Nov 25

Remembering to Remember...

Because I’m a Buddhist
My non-Buddhist friends
Have frequently gifted me
With Buddhist items from
Their travels.
One such gift was 
A Tibetan Buddhist prayer wheel
And another,
These small 
Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags.
I also own a table-top 
Balcony Buddha.
None of these is any part
Of my own Nichiren practice…
But
I do enjoy their peaceful
Intentions.

November is
The month where
I remember and share 
My intentions for a better
Tomorrow.

This is the month 
Of NaNoWriMo…
Which sadly now is no mo..
But you can still sit down
And write for the month.

Then there’s Polished Man…
A movement started in Oz
To help end violence
Against children and women.
Grab a bottle of blue 
Fingernail polish,
And paint just one nail..
And tell others and give money.

And Movember.
Grow a mo and donate
To promote men’s health.

The eleventh, of course,
Is Remembrance Day.
I always set my alarm
For 11 am 
And stop
     Whatever…
     Wherever..
And think of my friend, Van,
Whom I met in Oz.

I entreat you,
Be sure to remember
To remember
On the eleventh
Vonnegut
Et al.
His birthday
And pleas
For humanity.

Which brings me back
To these prayer flags…
I like to infuse them
With the intention
Of Peace.
    In my Buddhism
     We call it
     Kosen Rufu…
Peace in the world…
Every day a part
Of my morning and evening
Chanting. 
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Oct 2025

 

Celebrating black cats all month long...

About a year after
I moved
To my current abode,
Kate met Hoochie and
Was immediately captivated
By these eyes!!!
She snapped a pic
To show us all.



I used to look after Hoochie
When her mommies,
Nancy and Katherine, travelled.
Hoochie has since moved on
To another plane and we all smile
As we remember
Her incredible softness...
And those eyes.

Of course,
Kate still has Batman…
Here showing how
To get ready for
The end of the month…
If not for 
The end of times.
Marje still has Toffle.
Of course
Kelley’s Domino and Moneypenny and Oliver
Dot my black-cat memories
And
Many years ago
Our own family had Cocoa…
Except for the occasional fleeting
Deep chocolate Siamese highlights,
She looked black.
And that counts.
All black cats count...
Especially this month.


...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Sep 2025

Loping across longitudes...

For a long time now
Kate has developed
A daily habit
Of running at least a mile.
Often more, 
Sometimes a lot more,
But always
At least a mile…
Every day, rain or shine…
At home or away.

Over the years she’s shared
Pix of things she sees
Along the way.
I’ve shown you
A lot of them.
Now I’m showing
You some more.
Because, again,
I just can't choose!

For the last few days
She’s been running
Near Oakland’s Lake Merritt.
OMG.
We could do a decade
Of calendars 
With just these pix.

...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Aug 2025

I wandered..

Lonely as a cloud…
Then found
I was in the spotlight

Doing an amazing
Solo. 
...
Thank you Roy for the pix
And your 13 years of
Being my wonderful 
Neighbour
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

July 2025

I’ve been in Canada since 1976...

Every year
At this time
I like to add my voice
To the sentiments
Of admiration
And appreciation that
Today’s celebrations
Imbue and
Saturate into everything
That I have come
To love about
Being here.
Thank you, Canada.
And thank you, Don Watt,
Flagman extraordinaire.  

Lucas is celebrating
In Portugal
Where he visited this beach
Last Friday.
It’s near Lisbon
And overlooks
The Atlantic.

I invite Lucas
AND ALL OF YOU
To add your voices
In whatever language
Singing… singing…
And feeling…
O Canada!
...

Enjoy this 
Celebratory calendar today,
Then move on to
This beach-only version
Sans flag. 

Both are in the
Drop Box link.
Have a great July.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

June 2025

Remembering My Date with David...

About ten years ago
I told you about
Kate’s kidnapping me
And whisking me off
To Florence
And fulfilling my
Lifelong wish
To meet
Michelangelo’s David.

Kate was abetted
By her David
Along with Peter and Lisl…
Who all joined
In that glorious day.

I remember the surprise.
I remember what we ate.
I remember the cobblestones.
I remember the immersion
Of awe.
I even remember
What I wore.
...
Last month Peter and Lisl
Returned to Florence
With several of their
Friends from Barbados.
They basked in the glory
And meandered further
Around Tuscany
Where they found more awe
In the countryside and its
Traditional offerings
Of food and wine.

Their pictures evoke
Timeless traditions…
Centuries of humans
Who have
Lived here.
Toiled here.
Flourished here.
I can see how
People here
Become
Part of the land.

...

Here’s another June calendar
Because I simply
Couldn’t decide.
I call this one
     Becoming Wine…
     It’s a cycle thing.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

May 2025

In a Galaxy Near You...

Almost 48 years ago
In Vancouver, Canada,
Peter enticed me
To take him to see
The original Star Wars movie.
We were both enthralled.
Of course.
This guy George Lucas
Had found a way to talk
To both of us…
In fact, to everyone
In our whole galaxy.

What we didn’t know
Was that the flick
Suffered something
Called “production difficulties.”
Seems the cast and crew
Believed the film
Would be a failure
PLUS
With tons of delays,
It was $3 million over budget.

Of course, we now know,
Via our ever-accurate
Hindsight,
This iconic first
Iteration of
The ever-expanding franchise
Ended up almost out-grossing
Top grosser Gone With the Wind.
And made household names
Of both its actors
And their characters.

Eventually Peter
Took his own sons
To see Star Wars
As well as subsequent
Titles as they
Were added.
Now we have
Multi-generational
Touchstones...
All from that 1977
Genesis.
...
Before the internet
We phoned each other
To say
Happy Luke Skywalker Day!
When email came along,
We continued digitally
And I’ve been
Adding my wishes
To you via my calendars
On and off for fifteen years.
This year is an ON-year.

I invite you to join us
In the throng.
In 2027 it’ll be 50 years!
Get ye ready!
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course