Wednesday Haiku #19

To  everything  there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.
 And everything has purpose and reason for existing in your world the way that it does.
As always, every photo or picture can be enlarged.

                      "Lament"
Autumn loneliness: A cricket grieves
This evening in the scarecrow's ragged sleeves
                                      ----Chigetsu

 

 

image: pixabay

 

"Koan"

What if a housefly, in perfect faith, 

on the swatter stands, 

wiping his little feet and hands? 

                             ----Zen Paradox

my photo

 

The Garden of Ryoan-Ji

Moss-bound and weather-worn the boulders stand;

Around them flows a stream of silver sand.

                             -- Ho-O

Wednesday Haiku #14

The wit and wisdom of Japanese Haiku teaches lessons to those willing to hear.
Often the best lessons are not taught with words.

 Letter and Spirit


My ears have found the sermon dull and stale...
but the woods outside?
the nightingale!"
     Haiku by Shiki

The Silent Rebuke

Angrily I returned.
Awaiting me
within my court,
the silent willow-tree.

   Haiku by Ryota

Wednesday Haiku #11

These Haiku by the great Zen Haiku poet Matsuo Basho (1644-94)are accompanied by snippets from my paintings. I paint what I see around me and also from photographs.

Haiku is good for the soul.
I hope you enjoy these.

secion of a painting by me

Lightening -

Heron's cry

Stabs the darkness

... Basho

"Moutains Lakes"

Seek on high bare trails

sky-reflecting

violets...

Mountain-top jewels

...Basho

'Night Surf' (the enire painting.. click to enlarge)

Seas are wild tonight . . .

stretching over

Sado Island

Silent clouds of stars

... Basho

This painting was inspired by a photograph

The sea darkening . . .

oh voices of the

wild ducks

Crying, whirling, white

 ...Basho 

If you missed my post yesterday, consider watching it won't you? It is short and you will enjoy it.

 

Painted Newsboys

I am joining in Friday Foto Friends.
I have just 2 photo this week plus a post with some art I have been working on .

Night at the cove. Click to see full size

Salt marsh in winter

 Newsboys were an interesting part of American history.

They stood on street corners in almost every city in America hawking newspapers with their loud "Extra, extra. Read all about it."

Feb 3, 1908

They worked in all weather, all seasons and earned little money but did it to help out their families. Most kids gave their pay to their mother.


I drew some cartoon pictures of newsboys a while back and yesterday I spent the day drawing a news girl to join their little group too. I started in the morning, stopped to welcome the Little home from school and the next thing I knew it was dark outside.
I thought you might like to meet the trio.

Perhaps in my little fantasy world, they work for the fictious Bayside Evening Express (which never has fake news and is always just 2 Cents a copy).   It's nice to have a story to go along with paintings.
The three kids are children of immigrants who came to America in the late 1880's.
Shiobhan (sh-vawn, which means God is gracious and is an Irish name) is the new kid on the block.
The youngest child of the Keenan family who came to America from County Cork, Ireland, Shiobhan joins my other two newsboys, Daniele D'Allesio, whose parents  came from Tuscany,Italy and young Mike Bradshaw,whose parents came over from Birmingham, England.
I re-painted the boys which were originally posted on my other blog and Here as well.

Introducing Shiobhan Mary Keenan

Daniele Andrea D'Alessio

Michael Martin Bradshaw

The three kids have basically the same face shape but that is because they are caricatures.
There are small differences in coloring etc. but, I wanted to make them very alike to stress that we are family after all is said and done.

Don't forget to look at the post below this one. I ranted and raved and would hate to think it was for no purpose. So take a look at my ravings, okay? I promise I really am not mean.

Time and Photos..

A new year is coming and the old year seems to have hurried by so quickly.
I believe this perception of time is due to the more leisurely life styles that people live today.  We have less to do during a day and many more labor saving devices but they actually change our perception of time.  Fast foods, quick service, instant gratification all serve to shorten your perception of the length of time.

painting by Penny Parker

When you do dishes by hand, hang out the laundry, and create all parts of a meal from scratch the day goes slower and you feel as if you have accomplished more.








I am glad I have a gas dryer right now, however, as it is 6° F or -14°C outside and hanging laundry in the freezing cold is not my idea of fun in any sense of the word! Before I had a dryer I would hang things inside in the cold..what a mess that was. Ugh.

I am joining with Debbie for Friday Foto Friends. If you'd like to join in sign up and get going. You will be glad you did. You don't need a lot of pictures.
My photos this week are all taken in Utah where I lived for a good part of my life.

Temple Square Salt Lake City

Established in the 1860's the ZCMI or Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institute was my favorite place to shop.  It is now bought out by Macy's.

The Great Salt Lake. It feels slimey. When you get wet in it your clothing will stand up like concrete when it dries.
No fish, just brine shrimp in it. The island is Buffalo Island, home to herds of bison.
The lake is 1,700 square miles in area and part of the huge Lake Bonneville that once stretched all the way to California.
I am surprised that so many people have no idea where Utah is. It is bordered on the north by Wyoming and Idaho, it is west of Colorado, east of Nevada, north of Arizona and New Mexico.

I hope you enjoyed these pictures. They are all taken with a phone.

Keep warm in this deep freeze!

September's Challenge Day 28 and a Thankful Thursday

Continuing with McClendon Villa's  Back Where I Come From Day 28:



28:  Was your hometown like one big family or just a group of strangers?

 Everyone knew everyone. Neighborhoods centered around people with similar backgrounds, etc so it made for closeness. 
Extended families lived in my town. Your grandparents and aunts, uncles, etc all lived in the same  town. 

Thankful Thursday:

I am thankful for the great outdoors which always makes me feel better.
 
I am thankful I got to live in Utah for a big portion of my life.

The Salt Lake valley  where I lived for a significant  part of my life.

Downtown Salt Lake  and Temple Square which I loved.

West Jordan where I once lived.

my favorite view was out the front window down into the valley at night. Mountains really do turn purple.  "For Purple mountains Majesty above the fruited plain.. America, America God shed his grace on thee..."

Get Rid of Wasps and Hornets The Natural Way

Just a quick idea you might like to use.

Tuesday PLL night..
the last one after 7  years

If you are bothered by wasps or hornets in your yard, or if they tend to make their nests around your house this is a very simple and ecologically friendly way to send them packing.

Take a regular brown paper bag of the kind you might pack a lunch in and fill it with paper to puff it out.
Next tie a string around the top of the bag to keep it closed.  You are creating a replica wasp nest.
Hang it near the area that wasps or hornets are nesting or tend to nest  and they will move out.

I had to do this at both entrances to my house as wasps would come each year to make nests there.  I tried insecticide etc but, I do not like to use that junk if I can help it.
This works perfectly and no wasps or hornets come near my house now.

The paper bag/sack in the photo below has seen better days. It was once very puffy and authentic looking but its been through rain and wind and sun. But these will last the entire spring/summer season and are fool proof.

This one is a few months old now but still working.

You need string, paper lunch sack/bag and some wax paper or something to fill the bag.

Wad up some wax paper to fill the paper sack/bag

Plop it inside

Tie it up with some string. Leave enough to hang it up.

Here is a new one beside the old one.  But the old one still does the job!