Dallas here.
I told mama it’s been far too long since I’ve had my say in this spot, but she didn’t seem concerned. Probably too busy thinking of far-away places and good times … without me.
Humph!
I’ll show her. I know the password, and I’ve got things to say.
There once was a crepe myrtle bush
That refused to grow tall and/or lush.
I watered and fed
The seed pods turned red*
Perhaps it just needed a push!
*watermelon red
P.S. This is a limerick. This poor crepe myrtle has been moved three times now, in an effort to settle it in just the right spot. Glad I didn’t give up on it!
P.S.S. Time for a little blogging break — I’ll catch up with y’all soon!
Most games are lost, not won. ~Casey Stengel, American baseball player and manager
You sucked me in.
Ignited my enthusiasm
With teasing tweets and
Hopeful news stories.
You sucked me in
With all your pageantry
Of school colors and fight songs
Then left me hoarse with spirit cheers.
You sucked me in.
I had no choice really.
This business of being a fan
Demands total allegiance.
You sucked me in.
In every competition there’s
A winner and a non-winner.
No such thing as losers, of course.
You sucked me in.
Duped me with expectations for victory.
Ran up the score until I knew
Non-winning wasn’t an option for us.
You sucked me in.
Then gave up … wimped out.
Turned over the ball, failed to score,
Came up short when the clock ran to zero.
Never mind … perhaps next week we’ll win!
Memory… is the diary that we all carry about with us. ~Oscar Wilde, “The Importance of Being Earnest”
Fifteen years ago today, the unimaginable happened — more than 3,000 people were killed in an unprecedented terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
Can you believe it’s been fifteen years??
A good book should leave you… slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it. ~William Styron (American novelist), interview, Writers at Work, 1958
I finally read another novel by #1 New York Times Bestselling author Jodi Picoult, and I’ve got to admit I was a bit hard on her before.
Go forward boldly
Refuse to accept defeat
Focus on success
Note: This is the Begonia the bird’s nest grew in earlier this season. I’m still amazed the nursery didn’t squeeze the life out of this determined flower, but perhaps it’s a reminder to me of the importance of persistence!
Spend time looking up.
Nature changes clothes often.
If you say you’re too
Busy to see pinks, golds, greys,
You’re just too busy indeed!
Note: Jawbreakers, or Gobstoppers to my friends in the United Kingdom, are pieces of hard candy that dissolve into different colors the longer they’re sucked. Far too hard to bite into, they’ve been a children’s favorite for decades.
Form: This is my first Tanka. The photo is one I took near sunset recently.
Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven. ~Yiddish Proverb
As the Olympic Games comes to a close, I’m struck by the talent of athletes like Simone Biles.
This tiny gymnast captured five medals (four of them gold), and many experts predict the sky really is the limit for her.
Dallas here.
You should’a seen Mama’s face.
The Kid (AKA Domer) asked her for something tucked safely(?!) away in the storage shed in the backyard and, since he didn’t want to venture in there the last time he was home, Mama decided to after he left.
That was Mistake #1.
If animals could talk, the world would lose its best listeners. ~Robert Brault, writer
How many times do we ask
“How are you?”
Expecting a simple reply.
“Fine.”
“No complaints.”
“Just dandy.”
Before turning back to our busyness,
Scurrying to appointments.
No real desire to tarry a while.
Hearing — real hearing — requires time.
Yet when someone asks us the same question,
We yearn for a listening ear,
A caring heart.
Just a few minutes
To share our thoughts,
Moan about our aches,
Complain about … whatever.
Before returning to our life
Solving problems, slaying dragons.
Hearing — real hearing — requires time.
Don’t bother asking, “How are you”
If you won’t wait around to hear the answer.
“How are you” shouldn’t be perfunctory.
Rather, it begs for a park bench or a coffee shop,
Some place where folks can sit a while and talk.
Really talk.
About things that keep them up nights.
Things that force them to their knees to pray.
Things that, shared, make their burden bearable.
