti47eVwd-B4HFd5_iOYiGNXx5bwhW7padratrG5/s2818/step%206a.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2521" data-original-width="2818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfL5UXiRivOIxQlUPsuYbSMzVnaObOTCVJXPuJp-yyttY1yjni2dV4iELveMDOGmxk5xP9RBz6qHyFqKkjkBZzqnu1w_pbpdRrnkKbTwbjBikhyphenhyphenfcaPfwSlJy4kSsIzfJrIw3dhc31rKeRQZcPHcJyti47eVwd-B4HFd5_iOYiGNXx5bwhW7padratrG5/s400/step%206a.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Then comes the tricky part. You want to trim the remainder of the strip, and then tuck it under the contrasting strip just below your point. You might want to stick a little daub of glue in there, too.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdAjsBP1SZYMFS4h6UJ6kbc-gZxvPVWe6nO9F_TZdRngD2oGkXtxbP0nsZwaQRKEzi9e0q5Bs8AVLmQWofA6FzbpZabx5bxgr_1QIFf3u92miVqTpi665YCTPgCihqCHwt4pw-RoGLgq_AvoE23XvBuaopToqqAShzRAuhZzqNWdyLfsUPfizxVnNcwkC/s3137/step%206%20b.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2822" data-original-width="3137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHdAjsBP1SZYMFS4h6UJ6kbc-gZxvPVWe6nO9F_TZdRngD2oGkXtxbP0nsZwaQRKEzi9e0q5Bs8AVLmQWofA6FzbpZabx5bxgr_1QIFf3u92miVqTpi665YCTPgCihqCHwt4pw-RoGLgq_AvoE23XvBuaopToqqAShzRAuhZzqNWdyLfsUPfizxVnNcwkC/s400/step%206%20b.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
So far so good, right? Now you need to do the same thing to the other strip at the top.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHX8MgOeBKgeHJl5opfr8AOEExJGijIn9bRlapC2xZxEFnj_dOGkqSKcXi8V5DpScCu3Lj9Qbk0MAMcGlkDpUN25orCtYmeu6_k69Fjdw3ImBJCQmZFDULhfOCAS3HTZI6-MbCwfRzrmC-DW-NWPY1U3jAuDv11n2Kp7ZbxLA2ZN9ngPnq2rmGPDp6up0/s3094/step%207.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2175" data-original-width="3094" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHX8MgOeBKgeHJl5opfr8AOEExJGijIn9bRlapC2xZxEFnj_dOGkqSKcXi8V5DpScCu3Lj9Qbk0MAMcGlkDpUN25orCtYmeu6_k69Fjdw3ImBJCQmZFDULhfOCAS3HTZI6-MbCwfRzrmC-DW-NWPY1U3jAuDv11n2Kp7ZbxLA2ZN9ngPnq2rmGPDp6up0/s400/step%207.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTItjPkvsUPKxiNRXzeA2NRyCglh6a2OatU_ezdKc_Ukmzh4lSW0Z08jriliPv2oa0FLyEINQo3MYzttVJqiBvYHDuPDRDZoD0VQdLqlm1LGKhS3ywRGsM26yJb6JMSufqgGVRPpVg8WihJ0PLjfFacKos5NwPHk1bCzTen3D7XZN_yRQbP5IXHhxqwuR9/s3429/step%207%20a.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2685" data-original-width="3429" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTItjPkvsUPKxiNRXzeA2NRyCglh6a2OatU_ezdKc_Ukmzh4lSW0Z08jriliPv2oa0FLyEINQo3MYzttVJqiBvYHDuPDRDZoD0VQdLqlm1LGKhS3ywRGsM26yJb6JMSufqgGVRPpVg8WihJ0PLjfFacKos5NwPHk1bCzTen3D7XZN_yRQbP5IXHhxqwuR9/s400/step%207%20a.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVajCcsS6Ska9v4bNW2sIbEhmF9FmgHSNhXyTw0NT0ty0cE42qiR53a1J2P5PoJ8HohaAtDb80iH0g1yDWLgPg4CcCR8UDyXViNkX6JDX-gZl5SlPAnnTo-758Gd8RSLPNRwV5qEZiAKP2_5njTmNP2MDeCiXpIud9S18A-Ey2UXnSIghsgEwiR-f5JeV4/s2732/step%207%20b.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2216" data-original-width="2732" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVajCcsS6Ska9v4bNW2sIbEhmF9FmgHSNhXyTw0NT0ty0cE42qiR53a1J2P5PoJ8HohaAtDb80iH0g1yDWLgPg4CcCR8UDyXViNkX6JDX-gZl5SlPAnnTo-758Gd8RSLPNRwV5qEZiAKP2_5njTmNP2MDeCiXpIud9S18A-Ey2UXnSIghsgEwiR-f5JeV4/s400/step%207%20b.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGEtyCvrvEtVbGELvY3J0DKZIJkIuUs382TMhChPEG83OgHo72NcJonvJxTEwtXl-uq2eOrr7s7TAbGRg57tIB10X86RCOfFoQR9b9MbmzUs7H7azQENwLDQkOCUxUgeFBW2bGbOMtffUmVUl2jIqhBGEwDhdHGzKXzBxfCVVLLtQT9nxEho-aUoL36Mhy/s2162/step%207%20c.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2033" data-original-width="2162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGEtyCvrvEtVbGELvY3J0DKZIJkIuUs382TMhChPEG83OgHo72NcJonvJxTEwtXl-uq2eOrr7s7TAbGRg57tIB10X86RCOfFoQR9b9MbmzUs7H7azQENwLDQkOCUxUgeFBW2bGbOMtffUmVUl2jIqhBGEwDhdHGzKXzBxfCVVLLtQT9nxEho-aUoL36Mhy/s400/step%207%20c.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Pretty simple, isn’t it? Now do the rest of the strips.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwwS1CH20zVPoZC00Zd92upvvmLJIQqHHkSCIeDJfK-3_5yFRn6lYQYjhNURR0K8cWVyaQvjQPjSqmrwi61tlrjqRC4o2k8dLDAZzo2WwgVZ1t7nJ6B3P4BHuVha7AtQVwNqnp08IxnP95hKbZv0ucCQFl5PwH-DsmIAgcOGyDKCl9-8CGwAQj5EhVL0Q/s3058/step%208.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="3058" data-original-width="2167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSwwS1CH20zVPoZC00Zd92upvvmLJIQqHHkSCIeDJfK-3_5yFRn6lYQYjhNURR0K8cWVyaQvjQPjSqmrwi61tlrjqRC4o2k8dLDAZzo2WwgVZ1t7nJ6B3P4BHuVha7AtQVwNqnp08IxnP95hKbZv0ucCQFl5PwH-DsmIAgcOGyDKCl9-8CGwAQj5EhVL0Q/s400/step%208.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPKARDx3-Z4wbiZ9t1aW3faPtQXQs8IKXgrVH_izYIW9teAz7GWV0EBWgoJttVaulW1wpY95plMomxSlK7xIa97OgHbywWIFvhsTmpnTjyfhU8BVI6X97BE6r3prIYQzV2WCOTkXwXr00phC79w2vHdtVLSr8xoGcaKRZ_jb-bb9heh5njaMqnAgiP553/s2560/step%209.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2283" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPKARDx3-Z4wbiZ9t1aW3faPtQXQs8IKXgrVH_izYIW9teAz7GWV0EBWgoJttVaulW1wpY95plMomxSlK7xIa97OgHbywWIFvhsTmpnTjyfhU8BVI6X97BE6r3prIYQzV2WCOTkXwXr00phC79w2vHdtVLSr8xoGcaKRZ_jb-bb9heh5njaMqnAgiP553/s400/step%209.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEACF4BmhwwUI-miH0q9Zb9Sq1lwtc85gOoTiyYAUWRfdHUCikYMt6U0WW-SJ_1pVmU-TrR4F4usjz3EWlHX-FG7U8rXo7qVQEu8ir7iXsZ7sL2FRkCyEdSK5oxgmol2Z9mLnf8BzxDcUZSRa_l5EOG5IYKEaQbrTBBnO2Rj_xIX2y-h9oiELyc_Z3sVy_/s2443/step%2010.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2079" data-original-width="2443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEACF4BmhwwUI-miH0q9Zb9Sq1lwtc85gOoTiyYAUWRfdHUCikYMt6U0WW-SJ_1pVmU-TrR4F4usjz3EWlHX-FG7U8rXo7qVQEu8ir7iXsZ7sL2FRkCyEdSK5oxgmol2Z9mLnf8BzxDcUZSRa_l5EOG5IYKEaQbrTBBnO2Rj_xIX2y-h9oiELyc_Z3sVy_/s400/step%2010.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
And before you know it, you’ll have your very own fabric star
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QIWh8iGRdOS22G-og_DiVlXuazWemkVzyzoRObTbfVYQYr9VvSh_pKgzTVlKDOjfzTJ8zROQ6l21g5Y5NOri0xE5CoAOZQNLXdDDk4IdNihSpwL5JBEXKTq90pu7Ns2zEHr5dEIrG6LrIw1eEuL6an6HZiDBuqn4FXxHA3RzR6QPo7X3fhtpZry9JhrK/s1364/star.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="1259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QIWh8iGRdOS22G-og_DiVlXuazWemkVzyzoRObTbfVYQYr9VvSh_pKgzTVlKDOjfzTJ8zROQ6l21g5Y5NOri0xE5CoAOZQNLXdDDk4IdNihSpwL5JBEXKTq90pu7Ns2zEHr5dEIrG6LrIw1eEuL6an6HZiDBuqn4FXxHA3RzR6QPo7X3fhtpZry9JhrK/s400/star.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
I know my instructions are a little sparse, but if you’re interested in making your own fabric stars, here’s a video to show you how.
<br><br><center>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EeJjmMteqq4?si=jg1LQ_SV7TaiFA1C" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<br><br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-25818901147726994872023-11-15T08:00:00.001-05:002023-11-15T08:00:00.144-05:00Trichain Verse Form<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1741/poetry.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1741" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/poetry.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
The Trichain is an invented form, credited to Lisa La Grange of Allpoetry.com. Like many invented forms, information about this one was hard to come by. And a search for the author didn’t help. So here’s what I know.
<br><br>
This form is stanzaic, consisting of three or more quatrains (four line verses). Each quatrain consists of three 8-syllable lines, and one 6-syllable line. It also has a somewhat unique rhyme scheme. The first three lines of each stanza rhyme with each other, but the fourth line has the same rhyme throughout the poem.
<br><br>
Maybe a schematic would help:
<br><br>
xxxxxxxa<br>
xxxxxxxa<br>
xxxxxxxa<br>
xxxxxb<br>
<br>
xxxxxxxc<br>
xxxxxxxc<br>
xxxxxxxc<br>
xxxxxb<br>
<br>
xxxxxxxd<br>
xxxxxxxd<br>
xxxxxxxd<br>
xxxxxb<br>
<br>
Is it just me, or does this make it a little tricky? Presumably you can make it as long as long as you wish. The minimum length is three stanzas. There were no suggestions of what to write your Trichain about, so it looks like you can use any subject matter you wish.
<br><br>
While I thought the rhyme scheme was interesting, I find having only six syllables in the last line of each verse a little jarring. Of course that could be because in my first attempt I forgot, using eight syllables instead of six, and I had to totally redo it.
<br><br>
<br>
<i>Turning Seasons
<br><br>
One day the trees are brightly green, <br>
the next they’re something in between<br>
and finally they’re gone, unseen<br>
the seasons turning here<br>
<br>
The sky is dark, the moon is bright<br>
the air is clear this starry night<br>
with just a hint of winter’s bite<br>
a start of the new year. <br>
<br>
In bitter cold, snow turns to ice<br>
thaws and freezes, not once but twice<br>
the snow compacts down so concise<br>
and soon begins to clear. <br>
<br>
The snow is gone the rains begin<br>
there’s mud where once the ice has been<br>
a hint of green, still looking thin<br>
branching out, more appear. <br>
<br>
The sun is warm, and soon it’s hot<br>
time to relax, devoid of thought<br>
with all the pleasure this turn’s brought<br>
never lasting I fear. <br>
<br>
The sun begins to cool again<br>
once more it’s time to reap the grain<br>
the leaves will turn, a glowing chain<br>
as seasons reappear. <br>
</i>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-65947523796532676942023-11-13T08:34:00.001-05:002023-11-13T10:38:14.541-05:00What Happens In Notty . . .. . . stays in Notty.
<br><br>
Whew! What a weekend! I don’t know where to start except at the beginning, so here goes.
<br><br>
First of all, I’d been fighting a wicked sinus cold all week, and it was a losing battle, I tell you what. But I wasn’t about to miss my stitching retreat, so . . . We left Cobourg at 9 a.m., and yes, I did warn my passenger about my cold and offer to wear a mask, but she was fine with it. And actually, the worst of my cold was Friday – I was just a little sniffly the rest of the weekend.
<br><br>
The fact that we didn’t reach the Nottawasaga Resort until 1 p.m. was due more to us making a pitstop at a humungous outlet mall than traffic. So here’s what the resort looks like (I took this picture off their website):
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjzph8xdBRJYuBQauBY8mH4Z-bAdP9TcAvRFoL8O7Y7WJu5yLII-cPZ6TQrHuOtZdkBHLft5IhlXX2o6gyAKe0I4gHPrO0TBev91t5v6RiCxMcgt-ana-pVbzsER8vIrIRWEvwmKhdrodtStHcHoWRMdGK0na9tw1nXqxjGhVzGcgw8_SAxJcolq4b2Lg/s800/aerial.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjzph8xdBRJYuBQauBY8mH4Z-bAdP9TcAvRFoL8O7Y7WJu5yLII-cPZ6TQrHuOtZdkBHLft5IhlXX2o6gyAKe0I4gHPrO0TBev91t5v6RiCxMcgt-ana-pVbzsER8vIrIRWEvwmKhdrodtStHcHoWRMdGK0na9tw1nXqxjGhVzGcgw8_SAxJcolq4b2Lg/s400/aerial.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
See how the building fans out in those nice long arms? Yeah. My room was at the end of one of those long arms, and they only had elevators in the center portion. My room was just to the right of that light at the end of the tunnel, so I tried not to have to go back there very often. 😊
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQhzYWhQw46bsKM7eSOJPC-e3VvQcXu2FNt0-85ItAVDL9I5qeFzPf4A8mlYbL1uQfOOpT9Yz5MKfDaT84FFNkXMTvwoCCZosW4DhqirAXzH33DjAxnlLl_Y8yr2vpzo5uYNGxI7qECTQE4vpGBE9q7_4MkHFthzIAIMs_J1wrltP_VjEWW1WaVnlpBeL/s3691/hall%20of%20death.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="3691" data-original-width="2604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQhzYWhQw46bsKM7eSOJPC-e3VvQcXu2FNt0-85ItAVDL9I5qeFzPf4A8mlYbL1uQfOOpT9Yz5MKfDaT84FFNkXMTvwoCCZosW4DhqirAXzH33DjAxnlLl_Y8yr2vpzo5uYNGxI7qECTQE4vpGBE9q7_4MkHFthzIAIMs_J1wrltP_VjEWW1WaVnlpBeL/s400/hall%20of%20death.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
The room we were give to stitch in was on the bottom floor, and we had to go through a bit of a maze to get there, but it was a great room, brightly lit with natural light and a great view that wasn’t too distracting:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8_V7PkSXS0nRS0huk8hlkm2ezL_aml1C6BzU1ao6GefcPUPSwUqGYWtIfmR0Ltr8nXGlR9_V6FK7kRb4cgcQvZGTZmgEbMlD51mSw0lfBzN7gkcQSVgz1SZZoGosD0_hu4CReXiFLPGkRGUWs6sfsv860KT_bIdyiLN1O4qauKWe0zvmW_o6zqdocES9/s4059/view%201.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2898" data-original-width="4059" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY8_V7PkSXS0nRS0huk8hlkm2ezL_aml1C6BzU1ao6GefcPUPSwUqGYWtIfmR0Ltr8nXGlR9_V6FK7kRb4cgcQvZGTZmgEbMlD51mSw0lfBzN7gkcQSVgz1SZZoGosD0_hu4CReXiFLPGkRGUWs6sfsv860KT_bIdyiLN1O4qauKWe0zvmW_o6zqdocES9/s400/view%201.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
The four of us were guests of the Toronto Guild – well, two of us were guests, one of us was a member of their guild as well, and one of us was a soon to be member. Here’s a shot of us all hard at work.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9lZFKztTrHfqxP0RZGWNJyAZ1b1LTrR0MekXMuQb9mRqmptt_o5L1PvPq4R43JCA6pyRbK0fQJJMasDZKIDEdme3FVb4aj0JY7wfyUNJnLFCEkpZMzttBBsFmipjZhf4XRLRjDNv1aX2O1JrBXsaiaxoDzY6Ag5QdeXqNUbhfaltS5u1ErCUAi_c2ldB/s3807/working.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1981" data-original-width="3807" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU9lZFKztTrHfqxP0RZGWNJyAZ1b1LTrR0MekXMuQb9mRqmptt_o5L1PvPq4R43JCA6pyRbK0fQJJMasDZKIDEdme3FVb4aj0JY7wfyUNJnLFCEkpZMzttBBsFmipjZhf4XRLRjDNv1aX2O1JrBXsaiaxoDzY6Ag5QdeXqNUbhfaltS5u1ErCUAi_c2ldB/s400/working.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Conversation rose and fell, and laughter was abundant. These ladies were every bit as warm, welcoming and friendly as our own group, and we felt right at home as soon as we got there. I swear, it has to be a stitching thing.
<br><br>
We weren’t alone down there either. The conference room beside us had a scrapbooking group who had an impressive amount of paper and cutters and stickers and everything you could think of to do with scrapbooking spread around the perimeter of their room.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhiv_ziKZbabkCKw9e3FVugWPrQXU-O2PANhANhHXgdXUkUk3u8rETrt1BYjPof1oEsXLkAMCoDFyzCzzxyvljgMpE3_PS68iqzW6PmAsFbvRu-pb9sMzp3Vwbbd5GIwJTgz_u55cC4jIjxfLMSdMx1Ku14FSaNwV4OUii-fXyJtySn2m1hR2S4fOWNf0/s4044/scrappers.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2133" data-original-width="4044" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfhiv_ziKZbabkCKw9e3FVugWPrQXU-O2PANhANhHXgdXUkUk3u8rETrt1BYjPof1oEsXLkAMCoDFyzCzzxyvljgMpE3_PS68iqzW6PmAsFbvRu-pb9sMzp3Vwbbd5GIwJTgz_u55cC4jIjxfLMSdMx1Ku14FSaNwV4OUii-fXyJtySn2m1hR2S4fOWNf0/s400/scrappers.jpg"/></a></div>.
<br><br>
And there was a double wide room for a quilt group called the Serial Rippers. Is that not the coolest name ever? Their room was a little frightening. It was filled with cutting boards and steamers and irons and some of the fanciest sewing machines I’ve ever seen. I had a serious case of sewing machine envy.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vBFplLgzYhIMsNA22pFH87pvb1rNc0JXhLbZr-4-vKjrQAqapu44VQ1kJzzNN5Cr6OS6GR4hG4TpTxK_mbhmukyb2lwiMtWI6JMsaevv879XZOIrmDbKKEvGDs5-fYqHxcmq_yRnXs-CLl96Bhmb43h3UAghebCNvZXE126jF6id2ECSOnoSeU2b9dfW/s4409/Ripper.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3167" data-original-width="4409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vBFplLgzYhIMsNA22pFH87pvb1rNc0JXhLbZr-4-vKjrQAqapu44VQ1kJzzNN5Cr6OS6GR4hG4TpTxK_mbhmukyb2lwiMtWI6JMsaevv879XZOIrmDbKKEvGDs5-fYqHxcmq_yRnXs-CLl96Bhmb43h3UAghebCNvZXE126jF6id2ECSOnoSeU2b9dfW/s400/Ripper.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
That picture is just the small half of the room, the other side is twice as big and filled to the brim with quilters. Unfortunately, my camera phone doesn’t always work that well so a lot of my pictures didn’t turn out.
<br><br>
Everyone there was super friendly. It must be something to do with the creative spirit. But I gotta tell you, I don’t get that sense of camaraderie at my writing retreats.
<br><br>
Also unlike my writing retreats, meals were included. And man, what meals they were! Breakfast was a buffet, and for lunch and dinner we were given three different choices.
This is the restaurant where we took our meals. On the other side of the double fireplace were more tables, with a terrific view of the golf course.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3S3-BvbPdBrL28czMo-7Ywb17yNeak1eLCTJUEk7MgIl0pyZ1_QG0U0S12RQIbq-2n0txwSSEKMwAO_4xBMYGORDtv7jth9RimXWK73hpqWxxkhd_NODVcyidr1Gnyf7Az603Do-L-1PSQhHMvIYXBiw7PeCZLT1fG6wWeS6JIg5Rm5qbCq9OXEKfmmms/s4531/restaurant.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3226" data-original-width="4531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3S3-BvbPdBrL28czMo-7Ywb17yNeak1eLCTJUEk7MgIl0pyZ1_QG0U0S12RQIbq-2n0txwSSEKMwAO_4xBMYGORDtv7jth9RimXWK73hpqWxxkhd_NODVcyidr1Gnyf7Az603Do-L-1PSQhHMvIYXBiw7PeCZLT1fG6wWeS6JIg5Rm5qbCq9OXEKfmmms/s400/restaurant.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
On Saturday and Sunday there was an annual Sugar Plum Fair, a craft show with over a hundred vendors. This was held in the Trade Center attached to the resort, and we could walk over via a tunnel that connected the hotel to the sports complex. Yes, I spent way too much there, but a lot of it was on Christmas presents.
<br><br>
I did surprisingly well with my social anxiety over the weekend. Breakfast was between 7:30 and 8:30, after which we retired to the stitching room. We’d break for lunch, and then back to stitching until dinner a 5 or 6. That’s a lot of time together.
<br><br>
But like I said, it was a different energy than I get at a writing retreat. Being around these ladies was energizing. And we weren’t glued to our needlework by any means. We could take a walk, or wander around to see what the other groups were doing, or go up to our room for a nap. The fact that few of us did just tells you what a friendly bunch we were.
<br><br>
The work that was done in this room was mind-boggling. There was needlepoint, cross-stitch, crochet, embroidery, blackwork, cut work, new projects, old projects, practical projects, decorative projects, and if you finished something, you got to ring a bell to announce it.
<br><br>
Here’s a sampling of some of the work the four of us from Cobourg did. The first is by the insanely talented Heather, who must have eyes like a hawk because she’s always working on something intricate with single strands of silk thread. This one is part of a small-size replica of 17th century gentleman's night cap (an etui when finished), from Thistle Threads designs.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0D9Xs3EFvGNsL5NHBuD19-RhlRhUckiEF2X6Nsrx02mFdljLgHykWn5tH5uw3csxX5NSY8hmgg7SoEfF64o0aedU9kdcpnEhoqGarmwB8fr5D9pw7MrThRRdG7vxp1zsHy1VdcGPfZtSMYYay7JDHk5wtyRMhFXSFZCjwS6pIwSdva1alRHgeaxSKyDG/s3349/night%20cap.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2249" data-original-width="3349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0D9Xs3EFvGNsL5NHBuD19-RhlRhUckiEF2X6Nsrx02mFdljLgHykWn5tH5uw3csxX5NSY8hmgg7SoEfF64o0aedU9kdcpnEhoqGarmwB8fr5D9pw7MrThRRdG7vxp1zsHy1VdcGPfZtSMYYay7JDHk5wtyRMhFXSFZCjwS6pIwSdva1alRHgeaxSKyDG/s400/night%20cap.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Next we have a tablecloth the indomitable Immy is working on. It’s going to be gorgeous when it’s done, don’t you think?
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWmG8I2XdtNX4m4q9QZsRfRm-JDWAfcnogexDcaNibhRdFXiTLzpsVNgf4l70yw-vvRGYYPExmOQy_k2MqzZcWB-SofX8sVi3kdrcg73eLEU358EYhGyhKL_g9QsDuKrzdSgK84w7KIsPMiXkek_5QrTHyheDI_j54pbA_zp8GzDunl5n475uFL0iDhyphenhyphenK/s3256/tablecloth.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3078" data-original-width="3256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirWmG8I2XdtNX4m4q9QZsRfRm-JDWAfcnogexDcaNibhRdFXiTLzpsVNgf4l70yw-vvRGYYPExmOQy_k2MqzZcWB-SofX8sVi3kdrcg73eLEU358EYhGyhKL_g9QsDuKrzdSgK84w7KIsPMiXkek_5QrTHyheDI_j54pbA_zp8GzDunl5n475uFL0iDhyphenhyphenK/s400/tablecloth.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Then we have this cute piece by Emily, who’s deserting us to join the Toronto Guild. And they’d better take good care of her or we’re stealing her back! Incidentally, she was the only one who got to ring the bell.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkJDoDKwjZlpYWMKZthbrge97FfyhpiB3ukE2sKKbXYX1KF6Pj4n85aZ__KR_XOJHOLlmf_PM1ff7XVyznmnzUc7hC6sEiRTp5D3ovPMXhjW0M7q3TT_ni8Z8CvsqIjPyFNLGAOMTiVeon-m42Y5jDXrBWWprXS6yn5wzdHtCM44832GbxjW-jKtJjcyN/s2973/Whales.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2751" data-original-width="2973" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkJDoDKwjZlpYWMKZthbrge97FfyhpiB3ukE2sKKbXYX1KF6Pj4n85aZ__KR_XOJHOLlmf_PM1ff7XVyznmnzUc7hC6sEiRTp5D3ovPMXhjW0M7q3TT_ni8Z8CvsqIjPyFNLGAOMTiVeon-m42Y5jDXrBWWprXS6yn5wzdHtCM44832GbxjW-jKtJjcyN/s400/Whales.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
And this is the zentangle sampler I’ve been working away at. I can only work on it a bit at the time because the material I picked is NOT good for stitching, but it was nice to make some progress.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsouA9YiJIqtDRTV3tognRkwLP5ottdVmsp2ICisqSbqQ0gx2TcwZGhBM7iLe8cZDffzt-693fUcqE9GRGVjRiiCqVxI6qqnKmp01eycK5uxZeRrBVhQHaj2YUt_r20ps5KH1rmQ4FhAOQvRfTa2Cbd4TvTGbiLoKMFXyrLSMV95ek6NnZNXoW2mNWEdj/s2422/zentangle.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1355" data-original-width="2422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsouA9YiJIqtDRTV3tognRkwLP5ottdVmsp2ICisqSbqQ0gx2TcwZGhBM7iLe8cZDffzt-693fUcqE9GRGVjRiiCqVxI6qqnKmp01eycK5uxZeRrBVhQHaj2YUt_r20ps5KH1rmQ4FhAOQvRfTa2Cbd4TvTGbiLoKMFXyrLSMV95ek6NnZNXoW2mNWEdj/s400/zentangle.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Honestly, this is the tip of the iceberg as far as the talent in that room went. And like I said, the camera in my phone sometimes didn’t work properly, so many of my pictures didn’t turn out all that good. Plus, I didn't get names to go with the pictures of the other work I captured, so I can't give proper credit to them.
<br><br>
I’m about 3,000 words behind in my NaNo challenge, but I can’t bring myself to care. LOL I’ve been further behind than that before and caught up, so I’m not too worried. Besides, it was totally worth it. I had an amazing weekend and I’m sorry it had to end.
<br><br>
I’d like to thank the Toronto Guild of Stitchery for inviting us to join them, and I promise if you let me come back next year I’ll bring my good camera, and a notebook to take down names so I can give credit where credit is due. 😊
<br><br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-32789610727867006692023-11-08T08:00:00.004-05:002023-11-08T08:00:00.140-05:00Tigerjade Verse Form<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1741/poetry.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1741" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/poetry.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
It’s always a bit disappointing when I find a new form but find very little information about it except for the basics. A search for the creator, Jacqueline Sturge, mostly just brought up links to examples of her poem, although one link was for a poetry book she’s included in: <i>Poetry Styles, Book 8,</i> by Alliance Poets.
<br><br>
So I don’t know why this form is called a Tigerjade, but I thought it was kind of a cool name. It’s written in as many octaves (eight-line stanzas) as you wish, and has a strict syllable count (3-3-12-12-12-12-3-3) and it rhymes in couplets.
<br><br>
Schematic:
<br><br>
xxa<br>
xxa<br>
xxxxxxxxxxxb<br>
xxxxxxxxxxxb<br>
xxxxxxxxxxxc<br>
xxxxxxxxxxxc<br>
xxd<br>
xxd<br>
<br>
xxe<br>
xxe<br>
xxxxxxxxxxxf<br>
xxxxxxxxxxxf<br>
xxxxxxxxxxxg<br>
xxxxxxxxxxxg<br>
xxh<br>
xxh<br>
<br>
. . . and so on for however many verses you wish to make.
<br><br>
And that’s all the information I could find about it. A search of the name itself came up with the Tiger Jade Capital investment company, and the <i>crassula picturata</i>, a rather cool looking succulent better known as tiger jade.
<br><br>
I would imagine you can write your Tigerjade on any subject you wish, and if you want to have a little fun with it, you could center it on the page. To be honest, I didn’t like the three syllable lines any more than I did the twelve syllable ones. Three was too few, twelve was too many. But I did like that it was written in couplets.
<br><br>
<br>
<i>I see stars<br>
maybe Mars<br>
when I look up into the brilliant night sky<br>
we seem to be alone here and I wonder why<br>
the universe is so large and we are so small<br>
is there no one out there who will answer our call? <br>
So alone<br>
on our own<br>
<br>
We send probes<br>
to other globes<br>
in hopes of finding otherworldly life somewhere<br>
some other species with new ideas to share<br>
and if they are willing to travel all this way<br>
we hope they will listen to what we have to say<br>
peace for all<br>
man’s sangraal. </i><br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-28825121329008691912023-11-06T08:00:00.001-05:002023-11-06T08:00:00.149-05:00Woven Fabric Basket Project<i>Slow stitching means setting aside time to find myself somewhere in the thread and spread myself out on a piece of fabric.</i><br>
— Kelly Martinez
<br><br>
<i>There should be an extra day of the week called sew day.</i><br>
— Makerist
<br><br>
<i>No matter how it looks from the outside, everything that is made by hand requires a lifetime of effort.</i><br>
— Kit Dunsmore
<br><br>
From time to time my stitchery guild offers classes or seminars or whatever, and recently they offered a class in creating a woven fabric basket. Sounds like fun, right?
<br><br>
Well, I gotta tell you. I did not get off to a good start with this project. We were sent the instructions and I guess I didn’t read them correctly, because I kind of messed up, right off the mark.
<br><br>
To start with, we had to cut a number of fabric strips. I figured it would be easier to buy material than to dig through my fabric stash, so I took myself to Walmart and bought some fat quarters.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhja9V3gk_67WX7dA9MHh3OgWWHtodLcePcUDU3tccXwdNYnU63UswR-e8JICzr99U_lH4Xem_WWHz085wksxXq0FVkybBKYT8aibnurb13paYQVTX9YmjBb7Ps3MvNlTPZeQ10R1YckKaQVCsBMfcUfBuynaljYo0Gq4ctyr37LTa5dWIefr7N0C7c4Hc4/s4590/fat%20quarters.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2765" data-original-width="4590" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhja9V3gk_67WX7dA9MHh3OgWWHtodLcePcUDU3tccXwdNYnU63UswR-e8JICzr99U_lH4Xem_WWHz085wksxXq0FVkybBKYT8aibnurb13paYQVTX9YmjBb7Ps3MvNlTPZeQ10R1YckKaQVCsBMfcUfBuynaljYo0Gq4ctyr37LTa5dWIefr7N0C7c4Hc4/s400/fat%20quarters.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Unfortunately, a fat quarter was too short to use for my strips - my own fault, I hadn't really paid attention to what size the strips needed to be.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhgb9H_wwGNXTGoC-Tr3yr5NBywikUyGq_6DvOrPtUPq2jclWe5E0wh6B7I-CfDe60p6NSY7Hnjosew6fWt6zyHw1KWZVEZUeapm9ACaVczGK28AMYfnWy_TnvROEF4O0JU6HQuNTtwnQCrCKrcg1XaEtZ5Zm6j700F_7-NeFciuSJtYQ42Mt8kYK9rRX/s4536/comparrison.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2198" data-original-width="4536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhgb9H_wwGNXTGoC-Tr3yr5NBywikUyGq_6DvOrPtUPq2jclWe5E0wh6B7I-CfDe60p6NSY7Hnjosew6fWt6zyHw1KWZVEZUeapm9ACaVczGK28AMYfnWy_TnvROEF4O0JU6HQuNTtwnQCrCKrcg1XaEtZ5Zm6j700F_7-NeFciuSJtYQ42Mt8kYK9rRX/s400/comparrison.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Then apparently I really didn’t read my instructions, because we were supposed to come to the first part of the class with our strips cut and ironed. Then we were going to spend the class inserting the batting in them and sewing them along the edges.
<br><br>
Well. After realizing the fat quarters weren’t going to work, I ended up having to go through my stash after all, and found some plain, pastel material as well as a print for contrast. So I brought it all with me . . . and spent the next two hours cutting and ironing (with lots of help).
<br><br>
The colour doesn’t show well in the picture, but when I was finished (at home) I had five long patterned strips, and fourteen solid coloured strips (seven pale pink, seven pale mauve).
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qmGPx_lNH5eCFlENjW2nTUDqxpc6MWCuUaFg_0Z1Ud_JJcJvBd3IasnyZZyRZpYxr2QqtaXOkxs89zQD_SU1gbwRPbl8Vc-8WXfusgSjFNkWrknDqBEl7wnQOCBuAXGxlodzBvVL29CaT3gOcIMxohoP1SuJa9oSbIXtxX8I-tWsjD7PtcgHKoptJM9w/s4720/strips.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1813" data-original-width="4720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qmGPx_lNH5eCFlENjW2nTUDqxpc6MWCuUaFg_0Z1Ud_JJcJvBd3IasnyZZyRZpYxr2QqtaXOkxs89zQD_SU1gbwRPbl8Vc-8WXfusgSjFNkWrknDqBEl7wnQOCBuAXGxlodzBvVL29CaT3gOcIMxohoP1SuJa9oSbIXtxX8I-tWsjD7PtcgHKoptJM9w/s400/strips.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
But for the next class I was fully prepared. We were to have the bottom of our basket woven and sewn, ready to weave the horizontal strips in.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzKsPigqfeqoHUaoAT4EOMu3o2YE2XL7B2VSBlCyBZrD4iVBmRSta5OkMxPGvFtOegNNnA3be-z2jgMxuERtjbQaoy1RQDj0i9XDkaHyE4VnwTeI9FsjRtVFCIQAKI5VM9hSgbdnnExzS7oQcEAWZ5wNeqyVnGAtZMCkyOJsugx-QAPfcyKdGjDJEo6TS/s4468/flat%20basket.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2900" data-original-width="4468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzKsPigqfeqoHUaoAT4EOMu3o2YE2XL7B2VSBlCyBZrD4iVBmRSta5OkMxPGvFtOegNNnA3be-z2jgMxuERtjbQaoy1RQDj0i9XDkaHyE4VnwTeI9FsjRtVFCIQAKI5VM9hSgbdnnExzS7oQcEAWZ5wNeqyVnGAtZMCkyOJsugx-QAPfcyKdGjDJEo6TS/s400/flat%20basket.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
None of us had brought enough pins with us, and the clips really didn’t help as well as they should have, so those of us doing the project (not everyone was participating) spent a rather frustrating couple of hours weaving and re-weaving our baskets. In my case, I was moving my pins up as I wove, and ended up with a gap in the side where the ends of the horizonal strips were supposed to meet.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9-y_UMPxGYGvDOu7OhNGTc9c4ghVqf5PaewluFJOF6dIAPbbkaZ1UypNBit8CatzpU18QQIN40vdne0T3MXKv3vrXX6oxDPUWwrKl69tBnCirDgdolThI5IhIryZNGSJjzitHQ8UnQMIs9sJRMvB0ouZAsRIeCxYFVWcOZa2-6Or2uy-hMLgC4neCZd_/s4221/failure.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2588" data-original-width="4221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9-y_UMPxGYGvDOu7OhNGTc9c4ghVqf5PaewluFJOF6dIAPbbkaZ1UypNBit8CatzpU18QQIN40vdne0T3MXKv3vrXX6oxDPUWwrKl69tBnCirDgdolThI5IhIryZNGSJjzitHQ8UnQMIs9sJRMvB0ouZAsRIeCxYFVWcOZa2-6Or2uy-hMLgC4neCZd_/s400/failure.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Back at home, where I had adequate pins, I did much better. However, I couldn’t help but notice that one of my horizontal strips was shorter than the others by about an inch, maybe a little more. So I decided to start with that one because I figured the bottom would be the narrowest.
<br><br>
Well, I was about a quarter of an inch short even meeting with the other end of the strip, let alone overlapping it like I was supposed to do. So I unpinned the whole thing, and then loosely sewed the two ends together making a loop. I found the middle opposite where I joined it, and pinned it in place on one side of the basket, pinning the part I’d joined on the other.
<br><br>
It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but I finally got that first row pinned in place. After that it went fairly easily. With three rows done, you can see the basket shape starting to take place.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIrAB0cUF_VNikkKj-y4z1Wv_iZ3b74YP5lQMsj1ng4ZyfYIAR7ZVoWmy0SIFodZKsEKKpT0ARsgu-r2WNrYxB_rTMbMVky10obwbZiN8A1T7GodzDKNX4yrxTQsR6mMT42zK3uMmp4BHdrWPpCzVeibdPc_tsAuOVNbPT3qjaIRxqbu48KIQN9coRt4h/s3247/three%20rows.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2324" data-original-width="3247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIrAB0cUF_VNikkKj-y4z1Wv_iZ3b74YP5lQMsj1ng4ZyfYIAR7ZVoWmy0SIFodZKsEKKpT0ARsgu-r2WNrYxB_rTMbMVky10obwbZiN8A1T7GodzDKNX4yrxTQsR6mMT42zK3uMmp4BHdrWPpCzVeibdPc_tsAuOVNbPT3qjaIRxqbu48KIQN9coRt4h/s400/three%20rows.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
And here’s the finished basket, all that’s left is to do some top stitching (by hand) around the top to tack the strips in place.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7hK1LAxnKooxGxP2fAx92fH8VIv4EqzSGVbPSNe1ICTG-ww-5zAfevHaJvryOfX3bt3Pm9LXjIiftI5gwdSG91VjDc5eZjoBgVakwmLqI0Dire12vDER9zRr6qtBraLyvIptEg2bRfQGEG8YkfTxfZJSoaakc_YApvrr8xWM2sWBXeXGKGoUIGNIXlFg/s2195/done%20ish.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="2195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7hK1LAxnKooxGxP2fAx92fH8VIv4EqzSGVbPSNe1ICTG-ww-5zAfevHaJvryOfX3bt3Pm9LXjIiftI5gwdSG91VjDc5eZjoBgVakwmLqI0Dire12vDER9zRr6qtBraLyvIptEg2bRfQGEG8YkfTxfZJSoaakc_YApvrr8xWM2sWBXeXGKGoUIGNIXlFg/s400/done%20ish.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
And after all that work, I think I’ll go get one of those glass domes to put it under, to preserve it for all time.
<br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-35704642521448948402023-11-01T08:00:00.001-04:002023-11-01T08:00:00.146-04:00The Raven
Seeing as last night was All Hallows Eve and today is All Saints Day (tomorrow is All Souls Day), I thought I’d do something a little different. I have many poems that deal with the spirit season, but I think none are more appropriate than The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe.
<br><br>
Today I’m not only sharing this classic poem, but I’ve included a video so you can listen to the great Vincent Price recite it as you read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
<br><br>
<br>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/znOfeeI26Y0?si=puhnUJCfvVn1hIFR" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br><br>
<br>
<center>The Raven
<br><br>
by Edgar Allan Poe
<br><br>
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, <br>
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—<br>
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, <br>
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. <br>
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—<br>
Only this and nothing more.” <br>
<br>
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December; <br>
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. <br>
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow<br>
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—<br>
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—<br>
Nameless here for evermore. <br>
<br>
And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain<br>
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; <br>
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating<br>
“’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—<br>
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;— <br>
This it is and nothing more.” <br>
<br>
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, <br>
“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; <br>
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, <br>
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, <br>
That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door;— <br>
Darkness there and nothing more. <br>
<br>
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, <br>
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before; <br>
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, <br>
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?” <br>
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”— <br>
Merely this and nothing more. <br>
<br>
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, <br>
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. <br>
“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice; <br>
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore—<br>
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;— <br>
’Tis the wind and nothing more!” <br>
<br>
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, <br>
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore; <br>
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; <br>
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—<br>
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door—<br>
Perched, and sat, and nothing more. <br>
<br>
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, <br>
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, <br>
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven, <br>
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—<br>
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!” <br>
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.” <br>
<br>
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, <br>
Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore; <br>
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being<br>
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door—<br>
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door, <br>
With such name as “Nevermore.” <br>
<br>
But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only<br>
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. <br>
Nothing farther then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered—<br>
Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other friends have flown before—<br>
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.” <br>
Then the bird said “Nevermore.” <br>
<br>
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, <br>
“Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock and store<br>
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster<br>
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore—<br>
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore<br>
Of ‘Never—nevermore’.” <br>
<br>
But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling, <br>
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door; <br>
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking<br>
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore—<br>
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore<br>
Meant in croaking “Nevermore.” <br>
<br>
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing<br>
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core; <br>
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining<br>
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er, <br>
But whose velvet-violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er, <br>
She shall press, ah, nevermore! <br>
<br>
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer<br>
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor. <br>
“Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee<br>
Respite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore; <br>
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!” <br>
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.” <br>
<br>
“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!— <br>
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, <br>
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—<br>
On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—<br>
Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!” <br>
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.” <br>
<br>
“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil! <br>
By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—<br>
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, <br>
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—<br>
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.” <br>
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.” <br>
<br>
“Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting—<br>
“Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore! <br>
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! <br>
Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door! <br>
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!” <br>
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.” <br>
<br>
And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting<br>
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; <br>
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming, <br>
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; <br>
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor<br>
Shall be lifted—nevermore!<br></center>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-13131146012182964262023-10-30T08:00:00.001-04:002023-10-30T08:00:00.144-04:00One Foggy Morning . . . <br><br>
<i>The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.</i><br>
— Carl Sandburg.
<br><br>
<i>Sometimes we need the fog to remind ourselves that all of life is not black and white.</i><br>
— Jonathan Lockwood Huie
<br><br>
<i>There it is, fog, atmospheric moisture still uncertain in destination, not quite weather and not altogether mood, yet partaking of both.</i><br>
— Hal Borland
<br><br>
I love the fog. There’s just something about that feeling of being cut off from everything. A long time ago I used to commute to a college north of here. The small highway I took was very hilly, and in the fall quite often there was fog in the morning. The valleys would be shrouded in it, and then I’d drive up a hill above it and it was like I was on top of the world.
<br><br>
Our weather was really up and down last week, and Thursday it was foggy. I thought about going out and taking pictures, but figured by the time I got down to the waterfront the fog would have burned off. So I worked away in my office, glancing up at the window every once in awhile, and the fog was still there. Not only was it not burning off, it looked like it was getting denser.
<br><br>
So I caved. I grabbed my camera and drove down to the waterfront to take pictures. It wasn't quite as dense as it had been a couple of hours prior, but it was still atmospheric.
<br><br>
This is the point that separates the yacht basin from the west beach:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-ZkZ-W7xLZOwjtozFDfK7pMI56tjTzO1fB7oI55bS72qHQuiP0FDDXNLC6I4pjhh50ypiP2dxVDLe4s0MPigQU20gx7Qkh8nB7w46C8g7HmyHQiWhIgX1Aw9R_Hv9Lfkeh5kGUc7rorNxS09rsq0OClGBbDdpwDkZZnPX_paQgiPnNy1vTNsos9Ho06r/s4286/point.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3025" data-original-width="4286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-ZkZ-W7xLZOwjtozFDfK7pMI56tjTzO1fB7oI55bS72qHQuiP0FDDXNLC6I4pjhh50ypiP2dxVDLe4s0MPigQU20gx7Qkh8nB7w46C8g7HmyHQiWhIgX1Aw9R_Hv9Lfkeh5kGUc7rorNxS09rsq0OClGBbDdpwDkZZnPX_paQgiPnNy1vTNsos9Ho06r/s400/point.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
And this is a view of the west beach from the point:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJkNmEY89ZtQD4Pn-HOHnJqhFACW-paw25EeVkSlTG2F5glMZsjyUdcXE6R_MAbAmouIht7uHS7UjCt87L9YdCxZL7CHq494k1eys90XZFnorLA-nlRpCL8f9DRu19Cq7_gBPLvkYjMrLFhJodUUnOE9Ml-oIFEnS8a1oKnuH9DfSduoU_yclberbWL3h/s4506/west%20beach.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2599" data-original-width="4506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHJkNmEY89ZtQD4Pn-HOHnJqhFACW-paw25EeVkSlTG2F5glMZsjyUdcXE6R_MAbAmouIht7uHS7UjCt87L9YdCxZL7CHq494k1eys90XZFnorLA-nlRpCL8f9DRu19Cq7_gBPLvkYjMrLFhJodUUnOE9Ml-oIFEnS8a1oKnuH9DfSduoU_yclberbWL3h/s400/west%20beach.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Looking to the east of the point, you can see a few waterfowl bobbing on the water, and if you look hard, you can see the lighthouse.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKdz6hm_5rQyocm3NGkK44uqBIMo0KjtkBzYwKBf4WacBoPfLw7ztKhF7AYbdIvb9BzT64e90h62JmfKKckfsrOIUeIdcZPIc4ppjehZdlUz6uSAXq-H5Bs_j0q2L5bXK16xwKAVv7dVGYeIpb1O7lINW69liVBEj8JW70yB-vb2igK83QUKiS273kEW2/s3685/lighthouse.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2278" data-original-width="3685" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzKdz6hm_5rQyocm3NGkK44uqBIMo0KjtkBzYwKBf4WacBoPfLw7ztKhF7AYbdIvb9BzT64e90h62JmfKKckfsrOIUeIdcZPIc4ppjehZdlUz6uSAXq-H5Bs_j0q2L5bXK16xwKAVv7dVGYeIpb1O7lINW69liVBEj8JW70yB-vb2igK83QUKiS273kEW2/s400/lighthouse.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Looking more to the southeast, you can see a few waterfowl, and that blur just above them is the breakwater for the yacht basin.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_viorVoTBZl9vbOM4uLONYf5xxwLQ-jKdMKKR3c8Wo-yrvdXc7ePsHTz0ECSHMZ5XPrdyPvxOVNuXPs_BIxtlWSToNTnUGJ3NRksJ6WZmmg78Na5vGEWpQ-9O5rl_OdTDZ1_Z-nDp7SIIAcT1uvfHfvkZu_gTSNkpRy6h62nh6rM4UyGWQ7PR3LdsJVh/s4106/waterfowl.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2469" data-original-width="4106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_viorVoTBZl9vbOM4uLONYf5xxwLQ-jKdMKKR3c8Wo-yrvdXc7ePsHTz0ECSHMZ5XPrdyPvxOVNuXPs_BIxtlWSToNTnUGJ3NRksJ6WZmmg78Na5vGEWpQ-9O5rl_OdTDZ1_Z-nDp7SIIAcT1uvfHfvkZu_gTSNkpRy6h62nh6rM4UyGWQ7PR3LdsJVh/s400/waterfowl.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
I was determined to get a good picture of the swans, so I walked to the end of the point, and, because the water was low, I went down onto the shore. The ground was really squishy here – a combination of seaweed, dirt, and debris. But I got my shot.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4omVHWrzganyfeGhyrCuD50ZXN24w_Ef3w6ZNITe1ksLUnm5j5iA0uofBe9EIk8qlwWl-AxUcDQKM-DeE-Vp-V6z-Mq0Wfo2xUn6wpS8XRdcjjq8HrGUyQ3weDQ8fzTokBqHBTQ4FSwz0141alU6iZZavqaJjg_jt7CKQFUCbt37mCWwaf3qTq6DxisR/s2619/swans%203.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1497" data-original-width="2619" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4omVHWrzganyfeGhyrCuD50ZXN24w_Ef3w6ZNITe1ksLUnm5j5iA0uofBe9EIk8qlwWl-AxUcDQKM-DeE-Vp-V6z-Mq0Wfo2xUn6wpS8XRdcjjq8HrGUyQ3weDQ8fzTokBqHBTQ4FSwz0141alU6iZZavqaJjg_jt7CKQFUCbt37mCWwaf3qTq6DxisR/s400/swans%203.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
By this time the fog was starting to dissipate. It was still kind of grey, but not shrouded like before. So I headed back to the boardwalk and started taking pictures along the somewhat scrubby shore.
<br><br>
These little flowers were a random bright spot in the scrub:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSOCmP374t5jOG2_SB7gTeEEluZ4cgcTYCg76DzabZAuk8LiN3pTQPUhxUP3dG5RIvL6-lv6Euo0EtgVErrd11m4Y5NF8sfDP5tP-ESAkZW7FKAbnu5qYT0IGpQL_2mVkR4TPHeQgMCB6HffABKiRjMkRlDLnIDyJvKEuJcHk7u4mRMzUzIfGM3O8ECmh/s3255/stray%20flower.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="3255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZSOCmP374t5jOG2_SB7gTeEEluZ4cgcTYCg76DzabZAuk8LiN3pTQPUhxUP3dG5RIvL6-lv6Euo0EtgVErrd11m4Y5NF8sfDP5tP-ESAkZW7FKAbnu5qYT0IGpQL_2mVkR4TPHeQgMCB6HffABKiRjMkRlDLnIDyJvKEuJcHk7u4mRMzUzIfGM3O8ECmh/s400/stray%20flower.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
There were several other interesting plants as well. Patches of this grew closer to the boardwalk:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkT-s2MFsP119PvncuLXsKjPgEd-W-ehakniSe-AZDzrgha8_WPBk2w5dW_AycF6qmaCpeH2pyEXRFSMv-XR7NSstbLW5z8itkfISiUYk3tCAHO3CqrpM8jNIm0PnyGN9eKj-n2VNdCqIxXnbNieUCht8IDqqSYKUaD_3g1vbypKuCiXSC1iu4ZvwbGZ-/s3456/patches.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2986" data-original-width="3456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkT-s2MFsP119PvncuLXsKjPgEd-W-ehakniSe-AZDzrgha8_WPBk2w5dW_AycF6qmaCpeH2pyEXRFSMv-XR7NSstbLW5z8itkfISiUYk3tCAHO3CqrpM8jNIm0PnyGN9eKj-n2VNdCqIxXnbNieUCht8IDqqSYKUaD_3g1vbypKuCiXSC1iu4ZvwbGZ-/s400/patches.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
While clumps of this grew on the sandy/rocky shore:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzu8TFQqQvJn71slFJrrXNoAE7QpjHdanYoDPeGtmllFuZNwegz5BKoGtreSRG6vcgIyasd-visCTnY3aama1YoSJdOwOQLksIo987f6iqUnCn6SSDm7tKnuQmJW46jeX45-orwplnHCA5Kg7SF1s4FfE2u6YTrlveQk8PB5yXsien9_WTv2ocwqtoqE_/s3456/weed.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3159" data-original-width="3456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzu8TFQqQvJn71slFJrrXNoAE7QpjHdanYoDPeGtmllFuZNwegz5BKoGtreSRG6vcgIyasd-visCTnY3aama1YoSJdOwOQLksIo987f6iqUnCn6SSDm7tKnuQmJW46jeX45-orwplnHCA5Kg7SF1s4FfE2u6YTrlveQk8PB5yXsien9_WTv2ocwqtoqE_/s400/weed.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
And when I got close to the end of the boardwalk, the fog was pretty much gone.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpDoEFNYYADEj_-zQBT3ZEqVjOkBUXbWFzpW6aw-VImBpRzTTSe9LSp56raiqJCW-7wRJ99JP2roqJzA8ZNgO3TkrrTVzvxPJD6w0QM16_qI3jdEigi0YcXiFewrqbff8jGCdnuOi4i1v7IfIkrIqe2NdXE__LBJtzScwTjal56z88Y2IIO8PYiIMvk-6/s4472/looking%20back.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2787" data-original-width="4472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpDoEFNYYADEj_-zQBT3ZEqVjOkBUXbWFzpW6aw-VImBpRzTTSe9LSp56raiqJCW-7wRJ99JP2roqJzA8ZNgO3TkrrTVzvxPJD6w0QM16_qI3jdEigi0YcXiFewrqbff8jGCdnuOi4i1v7IfIkrIqe2NdXE__LBJtzScwTjal56z88Y2IIO8PYiIMvk-6/s400/looking%20back.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Next time, I won’t hesitate going out to adventure in the fog. Maybe to the east beach.
<br><br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-7660857667274609742023-10-25T08:00:00.001-04:002023-10-25T08:00:00.142-04:00Trimeric Verse Form<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1741/poetry.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1741" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/poetry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
This form was invented by Dr. Charles A. Stone (which seems to be a pseudonym), a retired professor, a poet, and an entrepreneur. Dr. Stone has published poetry in many journals and anthologies and published three nonfiction books. Check out his books <a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Dr.-Charles-A.-Stone/author/B00UTLEOW0?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br /><br />
The Trimeric (<i>tri-(meh)-rik</i>) is a short poem of just thirteen lines. It has four stanzas, consisting of a quatrain (four lines), and three tercets (three lines).
<br /><br />
While there is no rhyme or syllable count, and the lines can be however long or short you want to make them, the tercets each start with a refrain. Line 2 of the first verse becomes the first line of the second verse; line 3 of the first verse becomes the first line of the third verse, and line 4 of the first verse becomes the first line of the fourth verse.
<br /><br />
Without a syllable count I can’t really do a schematic, but the endings of the first verse would be a-b-c-d. and the following verses would begin b * *, c * *, d * *
<br /><br />
It takes a little more thought than the forms I’ve been offering lately, but I found it to be just as much fun. This is a great form for anyone who doesn’t like a strict rhyme and rhythm format.
<br /><br />
<br />
<i>Life is fueled by dreaming things<br />
Ask the trees, they’ll tell you the truth<br />
The stars dance to their own tune<br />
While the world continues to spin<br />
<br />
Ask the trees, they’ll tell you the truth<br />
They’ve been here from the beginning<br />
And their knowledge is vast<br />
<br />
The stars dance to their own tune<br />
Cosmic music only they can hear<br />
Eternal in its beauty<br />
<br />
While the world continues to spin<br />
The rest of the universe grows old<br />
Entropy always wins</i><br />
<br />
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-78318584100844111832023-10-23T08:00:00.001-04:002023-10-23T08:00:00.157-04:00Fun With the Stitchery Guild<i>Slow stitching means setting aside time to find myself somewhere in the thread and spread myself out on a piece of fabric.</i><br />
— Kelly Martinez
<br /><br />
<i>There should be an extra day of the week called sew day.</i><br />
— Makerist
<br /><br />
<i>Sewing is a universal language where identity and creativity connect all communities.</i><br />
— Jennifer Nobile
<br /><br />
<i>No matter how it looks from the outside, everything that is made by hand requires a lifetime of effort.</i><br />
— Kit Dunsmore
<br /><br />
Tuesday morning found me at <a href=" https://www.northumberlandheights.com" target="_blank">Northumberland Heights Wellness Spa</a> with my stitchery guild. We were there for a one day retreat. We were given a large sunny room with a view to work in, and all the coffee, tea, and water we liked.
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikfKRbVv3a7qHW6Im7J5riSWfQbK_oEniNK-8TDjyAADfYoAoXqlJx_oa4CyGQjVXwCSbNXkEvfRbqw2vLAhRjBSsCsT2WzRifYwrApuh8XI7I3kRAckw82EKzsw0TSmvgDaNwdN3164rXjP7CwAH9EXz9zOzRPi68i5jc8JU6Ac9xyoQmSDE53vKhQQs/s1280/big%20room.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikfKRbVv3a7qHW6Im7J5riSWfQbK_oEniNK-8TDjyAADfYoAoXqlJx_oa4CyGQjVXwCSbNXkEvfRbqw2vLAhRjBSsCsT2WzRifYwrApuh8XI7I3kRAckw82EKzsw0TSmvgDaNwdN3164rXjP7CwAH9EXz9zOzRPi68i5jc8JU6Ac9xyoQmSDE53vKhQQs/s400/big%20room.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
The room is actually twice the size as the picture shows, we only used about half of it. But it overlooked a large greenspace that had a firepit and fountain with seating around them.
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25FD6k0XdlcHqf-IUd8ep780yy72iKRiclLXD_9YaxJFzokBKykJW0AioP5mxAjflUv6XoxHBZJZBxGajUsD_YSHq9vzdsQyKgbSJ2nCPYwmShhQhkfp5rRlsBFOWrsZfHYs1RnVD58j9DbyNJg_OiaXug9nXVH2ryPX3lfYwhJQ7_vd-MijKgzLnoBxj/s1403/firepit%20and%20fountain.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25FD6k0XdlcHqf-IUd8ep780yy72iKRiclLXD_9YaxJFzokBKykJW0AioP5mxAjflUv6XoxHBZJZBxGajUsD_YSHq9vzdsQyKgbSJ2nCPYwmShhQhkfp5rRlsBFOWrsZfHYs1RnVD58j9DbyNJg_OiaXug9nXVH2ryPX3lfYwhJQ7_vd-MijKgzLnoBxj/s400/firepit%20and%20fountain.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
We had a great time and even managed to get some stitching in. At noon we broke for lunch in the dining room, and then a few of us went for a walk on the grounds. There was a lot of green space, which I’m sure was used for activities during the warmer weather.
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8YmPHWHgQPMaEnqMty-zJizNC_BmSlaA3to0s3mRdR29IL_jT9C-qf581jzzTsV59T3npWrcCQz5oFvb1dPU7gpbJQxu4375oN3AozJa-24aOw7lSgFfbV40NtVTZuws9VTlPWADc9cyts_9mWvD6cU99_2EgMZa32sUTOO8R_MVXqoHpp6EtLohh1ey/s4624/greenspace.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8YmPHWHgQPMaEnqMty-zJizNC_BmSlaA3to0s3mRdR29IL_jT9C-qf581jzzTsV59T3npWrcCQz5oFvb1dPU7gpbJQxu4375oN3AozJa-24aOw7lSgFfbV40NtVTZuws9VTlPWADc9cyts_9mWvD6cU99_2EgMZa32sUTOO8R_MVXqoHpp6EtLohh1ey/s400/greenspace.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
And at the far side of the greenspace we discovered a trail that led to a beautiful clearing with a patio and pergola that overlooked a large pond.
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kQGHta57S7aV6XN79Qr-teis5JMKP7mo75w60jr5Bj-jClGkKx4TIbhOOwoZ28MPH6OTsIrSgbBXBkCQ5fMaGMqAqTCMJZLlaEs-RV1vGXOaF-PxARZo37Hy3nNMHBsb9kMMY8QO0fY55-R4Pjv3J6e1Xu1eYgbrX6JERPy3VgwUKGLqaLvZb48cO6Bg/s4624/pergola%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kQGHta57S7aV6XN79Qr-teis5JMKP7mo75w60jr5Bj-jClGkKx4TIbhOOwoZ28MPH6OTsIrSgbBXBkCQ5fMaGMqAqTCMJZLlaEs-RV1vGXOaF-PxARZo37Hy3nNMHBsb9kMMY8QO0fY55-R4Pjv3J6e1Xu1eYgbrX6JERPy3VgwUKGLqaLvZb48cO6Bg/s400/pergola%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
The trail continued on around the pond and into the woods. It took us about an hour to complete the trail, but it was with it. It was a well-kept trail and the woods were full of a variety of trees.
<br /><br />
We got some more stitching in when we got back, and then at 4 o’clock we packed up our stitching and headed back to the dining room for high tea.
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAT-stCx0y6emlANqn-zC_ESSB9k0Yl5pwR9icm0XumvkWK0gP59igsftgh0c1wBmRuFJTr8Q4jTafB62sBYM9kQxZVJR02AnS07vINMtrfL0l2akLgvX4SlE8knaU-Wkhhw8pKXX5ic762kjFaJbJBxDr1GooXmEcfEb4InMoEL224B8H4PfLxlerl7x9/s2979/high%20tea%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2979" data-original-width="1803" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAT-stCx0y6emlANqn-zC_ESSB9k0Yl5pwR9icm0XumvkWK0gP59igsftgh0c1wBmRuFJTr8Q4jTafB62sBYM9kQxZVJR02AnS07vINMtrfL0l2akLgvX4SlE8knaU-Wkhhw8pKXX5ic762kjFaJbJBxDr1GooXmEcfEb4InMoEL224B8H4PfLxlerl7x9/s400/high%20tea%202.jpg" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
All in all, we had a fabulous day and I’m pretty sure there’s already plans being made for us to go back gain. This final picture was taken as we were leaving, looking down from the hills towards Lake Ontario.
<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87GqAIcuu19bYBNLSnLzSvezKzKcy6WsO2kUN_WBpnUfvQbMsZGvoTSoFMYBYobx2hkuEg1MWeO5nJZnqzhsSRIogQpg56c8m_jqGbv3CsxBjK68eBp0V5bT2bsM2cjnPScrQl1owbfk5ndFBk7iLmPqwXGYbfK1we43XRyBt1p4jfkYnKZfMbLRtuLaj/s4624/view%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2323" data-original-width="4624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg87GqAIcuu19bYBNLSnLzSvezKzKcy6WsO2kUN_WBpnUfvQbMsZGvoTSoFMYBYobx2hkuEg1MWeO5nJZnqzhsSRIogQpg56c8m_jqGbv3CsxBjK68eBp0V5bT2bsM2cjnPScrQl1owbfk5ndFBk7iLmPqwXGYbfK1we43XRyBt1p4jfkYnKZfMbLRtuLaj/s400/view%202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-13664035496347538212023-10-18T08:00:00.001-04:002023-10-18T08:00:00.140-04:00The Lune<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1741/poetry.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1741" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/poetry.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
The Lune, also known as the American Haiku, was created by New York based poet Robert Kelly in the 1960s. Like the Haiku, it has only three lines, but instead of five syllables, seven syllables, and five syllables, totalling seventeen syllables, we have five syllables in the first line, three in the second, and five in the third, for a total of thirteen syllables.
<br><br>
The name comes from the crescent moon shape of the finished poem. Unlike the Haiku, there are no restrictions (other than the strict syllable count), you can write your Lune on whatever subject you wish.
<br><br>
There is a variation of the Lune known as the Collom Lune, created by poet Jack Collom. This is also three lines, but instead of syllables we’re counting words: three in the first line, five in the second, and once again three in the third line, for a total of eleven words.
<br><br>
I'll warn you, this is another form that's kind of addictive once you get started.
<br><br>
<br>
<i>poor squeaking mousie<br>
now a toy<br>
for excited cats<br>
<br>
I know he escaped<br>
from the cats<br>
which I think is worse
<br><br>
now he’s loose inside<br>
and don’t know<br>
where he’s hiding now
<br><br>
exterminator<br>
will be called<br>
when it is morning
<br>
<br>
<br>
Collom Lune
<br><br>
I like fall<br>
except when it drives mice<br>
inside my house. <br>
<br>
<br>
Sunflowers still stand<br>
straight in the crystal vase<br>
taste of summer</i><br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-38246003557121791372023-10-16T08:00:00.001-04:002023-10-16T08:00:00.153-04:00Happy International Cat Day<i>Cats and humans have been partners for over ten thousand years. And what you realize when you've lived with a cat for a long time is that we may think we own them, but that's not the way it is. They simply allow us the pleasure of their company.</i><br>
— Genki Kawamura
<br><br>
<i>I’ve found that the way a person feels about cats—and the way they feel about him or her in return—is usually an excellent gauge by which to measure a person's character.</i><br>
— P.C. Cast
<br><br>
<i>Cats never listen. They’re dependable that way; when Rome burned, the emperor’s cats still expected to be fed on time.</i><br>
— Seanan McGuire
<br><br>
If I had known last week that today was International Cat Day, I would have saved my post for the kittens for today. But I didn’t, so I had to find some other way to celebrate. And then I thought, why not do a tribute to kitties past?
<br><br>
As you might suspect, I’ve had many cats in my life, dating back to when I was a kid. And yes, I remember them all. But to make this post a little more manageable, I’m only going to talk about the kitties we’ve had while living here.
<br><br>
We bought this house the first October we were married, and in December I went to the Humane Society and came home with a little calico kitten we named Sheba. I do have a few pictures of her, but unfortunately they are all film pictures, and I have since given my box of photographs to the daughter so they’re all at her house now.
<br><br>
Anyway, she was a sweet girl, and because we did not intend to let her outside, we never thought of getting her spayed. Fast forward to the following spring when I heard a noise at the back door and found a little black kitten on the patio. It followed me around to the front step and we were sitting there when the hubby came home for lunch. I told the kitten if he wanted to stay, that was the guy he needed to impress, and he must have understood because he jumped down and trotted over to meet the hubby.
<br><br>
We named him Barry Quartz. He was used to going outside, so naturally Sheba began going out too, and before we knew it, she was knocked up. She had her kittens in a box in our bedroom.
<br><br>
There was one kitten I became particularly attached to – he had exotic markings and it was pretty obvious his father was a Siamese. I named him Sekmut, and he like to ride around on my shoulders. But the hubby put his foot down and said three cats was too many, so I had to give him up for adoption. This decision was made even harder when a few weeks after that Barry died from a viral infection in his brain.
<br><br>
Sheba got pregnant again before we could her spayed, and this time I was allowed to keep one of the kittens. This one was an orange boy I named Osiris. Sirus was a real peeping Tom cat – he would go over to the neighbor’s house, climb up on their roof, and stare down at them through the skylight.
<br><br>
Unfortunately, he was hit by a car one night. A short while later we discovered Sheba was pregnant again, and we suspected it was by him because although the kittens were different colours, they all had the same markings, and all but one of them died.
<br><br>
The survivor was a tuxedo girl. The markings on her face were so perfect you’d have thought they were painted on. We named her Chiron, or more often, Cheerio. She disappeared the night before her vet appointment to be spayed. We never did find out what happened to her. I’d like to think someone took her in, thinking she was a stray.
<br><br>
We did get Sheba spayed – I think she was as relieved as we were. By this time we had the daughter, and when she turned 4 she wanted a kitten of her own. And not just any kitten, she wanted an orange kitten and she was going to name him Valentine. Well, by the time I talked the hubby into it, there were no kittens to be had, let alone an orange one. But then my sister’s friend had a cat who had kittens, and one of them was orange.
<br><br>
So I drove up to Hamilton to him. Well, the friend had cancer in her brain, and had been neglecting the cat. The kitten was not very healthy looking. He was scruffy and one of his eyes was crusted shut. I wasn’t sure he was going to live, so I also took the healthiest looking kitten of the bunch.
<br><br>
According to the vet, there was nothing wrong with them that love and proper care wouldn’t cure. Valentine had to spend the night at the vet, but Sam, as we called his brother, was allowed to come home. Ironically, Sam was the one who died, and we never did determine why.
<br><br>
I could do a whole post touting the virtues of Valentine. They say you don’t pick the cat, the cat picks you. And although he was friendly enough with the daughter, he picked me as his person. So a few years after Sheba died, the daughter was back to wanting a kitten of her own.
<br><br>
Enter Taz, AKA the Tasmanian Devil, AKA General Razzamataz Meowington III. His mother was a barn cat and his father was Maine Coon. He was a fearless little guy, and even stood off against our border collie – and won.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUP8fhtYgH2YveKhBljLT-DTx7Kc4GWrZswBX7g0_-FqmT3DPzFoPSQLGuvWJiSLJc-sF5AQFSfvCfAWQW7lYfL_3KRFq_mzCsZDPRhjcoqxJ30i4ftTGd2OFvONZHGrOeubREL5n5NRuV0LMTJUv6Cp-eVnO1OwPXCtn3mTSM8bZ625kgyknEbaBANBDK/s1378/Taz.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1015" data-original-width="1378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUP8fhtYgH2YveKhBljLT-DTx7Kc4GWrZswBX7g0_-FqmT3DPzFoPSQLGuvWJiSLJc-sF5AQFSfvCfAWQW7lYfL_3KRFq_mzCsZDPRhjcoqxJ30i4ftTGd2OFvONZHGrOeubREL5n5NRuV0LMTJUv6Cp-eVnO1OwPXCtn3mTSM8bZ625kgyknEbaBANBDK/s400/Taz.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Valentine was getting old by this time, and his health wasn’t great, but the two became buddies, even though he still got to go outside and Taz didn’t. Sadly, a couple of years after we got Taz we had to have Valentine put to sleep – it broke my heart.
<br><br>
This happened in the fall, and when the daughter came home from University for Christmas, she thought it was time we got a friend for Taz. Enter Pandora, AKA Panda, AKA Pantaloons.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLq-M7Kzpd9EkRNemAteD8yw3-uBWf61u7tW4A6aTo_nkHVFbtY-jX3UEb6ucEA2z7lKO6igJl9YF1wwfm2NR6k-LwTKHGkDd_qgo7gzgGcfS51FUcZeTzipbQbmGfCi5gwfCpeW8aSK3b2RH7agptmilj_D6ALZCNoS7dNEYXCpb4pmhUeHuVM5oTYSl/s1322/Panda.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1322" data-original-width="1176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBLq-M7Kzpd9EkRNemAteD8yw3-uBWf61u7tW4A6aTo_nkHVFbtY-jX3UEb6ucEA2z7lKO6igJl9YF1wwfm2NR6k-LwTKHGkDd_qgo7gzgGcfS51FUcZeTzipbQbmGfCi5gwfCpeW8aSK3b2RH7agptmilj_D6ALZCNoS7dNEYXCpb4pmhUeHuVM5oTYSl/s400/Panda.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
It was love at first sight, as far as Taz was concerned. Panda was a little more chill. She was also bat crap crazy, as most tuxedo cats are. And she was an early bloomer, so before we could get her to the vet, she was knocked up.
<br><br>
The hubby said we could keep one of the kittens, but it was going to be his kitten because the daughter had Taz and I had Panda. From left to right, pictured are Romi, Julius, and Dante.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFE71fyPDGPZl2xBRTnhVginfutT_MnMqcAPLPe6WDC3Gpf4Fw77XuXmrX3RTROrRcJZfY9vElPoV0Tw6bw9NGcFbayvACaKH4oD8-zPHF5s-Y-mbLsNSvDXK2SNCy_BQcMrkuaAjzfVTnxJPmUbuvvPopLcv8Z9213nIx6WT2iCS2uME2WZ6-rCpiuyW/s1525/bratty%20catties.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="1525" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFE71fyPDGPZl2xBRTnhVginfutT_MnMqcAPLPe6WDC3Gpf4Fw77XuXmrX3RTROrRcJZfY9vElPoV0Tw6bw9NGcFbayvACaKH4oD8-zPHF5s-Y-mbLsNSvDXK2SNCy_BQcMrkuaAjzfVTnxJPmUbuvvPopLcv8Z9213nIx6WT2iCS2uME2WZ6-rCpiuyW/s400/bratty%20catties.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
The hubby picked Julius for his kitty, and strangely enough, Julius (AKA Sunny Bunny) picked him, too. Romi and Dante were supposed to go to a friend of the hubby’s, but he couldn’t take them right away. And by the time he realized he really couldn’t take them after all, they were no long kittens. Which is how we ended up with five cats.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gwesYmxEmyskbj4qaHxRAGmHey7phqBYNO6B7ISlFW-F0hiMqN0s6NNynfrpcBj7wtBmQlTA8b6G54HKTB7lpWalkxqwiI1EoWYdM8RJdkaOLfOEnqm7GsjP2Hcwl8CJMJ3aotgc0DgAJFrFcdXR9NXRg1-vxASyEzW-gZ68ZaY4bc0MWhNuhr2ztiZH/s1577/group.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="1577" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gwesYmxEmyskbj4qaHxRAGmHey7phqBYNO6B7ISlFW-F0hiMqN0s6NNynfrpcBj7wtBmQlTA8b6G54HKTB7lpWalkxqwiI1EoWYdM8RJdkaOLfOEnqm7GsjP2Hcwl8CJMJ3aotgc0DgAJFrFcdXR9NXRg1-vxASyEzW-gZ68ZaY4bc0MWhNuhr2ztiZH/s400/group.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
First to go was Panda, from kidney disease. A few years later it was Julius, from cancer. Next was Taz, at 20, who had become senile and reclusive. A year later Romi died at 18, and then Dante at 19.
<br><br>
It was hard losing three cats in three years like that, but they were all seniors and they’d all had pretty good lives. And after having lived with senior cats for a few years, we were ready for kittens again. Probably for the last time, if these guys last as long as the terrible trio did.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1fiscxBgjZRxz1QuVcdA_IqUI2QwA7oNwQJx5AbwP9lmZ8dAcKdD2S1qBc-Z4Jrg2NqIvr5u13A8HVXJ3tSdlwN4GalviCCaF2pHTIXVPwzCDh3xfHUAyuhyL3caHYsy8aZDOK8LIKrFKNVeWTeCowXfHjjm7eKWZa88gfRx__uKtKm5jIuo5jxbHM8V/s2453/babies.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1991" data-original-width="2453" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ1fiscxBgjZRxz1QuVcdA_IqUI2QwA7oNwQJx5AbwP9lmZ8dAcKdD2S1qBc-Z4Jrg2NqIvr5u13A8HVXJ3tSdlwN4GalviCCaF2pHTIXVPwzCDh3xfHUAyuhyL3caHYsy8aZDOK8LIKrFKNVeWTeCowXfHjjm7eKWZa88gfRx__uKtKm5jIuo5jxbHM8V/s400/babies.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll live even longer. :-D
<br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-51481401442773033912023-10-11T08:00:00.002-04:002023-10-11T09:09:48.758-04:00Hay(na)ku Verse Form<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1741/poetry.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1741" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/poetry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
For such a simple form there’s certainly an abundance of information about it. Think the Haiku is easy? Let me introduce to the Filipino Haiku, the Hay(na)ku. And yes, the parentheses are a required part of the name.
<br /><br />
The Hay(na)ku was created by Filipino-American poet Eileen R. Tabios. It was first called the “Pinoy Haiku” and was released in 2003 on June 12, Philippine Independence Day. The name “hay(na)ku” (pronounced <i>ai-na-koo</i>) was coined by Vince Gotera.
<br /><br />
The form consists of a single tercet with lines of one, two, and three words, in that order. Syllables are not counted which means the word “cold” and the word “temperature” carry the same weight. There are no other restrictions to this form.
<br /><br />
Some of the variations of this form include the reverse Hay(na)koo, which starts with three words in the first line, two in the second, and one in the third. Other poets have also linked several Hay(na)koo together to make a chain.
<br /><br />
If you’d like to learn more about this form, check the <a href="http://haynakupoetry.blogspot.com/2005/07/hay-naku-history.html" target="_blank">History of the Hay(na)koo</a> in the author’s own words. I warn you though, once you start writing them, it’s hard to stop.
<br /><br />
<br />
<i>Cold<br />
sets in –<br />
winter has come. <br />
<br />
<br />
Leaves<br />
scuttle across<br />
cold, barren ground. <br />
<br />
<br />
Bees<br />
buzz busily<br />
flower to flower. <br />
<br />
<br />
Cats<br />
play chase<br />
and then sleep. <br />
<br />
<br />
Coffee—<br />
dark magic<br />
for waking up.
<br /><br /></i>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-67032358569558062232023-10-09T08:00:00.002-04:002023-10-09T08:10:04.312-04:00Happy Gotcha Day!<i>Perhaps one reason we are fascinated by cats is because such a small animal can contain so much independence, dignity, and freedom of spirit. Unlike the dog, the cat’s personality is never bet on a human’s. He demands acceptance on his own terms.</i><br>
— Lloyd Alexander
<br><br>
<i>As anyone who has ever been around a cat for any length of time well knows, cats have enormous patience with the limitations of the humankind.</i><br>
— Cleveland Amory
<br><br>
<i>I have felt cats rubbing their faces against mine and touching my cheek with claws carefully sheathed. These things, to me, are expressions of love.</i><br>
— James Herriot
<br><br>
Today is a day for celebration! We have been blessed with Khaos and Dinsdale for a whole year now! Remember how cute they were?
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYC2F-3oR4uWFgMWQ6AakrnrdGyzP_jcyfWbcngQHZN0pD35DIu3NKY39CBRYnEjppulfO8jjX0uNNM49nz5otX2cwoi_myE9OWriuwx2V7YAfwNPS6AK3nRTANnhm63qbY5bi2TMahuMIVnV12Bnu0g_LLWH9-LQ3s38WR_PFl9R35acCIaMXNzJ7lZBl/s5184/pair%20then.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYC2F-3oR4uWFgMWQ6AakrnrdGyzP_jcyfWbcngQHZN0pD35DIu3NKY39CBRYnEjppulfO8jjX0uNNM49nz5otX2cwoi_myE9OWriuwx2V7YAfwNPS6AK3nRTANnhm63qbY5bi2TMahuMIVnV12Bnu0g_LLWH9-LQ3s38WR_PFl9R35acCIaMXNzJ7lZBl/s400/pair%20then.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Just look at them now:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGDaZHChcjzylnfkBxV1JyxR4mEJTZM-8gMdPUho2ffob3pOBIWuV4nT_JBclrdcGc-H-nnzi3Ctr74OSIrroHJYEELI6QdKFZNJ5A6nyvHtzTA6IBEpI62kUe0U8F-YDdUmCByTZlqdxH91wAceqm_lRL8G4SMFxAUeB7rEhTvVVktFYmNLwfMQzrVpI/s3682/pair%20now.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="3682" data-original-width="3321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGDaZHChcjzylnfkBxV1JyxR4mEJTZM-8gMdPUho2ffob3pOBIWuV4nT_JBclrdcGc-H-nnzi3Ctr74OSIrroHJYEELI6QdKFZNJ5A6nyvHtzTA6IBEpI62kUe0U8F-YDdUmCByTZlqdxH91wAceqm_lRL8G4SMFxAUeB7rEhTvVVktFYmNLwfMQzrVpI/s400/pair%20now.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
They got a wee bit bigger, didn’t they?
<br><br>
Remember how much they liked their baskets? And how they could snuggle together in the big white one?
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyegdslO44HchbrRClIOLbKRHu_9kOy6_3BaQTqGJp9EJ_D2gszJUjNq1nOUlg3CfZTJWr-k743UMANr4egBEpGI2d2jJAjewCmqTytHB-z9zFR31NlO_0kEOVZK5tx0xpgYSsDSmsKsh9eJN4FJc1PIAXpO7l92NCY239gcklRRCcxg5sy-j9NNHiLIC/s3236/white%20basket%20then.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2775" data-original-width="3236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyegdslO44HchbrRClIOLbKRHu_9kOy6_3BaQTqGJp9EJ_D2gszJUjNq1nOUlg3CfZTJWr-k743UMANr4egBEpGI2d2jJAjewCmqTytHB-z9zFR31NlO_0kEOVZK5tx0xpgYSsDSmsKsh9eJN4FJc1PIAXpO7l92NCY239gcklRRCcxg5sy-j9NNHiLIC/s400/white%20basket%20then.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Now Dinsdale fills it up all by himself:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhni9jHT3I7Qf7pKeWW2DniIZqs5oYZUw27M687VZB64XM6ibeYzOHLo9GWxsGOn2oQU84P_P2ZLrhxBSVDsMwWk3bQ6cha28_Xucnopo8Ce0WMRFA0lc1uzl_0eekT5HwE37forWtqU5KjiwF-6u6jic4Nxtl7j_LTMcT8wG7ll0m0mpHpjIKk4cDWNC1S/s3688/white%20basket%20now.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="3688" data-original-width="3468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhni9jHT3I7Qf7pKeWW2DniIZqs5oYZUw27M687VZB64XM6ibeYzOHLo9GWxsGOn2oQU84P_P2ZLrhxBSVDsMwWk3bQ6cha28_Xucnopo8Ce0WMRFA0lc1uzl_0eekT5HwE37forWtqU5KjiwF-6u6jic4Nxtl7j_LTMcT8wG7ll0m0mpHpjIKk4cDWNC1S/s400/white%20basket%20now.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Then there were the small baskets. Here’s Dinsdale in his favorite basket back then:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSF20LMjZtX7_1e8_HlDSnoNysxNKK91LwABeBCH9OGP5LehsYzpd0dLQaUuAGDFoJQYcYh_rW6LvaI0sGbhBUVOxkKO7Wve3qap2ahy_TywMlSyaS4-XHJTQV0yHeXa0PjBN9lQxnRyKZRLKMftDl5CpJ62I14ZjUlDMVSGp2d723qFwbClB44jXQ5rd/s2687/Dins%20basket.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="2687" data-original-width="2303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSF20LMjZtX7_1e8_HlDSnoNysxNKK91LwABeBCH9OGP5LehsYzpd0dLQaUuAGDFoJQYcYh_rW6LvaI0sGbhBUVOxkKO7Wve3qap2ahy_TywMlSyaS4-XHJTQV0yHeXa0PjBN9lQxnRyKZRLKMftDl5CpJ62I14ZjUlDMVSGp2d723qFwbClB44jXQ5rd/s400/Dins%20basket.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Sadly, he’s having a little trouble fitting inside it now:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIB58EoB6eS_HUTrqLBXuXxWCW86rdf0sLS5oBEOqxavYa3Beh4dbpOb6x5sNK5Hl2O0yuxbPd7QGdSMXAjWwjgijmW7TiOPfbRt1vpdcESs5S8hUt-igkPlLCKGSIS3HSsIMXP2r-CaebZa4Ban7l0XrnHvZJTxfyhBTL8jeylTS4Z3dLaTQJkLdtNaA/s2813/dins%20basket%20now.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2564" data-original-width="2813" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIB58EoB6eS_HUTrqLBXuXxWCW86rdf0sLS5oBEOqxavYa3Beh4dbpOb6x5sNK5Hl2O0yuxbPd7QGdSMXAjWwjgijmW7TiOPfbRt1vpdcESs5S8hUt-igkPlLCKGSIS3HSsIMXP2r-CaebZa4Ban7l0XrnHvZJTxfyhBTL8jeylTS4Z3dLaTQJkLdtNaA/s400/dins%20basket%20now.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Khaos had a favorite basket back then too:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivaQV7UBM3JGf6wcNlqsmmfA4uPtmTp6KNUPVJSbX5OT1yfh2brk_3x-fcDJ_skKJXMX6Ms7AzBfeZ6sZT5doWJ9EHkgzIW4XOMoFcfXKEUB5rB7ZsI7IwRGsWxuPuuVY1OLEiiPm7v9mzQg20Nu3UJ2lPYcGWADebpqbzsEXeEA2tOZuGQ0w-1llwbg9x/s4624/khaos%20then3.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivaQV7UBM3JGf6wcNlqsmmfA4uPtmTp6KNUPVJSbX5OT1yfh2brk_3x-fcDJ_skKJXMX6Ms7AzBfeZ6sZT5doWJ9EHkgzIW4XOMoFcfXKEUB5rB7ZsI7IwRGsWxuPuuVY1OLEiiPm7v9mzQg20Nu3UJ2lPYcGWADebpqbzsEXeEA2tOZuGQ0w-1llwbg9x/s400/khaos%20then3.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
She’s a little smug about the fact she can still fit into her basket:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyRgIES8AsXrfrv6hOgy2t6LX_NMNNTv94ie-DL8ldr-OJ4Qo9cGwBOqKowBmPoQ9idfcOaKJCwRrBhheJCYW5-ndboszsC1Mt6aN3sQ_G90KEADvHXqQJU9Mzf6Dx7pMGYuD6qzgon7xPSVtOn4xWKc2T88uJ72qLKvmw7kZTkyipoL_HtmXbeP6AEb-/s2744/khaos%20basket.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2671" data-original-width="2744" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGyRgIES8AsXrfrv6hOgy2t6LX_NMNNTv94ie-DL8ldr-OJ4Qo9cGwBOqKowBmPoQ9idfcOaKJCwRrBhheJCYW5-ndboszsC1Mt6aN3sQ_G90KEADvHXqQJU9Mzf6Dx7pMGYuD6qzgon7xPSVtOn4xWKc2T88uJ72qLKvmw7kZTkyipoL_HtmXbeP6AEb-/s400/khaos%20basket.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Every day is a new adventure with these two. Khaos isn’t as cuddly as she used to be, but she likes to snuggle in bed and play blanket monster. Dinsdale, on the other hand, has become more cuddly, but he still has that chronic respiratory problem, so you have to watch out for flying boogers when he starts sneezing.
<br><br>
He was such a cute little guy when he was a kitten:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzczaz29a1Ev7OPOl6DzDf-Nl0W3N3pdEWE3O8czFutkUG5gCs7_JYkZ_T_nUhMvajAfcx_qSS4MVWp1IeAxAf6ND86vt1AsL5aRP-9pq3oqyWygKzD6cTFZFp4pOrOkIn3GS7hUYrAJuIMJMG67qR71Vcc4ftSmrd-CX7NezmwHOw3dyJXqwTMkkL6Cmw/s3917/boys%20then.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="3917" data-original-width="2978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzczaz29a1Ev7OPOl6DzDf-Nl0W3N3pdEWE3O8czFutkUG5gCs7_JYkZ_T_nUhMvajAfcx_qSS4MVWp1IeAxAf6ND86vt1AsL5aRP-9pq3oqyWygKzD6cTFZFp4pOrOkIn3GS7hUYrAJuIMJMG67qR71Vcc4ftSmrd-CX7NezmwHOw3dyJXqwTMkkL6Cmw/s400/boys%20then.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
And he’s still Daddy’s little suck:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGQW7Kt5r94ZfBDwsOmMJ2VuaT9xnuWu2_iEWPQ3qMqB8Ds5aSbZk_Fg_Qco3EejXnXZRu8NIhde7zGS3IcTlUJS4zaNs1RSlNyWY9oQ62dht6xqUjU6LY5uR3vxFrVCmp5H81lmNTtYyIvyL8mHeZL3TEKreeffu8TKdB5J9QtpDLEvjE4maToSJc-8J/s1998/boys%20now.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1998" data-original-width="1972" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvGQW7Kt5r94ZfBDwsOmMJ2VuaT9xnuWu2_iEWPQ3qMqB8Ds5aSbZk_Fg_Qco3EejXnXZRu8NIhde7zGS3IcTlUJS4zaNs1RSlNyWY9oQ62dht6xqUjU6LY5uR3vxFrVCmp5H81lmNTtYyIvyL8mHeZL3TEKreeffu8TKdB5J9QtpDLEvjE4maToSJc-8J/s400/boys%20now.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Of course Khaos isn’t to be outdone in the cuteness department:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Metq8wcOjOEnul35WPT7bdNIPiEojD6dprNBNcCERpKknPVJCrF-Cj1krmDWy5i0OTfSsxEDR25TVQ1LGry2AzEB2hKvDyPFooQaYSmcCEmhajlzVJQyzAETf13zAhLNT413OcF6irhxJawKfqABnFSg93GctlWT1f073eoAbvDZ662HDYJYiHVSvlZD/s3040/Khaos%20then.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2596" data-original-width="3040" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Metq8wcOjOEnul35WPT7bdNIPiEojD6dprNBNcCERpKknPVJCrF-Cj1krmDWy5i0OTfSsxEDR25TVQ1LGry2AzEB2hKvDyPFooQaYSmcCEmhajlzVJQyzAETf13zAhLNT413OcF6irhxJawKfqABnFSg93GctlWT1f073eoAbvDZ662HDYJYiHVSvlZD/s400/Khaos%20then.JPG"/></a></div>
<br><br>
And she’s still pretty petite when compared to her brother, but I think that’s because she’s more active:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuncZ18LUTmIyqxA_1lJgafG5s0Xp2emIp1-floleYIE9Wjv3IlCi0lAgVMGoe826gURQ7sJ61MaFG-VbU00B8pRsmt4JZo6c7MLTv_KfqwjdagOMv2IK083t8abyXG2fycQRECkt-Urci2_i3YQrj-KqvdwQ-0d6xTUUNAl27ZcjTepnXV3QHVofRysrm/s3071/Khaos%20now.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="3071" data-original-width="2844" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuncZ18LUTmIyqxA_1lJgafG5s0Xp2emIp1-floleYIE9Wjv3IlCi0lAgVMGoe826gURQ7sJ61MaFG-VbU00B8pRsmt4JZo6c7MLTv_KfqwjdagOMv2IK083t8abyXG2fycQRECkt-Urci2_i3YQrj-KqvdwQ-0d6xTUUNAl27ZcjTepnXV3QHVofRysrm/s400/Khaos%20now.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
It didn’t take long for these two to establish ownership of the humans in the house. They have two very distinct personalities – Khaos lives up to her name. When she’s not snoozing, she’s racing through the house or playing with one of her toys. But she has to know where her people are at all times.
<br><br>
Dinsdale, on the other hand, is so laid back he’s almost comatose at times. His favorite thing to do is snuggle up with a human, whether they want to snuggle or not. And he has absolutely zero respect for the laptops. Laps, apparently, were made for cats, not computers.
<br><br>
Sometimes Khaos is able to persuade him to play chase with her, but what he really loves is to play fetch with the crinkle ball, which he’ll bring to you to throw for him. And he likes to fetch one of the crocheted bookworms if he can unearth it from wherever Daddy has hidden it.
<br><br>
Daddy does not like throwing the bookworm. There are two reasons for this. First of all, it’s like a crocheted string and there’s not much weight to it. And second, Dinsdale doesn’t play fair. He’ll drop it just out of reach and then swat at the hand that tries to pick it up.
<br><br>
I can’t remember what life was like before we got these two, and I can’t image life without them. So happy Gotcha Day guys. Here’s to many more to come.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuuNaRCVGr_20BuxJ0o7dUP7Bpm14B6CKZKOhOWKEDnJB36It6HvL3cKwUos62Llw2v1DMgxRgX_jwUTddLq6kwASJkySVvrlFI_oa66i9cyLSTzp-rbAJG7RYhdYXefETvWxSCERaadllOwowBvVMW-AUV4RHHbbVZJgMLpUAMrvJ6wOwfHtQZRADuV-/s3361/cat%20tree%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="3361" data-original-width="3218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuuNaRCVGr_20BuxJ0o7dUP7Bpm14B6CKZKOhOWKEDnJB36It6HvL3cKwUos62Llw2v1DMgxRgX_jwUTddLq6kwASJkySVvrlFI_oa66i9cyLSTzp-rbAJG7RYhdYXefETvWxSCERaadllOwowBvVMW-AUV4RHHbbVZJgMLpUAMrvJ6wOwfHtQZRADuV-/s400/cat%20tree%202.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-25501688181649476212023-10-04T08:00:00.001-04:002023-10-04T08:00:00.142-04:00Verset Verse Form<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1741/poetry.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1741" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/poetry.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
The Verset, also known as the Triversen, was created by American poet, writer, and physician William Carlos Williams. It’s a six stanza poem, but each stanza is composed of a single sentence that has been broken into three lines. It has no rhyme and no syllable count.
<br><br>
You start by writing a single complete statement or observation on whatever subject you wish. Then you break the sentence into three lines, breaking where you might pause naturally to take a breath or reflect. Each line is a separate phrase in the sentence – line one is a statement of fact or observation, lines two and three should set the tone, indicate a situation or associated idea, or continue a metaphor for the original statement.
<br><br>
Continue writing in this way until you have six stanzas of three lines each. The poem should be written to the rhythm of normal speech as if you were speaking them aloud.
<br><br>
<br><br>
<i>Just six sentences, <br>
that’s all I have to write <br>
to make this into a poem. <br>
<br>
How hard could it be <br>
to write a sentence <br>
that could be broken into three lines? <br>
<br>
I have two down <br>
and one more to go <br>
before I’m done<br>
<br>
This seems kind of silly <br>
but I guess it’s necessary <br>
if I want to make an example<br>
<br>
I’ve nothing to complain about, <br>
this form is fairly simple<br>
there’s no rhyme or syllable count <br>
<br>
The words are elusive tonight<br>
and I’m forced to dig down deep, <br>
unearthing them like buried like treasure. <br></i>
<br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-66604053208030048132023-10-02T08:00:00.001-04:002023-10-02T08:00:00.145-04:00Fresh From Kingston<i>Chilling out on the bed in your hotel room watching television, while wearing your own pajamas, is sometimes the best part of a vacation.</i><br>
— Laura Marano
<br><br>
<i>Isn’t it amazing how much stuff we get done the day before vacation?</i><br>
— Zig Ziglar
<br><br>
<i>I need a six month vacation, twice a year.</i><br>
— Unknown
<br><br>
Fall means Writersfest, so Thursday morning I loaded the car with my pre-packed suitcase and writing bag, and drove to Kingston where I stayed for the next four days and three nights. Traffic wasn’t bad, and I actually made it in time for my first workshop – first time that’s happened.
<br><br>
The last workshop on Thursday was canceled, so I decided to indulge in a little shopping. I splurged on a moonstone pendant for myself, something I’ve always wanted. It was a little pricy, but not as pricy as the birthday present I got for the daughter. I picked up a belated birthday present for the son-in-law too, and a couple of small things for Christmas.
<br><br>
After dinner I was organizing my things and realized I’d forgotten my diabetic medication. A quick call to the hubby confirmed that my divided pill box was sitting on the kitchen counter. So we figured the quickest, and easiest way to fix this was to meet at the MacDonalds in the Belleville Walmart – the halfway point between Cobourg and Kingston.
<br><br>
By this time it was dark out, and I don’t see well in the dark. Add to that the number of one-way streets, and streets without signage in Kingston, and I ended up hopelessly lost. I did make it back to the highway eventually, but I was 45 minutes late getting to Belleville. But I met my husband, who not only gave me my drugs, but to make me feel better included the new Lynsay Sands book I’d received in the mail that day.
<br><br>
I had a hard time getting to sleep that night – I think my mind was just too wound up. There was this unit in one corner of the room that was really noisy, and I ended up unplugging it.
<br><br>
And of course I had to have the balcony door open, so there were new sounds to get used to – cars, the water lapping on the shore (that sounded like plastic bags being crumpled), and a noise like an X-wing fighter from Star Wars that was produced by cars going over this green thing:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnyVJ1ojLRWnU5hkqSFaAzGdkG70jUHRSd9H-v8QIoXrgE0rzY6fDKhtFzk7NbeGfIVtvDIa7023pwTrQA8ONsn6SrSf27rr6G9ZZKaAC6kts4-eoZqhXlYXBgFXWBS7_ZhpUMyITajgMuN2m27nGggdoV_9RwlKNgXKo-3GQGYTqsjBosH-4Rm2YGTWU/s3289/noisemaker.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2862" data-original-width="3289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicnyVJ1ojLRWnU5hkqSFaAzGdkG70jUHRSd9H-v8QIoXrgE0rzY6fDKhtFzk7NbeGfIVtvDIa7023pwTrQA8ONsn6SrSf27rr6G9ZZKaAC6kts4-eoZqhXlYXBgFXWBS7_ZhpUMyITajgMuN2m27nGggdoV_9RwlKNgXKo-3GQGYTqsjBosH-4Rm2YGTWU/s400/noisemaker.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Here’s a view of the sunrise from my balcony, or at least as much of it as I could see:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-NY9cPhg85vUdUNR16EptNwALn8G97-0HgAqYEm0wMeFnjxhEiPZ1pO1Fokd7Fb9A_tsmODP3CbNw3H6ynJM40lc6FEONwEYV2RM1nyWk2PR3vKTRgZYASwr9EyBinjj9TxvCWgGs-p6EkIhY7iRcTCEIB0BWUZW8IBbwyXezPp1rb2WXIho41PhBSKG/s4624/sunrise%20from%20my%20window.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-NY9cPhg85vUdUNR16EptNwALn8G97-0HgAqYEm0wMeFnjxhEiPZ1pO1Fokd7Fb9A_tsmODP3CbNw3H6ynJM40lc6FEONwEYV2RM1nyWk2PR3vKTRgZYASwr9EyBinjj9TxvCWgGs-p6EkIhY7iRcTCEIB0BWUZW8IBbwyXezPp1rb2WXIho41PhBSKG/s400/sunrise%20from%20my%20window.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
And Friday night was a full moon. This picture was taken from the waterfront beside the hotel:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMUI394HFNzT30niDBdFCjeY6MJur4RVX5pjm1N68Vc0-V_B7C_coEy-w02QbZApdlOW3vfjm8SBZ2-MEfhkR1R2iMIlSLUuc8xXJgCtv1glPRXjGEFsPr2_oLx6xhq0VGnsvzot2LIafhLgLREfT7XecwDZhJgcuVvOcuj4YgYE6DaSFVp-Ca9M48Net/s3194/full%20moon%20over%20harbor.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3122" data-original-width="3194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMUI394HFNzT30niDBdFCjeY6MJur4RVX5pjm1N68Vc0-V_B7C_coEy-w02QbZApdlOW3vfjm8SBZ2-MEfhkR1R2iMIlSLUuc8xXJgCtv1glPRXjGEFsPr2_oLx6xhq0VGnsvzot2LIafhLgLREfT7XecwDZhJgcuVvOcuj4YgYE6DaSFVp-Ca9M48Net/s400/full%20moon%20over%20harbor.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
And this is what happens when you accidentally take a picture while moving:
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1s-WNm1RD3tbMy9ynQMqZujx-nsj_Z17g2t2usYvUyIYX3CCE2oB5wiI9y4gL35e82WwS0t9W_8Tw6Asyp2ChNzr5IrfiNrW5OQVoIjOG2qNjUU5t2a6np2rJp0Q7Y8eaWYLvbEymSj2bWs8Aenmxj3ffKUEJKIZ93I6RTHaYQNHfIagfTJtvBIkAfd2/s4624/wiggle%20moon.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1s-WNm1RD3tbMy9ynQMqZujx-nsj_Z17g2t2usYvUyIYX3CCE2oB5wiI9y4gL35e82WwS0t9W_8Tw6Asyp2ChNzr5IrfiNrW5OQVoIjOG2qNjUU5t2a6np2rJp0Q7Y8eaWYLvbEymSj2bWs8Aenmxj3ffKUEJKIZ93I6RTHaYQNHfIagfTJtvBIkAfd2/s400/wiggle%20moon.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
I attended some very interesting workshops, which I’ll be talking about on my writing blog. One thing I will say about the Holiday Inn, they treated us well. This was waiting for us at every workshop, along with coffee, tea, and water. It made it hard to be a diabetic.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUC8tf69yP9CaKXe2vAJWRFs2wQ3W7Ezmyu2IWXV4sScCI8ujt3Blskb8LX1uM4a7zUY-5slSIrOSNtx0XVxHP99fxGCJYmyE7G3sDV9jEpANDuS6TgsfnvO9L4kAq1tHAvimRdi4XquK0z9SzzgktIU1oZfSvH59IRBxwPE5q4T2xRUddnncafRYa9ws/s2835/temptation%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="2835" data-original-width="2795" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUC8tf69yP9CaKXe2vAJWRFs2wQ3W7Ezmyu2IWXV4sScCI8ujt3Blskb8LX1uM4a7zUY-5slSIrOSNtx0XVxHP99fxGCJYmyE7G3sDV9jEpANDuS6TgsfnvO9L4kAq1tHAvimRdi4XquK0z9SzzgktIU1oZfSvH59IRBxwPE5q4T2xRUddnncafRYa9ws/s400/temptation%202.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
Other than shopping (which I did WAY too much of), I didn’t do much site-seeing. The workshops took up most of my days, and Thursday evening I was driving to Belleville, Friday evening I was pretty tired, and Saturday night I was getting my stuff ready to go home the next day.
<br><br>
I enjoyed my time away, and even re-connected with a couple of people I’d met at previous Writersfests.
<br><br>
I can’t wait until the next one!
<br><br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-47370758362226056812023-09-27T08:00:00.002-04:002023-09-27T10:37:39.420-04:00Novem Poetry Form<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1741/poetry.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1741" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/poetry.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
The Novem is another fun form, invented by Robin Skelton, a prolific writer and poet who was instrumental in creating the Creative Writing Department at the University of Victoria (British Columbia, Canada).
<br><br>
The number three is important to the Novem. It consists of three verses of three lines each, and each line has only three words. However, each line has four syllables - 2 one-syllable words, and 1 two-syllable word. Here’s the catch – the placement of the two-syllable word keeps moving. In the first line it appears at the end, in the second it’s in the middle, and in the last line it appears first. Also, you’re going to want to try to have one consonant sound repeating four times in each verse.
<br><br>
But here’s the good news, there is no restriction on subject matter, and there is no rhyme scheme. Getting the syllables in the right place can be a little tricky, but the more you do them, the easier they get. Which is why you’re getting two examples.
<br><br>
<br>
<i>The wind rises<br>
leaves rustle but<br>
never let go<br>
<br>
days grow colder<br>
their colour starts<br>
changing, they turn<br>
<br>
I think autumn<br>
is coming soon<br>
winter comes too. <br>
<br>
<br>
I see dragons<br>
in sunlit glades<br>
flying in arcs<br>
<br>
I see faeries<br>
and waltzing elves<br>
mingling by glens<br>
<br>
I see dreamworlds<br>
of mythic gods<br>
before I sleep.</i>
<br><br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-79404648927678402992023-09-25T08:00:00.001-04:002023-09-25T08:00:00.191-04:00Welcome Autumn!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IE93ZXhFI8uPoEcIlBlqcAjgO4WbeEayWPOq-1X3F_rG13RPcn8mrr9B91mt3vY01m9p0KEVc4F8bbf1IoNARWk0Mq5aDVj_SAgL5iCLmUdwPw5U1ALxuGKnLr3AWPNsEOqkYJXxWdsrJlyykbaxUFdc8hcYbT1JM8b5hMo3MYHqc3MGvIfLcezNukJY/s1280/pumpkin-spice-latte-3750036_1280.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IE93ZXhFI8uPoEcIlBlqcAjgO4WbeEayWPOq-1X3F_rG13RPcn8mrr9B91mt3vY01m9p0KEVc4F8bbf1IoNARWk0Mq5aDVj_SAgL5iCLmUdwPw5U1ALxuGKnLr3AWPNsEOqkYJXxWdsrJlyykbaxUFdc8hcYbT1JM8b5hMo3MYHqc3MGvIfLcezNukJY/s400/pumpkin-spice-latte-3750036_1280.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
<i>Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.</i><br>
— Lauren DeStefano
<br><br>
<i>It's the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!</i><br>
— Winnie the Pooh
<br><br>
<i>But when fall comes, kicking summer out on its treacherous ass as it always does one day sometime after the midpoint of September, it stays awhile like an old friend that you have missed. It settles in the way an old friend will settle into your favorite chair and take out his pipe and light it and then fill the afternoon with stories of places he has been and things he has done since last he saw you.</i><br>
― Stephen King
<br><br>
A wonderful thing happened on the weekend – it officially became fall!
<br><br>
The days are shortening, becoming cold enough that you need a jacket in the morning, but warming up nicely during the day. The sun is somehow brighter now, the air crisp and clear.
<br><br>
Are you yea or nay on pumpkin spice? Pumpkin spice seems to be synonymous with the fall these days. It has become so popular that our local Starbucks keeps running out.
<br><br>
On Friday the granddaughter helped her Grampy close up the pool for the season. This involved him having to put on his bathing suit for one last dip so that he could take the stairs out. And yes, we laughed at his reaction to the temperature of the water. A series of cold nights has dropped the temperature of the pool water considerably. Then one last pool cleaning and the cover could be put on.
<br><br>
This is also the time when the gardens are ready to be harvested. I don’t know about anyone else’s, but ours was late going in, so it’s still going strong. The cherry tomatoes on the deck are just about done, but the ones in the actual garden are still ripening.
<br><br>
The green beans are done – this year’s crop was pretty poor compared to previous years. I don’t know how much of that is due to the infestation of Japanese beetles and how much was the extreme weather we had over the summer.
<br><br>
We’ve been getting a lot of tomatoes, but we have to pick them when they’re just starting to turn pink and let them finish ripening in the house, otherwise the tend to split and rot. The exception was the tomato the granddaughter found on Friday. It was hidden deep in the tangle of green bean and tomato vines, and was the most perfect tomato of the season.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLweY-LgK-6VAFbd_HLTnDg7145KfhLiUAwPKINxF6iSHUCfVXKz6mGTqkHQ5KLt3QxiPIEl29N3xdj8Sk7g5wFSjPkF2KauMvZE-LhrLsvfaeEzo-AuVwQsedFmbTdQDp-Y9DI8O5NFdPDKsybTwJZatYO5hSFUO9kwVXmsYtfkTizkn1PgUzLf6L2uQV/s4624/tomato.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLweY-LgK-6VAFbd_HLTnDg7145KfhLiUAwPKINxF6iSHUCfVXKz6mGTqkHQ5KLt3QxiPIEl29N3xdj8Sk7g5wFSjPkF2KauMvZE-LhrLsvfaeEzo-AuVwQsedFmbTdQDp-Y9DI8O5NFdPDKsybTwJZatYO5hSFUO9kwVXmsYtfkTizkn1PgUzLf6L2uQV/s400/tomato.jpg"/></a></div>
<br><br>
I wanted to pull the green bean vines, but they’re so entwined with the tomato vines that it’s almost impossible to separate them. And I don’t want to mess with the tomato vines yet because they’re still covered with green tomatoes. If the temperature dips too low at night we’ll have to pick them anyway and put them in paper bags to ripen.
<br><br>
I’ve started to pull the carrots as needed – once to go with a beef roast and once to go with a pork roast – and I don’t mind saying they are the best carrots I’ve ever had. Late this week I’ll be pulling some more for a stew, but the rest are fine in the ground for a while.
<br><br>
The peppers went crazy this year. I’ve never had pepper plants produce so much before. My neighbor (who gave me the plants as seedlings) said to wait until they turn red before picking them, but only a couple of them have turned so far. I’m probably going to pick the largest ones anyway, and cut them up for the freezer.
<br><br>
I know these bright days won’t last forever, but I intend to make the most of them while I can.
<br><br>
How do you celebrate Autumn?
<br><br>
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3396902027418136884.post-31715924761078126442023-09-20T08:00:00.001-04:002023-09-20T08:00:00.139-04:00Landay Verse Form<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1741/poetry.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="1741" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dJ0JMOY3Z4U/YN56CqwalBI/AAAAAAAAHf0/bxH0jcNVta4Ls5QlSPFzFU1aB2fLN--HQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/poetry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><br />
The Landay is a traditional form from Afghanistan. The name means <i>short, poisonous snake</i> in Pashto.
<br /><br />
It is an uneven couplet, having nine syllables in the first line and thirteen syllables in the second. There can be as many independent couplets as you wish, but the final one should end with a “ma” or “na” sound.
<br /><br />
While the Landay can rhyme, usually it does not. It’s meant to be a sharp, witty poem, generally dealing with such topics as war, grief, separation, and love, and often criticized traditions and gender roles. They were originally meant to be sung, usually by women.
<br /><br />
You can find a fascinating article about the Landay and its importance to Afghani women in <a href="https://static.poetryfoundation.org/o/media/landays.html" target="_blank">Poetry Magazine</a><br /><br />
Okay, I tried to write my Landay using the traditional subjects, but I failed miserably. But my example does follow the nine/thirteen format.
<br /><br />
<br />
<i>Contrast
<br /><br />
A cold wind sweeps inland, waves crashing, <br />
while those with no where else to go shiver in the dark.
<br /><br />
The detritus that is left behind — <br />
broken dreams and hard living, scattering like sea shells.
<br /><br />
No permanence for the likes of you <br />
move along, move along, don’t let those roots sink too deep.
<br /><br />
The rain comes, but our roof does not leak, <br />
it is cold and dark, but we are safe and warm inside.
<br /><br />
We are untouched by what lies outside<br />
and turn a blind eye to the tents on federal land.
<br /><br />
We take our privilege for granted<br />
saying prayers each night to avoid accruing karma.</i>
<br /><br />
C R Wardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212244053084461118noreply@blogger.com0