Monday... Cooler.. Sharing Two Haiku!

"Poets are soldiers that liberate words from the steadfast possession of definition."
~Eli Khamarov

"The things taught in schools and colleges are not an education, but the means of education." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Every day we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and, if possible, speak a few sensible words."
~ Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe


********************************

Lost Soldiers

steamy rice paddies
weathered old Joe muttering~
oh let freedom ring

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
5-17-2010


*********************************


... A Fairy Tale...

grasping a bright bloom
enchanting words he whispers
blue birds sing praises

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
5-17-2010

****************************

Thanks for stopping by today.. My world has been a little scrambled for a couple of weeks.. hopefully it will all straighten up and smooth out real soon.. I hope you enjoyed your visit to my simple life today.. I pray tomorrow is a wonderful day for us all..

Patsy

Sunday.. Sunday.. What a Sunday.. New Critters..

"I decided that it was not wisdom that enabled poets to write their poetry, but a kind of instinct or inspiration, such as you find in seers and prophets who deliver all their sublime messages without knowing in the least what they mean."
~ Socrates

"Poetry is about the grief. Politics is about the grievance." ~ Robert Frost

"One merit of poetry few persons will deny: it says more and in fewer words than prose." ~ Voltaire

###################

Madeleine Begun Kane invites us every week to join her in writing a limerick with her first line...

a Limerick~


Tricks..

a fellow who loved doing tricks
he walked on his hands just for kicks
and though awesome his skill
it was oft used for ill
Now His time he's serving four to six


Written By: Patricia Sawyer
8-29-2010

###################

Unconscious Mutterings...


I say ... and you think ... ?

1.Bangs :: and Bongs and battering rams..
2.Diaper :: Bucket.. hot water.. Ivory snow..scrub board.. Clean diapers

3.Coffee table :: I served coffee at mine once.. Made my guests smile..
4.Cops :: and robbers and run run run...
5.Matches :: Line up right here for your quarter whipping.. we set the woods on fire..Richard Mise brought the matches..
6.250 :: dollars would be nice... new books to read would be grand too..
7.Hurricane :: Katrina.. we will never forget her.. she brought out the best and worst in so many people.. I watched TV and cried...

8.Bad :: news.. Bad karma.. Bad breath..
9.Confirmation :: number is.......
10.Fiber ::enriched food taste like fodder.. animals eat fodder.. can I get fiber from chocolate??

#####################

I got three new critters today.. I was amazed at how big the Turkeys are.. They are huge.. they let me touch them as I sorta encouraged them from the dog kennel into their cage.. They were fine and even appeared to have enjoyed the trip from their old home to here...I watched them for a few minutes with everything on the stove turned down on low.. but supper fixings soon called me back to the house.. I could hear them cooing hello to all the other animals as I started inside.. I even went back to be sure it was them I heard.. I am sure they will make their own space here.. we welcome them to our flock... Thanks for stopping by my world today! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Patsy

Three for Thursday!.. Haiku.. a Poem.. and What is It?

"Don't let people drive you crazy when you know it's in walking distance."
~ Author Unknown

"Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie ~ Which we ascribe to heaven."
~William Shakespeare

"A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her." ~David Brinkley

**********************
Each Thursday I try to share three things with you.. Today is Thursday and I hope you will enjoy today's three things.. here we go..

Update~
~ this weeks What Is It? was guessed Correctly by Andy Thompson.. The what is it photo is of a tremolo spring in an Electric Guitar.. Most people call it the Whammy Spring.. These photos show the guitar and the location of the spring.. thanks to everyone who played.. Keep your eye out for the next what is it.. Have a great day!
Patsy


#1- What is it? ~~ Do you have any idea what this is? Last week I made It easy for everyone by posting a photo of a mop.. This week will not be so easy... I had a little help this week finding something for you to guess. Dave actually suggested this..

~ I guess you could say this what is it.. belongs to him.. have you ever seen one of these before? Do you know what this is.. or what this is used for.. maybe it is even a part of something bigger.. what do you think it is?? Please make a guess and leave me a comment with what you think.. The first person to guess the right answer will win a small prize.. I think someone out there has seen this or maybe one like it.. I am pretty sure that someone out there will know what this item is.. Is that someone you? Good luck..


***********************
#2~ Haiku-


Storm Chasers

cameras clicking
a twisting path we follow~
devastation dawns

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
5-18-2010

*************************

#3~ a Poem

Kneel and Pray~


Follow as they crawl along
Sing oh sing their sleeping song

Every night kneel and pray
Thank you God for this fine day..

Soon a child will run and jump
You kiss and cuddle each new bump

Every Night kneel and pray
Lord be with me every day..

Then as teens they drive you mad
Teens are silly.. angry.. sad

Every night kneel and pray
Lord walk with them on their way..

Each must choose the path they take
our own mistakes we each must make

Every Night kneel and pray
For God walks with you all the way!

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
8-23-2010

****

Thanks for stopping in for a visit to my world today.. I hope you enjoyed you visit.. I hope that while here you found something to encourage you or make you smile.. I welcome comments.. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Patsy

Wednesday.. Hot and Dry with Words and White Flowers..

“Black cat or white cat: If it can catch mice, it's a good cat.”
~ Chinese Proverb

“As a white candle In a holy place, So is the beauty Of an aged face”
~ Joseph Campbell

“All of us have moments in out lives that test our courage. Taking children into a house with a white carpet is one of them.”
~ Erma Bombeck

****************************************
~ F is for FLOWERS...

ABC Wednesday Round 7 - The Letter F~

~White Wednesday #62~

***************************************
... Weekend Wordsmith~ Signal

Three Word Wednesday~ abstain, halo, prayer .. ~


The Signal~ (flash fiction)

Fiona fought the urge to blast her horn.. Every day this week she had found the fat fourteen year old street preacher to be in her way as she tried to go about her sad little life.. he had been with her every morning as she rolled out of bed a five o'clock.. she had listened to his falsetto voice as she found her shoes and grabbed her fancy lunch box filled with fattening foods.. He had danced in the freezing night air as she found her way home after a long day tired and sometimes tipsy..He had been on all the news stations.. flaunting his aluminum foil halo and shouting that the sinners must abstain.. abstain from fragrant alcohol he shouted as he danced back and forth under the traffic signals at fifth and main.. abstain from lust and gluttony.. abstain from everything it seemed to Fiona..

Each day she had been stopped by the signal.. She had been taking this drive to work for nearly four years and never until him had she been stopped.. she hadn't even known there was a signal there until a few days ago.. Not much of a Church goer she wasn't much for the abstaining he shouted about.. she liked a fast nip in the evenings before heading home alone.. she liked food and she had even given in to lust a few times in her life.. .. abstain from fast cars and fast women he screamed as she flew past him on Friday afternoon.. She had been unable to resist and had flipped him off .. and now here she was again.. sitting at fifth and main and what was he doing.. He had dropped to his knees in the middle of her lane and had bowed his head in prayer... her fingers were itching to find the horn and to blow blow blow... forty times blow she thought to herself.. Abstain her conscience whispered.. Blow the devil in her shouted...Fingers stretched and reached for the horn.. she had just about found the silver strip when suddenly she heard tires screeching.. looking into her mirror she saw the truck sliding fast for her rear end..and with a blast of her horn she stomped the gas and flew through the green light.. she just knew she had killed the fat preacher boy but to her surprise he was no where to be found.. pulling to the side of the road she jumped out of her car and looked around .. there was no fast moving truck.. there was no fat preacher boy.. there was no signal.. Or.. was there? ...a signal.. a sign.. a warning.. Fiona was flabbergasted but she was no fool.. she knelt down and picked up a tin foil halo.. that fluttered in the cool morning breeze.. it fit her head just fine.. abstain she shouted as she jumped back into her car and headed for a new life....

Written By: Patricia Sawyer

8-25-2010

********************************

The Signal- (a senryu)

tarnished halo

abstinence and prayers said~

one shot and we run

written by: Patricia Sawyer

8-25-2010

********************************

Thanks for stopping by my little world today.. I hope you have enjoyed your visit here.. I do welcome comments.. Have a wonderful day!

Patsy

Tuesday.. Hot and Breezy.. No Rain.. I Did Get a Dog Shake Shower...

"Beauty is a fragile gift."
~ Ovid

"Civilization is hideously fragile and there's not much between us and the horrors underneath, just about a coat of varnish." ~ Carrie P. Snow

"Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable."
~ Frank L. Baum - {The Tin Man.. Wizard of OZ}

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%



Two 4 Tuesday~ Unbreakable / Fragile

Each week on Tuesday They post a double theme. The themes will be opposites or antonyms. You have a couple options when it comes to posting your photo:

The Real Challenge: Post a single photo that captures both themes.
OR: Post a single photo that captures one of the themes.
OR: Post two photos capturing one theme in each photo..

~ a fragile dandelion bloom lies discarded on the unbreakable old tire..

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Try Again

stars catch lofty dreams
rainy days smoothly sprout fear
brave seer triumphs

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
7-1-2010

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

The Lie

ageless deception
drips sweetly from ruby lips
moonlight passion dies

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
7-1-2010

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Oh what a week this one has started out to be.. Both yesterday and today I have wanted to write.. Poems and stories rolling around in my brain.. a few even came together as planned.. one story trying to be told.. I think it has it's own plan.. the phone rings and rings.. unknown names.. private numbers.. Y'all do know I don't answer those?.. I did once and the Lady wanted to sell me a time share.. I said thanks but no thanks and she cursed at me saying I had sent for info.. then she said it didn't matter because I "sounded too poor" to buy one any way.. I had a telephone hissy fit that caused her to hang up.. I tried for a week to call her back.. so better for me to ignore those calls.. anger is not a good thing for me to have.. and I wonder why folks will insist upon making a crazy woman like me mad???.. Does that make any sense to you??

It is still hot.. though not as hot as it has been.. we have had some rain but it doesn't seem like it has been enough.. or maybe it was even too much.. are we ever satisfied with the weather? Bonnie and Clyde walk a bit and then try to drag me back to the house.. they don't want to go out and I think If I'd let them they would just as soon find a "spot" somewhere inside where it is cooler.. Clyde was introduced to his own cage today and has all but "said" NOPE!.. I can't figure out why a young guy like him wouldn't want his own space.. Brand spanking new too.. He even opened the door earlier.. somehow.. and went over to her cage.. I guess he plans to be a "Paws on" Papa.. he hasn't reckoned with me yet though.. truly his temporary home is small and he is used to snuggling up with his Bonnie at night..But he can't stay there with her and the pups.. he isn't going to like me much since I have decided that tonight they will be separated.. Bonnie only has a little over a week left and I am told that some dogs go early when they have had lots of pups.. the vet seems to think that Bonnie has had a few litters and was probably a puppy mill dog before they were dumped out at a friend of ours' house.. they are both great dogs.. I hate it for Bonnie that she is expecting again and I have promised her that this will be her last litter.. Dave and I are excited about the puppies even though we know we can't keep them.. So to any of you who are close to me.. I will have free puppies very soon!..

I did get a cooling dog shake shower earlier tonight when I gave both of the dogs a bath and a brisk towel rub.. after a long walk in the heat.. The Moon was a beautiful red and we enjoyed our walk even if we were soaking wet with sweat by the time they each found a good "spot".. It was a good thing they found it when they did too.. I had almost started looking for a good spot for myself..

I wish for some cooler days.. I look forward to a cold night with a fire burning outside.. Maybe even a hot dog on a stick.. But.. I'd settle for a trip to the beach and a moonlight walk along the sand.. Thanks for stopping by my blog today.. I do welcome comments.. Have a great night!
Patsy

Monday...Writing Poems.. Club Meeting Fellowship.. Hot as Usual..

"We cross our bridges when we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and a presumption that once our eyes watered." ~ Tom Stoppard

"Health food may be good for the conscience but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better."
~ Robert Redford

"Architecture is inhabited sculpture."
~ Constantin Brancusi

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Moody Monday~ Brmm.. Brmm!

~ Emily and I spotted this awesome ride in the Parking lot when we left the store after shopping for school supplies.. I thought the driver must be something special.. I was imagining black leather and good looks.. Emily said he was probably an old fart.. He was not.. he was a young.. and very dirty.. smelly fart.. he snarled at me as he walked up.. I didn't know if it was because I was near his bike or if it was just because..I hurried away from his rude snarl and the nasty smell of body odor... But he still had this awesome ride!!


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Three Word Wednesday~ ( yes I know it's Monday!)

~ ~ grimace, phase, stumble~


Parenthood

the stubborn grimace
just another teen age phase~
I stumble along...

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
8-23-2010


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Gold Rush ~ (ABC~ poem)

Able bodies come..
dig .. excavate.. find gold..
how I jumped..keep looking..
mercy.. Nothing!..
ore... picks..quick rising
settlements.. tents.. Unbelievable..
Vigilantes.. Worries... xenophobic..
yelling zestfully..

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
8-23-2010


*xenophobic ~ fear or hatred towards foreigners, foreign countries, or anything foreign to your everyday life...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Saturday Centus.. ( and yes I still know it's Monday..)

Exactly 100 words, first person, fact or fiction...
What I did over my Summer Vacation ..



What I Did Over My Summer Vacation

I chopped and hoed and planted seed
... dug a swimming hole
I picked and shucked and canned the corn
.... killed an ugly mole..
I read some books then read some more..
.... climbed up the old pine trees
I fell right down and hit the ground
.... Skinning both my knees....
I played a song .. and danced a spell
... on Grandma's metal drum
and though she tried to look away
... I heard my sister hum..
Now that it's time for back to School..
... I hate to hear them say..
Now write some words that tell us how
...you spent the holiday!

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
8-23-2010

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I know you are wondering why I have things from other days on here on Monday.. I am fully aware what day it is.. Sometimes I just run out of time. or space.. or steam and I have things that just don't make it on when they are supposed to.. My computer was trying to make me angry most of the week end and finally I gave up on it.. then this morning after a restart it pretended it was brand new again.. I quit trying to understand.. Hopefully the folks who give us these prompts won't mind.. as long as I don't make a habit of being peculiar...

Today was hot as could be.. I wanted rain and I didn't want rain.. I was excited that I might actually ..if nothing happened and no visitors showed up.. make it to my poetry group meeting.. having been a missing person there for almost five months I hoped they would remember me.. Diane.. the treasurer has been keeping me up on everything.. she sent me every month's assignments.. I worked all day to be sure that I had everything written and printed and all words spelled correctly.. I have missed the group and the fellowship there.. I was ready and raring to be off at five forty five.. I would be a few minutes earlier than the six o'clock starting time... but I couldn't wait any longer.. I had to go! I was glad to see my friends.. I am pretty sure they were glad to see me too... we each read a few poems and then I read some more of the ones I wrote while I was missing in action.. we praised and encouraged each other and laughed together.. I left there with a renewed spirit.. Fellowship does that for a person...

I also tried something new today.. I have heard others speak of the ABC poem.. I wrote two today as a new challenge for myself.. I have included one here.. Gold Rush.. it was fun to write but harder than it looks.. I will confess to cheating just a tiny bit.. I had to come up with an X word.. thankfully the Internet has lists with definitions.. after all you couldn't just stick any old X word in there.. it needs to make some sense..

I like to give myself challenges.. I could write a haiku every day.. In fact I don't miss very many days doing just that.. but I want to keep learning new forms of poetry and new ways to write.. even just a new word is better than nothing at all... Do you try new things? do you challenge yourself to do more.. try harder.. accomplish something new.. I hope you do.. try to learn something new everyday.. encourage yourself and others.. surround yourself with people who make you laugh and whose company you enjoy..

I thank you for stopping by my blog today.. I welcome comments..
Have a wonderful day!
Patsy

Sunday.. Lazy Hot With a Threat of a Storm.. Short poems..

"Poetry is either language lit up by life or life lit up by language."
~ PETER PORTER

"Poetry's a zoo in which you keep demons and angels."
~ LES MURRAY

"Poetry is... a kind of leaving of notes for another to find, and a willingness to have them fall into the wrong hands." ~ MATTHEW HOLLIS


##################


Haiku Heights.. Prompt #5

Festival~

shimmering costumes~
a princess behind the mask
arms lifted for beads

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
8-22-2010

####################

Bubbles~

eyes closed
I blow
emptying my heart..
The sad bubble rises
carrying my woes
heavenward

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
8-22-2010


###############

It has been very hot today.. the kind of hot that leaves you lazy.. wanting to nap beneath a blowing fan.. Air conditioner on high.. I think I could have slept.. but I never tried.. Dogs wanted walking and then as soon as we were out they wanted in.. the computer took it's own time.. ignoring me all day.. and sooooo.. today has been a trial.. thankfully it is now almost over.. Tomorrow is a Poetry club meeting.. Yay!!! That means out and about.. I love out and about!
Thanks for stopping by my blog .. Have a great Night..
Patsy

Friday.. Hot with a Stormy Sky.. And One Quick Cooling Shower

"Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition." ~ Alexander Smith

"When you look up at the sky, you have a feeling of unity, which delights you and makes you giddy." ~ Ferdinand Hodler

"To me travel is a triple delight: anticipation, performance, and recollection."
~ Ilka Chase

##############################

Sky Watch Friday!

Season 4.. episode #6

###########################

The Storm

gentle raindrops fall
softly caressing my skin
silently I cry

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
6-30-2010


##############################

The Tempest

raining corruption
malicious ear purrs wisely~
barbarians fall

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
5-25-2010

###############################

My week has been long.. hot and tiring.. I hope yours has been better.. thanks for stopping by and maybe you will enjoy my words..
Patsy

Thursday.. Three Things as Always... Birthdays.. Whats?..Photos and Poems..

"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America." ~ William J. Clinton

"You can put wings on a pig, but you don't make it an eagle." ~ William J. Clinton

"If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is really true, there would be little hope of advance." ~ Orville Wright

:~} :~} :~} :~} :~}

1:~ Birthdays.. Today is the birthday of at least two important people in American History.. I am sure there are many others born on this day who may have played a part but I think you will agree that these two men do deserve a Happy Birthday mention...

~ Orville Wright was Born August 19th- 1871 and is best known as the first person to successfully fly an airplane. This first flight was December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This inaugural flight was soon to change the skies forever.

Known as "Bubs" to his family .. Orville started his own printing business when he was 15 years old and was running a weekly newspaper by his junior year of high school. His grades.. except for science.. were very low.. as his newspaper grew he lost interest in school and did not go back for his senior year. Even though he never finished high school.. Orville as well as his brother Wilbur earned a great many honorary graduate and post-graduate college degrees.

Orville Wright was active in the promotion of scouting and sat on the Dan Beard Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He was the scouting advisor for the Aviation Merit Badge.

He and Wilbur also won three separate prestigious awards...
Congressional Medal of Honor, awarded June 17, 1909
Legion of Honor, awarded June 20, 1909
Collier Trophy, awarded February 3, 1914

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

~ William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton was born August 19th-1946.. He was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. At 46 he was the third-youngest president...he served two terms..

Clinton plays both the tenor and soprano saxophone and demonstrated his abilities many times on the campaign trail. He also collects saxophones, both miniature and life-sized...In high school, Clinton played saxophone in a jazz trio... The three musicians wore dark glasses on stage and they called themselves "Three Blind Mice"
..He Graduated Georgetown University (1968)and Yale University Law School (1973)..

He is allergic to dust, mold, cats, pollen, beef, and dairy products.. he is said to have smoked marijuana once but said he did not inhale..

In 1998, as a result of issues arising from his personal indiscretions with a young woman White House intern.. Clinton became the second U.S. president to be impeached by the House of Representatives... He was tried in the Senate and found not guilty of the charges against him... He apologized to the nation for his actions and continued to hold the most popular approval ratings for his job as president..

In October 2002, Bill was given an honorary induction into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, becoming the first white person in the hall..

Bill Clinton is the first president to be a Rhodes Scholar...
His nickname as a child was Bubba...

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

2-What is it??

... ~ today I am again asking you to take a look and see if you know what this is..? I am getting easier and easier here.. I am sure someone will know this one at first glance... keep in mind that I may have flipped.. or cropped the photo hoping to confuse you..... It however has NOT been altered in any other way.. it can be a common or a not so common item but I always expect someone to know what it is..
I feel sure that everyone will know this item with very little trouble.. you may have one just like this....I will even give a few clues this week.. to help everyone out..

~ UPDATE~ Yes I am a Mop.. Big Time.. Was the very first person to guess it .. followed by two other right answers.. Maybe this was too easy but it is actually hard to find a regular mop now.. everyone uses those steaming scrubbers or wet padded other expensive things..I do thank you all for playing.. I will be showing another what is it soon..

~ sometimes I am wet.. sometimes I am dry.. I can be found in the corner or on a nail.. almost every house has me.. those who don't are sure to need me.. what am I??? I will be giving a small prize to whoever gets this what is it right.. Do you know what it is.. you can't win unless you comment.. Have a great day!

Patsy

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

3- Fear in ten words or less.. an AllPoetry.com contest...


I smell a Rat ~

quivering despair
heart throbbing ~ hair on end
eek! a mouse!

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
2-10-2010

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

~ Bonus.. look at this poor little guy.. hanging on for dear life.. trying to stay dry as the rain drops fell.. I tried to get Emily to let him run up her arm and into the house where he would be safe from the storm... She had a fit.. shivered and shook as she slammed the door on the poor creature.. maybe she like lizards as much as I like mice...

Tuesday.. HOT! ... With a Rain Lullaby..

"Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby." ~ Langston Hughes

"Let us keep the dance of rain our fathers kept and tread our dreams beneath the jungle sky."

~Arna Bontemps

"Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams." ~ Ashley Smith

# # # # # # # # # #

Two 4 Tuesday!.. Ugly~Pretty

This awful sight used to be the PRETTY little house that My Grandma called home.. her Yard was filled with PRETTY flowers....she always had the most beautiful azaleas in town.... Years of neglect by the current owners have allowed her home to become this UGLY eyesore... I hate to see it this way.. I spent many a hour sitting on those steps listening to the click clack of her knitting needles as she knitted some of us a sweater or maybe a baby blanket for a Church member.. I always loved this house.. IT was always spotlessly clean... and filled with wonderful smells as she baked pound

cakes.... ~

or fried chicken for a family picnic... She loved her little home.. This photo is of her with my Mom and my oldest Brother.. they are standing on her "flagstone walk" She paid us dimes and apples to pull the grass from between the stones..
.. I Love this Easter Photo..

Everyone dressed up back then.. I miss my Grandma.. I know My Mom thinks of her all the time.. and though I hate what has become of her house.. I am reminded that home is where love is.. and we each carry a little of her love with us..

Tonight we have enjoyed some much needed rain here.. the dogs were walking me way across the field when it started so we all got washed a little bit too.. Clyde and I could have made it back a little dryer but Bonnie can barely run with her big belly.. But she did her best... Clyde said we could leave her but I wouldn't let him abandon us... We were on a hot mouse trail before the downpour though.. I hate that we had to give that chase up.. ~ ( OH LORD!!! I LIE! I Hate MICE!!) ~~ I am going to have a heart attack and die way out there in the field of high grass if they ever really scare up a rat..

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.. I hope you will scroll down and enjoy my poetic offerings for today.. Have a wonderful Night!!

Patsy

Project Life~ Grandma's house...

# # # # # # # # # # #

"After The Rain"

angry commuters dripping at the bus stop.. my Volkswagen splashes by....
8/17/2010

# # # # # # # # # #

A Blue Bird in the Barber's Shop
~ a whimsical poem ~


A blue bird rushed the barber's shop
and perched upon the chair...

"I would ask a trim" said he...
but I haven't any hair"

"so could you fluff my feathers up?..
and brush away the dust?"

"I know I look an awful fright..
with all my feathers mussed.."

"I was on my morning flight you see
when a shrew gave me the grip.."

"I hope she hasn't left me bald..
I felt some feathers slip.."

"oh you just rest!!".. the Barber said
"I'll tend you in a while"

Too bad the bird had dropped his head
and missed the wicked smile..

That shrew.. she was the barbers wife..
he reached calmly for his net..

And now that blue bird sings each day
for he is her lovely pet..

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
8-17-2010

Monday With Rain and Yellow School Buses...

"Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned."
- Emily Dickinson

"The theory seems to be that so long as a man is a failure he is one of God's chillun, but that as soon as he has any luck he owes it to the Devil."
- Henry Louis Mencken

"Fortune, seeing that she could not make fools wise, has made them lucky."
- Michel De Montaigne

###############

Moody Monday ~ Peckish...

peck·ish (pksh)
adj.
1. Ill-tempered; irritable.
2. Somewhat hungry.
[From peck, to eat.]


"I was Feeling a Little Peckish..."
a slice would be nice.. a cupcake grand.. but I had soup straight from the can...
8 -16-2010
.. I really was feeling a little Peckish earlier
.. I was aggravated and irritated.. all around ill-tempered.. I was also hungry.. what to cook
just me here after all.. No need to wash pots.. so I cooked up this American Sentence Poem
and a can of my favorite vegetable soup.. I feel better already!!! In fact I feel well enough to write one more...


"Feeding Time Gone a Fowl"
Seeing that the hens felt a little peckish... I tossed them handfuls of feed.
8/16/2010

###############









Manic Monday #218

What are 5 things you want to do in your life?~ Wow.. do I only get to do five things.. I might have already gone over the limit.. I have done a lot of pretty interesting stuff already.. I have helped raise some kids.. Mine and his and theirs and hers and his..and maybe even yours... and they all turned out pretty good... But maybe you meant from now on.. five things.. I guess they should be important things too huh?? Nothing boring like finishing the book I left in the bathroom...?

1- write something others will enjoy reading... and publish it as a book... can't you imagine me prancing into the library to check out my own book..?
2- live so that others will miss me when I'm gone..
3- grow old but not feeble..
4- walk on the great wall of china... (or maybe when I am old and feeble.. my kids can stack up some blocks and fool me...)
5- see all of my children settled and happy.. and do my best to part of the solution and not part of the problem... This does require some tongue biting on my part.. I'll be stuttering any time now..

What are you saying goodbye to? ~ I have said goodbye to many things and many people over the years.. I am getting too old for the drama.. I am not interested in being the center of any ones attention and it is rather tiring that some folks need to be the most important all the time.. I would say goodbye to fancy clothes to but I don't own any.. I am saying goodbye to anger.. it doesn't hurt them.. forget it let it go.. they will reap what they sow.. as Daddy used to say.. "all in good time!"

What are you currently fascinated with? ~ I have got to tell you that I am not easily fascinated.. I am fascinated by words and rhymes and rhythms.. I am fascinated by the humming birds that hatched in my yard this year.. I am almost fascinated by Bonnie's belly.. which is about to drag the ground.. and I know I will be temporarily fascinated by the puppies.. Dave can still fascinate me as can each of my children in their own way.. I am also fascinated with Macro Photography and Geo-Caching... both involve looking close.. and both are new hobbies of mine.. I will always be fascinated by dreams and dolls and the waves striking the shore... simple things..

###############

Back to School Ramble~

Today was the first day of the school year for our little town.. the buses we saw this morning were carrying children to be educated and not the summer's migrant workers to the fields.. All over town there were young Moms silently.. ( well for the most part silently..) wiping tears as they fought the crowds on the way out of the school yard.. some hurrying to work as others went home to an empty house and wondered what they would do all day.. Even Emily came by here.. about to cry after taking Kirstin to school.. I laughed at them.. in a few weeks you will wonder aloud how you ever stood the little heathens.. week-ends they will make you will wish they were in school.. they are going to learn all of the terrible things that you have tried to protect them from.. they will learn words you do not understand... they will learn to read their own stories and they will learn to add up their own allowance.. and they will have the audacity to enjoy being away from you.. so I say start right away and use this time for your own self.. read a book.. clean your room.. clean their room.. dry your eyes and go get busy doing something that you have put off because the kids wouldn't enjoy it or maybe it was too exciting for a small child..
They will thrive and you will survive.. be proud.. you have just accomplished another step in the grand circle of life... Please keep a close eye out for the little ones that may be waiting on buses or walking along the roadways.. Be safe! Thanks for stopping by my blog tonight.. I welcome comments.. Have a great night!
Patsy

Sunday.. Raining.. and Expensive Car Repairs.. TRADE??

"People seem to enjoy things more when they know a lot of other people have been left out of the pleasure." ~ Russell Baker

"He who has wronged you is either stronger or weaker than yourself: be he weaker, spare him; be he stronger, then spare yourself." ~ Walter Scott

"Fortune, seeing that she could not make fools wise, has made them lucky."
~ Michel de Montaigne

# # # # # # # # # # # #

Week End Wordsmith... &
Haiku Heights...

Empty Corner...

a struggle abounds
embellishment torn away~

runaway... Headlines

Written By: Patricia Sawyer
8-15-2010

# # # # # # # # # # # #

Unconscious Mutterings

They say and I say..

1. Rhythm :: ~ Rocking with the Rhythm of the rain...


2. Baby :: ~ Babies are cute.. I don't want any.. but I'll hold yours..


3. Sanctimonious :: ~ I am not sactimonious.. I am always right..


4. I like :: steak and chicken and purple.. Roses and blue skies..
   way too many things to list here...


5. Constipated :: if that means full of what I think it means full of..
   then I know a few people who are constipated..


6. Sleep late :: ~ You don't sleep late when you have chickens...


7. Over easy :: yes two eggs and some grits.. bacon will be fine..
   it the cofee hot and fresh?


8. Erratic :: Don't make me act erratic up in here..


9. Umbrella :: Forget that old umbrella.. you only live once..
   RUN through the RAIN!!!


10. You don’t :: really care.. do you.. well. I didn't care first.. so Now
    do you care..

# # # # # # # # # # # #

Today I was remembering... sometimes a word will make you think.. I remember the first time I ever REMEMBER hearing the word Embellish..

"Don't embellish Patsy".. My grandma said...." just tell it like it is.. you add to many fancy words and stretch simple stories into long tales.... Now.. you get on over there and sit on that second step... Think about it and then afterwhile I'll ask you about how your dress hem got ripped out again.."

Head down I sat and wondered what embellish meant.. I knew I had told the truth.. anyone would think I was making it up about Sheron with her black kitty cat in her bicycle basket.. and how they had come got me.. we knew better than to go into the woods and surely the railroad track was off limits.. I told her I better not go... but she said it was the very bestest ever and ever secret.. that she had found back there.. how was I to know it was just an old shoe?... and then she said I could ride her bike... and she got on the handle bars.. I ain't got a bike so I'm not to good on them.. and then we came to the end of the road.. where the blackberries grow..and you remember it rained last week.. Uncle Neal ain't had a day off work yet so he ain't plowed that old road.. and it's got rain gullies...and then... them rain gullies are deep.. they are deeper than a bike tire.. I hit one and Sheron flew through the air.. not like she had wings though.. not like that.. she just flew like wham and flew.. and the grass is tall down there.. by the tracks..I tried to find her..I hid the bike in the woods.. If she was dead what would I do.. she wasn't dead.. I hoped she wasn't dead.. and I was looking and looking in the grass where I saw her go when she flew... If she was dead she woulda got wings.. and then she woulda flew..Bt I was scared already and then Sheron jumped out the grass and screamed at me.. she said I was too stupid.. I am NOT stupid but she said I was.. to even ride a bike and she said I couldn't ride hers anymore.. so She was mad at me and went to her own house... I followed her and then she screamed at me again.. she said "go home baby.. too stupid to ride a bike baby!".. so I ran and ran back to Aunt Lucy's fence.. Aunt Lucy and them wasn't home.. at least I don't think they were there.. the door was shut.. and I saw her new kitties .. I bet Sheron stole that black kitty.. and when I was trying to get over the fence...I was crying so hard because I am NOT a baby... and I got hung up... I hope my Mama is ok... they been gone after that baby all day.. Grandma won't let Reuben play out here in the yard with me and Jimmy.. she thinks we're babies too.. I was going to ask Grandma to fix my dress.. the hem is loose... and then she said I always tried to Embellish.. and said I had to think about it.. I wish I knew what I was supposed to think about.. always it...whatever it was.. and I sure do wish I knew what embellish meant.......

I don't intend to live a dramatic life.. I don't even mean to embellish things.. Maybe I just see things differently or maybe I tell things differently.. I don't really embellish do I?...?
I welcome comments.. Have a great day!
Patsy

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

A What is it Update.. Did You Guess?

"It is the nature of the strong heart, that like the palm tree it strives ever upwards when it is most burdened." ~ Philip Sidney

"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity... and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself." ~ William Blake

“To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour.”
~ William Blake

= = = = = = = = = = = = = :~}

UPDATE~~

Thursday I posted a what is it.. Though you used to have to go for a drive down to the coast to find it they are now scattered around all over the place.. anyone can buy a few and turn their own yard in to a private oasis... I know a few people who either own one now or live close enough to one that I was sure they would know what it was... I was sure someone would know exactly what it was.. In fact I had a few people in mind that I was sure knew.. I guess I was wrong again.. Please take a look at the photos below and see if you recognize this thing.. Thanks for stopping by my blog today.. We have been enjoying the rain.. I hope that your day too was enjoyable.. I love comments!.. so feel free to leave me one.. Have a great Night!
Patsy

... this is the What id it Photo I posted on Thursday... only one guess was offered.. it really is innards of some kind I guess... just not upholstery innards.. but it was a very good guess... Maybe this next photo will help...

... I bet some of you are thinking...

..... I have seen this before Lets add another..

~ How about now?.. can you guess from this one.. I bet most of you can.. I flipped this one and almost used it for the game but decided to make it a little harder than that.. I wonder how many of you would have gotten it from this photo?..

.. I am sure you know what this is.....

Yes it's a palm tree... this one grows near our new baseball parks... but they actually grow all

over town.. ... and here they are in their natural state on Hunting Island .. I was lucky enough to catch these while they were still standing.. this favorite thinking spot of mine is an island under assault.. at erosion's mercy.. only a narrow strip of forest remains...

I hope you enjoyed the game.. I am sure some of you had an idea and maybe just didn't want to comment.. I wish you would leave a comment so that i will know rather anyone is interested in the what is it puzzles.. It's hard to believe I guess that the first photo.. the What is it?.. one.. is just a macro shot of a palm tree.. a close up shot ..

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.. I hope you will visit my world again.. Keep looking at things up close.. you never know what the next "what is it?" might be.. and yes.. I AM SNEAKY!.. But I am always willing to show you the real thing.. if You need me too .. and live close enough... Have a great Day!

Patsy

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Friday the Thirteenth.. Birthdays.. Reflections on Life...

"Each man is good in His sight. It is not necessary for eagles to be crows."
~ Sitting Bull

"It was on my fifth birthday that Papa put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm." ~ Sam Levenson

"Most of us can remember a time when a birthday - especially if it was one's own - brightened the world as if a second sun has risen." ~ Robert Lynd


* * * * * * * * * *

Happy Birthday Anthony and Annie..

~ Ladies first son!!..

Annie Oakley~ (born Phoebe Ann Mosey) was a world-famous sharpshooter, rifle expert and performer in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show.
History: Born in Ohio in 1860 - the fifth child of Susan Wise and Jacob Mosey - Oakley began shooting animals at an early age in order to supply food for her mother and siblings (her father died of Pneumonia in 1866.. when she was six years old). At the age of 16, she entered a shooting contest in Cincinnati against fellow marksman Frank E. Butler. After winning the contest, Annie formed a relationship with Butler and went on to marry him in 1882. In 1885, Annie and her husband joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West touring show. The exposure that Oakley received as the "Top-Billed" shooter in the show helped propel her to celebrity status (both in the U.S. and abroad). After enjoying a long and successful career in the public eye, Annie Oakley retired to her hometown of Greenville, Ohio where she died on November 3, 1926. Her husband dies only 18 days later...

Fast Facts:

1.Born: August 13, 1860
2.Died: November 3, 1926
3.Name: Phoebe Ann Mosey
4.Nicknamed "Little Sure Shot" by Sitting Bull
5.A musical loosely based on her life, Annie Get Your Gun, became a hit in 1946
6.Died of Pernicious Anemia- more commonly know as lead poisoning.
7.Wrote a letter to president William McKinley in which she offered her services as a sharpshooter during the Spanish-American War.. she also offered the services of women she had trained and insisted that they would provide their own weapons and ammunition.. The President rejected her offer!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

~ Born Turkey Head Anthony Something else JR....
Today is the birthday of my very oldest child.. my son... my helper.. My friend.. He lives far

away.. I won't see him today in person.. but I will think of him!..
I know these may seem like silly pictures to some but these are two of my favorites.. In the first. I had told him to look old timey.. he immediately wiped the smile off of his face and grabbed the lapels of his fake jacket.. he was seven there.. he did a pretty good job of looking old timey.. I love this second photo and I'm betting that many of you have seen it before.. he is a clown.. but he is also a hard working husband... father of two.. full time student.. and military retiree.. He is the oldest of three and much like a second Father to the other two.. I had in him the best helper and friend anyone could ask for.. Some one asked me yesterday if I had a child born on Friday 13th.. I said "well he was born on a Sunday".. I had to laugh as they asked me if he was evil.. "you know".. she added.. "being born on the wicked day and all" I told her again that he was born on a Sunday.. she shivered and said.. "yea.. then he musta is evil.. Born on a Sunday and has his birthday on Friday 13th.." He would have loved it and he would tell her that he is evil. he would most likely make some crazy face at her too just to prove his words.. I am sure that his wife has some wonderful celebrations planned for today..she is great planner and will be sure that he has a great day! I simply hope for him a Happy Happy Birthday.. Now come here.. you OLD turkey head.. and let me pinch you!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Friday Fill -Ins...


Friday, August 13, 2010
#189

And...here we go!

1. Music _sooths the savage beast.. but sometimes some of it gets on my very last nerve__.

2. _Strong Hot Black coffee__ is what I like first thing in the morning.

3. The first thing I said this morning was: _I'm hot_.

4. _What ever is hiding in the refrigerator.._; it's what's for dinner tonight.

5. It's all been _good.. mostly good.. some of it good.. at least.. OK OK it sucked!__

6. _Walking the dogs_ is what I feel like doing right now.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _some rain.. but it isn't happening yet.._, tomorrow my plans include _as little as I can get away with in this heat wave_ and Sunday, I want to _lay in the kiddy pool till I am finally cool.._!



* * * * * * * * * * * *





Weekend Reflections~ #47...



~ it's hard to tell which way is up in this photo filled with reflections... I love to sit on the edge of this old pond and think about things... My Grandma would fish here for hours and hours..

This week has seen two of my children get another year older.. I guess that makes me older too. I have reflected on a lot of things in my life this week.. Not all of it has been good.. some of it has been downright awful.. but without each step.. I would not be who I am today.. so I will end with a comment that My sister-in-law.. ( Patricia) told me the day Emily got married.. don't blink..even if you want too.. you don't want to miss even a second of it! So I thank you for stopping by my blog today.. if you must reflect on your own past.. do so with kindness. I think each of make choices based on what our needs and sometimes our wants are at that moment.. I guess we each do the best we can with what we have..I am Happy with where my life has gone.. the trip wasn't always fun.. but this destination is a blast!.. Have a wonderful day..
Patsy