981. a brilliant line

after the rain… fog

like firework’s smoke in the air

after the show’s over  🦊❤️

Every morning I text my friend Joe Conroy with a short message and send him my haiku blog. I am constantly amazed by his brilliant observations, insightful thoughts and clever reactions to my daily haiku.  Yesterday in reaction to my blog on the dying daffodils and expended dandelions he offered this thought, “like firework’s smoke in the air after the show is over.” It is a magically deep statement that captures the essence of the photo and leaves me with being at that moment of time. Joe is a natural Haiku writer and I value the inspiration he often provides me with. So… I had to go in search of another moment in time to put his brilliant line to work. Thank you Joe. 🦊❤️ 

 

980. creative moment in spring

dried out  daffodils

depleted dandelions

a drenching downpour  🦊❤️

We left the museum during a steady rain. My desire to stay dry was overridden by a bed of dying daffodils and dandelions just about out of fluffy seeds to be blown away. I was counting syllables before we reached the car. 🦊❤️

 

979. hunchback of notre dame trees

like quasimodo

your big hump scares those who look

they’re blind to your worth 🦊❤️

Big unsightly “humps” on trees are called burls. They often spark comments like, “ewwww look at that ugly tree.”  They can be caused by many factors like disease, injury, etc.  Yet within these strange looking growths are wood grains that are highly sought after for furniture making and artistic creations. The wood is very expensive. 🦊❤️ 

 

978. another year of green

your gnarly limbs crowned

with bright green tender newness

fresh life erupting 🦊❤️

 As the spring unfolds, we look at all the tree in various stages of coming back to leaf. The ones that are late and still barren, we ask, “Is it still alive?” Then tender dots of green life appear. And sometimes they don’t. 🦊❤️

 

977. touching a tree

 

we both take a turn

posing with a trail giant

european beech  🦊❤️

There is such strength, stability and knowledge at our disposal. Go stand beside and touch a tree. Go and let a tree touch you. Feel the tree. Let the tree feel you. Let the difference between you and the tree dissolve.  🦊❤️

976. the trees are dying

“The Trees Are Dying”

deep in his forest

he - the mother tree looking

sees the trees dying  🦊❤️

 We went to the Michener Museum in Doylestown primarily to see the Japanese woodblock print exhibit. But  before we could get that far in the museum, we found ourselves lost in a forest of art made by Alan Goldstein. While much of his work reflects his feelings on many things, much of this exhibit was inspired by his noticing the trees dying around his studio. His works are riveting. As we walked and looked, a quiet man was standing and looking and watching. We struck up a conversation… he finally let us know he was Alan Goldstein the artist. We talked then parted ways. He soon returned with a handful of cards. He invited us to go with him to the Japanese woodblock exhibit area and make some printed cards with the stamp set the museum had available for visitors to try their had at. What a great time we had with a great artist! I hope that if you’re nearby you’ll see his work. 🦊❤️

See Alan’s Story Here- https://youtube.com/watch?v=V7An_CHGPDM&feature=share

975. seeming to be sad

sitting on my porch

striking me as being sad

a lone mourning dove  🦊❤️

The dove stood staring and staring. It was the dove who nested in the tree outside my balcony. We discovered that its nest was on the ground under the tree. Sometimes the harshness of nature is hard to think too much about. But… it’s life. 🦊❤️

974. everything changes

everything changes

yesterday there sat a turtle

today it’s two ducks  🦊❤️

Everyday there are new things showing up in the same old places. Everything changes endlessly. Variety galore! 🦊❤️

 

973. sounds of dawn

chilly spring morning

that lone goose perched way up there

honking in the sunrise  🦊❤️

Some sounds seem just right at dawn. 🦊❤️

 

972. profile in courage

just to quench his thirst

he traverses a desert

 a cat till the end 🦊❤️🙏

Yesterday our beloved Willey lived the very last ounces of his cathood. I will never forget the lessons in courage that he taught us during his last days with us.  Thank you Willey. We love you. 🦊❤️

 

971. seeds on the ground

out of the countless

next to none will sprout to life

we… the lucky few  🦊❤️

To have sprouted is beyond the realm of possibility.  Yet we did.  🦊❤️

 

 

970. finally “friends”

we talked and we talked

of those days so long ago

names long forgotten 🦊❤️

 My high school classmate Anne came to visit me from Cumberland Maryland.  I used the term “classmate” in the opening sentence because we “ran” with different groups of  friends way back then and were really no more than students passing in the hallways who probably said “hi” to each other. Anne and I became “Facebook Friends” a few years ago when I was touched by a story she posted about her Grandson Eli. We talked and talked about “the old days” and came to realize just just how many shared memories we had from those years long ago.  BTW Anne has won the prize for traveling the longest distance to see my art exhibit. I am totally touched by her gesture!!! Now we are finally “high school friends” after all. 🦊❤️

969. perfect distance away from the sun

 

how can such a thing

not consume all our wonder

and all in its way? 🦊❤️

We are surrounded by so many wondrous mysteries that we simply take for granted.  I would imagine that if we allowed ourselves to take a few moments here and  there daily to be consciously wowed by the magic and mystery of the simplest of things around us, we would crowd out time spent in worry and stressing. Start by pondering the perfect distance the sun is from the earth. It’s mind boggling.  🦊❤️

968. changing winds

just an illusion

when things seem bigger than life

then a strong wind blows 🦊❤️

There is nothing bigger and better than life. It can be tricky ground when we strive to make things in life bigger than life itself. 🦊❤️ 

 

967. you talkin’ to me?

right there behind me

watching every single move

prim and proper me 🦊❤️

 The sum total of what has been programmed into our minds and hearts over the years never really goes away. We just learn to “handle it” as it talks to us throughout the day - if we are lucky… 🦊❤️

966. countless things

this bark on a tree

like no other that I’ve seen

tip of an iceberg 🦊❤️

I was walking with a friend. I spotted a tree with an amazing bark pattern that I have never seen. So complex yet so simple. It made me think of how many kinds of tree bark I’ve never seen.  It made me think of how many places I’ve never been to - never been outside of the USA. It made me think of making a clay pot with that design. My mind seems to do a lot of traveling. 🦊❤️

 

965. key largo

bogart and bacall

and the villain edward g. 

meet in key largo 🦊❤️

I find going to see old black and white movies at our local non profit theatre, Ambler Theater, so much fun. Last night we saw Key Largo. Despite the cheesy props compared to today’s multimillion dollar productions, these movies are fabulous. Call it nostalgia. Call it escape from today’s times. Whatever it is - gimmi more!!! 🦊❤️

964. please don’t squeeze the charmin

 

bodily functions

no longer kept a secret

a world on its side  🦊❤️

I’m still a believer in the practice of “sensitive” items being delivered in plain brown wrapping paper.  I guess that makes me an inhibited old man who lives in the past. Oh well… so be it. 🦊❤️

963. look at us looking

sitting and looking

thinking ‘bout how we look

asked and we saw how 🦊❤️

I am finding that not hesitating to act on creative thoughts frequently leads to opening doors and opportunities and most importantly new relationships. As Yulan and I sat pondering Main Street Ambler the thought of how we must look doing that popped into my head. I immediately got up, went to the counter and asked a young man working there to take our picture. He said, “Sure, and I am actually a photographer!”  We talked later and learned that he is a self taught photographer looking to do something with his skills. His story is compelling and I hope that we may be able to collaborate in some way in the future. I love engaging with young people looking to do something creative and working through struggles along the way. Hearing them and encouraging them is so appreciated I think. You can see his work at drewmillerphotography on Instagram. 🦊❤️

 

962. gift of laughter

in all my work years

two people i laughed with most

friends… peggy and joe  🦊❤️

Yesterday I attended the ribbon cutting for a new group home at the Arc of Camden County that was named after my friend (and old boss) Peggy Englebert. My dear friend Joe Conroy who I also worked with at the Arc was there. While working together all those years we faced many difficult situations as well as many wonderful situations. Through it all we laughed like crazy. What a gift laughing till you cry is. Congratulations Peggy. I love Joe and Peggy! 🦊❤️

 

961. the flow below (it all)

a still chill morning

watching the current pass by

two peas in the flow  🦊❤️

Yesterday’s Easter morning was very cold but very sunny. We walked across the stone bridge and looked down into the creek below, hoping to see some turtles out for and early sunning. The turtles were not yet out, but we did see our refection in the flowing creek below. We watched and Yulan waved. 🦊❤️

 

960. a turtle’s day (happy easter)

no where to get to

except to under the sun

just a turtle’s day 🦊❤️

 Examples of the tale of the tortoise and hare plays out over and over again in life every day. Where am I going? How fast do I have to get there? Who do I have to race to get there first? Maybe the tortoise wasn’t in the race at all.   Perhaps he was just out walking in the sun. He just happened to cross the finish line as a matter of coincidence. This is how I want to think about that tale from this point forward. Happy Easter. (Do you see the turtles?) 🦊❤️ 

959. easter memories

it’s easter egg time

shelves chock full of fancy kits

old school paas for me  🦊❤️

I went to the supermarket yesterday to get an Easter egg coloring kit for my Grandkids to do eggs at my place. I was overwhelmed by the vast  selection of kits. Alien egg kits, superhero egg kits, animal egg kits, erupting volcano egg kits, etc. Almost as if hiding, I spotted the simplest of egg kits -“PAAS Classic”. My mind flashed back to chocolate crucifixes and white chocolate ducks floating in a lake of jelly beans and colored cellophane straw in the tired old Easter baskets my Mom pulled out of storage every year. The choice was easy… PAAS! 🦊❤️ 

 

958. helping

way up in the tree

is that a catbird i see?

no! birds don’t meow!! 🦊❤️

 As I was walking to the park yesterday, I encountered two sort of old, lost looking trout fishermen. They were attempting to get to the creek by trekking through thick underbrush where there was no way to get to the creek. I redirected them to the little trail head.  I was then immediately aware of a rustling up a tree next to me. I looked up and there was a cat marooned in the tree seeming to be unable to get down. I thought it would be able to either crawl down or jump down. I got its attention and stood in a spot where there could be a safe landing. I said over and over, “Come on kitty, you can make it!” After lurching forward and then retreating back into the tree a few times,  the cat finally leaped and landed in my selected touch down zone. I was exhausted from a hard morning of helping man and creature. Lol 🦊❤️

957. outside looking in

perched at the counter

a haiku flies from her mind

me and the birds watch 🦊❤️

Once a week we have an early morning coffee date to sit at the front window counter of our new favorite coffee shop. It generally is a time we take pictures for our haiku blogs or to write haiku or to talk about haiku or to watch the people and birds who fly by. Today I was a little birdie who stealthily flew outside to take a shot of Yulan writing her day’s haiku post. 🦊❤️

 

956. overlook(ed)

looking lazily

from my perfect overlook

almost overlooked 🦊❤️

 I am so lucky to live immediately beside the beautiful and sprawling Morris Arboretum. Every day I stand and look down into the arboretum below as my apartment complex is raised nearly 30 feet above its property. Sometimes I look and see no wildlife until I notice a tiny movement of a deer, fox, duck or even a coyote!  Lazy gazing often results in overlooking the wild creatures that abound there.  Developing a diligent eye is important to spotting wildlife. 🦊❤️

955. good company

me and my shadows

the morning sun at our backs

such good company 🦊❤️

Is there any thing more amazing and reassuring as a shadow? Lets you know for sure that you are still here. 🦊❤️

 

954. suddenly a storm

the storm’s suddenness 

lingers in the next day’s dirt

and in my mem’ry  🦊❤️

On Saturday evening the beautiful sunny day was suddenly erased by rapidly invading black clouds, then winds, then rain, then hail, even more rain and more hail.  Even tornados. When it was over the air had turned cold. The next morning I was struck by the rather rugged and somewhat dangerous designs left in the sediment that was washed into the parking lot. It was a perfect image that represented the storm.  🦊❤️

 

953. sex ed

just inside the bloom

stigma, style and ovary

known as the pistil  🦊❤️

 Sex Ed as I remember it. 🦊❤️ 

952. simply life

deep in the red buds

a dove sits, sits, sits and sits

faithful as required 🦊❤️

Another year and the Mourning Dove duo return to nest and do spring things. I love watching them from my balcony as the couple takes turns incubating their eggs. They sit and sit through rain, wind, night and day. They simply do what they are to do to fulfill their duties in life. I feel a sense of calm when I watch them live their lives doing what is required… no agenda… no aspiration… no debate… They simply live. 🦊❤️