I’m waiting for the bus to head home, standing in snow, when I remember today is the second day of spring. Aaaah spring,….
…when thoughts turn to salt, shovels and snow blowers…?
Not exactly what one pictures for a spring day, huh?
Yeah, I’m officially over Winter 2017. Had enough of the lion’s roar, let’s hear some bleating before I start more bleeping.
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Today is Day 21 of the March Slice Of Life Story Challenge.
Come see how others are slicing it up this day….
A jumble of foliage comes in time
Start their claim on the season,
No longer native to this clime
She still stays on, only she knows the reason
Sprinkled bulbs and blossoms have burgeoned through the earth
She sits there in defiance, determined to keep her berth
“We all have to go, we can’t remain
That’s all there is to it”
But she hears not a word her friends say in vain
She will be the first to do it
And one by one her friends slowly twinkle away
Even as the last meanders off, she is going to stay
Her impetuous nature leaves her alone
But she has not a single fright
The jeweled dark a keepsake of her own
As she conceded to her last night
Afloat in mawkish memories and alternate outcomes
Even she cannot deny the allure of what she’s to become
A specter of what she once was her fate
Stretching in the cool shadow of night’s indigo
The rays of Sol start to illuminate
And she knows it’s now time for her to go
Facing windward for the last time, feels like a kiss goodbye too
As she the last snowflake falls from the first spring grass as dew
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Today at dVerse Mish asks us to give nature a voice.
Feeling every second of the long season, it had been an especially rough time for her these past months. She can, and has done little else but, imagine how his penchant to skin a razor with his trade likely had him meander a little too long. She knows it was not greed that delayed him, compared to the mediocre craftsmanship of what was immediately available, he knew what their wares were worth and would not accept a sou less than. She did not begrudge him for an instant for it, but winter had assailed the mountain early. Its velvety white touch unusually brutal and endless, it was unsafe to travel the passage.
She thought she would go mad stewing in helpless isolation with the same cask of chores to occupy her days. Checking the store of supplies, because how on earth did those darn insects keep getting into the flour was beyond her ken, as if there were aught she could do had she run out. Checking the flue near religiously because only one lesson of waking, and nearly choking, in a dark smoke fill room was enough. He usually did that – checked the flue among other things. God how she missed him! His bawdy laugh, his soft whispers, his strong hands. Her one solace had been her sewing. As his lutalica was what made him a master craftsman in his trade, she was with hers. A massive quilt in shades of blue, with white stars and one small red comet, with coordinating pillow covers, now adorned the bed she wearily crawled into.
She did not need a calendar to know winter was nearly over. The winds were not so brisk. When she ventured out, the sweet scent of something green in the air adds to the warm sunshine finally reaching the foothills. With heavy lids she pressed her cheek to a star festooned pillow at last, even as she looked out of the window to the cold dark night and smiled with hope. The passage would be open and he would be home soon.
Seeing Stars, Charcoal – Karin Gustafson
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Sunday Wordle #292
Sweet, Touch, Months, Adds, Sunshine, Stew, Cask, Red, Velvety, Smoke, Foothills, Long
MLMM Wordle #148
Cheek, Heavy, Insect, Skin a Razor(Drive a hard bargain), Instant, Greed, Helpless, Meander, Assail, Mediocre, Passage, Lutalica{Lutalica: The Part of Your Identity That Doesn’t Fit Into Categories)
Use at least 10 of the words to create a story or poem. The words can appear in an alternate form, in any order that you like.
ManicDDaily – Seeing Stars, charcoal
This story was going to be something different, and from a male perspective until I saw Karin’s lovely art, then everything changed.
A large dose of merriment in the holidays that herald the coming of winter, regardless of hemisphere.
Delight in the dashes of Joy that are the a blanc beauty of fresh fallen snow.
Dollops of peace in enjoying the solitude of a good book or movie, new or old.
On a snowbound night – nothing re-hydrates like hot cocoa if cold; a chilled chardonnay if warm.
Dole heaps of compassion and goodwill for humanity’s less fortunate.
Whisk together friendship where the pot luck results in a smorgasbord of laughter and love.
Keep an extra roux of wisdom and strength on hand for rejuvenation to reduce the doldrums that may appear. Serve yourself and others liberally as needed in remembering it is only a season, and like all seasons, this too shall pass.
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What is Hygge? If you were to try to translate it, hygge (pronounced hoo-guh), like duende, it is more of a feeling than a word. It’s sort of a full-on embrace of all things toasty, cozy, and restorative to the soul, especially in wintertime.
Today at dVerse Michelle (Mish) tends the pub for Poetics and challenges us to create our own “recipe poem”, but not of the culinary kind. To instead, write about something more abstract such as “a recipe for love”. Thus, for those of us, like myself – who are not major fans of cold weather – I present my recipe for getting through the winter season quickly encroaching on the northern hemisphere.
dVerse ~Poets Pub | Poetics | Recipe Poems
We are in the first full week of December and several of my northern friends are already facing snow. It seemed a good time to get this recipe going.
Slice of Life Tuesday Writing Challenge : Two Writing Teachers
Imaginary Garden – The Tuesday Platform
For us working stiff in the U.S. part of the North America hemisphere we have two times during the year that tend to suck. One is the dog days of summer when there are no major federal holidays between Independence Day (July 4th), and Labor Day (the 1st Monday in September). The other time is right now where we celebrate the births of Presidents Lincoln and Washington who had the nerve to be born in the same month. Originally, the dates were two separate holidays in February (yay!), but some grumpitygrumpgrumps got in their heads that was just too much time off and combined them into one major holiday called President’s Day. It is my honest suspicion this was done to preempt those days far down the road of having to honor future great presidents with their own personal days, eventually filling the calendar. “We gave them all one special day to celebrate, you’re not getting any more, now get back to work you peons!” — but I digress, sorta…
President’s Day, which still only honors Abe and George for now, was yesterday. That now means there are no more Federal holidays until Memorial Day at the end of May. That is half of February, all of March, all of April and because of how the calendar falls this year, all but one day of May before we have a government paid holiday off from work. Thus we have reached the other time during the year we 9-to-5ers abhor. Or as I not-so-poetically stated on my Facebook page this morning…
“And now we enter the dread of winter…”
The realization that this stretch of time in, is nearly twice as long the summer stretch is a special misery. That many of us are in the middle of a very cold winter does not help. Temperatures dropped to an unseasonably brutal teens yesterday. That’s wickedly cold even for this native New Yorker whose memory still holds the nice warm sunny days from vacationing in the Middle East just a two mere weeks ago.
So there’s absolutely nothing to break up the Monday thru Friday monotony, and the pouring rain and umbrella ripping winds that await me for my trek home tonight fill me with such cheer as well.
And despite my moaning and groaning, as I have to acknowledge today’s crazy rain starts a set of days where the temps are above freezing for the first time in a couple of weeks and I’m already thinking about my St. Paddy’s day outfit.
Not to mention Game of Thrones and Outlander returning to TV.
So, the bad news? Spring is a long 32 days away *grumbles*.
But the good news? Spring is a mere 32 days away *cheers*.
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Let’s see how other’s are slicing through their day…
The last vestiges of cabin fever or seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or the winter doldrums or whatever one wants to call it have exerted themselves in my psyche. My soul is clearly done with this tiny bit that is left of Winter 2014 and has officially balked. I’m done.
I should have known this was coming – last week it was snowing, still I bought iced drinks from Starbucks – twice. I’m done.
I decided I am done with anything and everything down. My oh god it’s freezing long down coat, my shorter heavy wool coat, my heavier hats, all sent to the cleaners or the laundry. That final step before being put away for the season. I’m done.
Yesterday, I went without a hat. I did not even have one stuffed in my pocket just in case. I’m done.
Today has an expected high of 50 degrees and I am planning on doing something that has not happened in months – wear a dress. Do you hear me? I’m done.
I have five living plants on my desk at work – that is not enough. I am buying a bouquet of flowers because I need the sight of flora near me, I need it now. I’m done.
I normally do not get into such a tizzy like this until mid-April and if it snows again, which is still quite possible, I am going to be mightily ticked-off, mightily, but right now I don’t care. I feel the longer I keep holding on to my winter gear the longer Ol’ Man Winter keeps his grips in my mental space and he just needs to GO! I’m done.
So you hear me Persephone? We’re sick of your mama Demeter taking her yearly seasonal affective disorder out on us poor mortals. Dionysus must have had her seriously lapping up the vino this season. Have you seen what she did to Boston?! Girlfriend, I know Hades is your boo and all, but it’s just time honey. Time for you to get off the man’s hot pocket and bring your hot seat back surface side so your mama can can start warming some stuff up around here, like now. We’re done.
Oh yeah, when I start kvetching with the Olympians you know what’s up? Yeah, you guessed it – I’m done!
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Come see how others are facing this 11th day of the challenge:
When I first scanned Facebook earlier today. I saw that various friends had already changed their cover photos (large banner type image seen behind a person’s profile picture – for non-Facebook users), to pastel colors or shades of green to herald in the coming of spring. I cannot say that I blamed them. I’ve posted my share of snark to Gaea, Demeter and crew bemoaning -okay bitching about- the weather, much to the amusement of my Facebook friends. While this winter was not a truly bad winter, at least not compared to last winter – which was brutal by NYC standards, it still was not a pleasant one. I, for one, am very glad we are in the final stages of this cold dreadfulness. I have to admit seeing the changing covers and the general relief of yes, it’s almost over! among us Northern-Hemisphere dwellers was catching. That was my mistake. I really should have known better.
When I have no plans to go for the weekend, I pay no heed to the weather forecast from Friday night until Monday morning. Thus it took me by surprise to look out of my window and see snow falling. Not just falling, but falling heavily – there was no question this stuff was sticking. Oddly enough instead of being upset, I was highly amused. After all, I have witnessed it snow in April several times through out my life and here it is only March 1st. As I said, I really should have known better. I know in the morning as I look at the forecast for the week, so I can plan my wardrobe, a part of me cannot help but imagine Jack Frost chuckling to himself about this.
NYC: It’s March 1st! It’s almost spring, *breaks out pastels in hopes of sunshine* yay!
Jack Frost: “Almost spring” means it’s still winter, *dumps 5 inches of snow* put the parkas back on bitches!!
Yeah, Ol’ Jack is having a good giggle on this one – bastard!
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I place my palm against the frosted pane
Sighing as winds blow snow drifts all around
Winter has cast its shadow long and wide
A summer gal, this cold has been my bane
Oh this winter has indeed been a hound
Whose howls I’ve never learned to take in stride
I look for signs of life along the lane
Hardly a sign of beast or fowl is found
From winter’s bite, is something we all hide
It seems so long since blossoms dressed my mane
And grass not snow was blanketing the ground
I long to see one budding thing outside
So tired of this chill, last patience tried
I smile at last for signs of spring are spied
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You walked in as always, someone grand
Full of ego and pride, swagger on display
The tone of my words caused your grin to wane
Releasing myself from you wasn’t planned
But I knew it was right and held my ground
The words once spoken tasted sweet as candy cane
Like summertime as delivered by Coltrane
I know I said goodbye, for that was all left to say
Despite your efforts to get the words all twisted
From the window I watch the receding back of you.
Your snowy footsteps a contrail, as you walk away
Then watched them get erased with a shovel’s scraping
Sometimes letting go is just all you can do
But Miles knows, it’s still just some kind of blue.
And like that it’s as though you never existed
The memory of us already starting to fade
I feel like I should at least want to cry
But my breath on the pane is the only thing misted
And I pour myself a glass, as the witching hour chimes
Snow done falling, staring out at a chilled winter sky
A glass of red ’round midnight, just Thelonious and I
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A little etymology here…
The final couplet (the last two lines), is a direct quote of my Facebook status from Saturday. Those two lines inspired this write. I had also promised myself, since I had tried my pen at David James’ Karousel from last week’s FormForAll | Karoulsels and Weaves, that I would finally tackle his Weave form. However, I really like the final couplet so much that I could not bear to separate the lines that inspired it all to fit the form. So, as I am wont to do with forms, and my apologies to David, I compromised. The result you see is a variation on the Weave form. Think of it as adding two extra strands to the pattern. The rhyme scheme here is: abcad cc befbg ff ehiej ii (and so on).
The wind grows colder
Winter chills
And on this first night
I seek You
As I always have
Wondering
With my heart and soul
So weary
Of the questioning
Sometimes loud
Sometimes in silence
I just pray
The wind grows colder
Winter chills
Awaiting Your word
Still I pray
What more can be done
I know not
I who have followed
Who believes
Is my faith not true?
Your response
In the deep nothing
Is silence
The wind grows colder
Winter chills
And so does my soul
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Playing around, mixing the 5/3/5 and the 3/5/3 versions of the La Lune poetry form.
Raivenne-lations 