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

April 2025

Remembering Comic Books...

When I was a little girl…
Let’s say about 1947-48-ish…
My parents were partners
In the downtown Waco drug store,
Praetorian Drugs.
Their friend & partner,
Sammie’s husband Everett,
Was the pharmacist.
We lived in San Benito
In the Rio Grande Valley
And every month
My mum and I
Rode the train to Waco
So my mum could
”Do the books.”
I thought that meant
Reading all the magazines
In the drug store...
Cuz she did that, too.

There was a general clerk
And even an old soda jerk
Named Andy.
I knew Andy was old
Because my mum and dad
And Sammie and Everett
Talked about his age and
His possible retirement.

I was only 4 years old
And didn’t know
Andy had instructions
To clear the comic book section
Of all except Disney offerings
During our visits
And to give me milk
No matter what I ordered
While I sat on a stool
At the old soda fountain.

My mum’s commitment
To Disney comics
Continued as I got older
Once she even refused
To let me get
Lady and the Tramp
Until I showed her
The Disney logo.

Needless to say
I didn’t continue
My interest in comics
After I outgrew Disney.

Fast forward to
Toronto circa 1985.
Kate was about
The same age
As I had been in the above…
But this is not her story.
That’s just for our
Mutual perspective.
So, 1985-ish
I went to a small
Buddhist meeting
In the home of my friend
And mentor, Mark…
One of our fellow members
Brought a guest
And after the meeting
We chatted.
He was a recent OCA grad
And he was working
As a comic book artist!!!
Mister X meant
Nothing to me,
Of course,
But it was obviously
Something impressive.
He told me a bit
About the art
And introduced me
To the concept
Of what comic books
Had become since my
Disney days in Waco.
He even told me
About the Silver Snail,
Comic book heaven
On Queen Street West.

I visited the Snail…
Spent about three hours
That first time.
I won’t tell you
How much money I spent.
But I was hooked.

That young artist
Is now one of Canada’s
Comic book royalty.
His name is Seth.
Just Seth.
I became a fan.
I’ve bought, read,
And gifted his books.
I’ve greeted him
At Word on the Street
Where he autographed
A book for me.
There’s even
An NFB doc about him.
And
Now Canada Post
Has honoured
Seth plus a few
Of his comic sibs
With their own stamps.

I just had to show you!

...
If you, like me, like to use
My calendar as your desktop,
I've made another version
This month with the right half
Shaded down so I can still
See the folders and files
I keep handy on my own desktop.
Its higher resolution version
Lives with the regular version,
But with the word "shade" added
To the filename. 
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

March 2025

 

Speaking of Snow...

Seems the Inuit have
50 words for snow…
Different types of snow:
Qanuk is snowflake.
Snow on the ground
Can be qanikcaw, aput
And muruaneq
When it’s soft and deep
And nutaryuk
When it’s fresh.
More words are for
Kinds of blowing snow
And still more for
All kinds of snow.

The Inuit languages
Are agglutinative…
New words are built
By putting existing parts
Together.
There’s no limit
To how many words
For snow there ae
Or might become
New another day.

I moved to Toronto
From San Antonio
And Dallas
Via Sydney and Vancouver.
And Toronto is considered
The Tropics of Canada…
We mostly don’t get
Tons of snow.
Unlike Montreal…
Or even Barrie,
Just 50 or so miles
North of here,
Gets loads more
Than we do.
It’s partly due to
The moderating
Lake Effect…
But some years
Mother Nature
Reminds us that
This Canadian land
Is indeed
A land of the
Great White North
Despite Lake Ontario’s
Beneficence.

And those are the times
I add to my own
Snow vocab:
Snowfall…
Snowflake…
Snowdrift…
Snowbank…
And
Even
Falling in the snow.

2025 has shown us
Just what
A white-out looks like.
My balcony buddha
Was wrapped
And topped for
Two weeks this
Past month.
I stayed home
Away from the
Freezing temps
Plus wind chill factors
Sometimes as cold
As -22 degrees Celsius.

Imagine my delight,
Then,
Espying Fiona Beth’s
Lovely Snowdrops…
Yes, Mother Nature
Has treats dripping
With snow
Just to show us
Her promise
Of Spring.
...
Fiona Beth
Is an eco-activist
Who spends her days
Teaching school.
This pic is from her
Recent family trip
Exploring Cannock Chase
In Staffordshire…
Yes, in England.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Feb 25

A fearless year of fresh starts...

Yes, the Lunar New Year
Came a bit early this year
But I’m on my regular schedule,
So please accept my
Well-wishes for this coming year
Even though they’re arriving
A few days late.
This snake is a
Blue Komodo Island Viper
AKA Trimeresurus Insularis...
Native to Komodo Island,
Indonesia.
Traditionally a Snake year
Is expected to be one
Of positive transformation
As people shed their old skins…
All negative energy from the past…
And slither into new beginnings.
...
Like many in my world
I never felt attracted to snakes.
In fact, because I loved all animals
As a girl and always
Stopped to pet them
On my way to and from school.
My mum was afraid I wouldn’t
Respect the danger
They represented, so
She asked my dad
To take me to the reptile house
At the San Antonio Zoo.
She couldn’t take me there herself
Because she was
Too afraid of snakes
To even look at them
Behind glass.
The purpose was to ensure
I knew what a snake was…
So she could teach me
To steer clear
And
TO BE AFRAID.
VERY AFRAID.

My mum spent the rest
Of my childhood
Sharing her
Abject horror of snakes.
And
The result was
A thoroughly ingrained
Fear that brought on
Screaming nightmares
From movies
And even pictures
In magazines.
...
Fast forward to 2015
When I med KC Blair
Of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The day we met he asked me,
“What are you afraid of?”
And I replied, without hesitation
“Snakes!”
“But,” I told him,
“I don’t encounter any snakes
“In my daily life, so
“All I have to do
“Is close my eyes in movies.
“It’s never been a hardship.”
And KC said
“Holding such a strong fear
“Can affect your health
“And wellbeing
“In unexpected ways.”

So KC offered to help
Rid me of this
Well-intentioned
But irrational fear
Using something called
Tapping.
No, not dancing this time.
He guided me through
A process where
I tapped my fingers
On specific places
On my hands and face.
It’s called Thought Field Therapy
And apparently
There are many adherents
Everywhere, everywhere.
Yes, it’s indeed
As woo-woo as it sounds.
He took me through
The short process twice.
And since that day in 2015
I have had no fear of snakes.
None at all.

Of course, I still don’t
Run into them in my daily life
But I can watch movies,
And see pictures
And even YouTube videos
And love how beautiful
And graceful
And colourful
They are.
...
People use tapping
For more than snakes.
Other fears, of course,
Like fear of flying
Or fear of water,
Plus
Anxiety, depression,
Pain…
The list goes on.
I’m guessing tapping
Probably works
On just about anything.
Also, it’s fast
And free.

I’ve put a little
How-to JPG here.
If you want to learn more
These are the two
Best-known books.

But my little JPG
Is truly enough.
You can always
Ask me...
You don’t have
To believe it.
You just notice
Over time that
Your old skin
Is gone
And your new one
Feels great
...
KC’s son told me
That KC passed
About three years ago.
I am saddened to hear…
But happy to be offering
This to you in his memory.
Happy New Year to us all!
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

jan 2025

Awe Immersion...

Each new year
Invites us to indulge
In a bunch
Of resolutions
To help us be better
Human beings, perhaps…
Resolutions which we
Promptly
Make jokes about
Breaking.

I prefer to call
My efforts
Determinations…
That way there’s no
Breaking…
Only daily actions…
Some more
Remarkable
Than others…
But always
Pointing the way.

This year brings us
A fresh new
Tabula rasa..
A clean slate
To indulge our
Best ideals…
This year I offer
Some thoughts
About
Awe.

Seems there are scientists,
Like Dacher Keltner,
David Bryce Yaden, and
Marianna Graziosi,
Who have been researching
The positive effects…
Both physical and emotional…
Of experiencing awe.
They say awe is defined
As an emotion
Akin to joy, amusement,
gratitude, love, pride.
Plus
Awe is the provenance
Of so much that is human…
Music, art, religion, science
And even
Transformative
Insights
About our lives.

Awe is the feeling
Of being
In the presence
Of something vast
That transcends
Our understanding
Of our world.
Awe is about
Our relation
To the vast mysteries
Of life itself.

Science says
We all experience awe
In differing ways
Several times every week.
EVERY WEEK!
And Science also says
We can
GET MORE AWE
And find ways
To live more
Awe filled lives.

It’s about wonder
And
Curiosity
And
Being open
To new ways
Of seeing.

Perhaps,
These scientists say
While awe is
An ordinary response
To the extraordinary,
Is also
An extraordinary response
To the ordinary.

I’m determined to be
More awesome
This year.
I’ll be
Starting by reading
Keltner’s book

And exploring
The Awe Experience Scale
Developed by these
Awesome scientists.

Mostly I’ll
Just focus on
Feeling
MORE AWE
All around me.
Join me?
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course


AWE

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

 

Jan 2024

 

A Hasty and Heartfelt Hosanna
     to Halliteration...

Today’s missive
Is brought to you by
The letter H...
     With appreciation
     To Craig Mod
     Via his newsletter,
     Roden: Issue 088.

Of all the lessons learned
From my Texas public school
English lexicons,
Those about alliteration
Captured my imagination
With the most immediate
And ever-lasting glue.

Just think:
Here is a form of writing
That we best observe,
Understand,
And even enjoy
When we read it aloud.

Its history goes back
To Old English epic poetry
Like Beowulf
And Middle English ones
Like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight…
          Which Robin Sloan…
               As has often been his
               New Year’s Day wont…
          Will again read aloud to us all
          Live today at 1:00 pm ET.

Alliteration was first identified
By Giovanni Potano
In the 15th century,
The word comes from
The Latin word littera,
Which translates as
Letter of the alphabet.

The form found its foothold
In Old High German,
Old Saxon and Old Irish…
Not to mention it apparently
Had roots in classical Latin,
Greek, and Sanskrit poetry.

Today, so Wikipedia says,
Alliteration is used poetically
In many languages
Including English, Arabic, Irish,
German, Mongolian, Hungarian,
Somali, Finnish, Icelandic,
And…
American Sign Language!!!

Just think:
A form of writing
That we best observe,
Understand,
And even enjoy
When we read it aloud…
Being observed,
Understood,
And even enjoyed
By people who
Cannot hear it.

I am
Astonished,
Awed, and even
Amused..
And I do adore
And appreciate
The letter A…
Therefore, I hereby Appoint
The letter A
As host of
The Advent of
A year of Alliteration.
I invite you to Activate
Your own Alleritations list.
One letter to sponsor
Each fortnight:
I suggest
At least three words:
   One noun
   Modified by
   Two adjectives
Like beautiful blue bubbles.
But you can decide which
Three words…
Just make a list of
As many words
As you want
For each letter
Starting today
And proceeding every-other
Monday throughout this year.

I’ve made a little PDF list
Just to make it easier
For us all to be
   On the same page…
   In the same position…
   With the same paddle.
At this time next year,
If you’re so inclined,
I invite you to initial your page
And scan it and send it back to me…

I promise to read your words aloud.
...
Today’s image is from my grandson Jackson, taken on his recent trip to Portugal. He reports: this is Lagos, early morning...  absolutely gorgeous beaches with a lovely boardwalk that takes you along the coast… crystal clear water that was perfect for floating in.
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course

Dec 2023

In memory of a dear friend...

Teresita Patricia Gonzalez Magnon
Was born in Mexico City.
An Aries, about six years after
My own Sag birth in Seattle.
We both went to high school
And university in San Antonio, Texas.
But we didn’t meet until
We both worked for EQAO,
In Toronto 1997.
She was director of assessments
And I was a temp typist…
Actually working as a graphic designer
And copyeditor.
We bonded over the work…
And the love of Mexican Food.

We both moved on,
Me to actually learn digital design
And she to work with UNICEF
With consulting educational assignments
All over the world,
Including Nairobi, Moldova, and two years in Vanuatu!
We always kept in touch
And when she moved back to Canada
She lived just a few blocks from me.

Continuing her advocacy
For children everywhere,
I was privileged to copyedit
Teresa’s UNICEF reports.
I learned so much about
Truly important issues about education
In places like Montenegro, Turkmenistan, and Albania.

We regularly met for brunch at our local diner
Or for our fave Mexican street food
At Broadview’s own El Charro—
Now moved to a bigger spot
On the Danforth.
A few years ago, Teresa went on
A long-dreamed-of African safari.
The pix, which I’ve shared here,
Were amazing… and I loved
Hearing of all of her adventures.
This past year she made a big trip
To visit with her family in Mexico
And she travelled to many of her favourite
Parts of her home country.
Teresa passed before she could tell me all,
But she did send some pix.
This month’s calendar is one of my faves.
I miss her… but I’m happy with
All the delightful memories
Of my friend Teresa.
 
...
If this isn't nice, what is?
              ~ Kurt Vonnegut, of course