April 2023

 

March just seemed to ooze away...

No lions.
No lambs.
But the month this year
Was filled with lotsa
Rampaging lions…
And some
Gently portending lambs.

My balcony Buddha,
Has watched with
Shivering determination
And hopeful delight.
Now backed by netting
Installed to protect him…
And my table…
And my rocking chair…
From pigeons.
The interstices seem
To invite some bullet journalling
Above the rail
And some graphed diagramming
Below the rail.

Maybe my balcony Buddha
Wants us all to notice
More about our daily worlds
And to jot down our observations
To give voice to our eyes.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

March 2023

 For our fresh new year...

We’re all just
Too, too familiar
With aspirations
For our fresh
New year.
We have our
Hopes…
Wishes…
Resolutions.

But Mother Nature
Shows us the way:
No matter what,
We must all
Proceed with firm
Determination.
Indeed,
In the face of
Winter’s freezing howls,
Spring asserts her
Firm determinations
In the form of pulsating
Buds
That push through
A frozen crust
To show us all
How it’s done.
...
In October last,
Fiona Beth Phillips
Moved with her family
To new digs in
Atherstone in England.
She reports they
Wintered in place
And are now greeted
With this early emanation
Of flowering quince.
I like that The Spruce
Reports that this is a shrub
“With a somewhat
Messy growth habit!”

I invite you all
To join me in a
Fresh determination
To indulge in our own
Messy growth...
Nothing tentative...
Messy is always
Good.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Feb 2023

Many happy returns... always...

If you are born in Toronto

At 9:15 am today, this is what your

Astrological natal chart will look like.

The sun is associated with

Your best expression of yourself.

In your chart the sun’s in Aquarius,

The sign associated with

The forming of community,

Of developing a path

To inclusion and universality…

In other words: common ground.

Plus, in your chart Aquarius

Occupies the second house,

The parts of your life

Concerned with your

Personal resources...

Whatever you need

For your own sustenance…

Like food, money,

And a rock solid

Sense of values.

Every year on your birthday…

     Give or take a day or two

     Because: leap year…

The sun shows up

In the same place.

That’s what the ancients,

Like those famous

Three wise men,

Called your solar return.

That’s the real reason

People will wish you

Many happy returns.

The sun’s position is easy to know

Because the earth orbits

Around the sun every 365 days...

     Sort of… remember

     Leap year catches us up

     For those extra

     5 hours,

     59 minutes, and

     16 seconds each year.

The moon, of course,

And all the planets

Also have returns,

But their orbits around the sun

Take different amounts of time

So you’ll need to look it up

Or ask an astrologer,

The scientists of yore

Still plying our trade

In 2023.

...
Want to know what those symbols are on this month’s calendar? I have a keywords chart for you in this folder. You’ll see the sun and the moon are listed as planets. That’s just tradition talking. We know they’re not really planets. While you’re there, why not pick up the higher resolution version of my calendar and try it out as wallpaper on your computer desktop? That’s what I do every month. (background photo by Cosmic Timetraveler on Unsplash)

Please enjoy this glorious and short month... hearts included.
xo
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Jan 2023

As they say... No mud. No lotus...

The lotus flowers and seeds
Simultaneously
But can do nothing
Without having its roots
Stuck firmly into
Some thick, gooey,
And messy mud.

The mud’s invisible,
Of course,
But the lotus
Knows its job…
And bloom, it must,
So it sinks its tendrils
Ever deeper
And draws up
The light
That is the essence
Of all life.

As humans we also bloom
When our feet are planted firmly.
Our mud is the stuff of daily life.
And there’s a lot of it...
Mostly daily grind stuff…
Often obstacles that
Must be overcome
For our path to even appear…
Then require further
Vanquishment to keep on
Keeping on.

Sometimes our mud
Is our own choosing…
The quality defined
By the nature of our aspirations.
This year I am choosing
The mud of learning
Some new things…
All which I’m showing to you
Here, in this month’s calendar.

My determination this year
Is to learn Affinity
Designer, Photo, and Publisher…
Affordable alternatives to my
Long-time faves from Adobe:
Illustrator and Photoshop.
I’m retired now
So don’t need to keep paying
For a costly professional subscription…
But I want to be able
To continue making
Calendars—and more…
As is my wont.
So I bought the Affinity apps
(One-time fee, no subscription)
And I produced
This month’s calendar
In its entirety
Using Affinity.
What would have taken
Thirty minutes in Illustrator
Took three days.
Ha! Not because
Affinity is slow or difficult,
But because I had
To learn lotsa new stuff:
New vocabulary.
New menus.
New controls.
All so the result
Can look like
A seamless continuation
Of my monthly offerings.
...
Thank you again, Susan,
For taking this glorious image
On your travels…
And for letting me use it… again.

And why does my calendar say
Nam myoho renge kyo
Across the bottom???
That’s the title
Of the historical Buddha’s
Last teaching,
The Lotus Sutra.
That’s what I chant
Every day…
Morning and evening…
Like breathing out
And breathing in…
To awaken my own
Buddha nature
And rejoice in the happiness
Of my everyday life…
Mud and all.

I must admit
The mud of these
Past few years
Made me think I might
Be blooming as a dandelion
Instead of the
Hoped-for-rose.
But I continue
To bloom
In my solitude…
Toes happily squishing
In each day’s mud.
...
Any new mud
For you this year?
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Dec 2022

 

Drama every day...

I’m not new to daily drama.
When we lived in Vancouver’s Deep Cove
My studio overlooked
Trees, water, and islands and hills beyond.
And so many clouds!!!
And fogs and mists!!

More studios have each offered
Different views and
Different dramas.

Yes… and you know how
I’m watching my new
City dramas unfold from today’s
Aerie studio. That skyline
I’ve shown you so many ways.
This one is from a couple of weeks ago.
From my perch
I see it all punctuated by
My EKKO mobile. It hangs
Gently indoors from curtain rod
In front of the window views
You know so well.
In the summer,
Breezes from the windows
Keep it moving… and in the winter,
The heat rises from the rads below
To keep it wafting…
Always giving motion
To my view.
The drama is often simple
And always profound.
I am moved as it moves.
I love how we humans
Can both stand in awe
Of Mother Nature’s
Dramatic displays…
And rejoice in adding
Our own creativity
To her ever-changing vistas.

I love that I can notice
Better now
With my new eyes…
Eyes that pretend
To see like the old ones.
The pretense is excellent
And only registers as pretense
Because of the years I spent
Watching my world become
Darker and greyer
With each passing day.
Was that darkness
Another reality?
I do know that
I prefer the brightness
Of my world today…
With all it’s subleties.
After all, how do we even know
What is real???

No matter, it’s all part of
Our daily drama…
It’s all fun…
And I’m happy to watch
It unfold in front
Of these newly-minted eyes…
These very eyes…
Pretentious or not!
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Nov 2022

Hands across the sands of time...

Hands across the sands of time…
And the borders of states,
Or even nations.
The sweet memories persist
Along with new ones
Being forged
By a new generation…
Together in the sun
And the sand.
Annie Stange lives in Portland, Oregon.
Her girlhood friend lives in Bellingham, Washington.
Now the daughters of both friends
Continue the bonding.
Here Annie’s daughter Claire
Holds the evidence
The daughters of the two friends
Are themselves two peas in a pod…
Here along with Annie’s youngest, Evelyn
And Annie’s own hand…
All together in the sun
And the sand
At Cannon Beach, Oregon.

And who among us,
My friends,
Can fail to drift in our own
Sweet memories…
Of childhood friendships…
Of walks in the sun…
And maybe even the sand?

...

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 2022

Celebrating black cats all month long...

8 years ago
Kate met Hoochie and
Was immediately captivated
By those eyes!!!
She snapped this 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 has Batman.
Marje has Peewee and Toffle.
Kelley has Domino and Moneypenny and Oliver!
Many years ago
Our family had Cocoa…
Except for the occasional fleeting
Deep chocolate Siamese highlight,
She looked black.
And that counts.
All black cats count...
Especially this month.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Sept 2022

 Easy like a lion a-lollin'...

Ok I made that one up.
But I couldn’t resist
After last month’s frog.

And with this lion’s one eye open
Maybe she’s a-lurkin’…

Probably both
A-lollin’ and a-lurkin’
Doncha think?
After all, she can’t
Tell us about either,
But we might assume
That hunting is
A key part
Of her day dreams…
And, as K’naan tells us
Until the lion learns to speak,
The tale of the hunt
Will be weak.

My friend Teresa
Recently made a momentous
Trek to East Africa
And this is one of the pictures
She posted.
Only one.
There were many.
Looky at the PDF here.
And while you do,
Play The Lion Sleeps Tonight
By the Tokens
Or the earlier version
By the Weavers
Or especially the
Original 1939 version
By Solomon Linda & The Evening.
~
Why so many versions?
Here’s the story.
~
Teresa has travelled
Lots and lots over the years…
And she always connects
With people and places
In profound and heartfelt ways.
She says she saw this lioness
Resting in Uganda.
Teresa’s words:
    Observer, survivor,
    Predator, and hunted.
    ~
    Actually I really have no words
    That can describe how
    Awake my senses were in Africa.
    In an almost dreamlike state
    I sensed, saw, felt, and touched
    The magic of my surroundings.

And with that music still playing
In my own background
I know that
I’m going to love
Having this lion
On my desktop
This whole month.
And…
At any given time…
The urge to sing
Will be just a whim away…
A whim away…
A whim away.

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

Aug 2022

 

Easy like a frog a-walkin'..

If you’ve been following
My FB feed lately
You might have noticed a whole slew
Of frog images.
That’s because I love frogs
AND I knew
This wondrous image
From Mike Lush
(Yes, Kathy’s bro)
Was coming up this month.
Seems FB conspired
To help me prime the pump, eh?

FB had fed this pic
To Mike as a memory
From 10 years ago…
And he still had the original…
And he knew exactly
Where to find it.

Twas fast and easy.
Which brings us to
Today’s title line:
     Easy like a frog a-walkin’
Peter’s dad, LB, used to say this
When we might today say
Piece of cake or
Easy as falling off a log or
Easy as shooting fish in a barrel or
My personal fave:
Easy-peasy. Lemon-squeezy.

I never knew where
LB’s version came from
And a quick poll of
Some of my fellow Texans
Didn’t shed any light.
YouTube does talk about
Frogs that walk instead of hop.
They can still hop and swim
But they mostly just prefer to walk.
And it looks easy for them, eh?

Several weeks ago
Mike sent me this delightful pic
And I immediately prepaed
This month’s calendar with it.
But I kept putting off
Writing these words for you until
This Sunday night that is
Almost August.
It’s been a quick write.
We might even say
     Easy like a frog a-walkin’
Eh?
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

July 2022

 

A Dappled Canada Day for You...

This Canada Day
I’m indeed showing you a maple tree…
But this Southern Red Maple tree
Lives in East Texas…
Proving that peace and love
Have no boundaries.

Remember Phoebe,
My university bestie?
Well a few years ago
She and I went to our 50th reunion
In San Antonio, Texas.
While there I got to meet
Phoebe’s sibs for the first time:
Allen, Sally, and Lolly.
Of course they are joys to know…
After all they spring
From the same parents
From whom Peter’s dad and I
Bought a 1956 Chrysler
With air conditioning, power windows,
And a semi-hemi V8 engine.
But that’s another story.

Today I want to talk
To you about Sally
And about this dappled light
That she sent me.
I’ve always been drawn
To the insistent summer
Expressions of dapple.
I even wrote an early poem
That features some dappling.
In the summertime we can rejoice
In the longer days
Even when we swelter.
Winter dappling is
Also another story.

Summertime heat
Pulls us to shaded respite…
And if we’re lucky enough
To have a shaded path
We can even wander and
Wonder at the delights of light…
How it plays and moves
With the breezes.
Light wafts, too,
Don’t you know.

Such a path leads Sally
To her mailbox each day.
About 5 years ago
Sally began posting images
To remind herself…
And, by extension, the rest of us…
Just how fortunate we are
To have so many examples
Of cheerful good things
That can lighten our hearts
And bring us peace and calm…
If we’re only willing to look.
And Sally looks each and every day.
These Maple leaves mark
Sally’s Peace Day 1750.
Sally also makes peace cranes…
A habit since 1989.
I am the lucky recipient
Of a set of these
Origami offerings for hope.
They hang in front of a mirror
That rejoices in multiplying
Their colourful intent
As my daily reminder
For my own peace
And calm
And love.
...
Here's a Canada Day version, just fo fun—with fond memories of Don Watt:

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

June 2022

 

First one in a looooong time!

Peter brought me these flowers for Easter...
And I took this pic when they were just starting to bloom.
Yes, this is the first Bette-taken pic
You've seen for absolute yonks, my friends.
It's decently steady and focussed and the colours
Are vibrant with almost no retouching.
That's all because my new (cataract-free) eyes
Just plain work better.

I love how these freshly opened flowers
Grab the light and filter it through their eager petals...
While the patient buds gather their power
With a resolve to out-dazzle their forerunners
And join in the glory that is Spring.

Seems the worlds of Light and Colour
Are mine again.
I'll endeavour to show you more
As Summer unfolds.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Happy Luke Skywalker Day

 

I think this says it all!

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

may 2022

OK my friends. I've been a little under the weather...  PLUS...

I've got this wonderful new computer and all new software to adjust to. That's why you're getting a little short-changed this month as I spend my time setting it all up. Please be patient with me and forgive my recycling this one from January.

And yes, it was COVID, but I never felt very sick... just like a head cold that left me feeling tired and ready to take lots of naps. All fine again now, but I'm still taking it easy.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

April 2022

 An old friend, Dune, and the Andes...

I met Bruce Moffitt
When I lived in Sydney, Australia.
He was from New Mexico
And he spent his work time
As a geologist, traipsing
Around New Guinea
Looking for evidence of gold
For a major US company.
He spent his off-work time
In Sydney R&R, often regaling
Us, his friends, with the stories
Of the people
And of the mountains...
And showing off his fresh
Discovery of turquoise...
An unexpected bonus.

It was during one of these
Sydney visits that Bruce
Told me about that book called Dune,
Which I promptly devoured and loved.
I recently re-read it via an audiobook
Before going to see the latest
Cinematic iteration... which I declare,
Along with the Academy,
To be a sweeping success.
Unlike the Academy, however,
I give Villeneuve the full marks
He deserves.

Seeing the film, and remembering
Why I even knew of the book
In the first place,
Prompted me to search out
Old friend, Bruce.
He's is back in New Mexico
And he's making southwest-style
Silver jewelry and he's
Cooking up great feasts of Mexican food.
Plus he's still travelling and hiking
And taking some amazing pictures.
This one, from January of last year,
Is looking north at the Andes
In Peru, on the way to Machu Picchu.

I keep telling you I have friends who
Go adventuring AND take amazing images
To show the rest of us.
Right‽‽‽
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

March 2022

 

All our Christmases came at once...

Kate and David recently made
Lots of changes to their kitchen
And beyond.
They saved all of the boxes
And those from Christmas…
For Batman, here..
And Petunia, probably here,
But hiding.

Black cats have the
Photographic facility to be
Cat-shaped black things
With amazing eyes.
And when they
Close their eyes
They become
Invisible.

Even with my cataract eyes
I could find these cat eyes
Watching me.
Now, with my
New and improved eyes
     Almost a week old now
I wallow in my re-found
Awareness of those cat eyes
In their now FUZZY
Black cat shapes.

I couldn’t decide between
The many-boxes
Version of Batman
Or this close-up version:

 So they’re both
In the DropBox folder
For your desktop entertainment.

     And speaking of my eyes:
The cataract surgery went smoothly
As all had promised.
BOTH EYES AT ONCE!
After 5 days
My distance vision
Is mostly clear.
My near vision,
For things like reading
And design,
Will have to wait
For new reading glasses
After all settles down
In 4-6 weeks.

Peter and Kate
And their partners
Lisl and David…
And my grandsons
Luke and Jack
Came to see...
Me see…
And because
Our Christmas plans
For holiday visits
Had been omicron cancelled,
We celebrated
Christmas here, chez moi,
With great mounds
Of food including Swiss Chalet
Quarter chicken dinners
Made into belated
Festive meals
With the addition
Toblerone bars!

We played Xmas music
And basked in a YouTube
Fireplace ablaze with
The spirit of the time.
Kate brought us all
Super gifts
And mine included
This Pantone rainbow jacket
With Pantone green
Toque, gloves, and socks!
Truly a gift for
The amazement of
My new eyes!!

Below I’m showing
How my new jacket and I
Would have looked
To my old eyes…
And how I look
To my new eyes today.

Truly, as the Aussies say,
All my Christmases
Came at once this past week.

See larger version here.

Special thanks to my long-time friend, neighbour, design colleague, and pro photographer par excellence, Angel of Angel Torres Photohography, for taking this snapshot so I can show off my Pantone jacket, toque, and gloves—while showing you just how significantly my world changed this week.
 ...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

 

 

 

 

Feb 2022

Vibrant Colours Always Welcome...

By the time you hear from me next month
I will have my brand new eyes.
Cataracts will be
A Thing of the Past.

Until then I thrive
On vibrant colours...
Because so much of my world
Is just shades of grey.
And not even shades
That I can parse
And catalogue…
Just sort of mushy shades
Tinted with yellow.

So you can see
Why I so love these flowers
And others by my friend Kelley Doris.
Of course, I always love her flowers
But these days they offer me
A glimpse of clarity
In my mushy world.

You’ll see, of course. Kelley
Also has cats... including
A couple of black cats.
And these black cats are not
Mushy shades at all.
They are definitely black cat shapes
That sometimes sport yellow eyes…
Or maybe pink tongues.
There’s no subtly in black cat images…
Even sans cataracts.
They give me comfort these days…
And joy always.
...
What Kelley says about her flower pics:

• Flowers have always been my muses—I feel like they're complete worlds of colour and beauty and emotion all in themselves. I always use the natural light from the window in my back door, against the one charcoal wall in my kitchen. Cloudy days are actually the best for my pics—it helps with the darker, moodier feel I adore. I'd say my goal is to be a modern Dutch master.
  

Kelley always ignites wonder and a vibrant celebration of being alive.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Jan 2022

Hold a question for this new year…

This year I observed

The winter solstice
With an online webinar…
A gathering of people
Who question our place
In our universe,
In our world,
In our city
And…
In our very breath.

Everyone’s tired
Of our continued
Imprisonment
Of body and soul.
Brought to us by
An impersonal fate
That demands
With a never-ending
Vigilance.

But exhaustion
Is not a badge of courage,
My dear friends.
We can still question.

Seems the act of
Finding our own question
Can tickle the fibres
Of our personal
Quest…
And that quest
Can set us soaring…
And the awe and wonder
We discover
Can even promote
Wellbeing for that same
Body and soul.

I invite you to search
Your heart for your own
Questions…
Your own quests…
And show us all
A new year filled with
Your own
Awe and wonder.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Dec 2021

 

Adventure re-defined...

I’m so lucky
To have adventurous friends.
You’ve heard about Susan before.
In addition to travelling the globe,
Trekking to Mt. Everest base camp…
She also takes amazing photographs.

Tim has walked El Camino—twice!
And he even wrote a book about it.
And he also takes wondrous photographs.

Peter's photos of his trip to China
And Kate's photos of her trips to Galapagos
And to Scotland's Isles of Skye and Lewis
Are simply reinforcements to
Their every-day adventures.

This month, let me introduce you
To adventurer Beatriz Yuste,
Proofreader par excellence,
Actress, writer, producer... and serious trekker.
She's hiked the Inca Trial to Machu Picchu 20 times.
That’s her foot atop Angels Landing
In Mt. Zion National Park in Utah.

My own adventures have
Led me to travel about Mexico
Via trains and buses for 6 months...
Up pyramids and along beaches
With a 2-year-old version of Peter in tow…
Then to move to Sydney, Australia
For 4 years… then to Vancouver
And Toronto for the last 45 years.
Not trekking, but Vancouver
Did involve some glorious hiking
And Toronto continues to
Delight with its ever-growing skyline
And green ravines.

My adventures these days
Involve trekking on the sidewalks
Along the edge of Riverdale Park
With the aid of a walker.
My photos are blurry.
Well, my world is blurry…
But I try to make the best use of the blurs.

I hereby announce that I expect
My world to become clearer again
After cataract surgery
The end of February.
I’m in hopes the photos will
Re-discover their clarity, too.

We all are always defining
And re-defining
Our own adventures.
Maybe even putting
Museum-type labels
On them to revisit
Again and again
In photos and in memories.

Our own adventures…
Our own observations…
Are transformed
Into our own museums
By our own acts of will.
I thank Susan and Tim and Beatriz…
Along with the rest of you
For sharing your adventures
With me…
And letting me share
Them with evryone else
....
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Nov 2021

 

Ocean liners all aligned...

Cruise ships all lined up…
Like us, they started waiting
In March of last year.
These liners
All aligned themselves
Off the coast of Barbados.
Holding their breaths
Like the rest of us.
Skeleton crews kept them
Afloat.
Supplies came to them
From Bajans
Via touchless deliveries
Much like my own
Instacart groceries.
Mine, tho, always arrive with
Less fanfare.

I don’t mean
Yelling and screaming,
But I do imagine there was
Some waving and tooting, at least.
Don’t you?

With vaccines
Bajans again welcomed
Tourists to their shores
In June of this year.
I saw one picture
Recently
Of a party
With music and dancing
On the dock
Welcoming passengers alighting
From a new cruise liner.

Made me think
That Cineplex could
Have welcomed me
To the screening of Dune
With some waving and tooting
And dancing.

I’m not complaining,
Mind you.
I’m quietly celebrating
Little normalacies
Almost daily.
Maybe I could be
Dancing more.
Maybe we all could be
Dancing more?
Just to celebrate
That we’re not in line
Everywhere
Anymore.
...
Thank you, Peter, for the image.
I waited for these more hopeful times
To show it off.

...

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 2021

 

In downtown Toronto
...a high-rise balcony cosmo
......keeps reaching for the sky
.........and for
...the distant autumn sun...
it's last call. 

Thenk you to Dennis for this image.
His flowers. His balcony. His words.
I need say no more.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course