Monday, April 30, 2012

April 30, 2012


clouds swirling
trees bending
hot tub soak

two quilts finished
now begins
the quilting marathon
eight quilts in
thirty-eight days

Sunday, April 29, 2012

April 29, 2012


preening
in the birdbath
black-capped chickadees

writing
and quilting
two quilts 
nearly complete
more in the wings

Wordle 54: Ensorcelled Swans


Ensorcelled Swans

A flock of swans
beating their wings
over the sea towards land
not wanting to squander
a single moment
of their time as swans
before  the intractable
sorcerer renews the spell
follows a mountain lane 
which can accommodate them
in either of their forms,
an alleyway between cliffs,
spotting with their green eyes
the pewter waters of a placid lake
where they will spend the day
until they have to transform back
into their human forms.

Ok, I am watching Swan Lake.  Can you tell? I turned it upside down with swans having to take human form for part of each day instead of humans transformed into swans, but I figure Tchaikovsky will forgive me, I hope.  This is written for The Sunday Whirl's Wordle 54 and the twelve words to use are: green, squander, sea, accomodate, intractable, pewter, follow, lane, beating, alley, flocks, and eyes.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

April 28, 2012


pink cyclamen
a robin hunts
across the lawn

little strips
becoming bigger strips
before turning into squares
soon to morph into
quilt tops

Six Word Saturday

Doing laundry while piecing two quilts

Friday, April 27, 2012

April 27, 2012


two snails
on the riser
apple tree blossoms

chores done
small strips
sewn into
wider strips
cloudy day

Thursday, April 26, 2012

April 26, 2012


spring winds
apple blossoms fill the air
a bumblebee flies by

tutoring 
and errands
and more tutoring
rain turns to sun
and back to rain

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

April 25, 2012


fig trees
beginning to leaf
slugs on the walkway

slugs enjoying
the walkway
frogs crocking
the birds sing
rain falls gently

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

April 24, 2012


apple blossoms
filling the air
a frog chorus

tutoring
at Student Link
errands completed
a quiet afternoon
napping and reading

Monday, April 23, 2012

April 23, 2012


a bumblebee
feeding on a pansy
the birds sing

a hummingbird, a bumblebee,
and a slug start
the wonderful day
a doctor’s appointment
mass transit wonders

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Wordle 53: A Dragon Ride


In honor of the first year’s anniversary of the Sunday Whirl, today’s words were submitted by the blogs readers (including me! Can you guess which word was mine?).  The words are tricky for sure to combine, and I had a very hard time of it.  The words are: aches, exquisite, abstract, shelved, ferment, dragon, coda, shimmy, origami, spangling, ethereal, and cacophony.   Here is my effort:

An origami dragon
shelved and forgotten
an abstract representation
only a coda of a bygone era
until a young girl 
carrying aches beyond
her years and escaping
a cacophonous party
filled with fermented beverages
came over to admire the dragon.
At once the dragon began to shimmy,
scales replacing
the artificial spangling
as the dragon, with ethereal 
purple wings taking shape
in all her exquisite splendor
offered to whisk the girl
out of the sordid atmosphere
for a ride up into
the skies above.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

April 21, 2012


April sun
the cats enjoy
an open window

laundry done
wardrobe assembled
a dog and I walk
to the mailbox
glorious sunny day

Six Word Saturday

Bright sunny day new wardrobe assembled


This just sums up my day splendidly.  It has been a gorgeous day, especially appreciated after lots of clouds and rain.  And the wardrobe I ordered for my bedroom arrived yesterday instead of next Monday which was the estimated arrival date, and that pleased me greatly as I was able to assemble it today. I am now sore and tired, but it looks lovely and is just what I needed. Furthermore, the sun is still shining and it is supposed to continue doing so for one or two more days! Just can't ask better than that!  And thanks to a gentle nudge from a reader I have now added a photo of yesterday's efforts! Thanks, Ticklebear! I'm not really very adept at getting photos onto blog posts, but I would like to learn!



Friday, April 20, 2012

April 20, 2012


April rains
a slug glides
up the fence post

appointments 
and service calls
zipper sewing lesson 
rain ends as
the weekend arrives

Thursday, April 19, 2012

April 19, 2012


April rains
the birdbath
overflows

tutoring
in a different location
stocking up on
dog and cat food
never-ending rain

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

April 18, 2012


a slug resting 
on a stair riser
cyclamen bloom

rain turns
to sun as the
day progresses
many activities
quiet evening

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

April 17, 2012


walking under
a low tree branch
water drips inside my collar

tutoring resumes
seniors in crunch time
doctor's appointment
a set of drawers assembled
pouring rain

Monday, April 16, 2012

April 16, 2012


sharing
my morning shower
eleven slugs

clearing out
a closet
a haircut and then
lunch with a friend
last day of spring break

Sunday, April 15, 2012

April 15, 2012


April 15th
my third anniversary
as a quilter

submitting haiku
writing more poetry
reading others poems
taking a nap
walking Oliver

Wordle 52: The Dragon and Her Rider


This is Wordle 52 from The Sunday Whirl and this week’s words are: sweet, richer, dramatic, forceful, tricks, flames, energy, push, glance, exchange, breath, flexible, and blend.

The Dragon and Her Rider

The dragon gave 
her rider a forceful push
as if to say let’s fly.
The sky was clear
the breeze sweet
the young dragon
full of energy and tricks
curved her flexible neck
and exchanged a glance
with her rider.
Airborne they became
a dramatic blend of magic
as the dragon’s richer breath
filled with flames.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

April 14, 2012


wind chimes play
the old dog dreams of 
summer warmth

dog hops
on three legs
wanting so to run
frogs croak
at the back pond

Six Word Saturday

Helping dog recover from knee surgery

Friday, April 13, 2012

April 13, 2012


a sunny spot
the cat sleeps
in a new bed

off to the vet
for Oliver's knee surgery
the house too quiet
with just two dogs
and three cats

Thursday, April 12, 2012

April 12, 2012


dreaming
of haiku prompts
a fox on a swing

binding the edges
of my new purse
sewing many strips
into wider strips
time to nap

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

April 11, 2012


peeking through
the tree tops
a hint of mountains


sewing lessons
making a purse
nearly done
frogs croaking
rain falling

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

April 10, 2012


three frogs
in a mixed chorus
hot tub serenade

slicing fabric
with a rotary cutter
into different widths
sewing strips together
before cutting squares

Monday, April 9, 2012

April 9, 2012


the splashing
of the pond fountain
a frog croaks

cutting out
a new sewing project
quilting the pieces
a frog under
the bushes

Sunday, April 8, 2012

April 8, 2012


chickadee
building a nest
cat watches through the window

squaring and binding
four quilts
writing blog posts
and poetry
sun shines

Wordle 51: A Mother's Warning


The is Wordle 51 from The Sunday Whirl and the twelve words I must use are: destiny, dusk, staggering, buried, mate, marrow, addiction, songs, blood, story, sorrows, and broken.

A Mother’s Warning

The mother began
her story filled with sorrows
just after dusk.
Her children listened
avidly as she told
of her now buried 
loving mate
who returned home
staggering, broken
covered in blood
only to die at her feet.
Songs will be written
of your father’s addiction
as a warning to others,
his destiny unfulfilled
because of his hunger
for marrows which brought
him up against
the farmer’s trap.
Be warned, young rabbits!

I tried to put a lighter spin on these dark words.  Major nods to Beatrix Potter for my story line!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Six Word Saturday

Lots of quilting lovely sunny day

April 7, 2012


waltzing across
four quilts
daughter texts

writing flash fiction
quilting four quilts
doing laundry
a friend stops by
spring break begins

Friday, April 6, 2012

April 6, 2012


the full moon
behind fir trees
a frog croaks

therapy and errands
planning next sewing project
reading and napping
chickadees darting
through the yard

Thursday, April 5, 2012

April 5, 2012


chickadees
in the birdbath
a rainbow pinwheel spins

after tutoring
quilting
sewing four backs
and pinning 
four quilts

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

April 4, 2012


same time same place
the crow overhead
again with twigs in her beak

watching the birds
nest building
helping students
comforting pets
sunny day

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

April 3, 2012


tulip buds
ready to blossom
a frog croaks

a crow overhead
with twigs in her beak
hot tub soak

a trying day
finding solace
in quilting
two more tops pieced
sun comes out

Monday, April 2, 2012

April 2, 2012


spring rains
skipped today
a butterfly in the garden

sunny spring day
one quilt top finished
another half done
lunch and games
with a friend

Sunday, April 1, 2012

April 1, 2012


sun teases
before vanishing
April Fool’s Day

sun comes out
for dawn and dusk
rain in between
quilting, reading,
writing, and napping

Wordle 50: Sir Thackeray


Here is my contribution to The Sunday Whirl’s Wordle 50 challenge.  Today’s words are: pet, string, wish, point, trick, shine, paw, smell, pack, shape, taste, and whisper

Sir Thackeray

Sir Thackeray knows he rules the pack
and pointing his paw at random shapes
he conjures up trick after trick,
before he plays with the string
left discarded on the floor
or tastes his food when no one looks,
wishing for another flavor to smell and savor.
He grooms himself until his fur shines,
and then whispers in the dog’s ear
making the dog leap and run.
Thackeray is no pet, but a free spirit
whom I am lucky to have for a friend.