708. when is recess?

then… there were no signs

then… just wild roaming days

now… just too much fluff  🦊❤️

I feel a certain sadness to observe the “structured” nature of play these days. Everything is so safe - there’s an adult at every turn to lead the way. One big “classroom” in which to learn.  I learned more at recess than in the classroom. Just sayin’… lol 🦊❤️

 

707. after the rains came

waves of parched grasses

bowing in deep gratitude

cloaked in saving rains  🦊❤️

The sights, smells and sounds that are unleashed by much needed rains on a dry meadow in the summer are indeed a feast for the senses. The tall grasses bow their heads in thanksgiving.  So do I. 🦊❤️

 

706. how much is that kitty in the window

 

a sleeping kitty

in a flower store window

a puss and posies  🦊❤️

What can I possibly say about a big old kitty cat dozing away in a little flower shop display window on a sleepy Sunday evening? Such sweet and lazy vibe!!! 🦊❤️

 

705. “pick me, pick me!!!”

blobs of black and brown

wondering who will join them

to bring it to life 🦊❤️

I never cease to be amazed at how a blank, white canvas comes to life as colors from tubes stumble onto its surface. My hand reads my mind and puts its unfolding vision on the canvas so I can see where to go next. The tubes of color wait anxiously for their turn to be squeezed! 🦊❤️

 

704. never leaving well enough alone…

well enough?? never…

always needing one more thing

wheels always turning… 🦊❤️

I have become very fond of doing a Chinese wellness practice using a bamboo staff as a vehicle to bend and stretch more effectively. The practice called “Dong Stick”,  consists of 16 movements - that I cannot remember.  So… I bought a wood burning set and burned symbols onto the bamboo so that I could remember them. I am prone to always needing to “add one more thing” to just about everything. Keeps me busy!  🦊❤️

 

703. seeing spots

tried to hide from me

your slick camo polka dots

i spotted your spots!!  🦊❤️

•••

 There is no hiding the artistry of nature 🦊❤️

 

702. cooling effect of a wide smile

kevin and jianshan

crossing paths on a hot trail

cool smiles a mile wide  🦊❤️

Kevin and I ran into our friend Jianshan (Jason) on the trails the other day.  It was uber hot and very few people were out and about. The value of a mile wide smile when challenging weather conditions are at hand is so important.  In all challenging life events actually…. 🦊❤️

 

701. what does a snowman and a crayon have in common?

remembrin’ summer

 tarry roads that blow bubbles

melted crayon goo… 🦊❤️

Yesterday my friend Hester posted a photograph of a red crayon melting on the sidewalk.  She responded to my response, “There HAS to be a haiku here, right!?” And she was right!  As a kid I have vivid recollections of hot, hot, hot summer days. On some days the tarry seams of our old alleyways would bubble up as if they were a nice wad of Fleer Bubblegum.  We would pick those bubbles like flowers and form them into black balls that would harden like baseballs.  And yes there were melted crayons on the sidewalks too. Thanks for the great photo and impetus for my haiku post today, Hester!!!   Enjoy the heat while it lasts folks!!! 🦊❤️

 

700. a simple stack of three

such a simple stack

nothing fancy - nothing tall

 so elegant… wow! 🦊❤️

•••
three well chosen rocks

perfectly suited to stack

just like a haiku 🦊❤️

I wanted to commemorate the 700th consecutive posting of my haiku blog, “a sense of haiku”,  with a super-duper photograph and an off the chart haiku. But my early morning hike would dictate otherwise.  I was stopped in my tracks when I spotted a very simple cairn made of three very simple rocks. The rocks were perfectly suited for being stacked upon each other. The cairn was sturdy and very elegant. It made me think of a well written haiku. So I wrote two very simple haiku about how I feel about my haiku writing practice. I hope you enjoy them. 🦊❤️ 

🙏 I want to thank everyone who took the time to tune into my early morning haiku posts at one time or another over the last 700 days.  Your views and comments are greatly valued. 🙏

699. a harvest of art

like crops on a farm

fields of colorful brush strokes

each in their own plots  🦊❤️

In my post yesterday I featured five (5) empty frames that I made that were hanging on my balcony to dry.  I classified them as “unfertilized frames”.  Today’s post features the ripe frames after being fertilized by five of my latest Wissahickon Landscape paintings. Sometimes I just can’t give up when I’m on a roll… lol 🦊❤️ Yesterday’s post: https://may-king-sense.blogspot.com/2022/07/698-unfertilized-frames.html?m=1

 

698. unfertilized frames

 

unfertilized frames

all built to cradle art

waiting to conceive 🦊❤️

I have been busy constructing frames for my landscape collection.  I hung them on my balcony to allow the  stain to dry. I thought that they presented a nice artistic feel in their collective emptiness. 🦊❤️ 

697. heat… another reason to smile

temps in high nineties

blacktop like a frying pan

two cool smiling bots  🦊❤️ 

Just about every person I met yesterday commented on how hot it was and how much they were dreading the forecast for more of the same this week. It was so refreshing to encounter these two smiling chalk robots smiling up at me from their very hot blacktop canvas. They were having the time of their lives basking in the heat… knowing that eventually a sudden summer storm would wash them away and they would be no more. Thank you for your inspiration and wisdom smiling robots. 🦊❤️

696. ample ankles

i gotta admit

after seventy one years

dem wheels lookin’ good  🦊❤️

As a kid I was painfully thin. I was so thin I used to wear two pairs of socks to make my ankles look bigger. I have a dear friend Gery who did the same thing as a teenager. It has been the source of endless bouts of shared laughter between us over the years. Those were and still are the days. Gratefully, I’ve finally reached the age where I think my ankles look pretty good!! But… I won’t stop laughing about those days with Gery.  🦊❤️

 

695. toshiko takaezu’s vessels blew my mind

standing in their midst

their perfect imperfection

such spacious fullness  🦊❤️

I went to the Allentown Museum of Art yesterday to see the ceramic works of  Toshiko Takaezu.  I only discovered her recently and immediately fell in love with her work. Her exhibit at the museum was such a great opportunity to just pop up. It was amazing for me to be in the presence of her work, especially the large ones. Their outward beauty as well as the depth and fullness of their empty space inside was mind blowing. It was mind blowing to have my mind blown!!!! 🦊❤️

https://youtu.be/SWFiDfb-W2M

 

694. ruffer

                                                photo by jack d.

ruffer stands ready

waiting for the starting gun

off to the races  🦊❤️

I walk Ruffer daily for a friend. He is always “rarin’ to go”. He always carries his tennis ball with him on his walks. This is a picture of Ruffer taken by his owner while they were at a local track doing some laps. I don't have the inclination or time to care for my own dog so Ruffer has taken up a special place in my days and I look forward to spending quality walking time with him everyday.  Love you Ruffer. Arf!!!! 🦊❤️

 

693. with no destination

with a lump of clay

and no road map to follow

somewhere is waiting  🦊❤️

When I don’t have any idea of where to  go with a lump of clay I:

1. just sit where I am sitting and do nothing. 

2. sometime later I do something.  

3.I repeat  above until we get to where has been waiting for us to get to. (me & the clay). 🦊❤️ 

This is a currently untitled and unfired wallhanging that is the result of being without a clue of what to do with a lump of clay. Now what?

 

692. memories of my uncle and grandma

tommy’s new collar

so full of flowers and frills

no matter to him  🦊❤️

Tommy just can’t seem to keep a collar on.  Today he was outfitted with a new one that was very flowery and frilly.  It was SO not Tommy.  He can be a ferocious defender of his turf and protector of those who he values. Cats like Tommy just don’t wear frilly collars I thought.   It brought to mind an incident from my childhood.  As a small kid I used to spend a lot of time at my uncle’s house in the neighborhood. My uncle loved to knit and crochet and plant flowers and do art.  He was known for his very extravagant style of dress.  He was quite different than the other men I knew.  He taught me to knit and to crochet and I loved watching him make art. One day I brought home a small crocheted  mat that he taught me to make. I showed it to my grandmother and she said, “That’s really nice Danny, just don't let your Dad see it!” I asked, “Why?”  She simply said, “Just because!” Times change.  I love you more than ever Grandma, I would never cancel you.” Love you too Uncle D, thanks for all that you taught me!!! Times change over time… but Tommy still needs a ferocious collar to suit his rough and tumble life in my humble opinion. 🦊❤️

 

691. i, me, my, mine (feeling all about me today)

i look at myself

i see the fruits of my past

i feel i’ve ripened  🦊❤️

I felt in the flow yesterday as I made frames for my landscape paintings with my new mitre saw.  I was overwhelmed with gratitude for all that had occurred in my life that brought me to yesterday. If I think it… I can do it. I am a piece of ripe fruit that contains all of the “sweet things” that I have learned along the way. I felt juicy and totally full of myself. I sure tasted good!!! 🦊❤️

 

690. fear of “snakes”

when you fear a snake

ropes, twigs and those wriggly sticks

make your mind say, “ohhhhhh!!!” 🦊❤️

We all have our own version of “fear of snakes” in our lives    - people,  places or things. When we face our own “snakes”, and all of the things that remind us of them, we have an opportunity to be with them, relax and then release them. We can watch them slither away….. 🦊❤️

689. just around the bend

just around the bend

another moment in time

“so glad to meet you”  🦊❤️

•••

around the corner

a moment that’s been brewing

about to be tasted  🦊❤️

•••

“what’s around the bend?”

a question not to be asked

a secret well kept… 🦊❤️

Walking in the woods, especially through winding trails always sets my mind to thinking about the unfolding of life. It’s like every waking moment is a bend in time… we never quite know what's around the bend. I guess the trick is not to wonder, not to expect, and not to worry about what’s around the bend. It’s simply to just keep walking around the bends… 🦊❤️

 

688. a product of coal and steel

rust and corrosion

telltale signs of coal and steel

whispered in my art  🦊❤️

I’ve always felt that growing up in the coal and steel region of Western Pennsylvania has had a powerful impact on just about every aspect of my life.   My art has always reflected the grimy and gritty aspects of  the region and especially my experiences working in a steel mill and other factories.  I think that those influences are revealed in my two latest pottery vessels, FH#1 and FH#2. 🦊❤️

 

687. labyrinth

going round and round

starting at the outer edge
a journey inward  🦊❤️

Walking mindfully in a labyrinth will take you to its center. It can also take you to your center too.  It is a case where “walking in circles” is a good thing. 🦊❤️

•••

A meditation labyrinth is used for walking meditation. It is a single winding path from the outer edge in a circuitous way to the center. Labyrinths are used world-wide as a way to quiet the mind, calm anxieties, recover balance in life, enhance creativity and encourage meditation, insight, self-reflection and stress reduction. Google

 

686. thank you st. michael the archangel 🙏

   Photo by STPD

overnight chaos

striking too close to my heart

thanking lucky stars  🦊❤️🙏

St. Michael the Archangel is the patron saint of police officers and first responders. Thank you for protecting the officers and first responders who were involved in a very dangerous incident in my community. Please continue to protect them as they work to protect us. Amen. 🦊❤️🙏

 

685. a nickel’s worth of fun

one pinball machine

 blanging - clack - a free game

nickel… “zall’ it took  🦊❤️

I saw this photograph in my hometown’s Facebook page, “Celebrating Monongahela”. A flood of childhood memories entered my mind. Mostly the nondescript hollowness of the City Taxi building. In that hollowness there stood a solitary nickel pinball machine, usually being manhandled by one or another of the town’s “tuff guys”. I can still hear the crisp clanging and blanging of the machine’s bumpers - and the sharp “CLACK” sound when a free game was won and announced by the machine. If you were good, a nickel could buy you hours of fun… unless of course one of the “tuffs” wanted to play the machine, then you just stepped aside and watched them play the games you had “rung up” on the machine. 🦊❤️

 

684. elvis and the stars

 

every star is born

every star has fuel to burn

every star will die 🦊❤️

•••

starry, starry night

so many light years away

are you still shining? 🦊❤️

•••

elvis - what a star

gospel, gals, and the colonel

oh… such a black hole… 🦊❤️

•••

rhinestone collars… capes

caricature of himself

viva las vegas 🦊❤️

The plant in this photograph is a “Button Bush”.  It fascinated me to see the blossoms in various states of development.  I thought of stars in the sky that are born as fiery monsters…destined to implode into dead, dense black holes. I also thought of the movie “Elvis” that I saw the night before.  The starry growths reminded me of his jeweled collars and capes that he wore in his final years of performing. Elvis and the stars have so much in common. Such a sad and tragic end for that music legend. The sadness of the end was so dense… His music lives on! 🦊❤️

683. through the cracks

 

sun, wind and water

will find their way through the cracks

to make themselves known 🦊❤️ 

As I was walking along I was fascinated by the setting sun making its way through the dense trees and gently illuminating a small patch of blossoming grasses. I began to think about change for some reason. I stopped asking why I think about the things I do - so here it is…

The winds of positive change rarely come barging in through the big, wide open door of a creaky old barn. They enter like light and water, through the cracks between the boards - a little bit at a time. Be like a creaky old barn - let the light, water and winds of change in… 🦊❤️  

682. wobbly bubbles of wonder

in the bubbly womb

a youngster’s wonder grows

until it is popped… 🦊❤️

I was at a local Fourth of July parade yesterday. Before the parade marched by, I was watching a young boy making enormous bubbles with a rope “bubble wand”. How they wobbled as they rose into the sky.  I was touched and also filled with a nostalgic feeling. Little kids stood and watched and tried to pop the bubbles. Adults and teens took their eyes off their cell phones now and then to watch them rise into the sky. I took his picture and wrote a haiku and thanked him for the show. 🦊❤️   

 

681. 🇺🇸happy fourth of july 🇺🇸

the fourth of july

no mail delivered today

no prob’… there’s plenty  🦊❤️🇺🇸

Today is a good day to go out and be in your community and see family, friends and strangers.  Hear fireworks, smell food bar-b-queing, see red, white and blue things, feel whatever the weather is, and taste a treat you rarely eat. It is a day to stop for a moment to quietly reflect on what this is all about.    Happy Fourth of July! God Bless America! 

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

🦊❤️

 

680. made in the shade… but…

in the deepest woods

where duskiness rules the day

the sun finds a way 🦊❤️

I love that I can enter the woods and escape the blazing sunlight and oppressive heat and move into dusky lighting conditions and feel a refreshing drop in temperature. But the sun still finds those cracks in the protective umbrella of green to remind me that it is waiting to greet for me at the hike’s end!!!  🦊❤️

 

679. a delicious slice of time

 

delicate dew orbs

clinging to grass and fungi

night’s gift to the day  🦊❤️

The slice of time between last night’s ending and the new today’s beginning is magical. The aroma of coffee brewing in my kitchen during those late/early hours is heavenly. With my cup of coffee,  I sit and write the gift of a haiku to anyone willing to read it. The night is busy wrapping up its duties by leaving a gift of dew jewels to glisten in the rising sun  - to be noticed by anyone willing to look. I hit the send button, enjoy the final sips of coffee and sometimes think, “Oh my God I am so lucky.” 🦊❤️  

678. don’t be droopy

there’s oodles of news

good news… bad news…  all depends

smile…don’t be droopy 🦊❤️

Many folks may need to make a conscious decision to start the day by affirming, “Regardless of today’s news, scandals, outrages, absurdities, hardships, disappointments, failures,  etc., etc., etc., I’m not going to be “droopy”!” Your non-droopiness and kindness in the face of all those things makes the world a better place. Life is in the garden that we are standing in, not on the TV screen or your newsfeed.  Let yourself bloom - for yourself and others. 🦊❤️