1948. stretching out

 

i treated myself

to the gift of stretching out

after all these years 🦊❤️

My apartment has very, very little furniture - only an ancient Ikea couch that is less than comfortable. For the past few years I have toyed with the idea of getting a reclining chair but resisted because I thought that such a “lazy piece of furniture” would mean I was giving in to the aches and pains of old age.  Well I finally gave in yesterday and went to Bob’s Discount Furniture and made the leap. I walked in courageously and said to the approaching salesperson, “I’m looking for a cheap reclining chair”. He said, “How cheap?”   I said, $299.00.  He said, “Follow me!”  And there it was - my dream recliner - for $299.00.  I got it in avocado green! Can’t wait to stretch out when it’s delivered on Friday.  🦊❤️  

1947. tree ballerina

 

gracefully flowing

clothed in glittering white snow

pirouetting tree 🦊❤️

Trees have a way of portraying things. Today I stood and watched a gracefully flowing tree dance like a ballerina in the snow. 🦊❤️ 

1946. hidden treasure

see the spider web?

dressed up in an icy coat?

a hidden treasure 🦊❤️

 While admiring the snow clinging to tiny branches, I spied a remnant of a spider web encased in a sheath of ice. I was tempted to breathe my warm breath on the delicate structure but I resisted. Such hidden treasures to be discovered. 🦊❤️

1945. keeping vigil

 

through sunshine and snow

you stand a lonely vigil

for rare passersby 🦊❤️

I love shrines that are tucked into places that do not have a lot of foot traffic.  They stand as persevering sentinels of that which they represent, commemorate or memorialize. They are enchanting in spring and summer. Brilliant and artistic in fall’s colors. But best of all they are enduring and strong when in the grips of winter, as is the case today. 🦊❤️ 

1944. never too late

 

it was much too late

and also way way too cold

for a frosty treat 🦊❤️

We went to the evening showing of “Hey Is This Thing On?” directed by and starring Bradley Cooper.  A great movie to explore the midlife struggling of a married couple on the verge of divorce in which the husband becomes a stand up comic to deal with his angst.  As we shivered our way back to our car, we stopped to take some photos of a really nifty ice cream sign. It was too late and too cold to stop in and discuss the movie over a nice dish of ice cream. 🦊❤️ 

1943. baby it’s cold outside

 

under a blue sky

with a sun shining so bright

can’t be warm enough 🦊❤️

I fondly remember the days of being impervious to cold weather, regardless of how cold. Now I rely on my new heated jacket to keep me toasty! 🦊❤️

1942. the conductor

a mover of earth

the conductor of his life

now flying so high 🦊❤️

For my friend Anne and the joy of her life, Eli. Many years ago I dedicated one of my early haiku blogs to Anne’s Grandson Eli, who as a young boy had a love of trains and big machines. Now it seems fitting to dedicate a final post to Eli’s life that was so fully and so well lived in such a short time. 🦊❤️

 

1941. better than new

 

three fractured sculptures

whole so many years ago

now better than new 🦊❤️

A friend asked me to repair some very old sculptures that had family sentimental value. Two of the three had me baffled in that I did not have the proper tools to perform a “proper fix”. It was through being baffled that I learned the wonderful therapeutic value of a product commonly known as “liquid steel”. What fun I had successfully conquering the seemingly impossible. I think that all of the pieces are now more stable and sturdy than when they were new! 🦊❤️  

1940. i feel like i’m falling

a shallow puddle

as deep as the endless sky

makes me feel dizzy 🦊❤️

As we walked through the empty parking lot we came upon a shallow puddle of dizzying depth.  We stood at the precipice of the sky below us trying to keep our balance so as not to fall into the sky.  🦊❤️
  

1939. christmas tree heaven

 

all the glitter gone

waiting for its pick up day

hoping for the dunes 🦊❤️

When Christmas is over, all of the Christmas trees hope that they will be delivered to a local beach and be laid to rest in a sand dune.  There they will fulfill the important role of  helping  to stabilize the sand in the dunes to protect the mainland. 🦊❤️ 

1938. at home with friends

time to share tommy

with all those who loved him best

at last in their homes 🦊❤️

My last art show featured eleven paintings of Tommy. I decided not to sell any of them because of the emotional feelings that I had for them. After much discussion with Yulan I decided to sell a limited number of them. I decided that only people who knew and loved Tommy would be invited to purchase one if they wished to. In only one day all of the available painting were bought by Tommy’s friends.  Today I received a photo of Tommy in one of his new domains!! 🦊❤️

 

1937. a real bargain

 

packs of lunch meat ends

at 2.99 a pound

life’s hidden bargains 🦊❤️

Today I eyed a hidden bargain in the deli department - lunchmeat ends at only 2.99/ pound. My Grandfather was a real bargain hunter and I imagined that he would buy a pack or two of lunchmeat ends. But then again I imagined that my Grandmother would say to him, “Bert DO NOT ever buy these again!”🦊❤️

1936. today’s winner is….

 

500 rummy

tonight i was the winner

next time… maybe not 🦊❤️

Whenever Yulan and I play a board game, we not only enjoy the game itself, but maybe more so we enjoy playing the roles of “gloating victor” or “poor loser” depending on the game’s outcome. Last night I was the gloater. I fear that next time I won’t be so lucky!!🦊❤️

1935. hitchcock moment

a black cawing crow

perched in a maze of branches

a hitchcock moment 🦊❤️

Who cannot be reminded of Alfred Hitchcock when they see a crow?  🦊❤️

1934. walter lantz’s masterpiece

 

in a web of wood

pileated woodpecker

woody woodpecker? 🦊❤️

I was walking in the morning  quiet when a heard a distant “knock-knock-knock”. It didn’t take long to locate a big, beautiful Pileated Woodpecker vigorously plowing its beak into a tree. Walter Lantz, famous American animator artist got the idea for his Woody Woodpecker from seeing a woodpecker on his honeymoon.  Woody’s catch phrase is  “Guess Who? - ha ha ha ha ha “. The rest is history.  🦊❤️

1933. put me in coach…

all decked out in green

“put me in coach i’m ready…

for my end zone dance!!” 🦊❤️

Yulan is all decked out in her Philadelphia Eagles Christmas gifts in anticipation of today’s game.  She’s working hard on her post TD victory dance.  🦊❤️

1932. winter train watching

a crisp winter night

perfect for watching the trains

kicking up the snow 🦊❤️

Our regular Saturday night routine is to get Chinese takeout and watch the live remote rail camera capturing mainly CSX trains rolling through Deshler Ohio. Tonight was especially fun as the camera captured two young train watchers in the snow watching a long freight train rolling through the snow. It brought back good childhood memories. 🦊❤️

1931. a gallon a day keep nosebleeds away

 

when the heat goes on

distilled water is my friend

“nosebleeds stay away” 🦊❤️

When cold weather cranks up and my heater stays on more than I like, the air becomes really dry and my nosebleeds start to crop up. Consequently I find myself driving from store to store to buy quantities of distilled water to use in my two humidifiers.  Some days I feel like a gold prospector.  🦊❤️

1930. what day is it anyway?

 

today is thursday

but it feels like a sunday

it is new years day 🦊❤️

I sat looking out of the window as we ate a lazy dinner after over eating at our friend’s home on New Year’s Eve. The sun was getting ready to set. My thoughts were consumed with sorting out what day it was.  It felt like a Sunday. But it couldn’t be a Sunday because football wasn’t on the television. Football wasn’t on the TV because we don’t have cable. Then it dawned on me that tomorrow is Friday so today must be Thursday. I remembered that New Year’s Eve was on Wednesday evening this year. I brilliantly deduced that today must be Thursday despite feeling like Sunday. Happy New Year!!🦊❤️