Yearly Archives: 2021

Christmas 2021

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Monkey, December 2021

There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day, and that is, keeping Christmas. Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world; to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground; to see that your fellow-men are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy; to own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life; to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness — are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas. And if you can keep it for a day, why not always? ~Henry Van Dyke, American author and clergyman

Merry Christmas from me and Monkey! We’ll be taking a few days off during the holidays to celebrate with Domer and grandma, and I can’t promise (but I’ll try) to get around to visit you all before then. See you in the new year!

Birthday Boy

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It’s your birthday to-day, so why are we waiting?
Without further delay, Let’s start celebrating.
~Norman Wesley Brooks, 1967 (U.S. design engineer)

Happy Birthday to my little Monkey!! One year old today!

Flying

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If the good Lord had wanted people to stay on the ground, he would have given us roots. ~Author unknown

What is this contraption? At first, I thought it was a parasail, but it doesn’t fit that definition. Then I guessed hang glider, but I think I’m wrong there, too. Finally, I hit on motor kite. Agree?

Today I’m playing something called Photo Shorts. The rules are simple: one photo, a brief written accompaniment, and must feel like fun. Fun is good, right? And we all can use more fun, especially at this hectic time of year. You can play as often as you like. Join us, why don’t you?

That’s Music??

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Here’s to Music,
Joy of joys!
One man’s music’s
Another man’s noise.
~Oliver Herford, English writer and illustrator

Monkey here.

I’m here to complain LOUDLY about that thing Mama calls a flute.

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Snack time

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When the stomach is full the heart is glad. ~Dutch proverb

Here

Is a

Moth, maybe.

Or it could be

A small butterfly.

Having a fine dinner

On this pretty pink zinnia.

Or maybe this is a dahlia.

I’m not sure that knowing should matter.

I just thought you’d enjoy seeing them, too!

Note: This poetry form is Etheree (the single kind, not the double, this time).

Meeting Mr. Snip

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I learned a long time ago that minor surgery is when they do the operation on someone else, not you. ~Bill Walton, American former basketball player

Monkey here.

Been missing me??

Well, I’d have rather been anywhere than where I’ve been for the past few days.

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Walktober 2021

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A little fresh air would be good for you just now. The weather is lovely; and a little stroll in the park will bring the colour back to your cheeks. ~J. Palgrave Simpson, Victorian playwright

Today, I’m joining Robin over at Breezes at Dawn for the annual jaunt known as Walktober. We each take a walk (ride a bike, swim, skate, whatever), post about it (with pictures, if possible), and Robin gathers links to each post so we all can travel together and enjoy other parts of our amazing world.

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Delicate Strength

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The spiders with their pot-bellied bodies and beady eyes, are not beauteous objects, but a spider-web in the sunshine with dew upon it, is one of the loveliest things in the world. ~Dorothy Scarborough, American writer

Sparkling drops of water

Play upon her handiwork.

Inconceivable, isn’t it, that

Dew can magnify beauty

Even for such a short while?

Rare is the person on earth

Who can appreciate the weaver

Every bit as much as the creation

By which she’s famously known.

Note: This is an Acrostic poem. You got the message, right?

Deserted

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It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home. ~Author unknown

I

Sit here

All day long.

Vacant, empty.

Dreaming of the past,

When I was loved. Needed.

When I kept a family safe

From storms, robbers, and other ills.

Love and laughter filled my rooms, and I

Felt secure in fulfilling my purpose.

Now my family’s gone, and I sit alone.

My lawn untended; my paint peeling,

Grass in cracks, weeds overflowing.

Who will fix me up again?

Will someone please buy me?

Will someone love me?

I can give much!

Don’t let me

Go to

Seed.

Note: Monkey and I pass this ranch-style house on our morning walks, and it never fails to sadden me. I hear the elderly owner passed away several years ago, long after his wife had died and their kids went to live out of state. A daughter came to look over (and, I assume, take what she wanted) after his death, but she hasn’t been back since. There’s no For Sale sign outside. This poem is a Double Etheree.

Late Summer Posies

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How magnificent the flower becomes as its youth passes! Even the flowers have their setting sun. ~Auguste Rodin, French sculptor

Autumn is in the air … finally.

The sun’s rays aren’t quite as penetrating, daylight hours are shrinking, the night sky is alive with different constellations from those we saw in May and June.

Sadly, what was dangled before our eager eyes — a return to normalcy after the pandemic of 2020 — has just as quickly slipped away, thanks to new strains of the virus. Awful news from abroad, unrest here at home, and global weather emergencies only serve to dampen our spirits, threatening to strip us of hope.

But beauty never fails to cheer. So, before the season passes, I’m going to share with you some of the pretty plants in my yard. May they make you smile the way they do me!

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