Dec 2024

Constantly Seeking Teals...

Remember when
I told you
About my love
Of this colour?
And you know
I often use it
In my missives
To you…

Like how it
Matches my kitchen…

And
How it can
Ignite wonder…

I’ve also told you
About how
I rediscovered
All blues
When the dark veil
Of cataracts
Was lifted.

This month
I’m using this colour
To invite you
To join me
In taking some
Colour walks
To rediscover
How the daily
Wonder of colour
Ignites
Our every step.
I’m starting today’s
Colour walk
With this…
My bathmat rug…
One of my first
Encounters
Every day.
It’s my bath mat rug
I bought it when
I still had those cataracts
And I thought
It was this colour

During my cataract surgery
I chanted to be able
To see ALL my colours
Clearly again...
Imagine my surprise...
   And wonder...
   And appreciation...
When I came home
Immediately
After my surgery
To find my bathmat
Is the colour
I had been looking for
All along!
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

 

Nov 24

 

Finding Adventures in the Mundane...

As you know
I’m mostly a TTC gal
And with my back issues
I’m not going out
     So often
Or going
    So far
As I used to.

Laura, however, is reawakening
My adventurous spirit…
And giving it wheels,
If not wings.
A couple of weeks ago
She borrowed her dad’s car
(Thank you, Brian) and
We went to IKEA
     In Etobicoke,
     On the west side of Toronto.
Both Toronto IKEA locations
Used to have shuttle buses
To and from the nearest
TTC subway station,
But no more, so this is
A big deal for me…
     New small downtown IKEA
     Notwithstanding.
We shopped and
Ate lunch,
Then we drove down
To the lake and
I got to show Laura
The house I designed
And built on Lake Promenade
Overlooking Lake Ontario...
   Lo those many years ago.
Then I introduced Laura
To Tom’s.
Chocolate soft serve
That’s real ice cream.
   Some of you can relate.
I loved my
Adventures in Etobicoke.

In the meantime,
Kate had her own
IKEA adventure in NYC.
She rode an elevator
To Hoboken
And a train to Manhattan
Then caught
A free IKEA ferry
To the Red Hook store
In Brooklyn.
It was a rainy day
And hard to see
Out the ferry’s window

But she did get
A glimpse
Of the Statue of Liberty

 

And she got to watch
The fire boat playing
In the water...
That you see
In this month’s calendar.

I invite you to explore
Your own mundane
Adventures this month...
Here are a couple of suggestions.
   ...
November marks the time
To write your own story.
Why not get started on yours?
NaNaWriMo.
   ...
Have a great Mo/November
And
Be sure to remember
While you’re remembering
On the eleventh:
Vonnegut
Et al.
His birthday
and pleas
For Humanity
   ...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Oct 2024

Equinoxes give me pause...

Every year
When Druids gather
To adjust Stone Henge
To align with the arrival
And departure of DST
I pause to ponder
The actual astonishing
Idea of equinoxes…
Tho they are not themselves
Honoured by our clocks.
Pausing to ponder now
Is really a part of noticing
Nature vs our
Human-made observances.

In Springtime we rejoice
And celebrate the lengthening days
And see things like
Crocuses and daffodils
As they give way
To dandelions and their
Far-floating puffs of fluff.

Then we swelter
And complain,
Of course.

But that all transforms
Yet again
As the Autumnal equinox
Brings us shorter days again
But also
Gives us dahlias...
Like these from Kelley.
She tells me dahlias
Are Autumn’s peonies!
She takes lots of pix
Of all the glorious flowers
She says she buys herself
Because they just
Make her so happy.

Kelley’s many flowers also
Make me so happy…
And I offer these to you
For your own happiness
And
To share the joy
Of our new season.

Rejoice now.
We can wait til after
The snow flies
To complain again…
And remember
The promises
Of the equinoxes.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

 

Sept 2024

School Days. School Days...

Today is the next-to-last day
Of the Ex (CNE)
And the Air Show
Roars nearby each day now.
I can see it from
My balcony…
Tho the formations
Aren’t really formations
From here.
The end of the Ex
Marks the beginning
Of each fresh new school year.
That always triggers
Memories of my own first day
In San Antonio.
I later attended schools
In Lubbock, Fort Worth,
Bartonville, and Arlington
Before returning to San Antonio
For high school
At Thomas Jefferson HS
And college at the tiny perfect
Trinity University.

I loved my art classes at Trinity
But in nice weather
I sometimes cut class
To hang out at the zoo.
Seems there was no penalty
As long as I presented the day’s sketches
To my drawing prof.

Today’s calendar resulted
From just such a day circa 1963.
I was sketching this pelican
When her keeper approached
And looked over my shoulder.
He told me the bird’s name was
Molly.
Yes… Molly.
Then
Molly suddenly
Started squawking
And stomping about
In high dudgeon.
Seems she was irate
With her keeper for
Talking with me
Instead of feeding her!
Here are some of that day’s sketches.

Just one bird
In several views.
I called the resulting
Linocut “Molly’s Moods.”
You’ll see a print featured
On the entrance wall
Of my senior one-man show.

I have recently unearthed
The actual lino
And have found myself
Tempted to try printing again.
I haven’t done it yet,
But newspaper feels
Just so tempting.
What do you think?
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Aug 2024

A Holiday for Batman...

Batman was born in Berkeley
Some 14 years ago
And he adopted Kate
Just a few weeks later.



He enjoyed his 2nd-floor home
In leafy Berkeley
For three years, when
They moved to 3rd-floor brownstone
In urban Brooklyn…
Then onward to a cliff-top
New Jersey 20th floor aerie…
Overlooking another cityscape
And west to the hills.

He’s explored a few nearby parks
Riding in his carrier
Wearing a little harness
When he felt like
Venturing onto the actual
Earth and her grasses.

He has joined Kate and David
For this summer’s extended
Holiday near that Berkley beginning…
This time in a 1st-floor apartment
That seems to have been designed
As a photo setting just for him.
There are lots of leafy trees
And chatty passers-by…
And there’s even a fancy peacock,
Named Fancy,
That wanders around and swoops up trees!



Sooooo much for Batman to see.

Isn’t that what we all want
On our own holidays?
   A change of scenery…
   Some adventure…
   And
   A brand new
   Point of view
   On Life’s ever-expanding
   Possibilities…
And it never hurts to have
A remarkable photo setting.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

 

July 24

 

My Canada Day Habit...

According to my files
I’ve been sending you
Canada Day wishes
For almost a quarter century.
Of course a major part
Of my habit
Is remembering Don Watt.
And my personal memories
Of both the man and his work…
Every, every year.

Kate’s in the habit
Of running at least a mile
Every day.
She admits
She might walk
If she has some health prob...
But she still does
Every, every day.

And on those forays
Both near her home
And further afield,
She is prone to
Taking pix.
She found
These hydrangeas
Close to home
Just a few days ago.
Looky how they love
Don’s flag.
...
In the link
At the top of the right column
I’ve included a higher res version
Of this Canada Day calendar
For your desktop today…
Along with another version
Sans flag
For the rest of the month,
Should you prefer.
...
Happy Canada Day!
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

June 2024

Irises... not Isises... or Ibises... either sacred or profane... 

I recently learned
I’m called a streaming
Churner.
This means
I subscribe to a service
For a month or so
To watch new shows
I’ve read about
And new seasons
Of old shows
That I’m already addicted to.
Like Doctor Who.
I think Nchuti Gatwa
Has the best smile
In any universe.
He’s def my new fave
Doctor.

Of course with
Only one episode unfolding
Each week, I’ve got
More time to explore
And it seems I like
Shows about Egyptian
Archeology
Both past and present.
Yes, I saw the Tut exhibit
At the ROM in 1979…
But I didn’t know
I could get hooked
Til now...
As I watch…
Agog at the tenacity
Of those committed
To literally unearthing
History from the land
Of the pharaohs.

Peter gifted me these
Mini irises for Mum’s Day
And they exploded
Into these wondrous blooms
All at once.
Then
My newfound
Interest in the digs
Brings with it some
Ancient I-words
That keep cropping up
In my ever-present
Crossword puzzles.
And
My mind wanders…
I do this little digging
Of my own...
For you:
     Iris, a flower
     Isis, a goddess
     Ibisis, a sacred bird

Underscoring,
Like Dirk Gently,
The fundamental
Interconnected of
All phenomena
In the universe,
Eh?
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

May 2024

 

Beltane... or May Day...

Whatever you choose
As name for today’s
Honoured day,
This is a day of
Ancient celebration.
We may not be ancients
Ourselves,
But we do love
That the return of Light
That began in December
And we joyously marked
In March
Is now halfway
Between that Spring Equinox
And Summer’s official start
In June.

June twenty-first
Seems already just
Too hot to say it’s
Summer’s start.
That’s why Beltane
Celebrates the
Beginning of Summer’s
Warmth.

We all go outside
Again
To renew
All our personal
Fave activities
Sans coats
And boots.

Today in my
18th-floor aerie
My balcony netting
Is doing it’s job
Keeping the fog
At bay.
Funny to celebrate
The sun
When I can’t see it…
Or even
The views it usually
Illuminates.

But I know it’s there
And I’ll go barefoot
Again
Soon!
...
Here’s some
Celebration background
For this day of yore.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Apr 2024

Spring blooms revel in magenta...

I will never say “pink”
Because pink is so namby pamby.
Well, maybe not hot pink..
But magenta is a major force
By itself… and
Helps make everything
In the world
When it hangs out
With cyan and yellow
And together they let black act
Like the black velvet background
To all of Life’s hues…
And we all say
Oooohhhh!

These magenta offerings
Come from Kate’s bus stop
Near her New Jersey
Clifftop home
That overlooks Hoboken.
In close-up they resemble
The magenta-edged versions
Of magnolias we see
In these northern climes.
But these are something
Much smaller...



As one can see when
Google Maps shows us
A bit wider view
Of that same
Springtime bus stop.

As I look back at my
Floral calendar missives
Here...
Over these past 25 years
I see many display themselves
In magentas.
Wondering now:
Is that because Mother Nature
Favours this colour
To prance about with
Her fresh new spring greens?
Or is it just some personal bias
I didn’t know I had.
I knew, of course,
About my teal fixation…
     But…
What other biases
Might I harbour
Unknown and
Unacknowledged?

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

 

Spring 2024

Spring! Spring! Spring! Sang the animals...

When Kate was wee
She loved the Little Golden Book,
Home for a Bunny
By Margaret Wise Brown…
Whose name should have been
Margaret Wise Green.
I read the book to Little Kate
Several times every night
For what
Seems like years
And years.
I can still recite
Much of it.

As an astrologer
Each spring I find myself
Entranced anew.
I revel in the combination
Scientific reality
Of the equality of
Light and dark…
And of the ushering
Of the Sun
Into the sign of Aries.
The Sun holds sway
Over our personal egos,
Our focus and attention,
And our will to self-actualize.
The sign of Aries
Is the first sign of the Zodiac
Leading the way
Into a fresh new year.
Aires, then, places our focus
On action, initiative, and vitality.
It’s a time when the earth
Pushes up its long-protected
Seedlings and sends
Them forth with renewed
Determination.

From our beginnings
Humans have sought
Understanding
Of Life itself
Through observing
How Nature
Repeats herself
In endless cycles.
All cultures
Have sought
Ways to observe
And even predict
Nature’s cycles.
Peter recently visited
Stonehenge,
One culture’s evidence
Of such seeking
And understanding.

Today I celebrate
This Equinox…
It came early
This year partly because
Of Feb’s leap day.
I hereby send
This, my own seedling
Into the ethers
Where you might
Join my praise
Of the eternal
Quest for awareness.

I invite you...
Seek out your own
Hosannas
And traditions.
Here are some ideas:
Get outside.
Plant some seeds.
Host or attend a bonfire.
Bring spring buds into your home.
Get creative!
Sunset Magazine offers more ideas here.
...
Be sure to listen to me read the Bunny book.
Here's the link again.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Mar 2024

 

My Balcony Buddha ponders the eternal play of Lions and Lambs

Blue is merely the milieu
Not the mood.
Yesterday was definitely
A day of the Lion
Here in Toronto…
And today’s totally
Lamby-pie.
Laced with a
Sunny and sweet
Demeanour, today is
Like Shari Lewis’s
Lambchop.

So... Leap Day was a Lion
Which gave
The First of March
The opportunity
To be a Lamb.
Thank you, Science,
For bringing in our new month
Brimming with hope
And eagerness…
No matter that
Environment Canada
Says there will be
A plethora of both lions
And lambs in store
This month.
Let’s all simply
Bask in the
Time of the Lamb
While it lasts.

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

Feb 24

Everything old is new again...

A few weeks ago, Kate and David
Joined friends in the Riviera Maya,
Just south of Cancun in Mexico…
For lots of sun, sand, tacos, tequila,
Tzereques, pisotes, iguanas,
Howler monkeys, peacocks, and
One very friendly cat.

Then…
A trip to the ruins of Tulum…
The fort that the Mayans
Built as their coastal defence
Sometime before the 13th century…
And abandoned
At the end of the 16th century.
Yup she’s old,
But with the tourist development
In Cancun, Tulum is now back
On the beaten track…
Indeed she’s now her own destination.
Her splendour renewed
By all the attention, she sprawls aglow
In her own wonder.

Like Tulum, I, too, have become old…
OK less old in years, but still officially
People-y old.
And a few weeks before
My November b’day
I undertook an adventure
To renew my own splendour…
And now after lots
Of generous attention
From dentist Dr. Divya Patel
And the whole delightful staff
At Dr. Teodoro Happy Tsang’s
Main Street offices, I am
Proud to announce:
As of this past Monday
I have nine new teeth!!!
Here’s a pic.



The good news is
You can’t tell the diff…
But I certainly can.
Now I’m learning to eat again…
And
I’m learning to talk again, too.
I have quite a lisp
Which Dr. Patel says will
Gradually disappear.
In the meantime, remembering
Last month’s alliterative poem,
I’ve read the first stanza
Of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,
Both before and after
Installing the new teeth.
As benchmark, I’ll re-read
That same stanza each week…
Plus…
Throughout each day
I have little sessions where I say
RED LEATHER. YELLOW LEATHER.
Over and over and over again
Just like an eager actor warming up
For a big show.
Yes, I’m practising sprawling aglow, too,
In my own renewed wonder.

Me and Tulum.
There’s a lot to be said for simply
Lasting.
...
As usual this month’s calendar in higher-resolution form, lives here. In the same folder there is also a version without the RED LEATHER-YELLOW LEATHER line at the bottom, in case, like me, you’d rather spend this month with just Tulum’s unadulterated beauty on your desktop. In that same folder I’ve included the animals Kate and David encountered around their hotel... a couple of them are little movies!
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course