Favoring February: All Haiku, All the Time

If you would like a little challenge for the short month of February, consider participating in National Haiku Writing Month.  Share online, if you wish to, or just sketch your thoughts gently into a notebook, for your eyes only.  You can read all about it here: NaHaiWriMo.

What a way to honor this month in the midst of winter!  It can be a tough month weather-wise, at least where I live, but I have to ask myself, how could I make this month a favorite?  What rituals or traditions could I initiate or resurrect?  How can I, I wonder, favor February?

I will begin, one haiku at a time.  How will you favor February?

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you contentment.

Sunday Stroll - Last Sunday in January

Let us walk a new trail today, 

along the western edge of the swamp.

Let us walk among the cedar trees,

to the place where the brazen squirrels 

leave their spoils.

Let us step around the soft grass,

still so green in January.

When we come to that soft rise 

on the northern edge of the meadow,

let us lay in the snow for a while.

We will hear the wind sigh,

feel the earth breathe,

as we look up and see the runes

that the trees have written on the sky.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

Check out Steve's icy Sunday at Out on the Prarie

Don't miss Pom Pom's stroll at Pom Pom's Ponderings.

Sunday Stroll Invitation - Last Sunday in January

Have you taken a good nature walk lately?  Have  you taken a few moments to look at the world around you with the "eyes of a child" - full of curiosity, wonder and joy?  I hope you have.  I'd love to see your surroundings through your eyes, and to read your thoughts about connecting with nature.

Please join me today for a Sunday Stroll.  Even a few photos from the back deck will do, if you s.l.o.w.  d.o.w.n. to a Sunday Stroll pace, breath deeply, and notice what nature has to offer late in the month of January.

If you do snap a few photos of nature in your neck of the woods today, please share a link in the comments, and I will add you to a list of strollers so that we may all share the beauty of this world, one little bit at a time.


Check out Steve's icy Sunday at Out on the Prairie.
And, Pom Pom at Pom Pom's Ponderings.

Saturday Snapshot - January Quiet

In the morning,
while the others in the house are sleeping,

I hear the quiet.
The ceiling fan whirs,
a whisper, a hum,
pushing the heat that rises from the wood stove
down into the room.

I see shadows and light,
a hint of gray sky through the bare window.
The tops of the cedar trees sway.

I smell and taste morning coffee, dark and fragrant,
a comforting morning ritual.
As I drink it,
I remember my mom wrapped in a thick white robe,
curled up on the couch sipping her coffee.

I feel connected and tranquil on a quiet January morning.


Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you serenity.

A Little Quote and a Little Note - Seeds

Sequoia seeds have flat wings, 

and glint and glance in their flight like a boy's kite. 

~ John Muir

John Muir had such a lovely concept of seeds, didn't he?  As I plant, I am inclined to think of playing with beads.  I love the variety of shapes and sizes, the soft natural palette of colors: shades of green, gray and brown, gold and coral.  

At any rate, it has begun!  I have started planting the seeds for this year's garden.  First, we will sow trays full of onion seed: Copra and Cortland (two varieties of yellow storage onions.)  Next, we will plant Ring-o-Fire Cayenne and Ruby King Bell Peppers.  Soon, little Amish Paste Tomato seeds will get tucked into the soil.  These are just the beginning!

It is a silly thing, perhaps, to be so excited to see the first little leaves of green... but I feel it, nevertheless. That sweet shade of green, peeking up through dark seed-starting soil, reassures me that spring is on the way; the wide wheel of the year is turning.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you hope!

quote from: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnmuir752682.html?src=t_seeds

Wordless Wednesday - 35 Degrees Fahrenheit

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

Monday Muse - The Accidentals

Perhaps you'll soon be hearing of these talented young folks, a local favorite, because they recently signed a deal with music giant, Sony.  I have enjoyed their music at local fundraisers and small venues and am excited to watch their star rise in wider skies.

Sunday Stroll - Nature in My Neck of the Woods

Yesterday's blue skies have faded to misty gray, so today,

this is where I want to be,

where the quiet thrum of chickadee wings greets me.

Where cedars hold me in their arms,

as the creek whispers a woodland myth of healing waters,

a myth that I believe as I breathe the forest air.

Here, amid the cedar trees, 

nature waits patiently for spring,

playing artfully in fallen logs

and painting with her winter palette.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

Sunday Stroll Invitation - Nature in Your Neck of the Woods

What is your walking habit?  Do you park far away at the mall and "hike in?" Do you walk through your neighborhood on sidewalks?  Do you walk the same route over and over again?  Do you seek out new locations to hike as often as possible?

Whatever your habit, please join me today for a Sunday Stroll.  Even a few photos from the back deck will do, if you s.l.o.w.  d.o.w.n. to a Sunday Stroll pace, breath deeply, and notice what nature has to offer late in the month of January.

If you do snap a few photos of nature in your neck of the woods today, please share a link in the comments, and I will add you to a list of strollers so that we may all share the beauty of this world, one little bit at a time.

You catch catch up with Steve on his stroll Out on the Prairie.

Saturday Snapshot - On a Sunny January Afternoon

As I step in from outdoors, on a sunny January afternoon,

I hear country music drifting up from the kitchen,

I see sunlight slanting in through the western window, washing the walls with gold.

I smell roasted butternut squash cooling on the counter.

I taste my Lavender Orange (Badger brand) lip balm

I feel warm and happy in the golden afternoon.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather I wish you quiet moments of reflection.

A Little Quote and a Little Note

“We went down into the silent garden. Dawn is the time when nothing breathes, the hour of silence. Everything is transfixed, only the light moves.” 

― Leonora Carrington

 In turbulent or difficult times, I find it especially important to connect with the calm that can be found in nature.  This is particularly true of dawn, which is so quiet and still... then hope creeps in as birds call and morning light blushes across the sky.   Another day rises... and the Earth still turns.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you hope.

Quote from Goodreads.com

Monday Muse - Moxie Strings

One of my favorite things to do is to experience live music, particularly at small local venues.  I can't say just "listen to" live music; I have to say experience.  There is a feeling in the air at a live performance, a rhythm that moves you, and good energy circulating through the room, and it goes way beyond listening!  I am very fortunate to live in an area that supports up-and-coming musicians of very fine caliber, such as Moxie Strings.

More to come in the coming weeks... Stay tuned!

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you joy.

Poetry Thursday - Hibernating

Where does it come from,
this deep desire to hibernate through the month of January?
Others may joyfully leap into the cold morning air,
grab their skis and poles and head for the hills...
but not I.

I have three layers on,
beneath this old sweater,
two pairs of socks to squeeze into the boots.
I bribe myself through chore time with
promises of hot tea and a lazy hour near the fire.

I have to give myself pep talks
before making the morning commute.
My modern side, woman of the 21st century that I am,
encourages year round mobility;
"Shrug it off," she says, "dive in, be strong."

My inner-bear,
     my sleepy
               winter
                   homebody
                                 self,
pours another streaming mug of tea,
grabs a book or maybe three,
curls up on the couch,
beneath a cozy quilt,
and ignores the call to action.

It is winter.

Let us rest,
              restore,
                    and patiently wait for spring.

Wordless Wednesday - From Saturday Afternoon Hike

Monday Muse - River Jordan

Today I got to the halfway mark on editing my new novel.  Slippery roads and snowy skies made it an ideal day to stay inside and write, while listening to some "mood music."  This band, Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys is a Michigan band and a favorite of mine that I have seen in several small venues. The song, River Jordan, was written by another Michigan artist, May Erlewine, whom I love, but I like this version even better! 

What have you been listening to?  Feel free to leave a link in the comments!  

Sunday Stroll - With a twist

This week's stroll invitation comes with a twist: It is extended through out the week.  Sometimes Sundays just do not lend themselves to a long walk.  Perhaps the weather does not cooperate, perhaps you have a house full of guests.  Perhaps your Sunday is filled with social commitments, or blissfully filled with intentional idleness.

So, in recognition of that, I am leaving this post open-ended.  If you have time, anytime at all, to take a long leisurely walk with a camera in hand, and have the time and inclination to blog about it, please feel free to leave a link and/or comment about it on this post and I will add your name to the list of strollers.  

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, 

I wish you time and leisure to walk slowly, with your eyes wide open.



Strolling:

Steve at Out on the Prairiehttp://crazymountainman.blogspot.com/2017/01/sunday-stroll-at-park.html

Poetry Thursday - January Morn

"Bare branches of each tree

on this chilly January morn

look so cold so forlorn.

Gray skies dip ever so low

left from yesterday's dusting of snow.

Yet in the heart of each tree

waiting for each who wait to see

new life as warm sun and breeze will blow,

like magic, unlock springs sap to flow,

buds, new leaves, then blooms will grow."

-  Nelda Hartmann, January Morn  

This poem and others on a similar topic may be found at: http://www.gardendigest.com/monjan.htm