Look Out! The Poetry Bus is All Over the Road!

All right Bus riders, I'm at the wheel of TFE's Poetry Bus again. Please fasten those nonexistent seat belts & we'll be on our way. Thank you.

One of my very favorite poetry bus poems that I’ve written was the one where we had to all start with the same first line. So I’m copying that idea. There are no rules about the number of lines and rhyming or not rhyming. Simply write a poem that starts with this phrase:

I am a crooked line

I’m cheating, because I’ve stolen that line from a poem I wrote back in January. You may go looking for it if you want, but I’ll post it later (don’t want to influence you guys). So, write a poem, post it, come back here & give me your link in the comments. I’ll post all the links at the bottom of the page. Let's roll!

Wow - look who's first! Totalfeckineejit!
Jeanne Iris
Brian Miller
Helen
Lolamouse
Elaine
Betsy & Me!
M.A.S.
Niamh
Karen
Lucy
120 Socks
Jinksy
Dr. FTSE
Peter Goulding
Izzy
Enchanted Oak
Poetikat
Titus
Margaret

Sigh...

Ah well. I actually have a couple of choices. I'll talk more about it once I know more. But, until then, as I said in my Facebook status: So I get to have a hip replacement (or resurfacing)! All comments, recommendations, horror stories and miracles of the hip are welcome.

Thankful Thursday

I am in a funk today. Just feeling all blech & wishing that I could sleep for about 24 hours. Not that my body would let me stay in bed that long. I think it's just rude how my body has betrayed me in my old middle age. However, I do have some things to be thankful about:

·         One of the reasons I'm in a funk is that my new doctor really could have cared less about my hip pain - before I'd even gotten my complaint out of my mouth she was giving me a referral to an orthopedic doctor. And you know, I'm actually thankful about that - he probably will be very interested in my hip. I hope. I'm thankful I have an appointment with him tomorrow. 

·         I'm thankful for the internet so I can look up the numbers of mysterious callers to see who they are. The one this evening was not a bill collector (not that we're past due on anything, but since I work for a collection agency that's the first thing I think). It was Discover card wanted to sell Dr. M something. No thanks Discover!

·        Today was mostly gorgeous - in the 60s, sunny. When I got home I almost pulled out our swing, but since I'm having trouble even walking [slight exaggeration - it's just pretty painful right now] I decided that trying to woman-handle that thing wasn't the best idea. 

·         The Reds are undefeated! Of course, the pitcher has walked the three batters & given up four runs in the first inning this evening so that record might not make it until the end of the season.

It’s your turn! What are you thankful for today?

Tuesday Night Clog Practice

When I was in college I was a clogging* groupie. I was fascinated by the dance and had a number of friends on the team, but since I have absolutely no rhythm whatsoever there was no question that I’d actually participate. I just tagged along so I could drool over those flying feet (and I probably had a crush on one or more of the guys - I don't exactly remember, but it was probably a lanky blonde named Pony. Sigh). But apparently, one rainy night I was having a little trouble finding the love, so I sat in the balcony & wrote this. So, here are the Bug’s (slightly edited) thoughts from May 4, 1983.

Tuesday Night Clog Practice

Cacophony

I look out the
Grimy window

Search for peace

Too loud

The quiet is imagined

Through dirt and rain

The green so calm

Drops on roof imagined

The babble raises

To fever pitch

Momentary calm
As one voice calls out
And chaos again

To the window

Calm, dark wood

Evidence of rain not heard

Then a million castanets
In perfect time 

Order from melee

The dance is on

Window forgotten

*The Bailey Mountain Cloggers still exist at Mars Hill College, my alma mater. They've had 18 National Championships, so I reckon they’re pretty good. Click here to see a list of their videos. If you want to experience what I was experiencing that night in 1983 choose the Acapella clip.

This is a Magpie Tale and a One Shot Wednesday. Please visit those sites to read more tales & poems. 

Monday Miscellaney

Is it just me, or does it seem to you as if I say I’m feeling extra miscellaneous every Monday? I think I’m seeing a pattern here. Groggy from my out of control weekend of grocery shopping, fen hopping, and churchery, I am in no condition to be coherent. My poor boss. I know, I lead such a glamorous life. Nevertheless, I am providing a list of items for your perusal.


• Baseball season has officially started! Dr. M & I thought we were quite the stuff yesterday as we had the Reds on the TV & the Braves on my computer & we were able to keep up with both games despite the fact of all the red uniforms. My idea of bliss.

• I have a routine doctor’s appointment today, however, I plan to shake it up a bit by asking the doctor WHAT THE HECK CAN I DO FOR ALL THIS EXTRA HIP PAIN THESE DAYS!! Yes, all caps is exactly how I feel about the situation. How can I lose the necessary weight if I can’t even walk properly? (I realize that not eating so much would help tremendously).

• Dr. M has had another couple of good posts lately. Click here to see all the birds we’ve been encountering lately. And click here to see some of our pottery and lucky buckeyes.

• I’ve been dreaming about babies again. And as you might expect, since I’ve never had a child, my dreams often involve trying to figure out what all stuff I need for a new baby. Apparently, in my dreams I don’t prepare for the babies at all. They just show up somehow & expect me to be competent. So, since I believe that dreaming of babies signals change & not some untapped maternal urge, I am anticipating a heck of a change in the next few weeks. I just hope it’s a good one!

All right, that’s all I can manage for today. Tune in tomorrow night when I may or may not post a poem about clogging!

2011 Project 365 – Week Fourteen

Well, Dr. M is back with the majority of the pictures this week. And that’s good because the Tax Time pig didn’t have a new outfit so I don’t know what I would have been taking pictures of. Ha!

Sunday, March 27^th      

I guess Sunday is our day to have the weekly squirrel because here’s another one. Although we do have one more this week.

I took this picture. It’s not very good, but the important thing to focus on is the blue lines through ALL the final four teams I had listed. This sucker went into the recycle bin shortly after this picture.

Monday, March 28^th  

Dr. M took this on his way to school.

And I took this on my way home from work. I think it would be a lot of fun to go up in a balloon someday – I’ll have to remember this picture so I know who to call.

Tuesday, March 29^th

Robin in our back yard. I love the colors in this picture for some reason.

The University deer herd.

And Stumpy the Squirrel in action.

Wednesday, March 30^th

The State of the Bug. I used this picture in my Thankful Thursday post. This was my reaction to seeing some snowflakes. Some might say I overreacted, but I think not. Heh.

Thursday, March 31^st      

It’s a finch!

Friday, April 1^st  

Another sunrise on Dr. M’s way to work.

Woodpecker in the back yard.

Saturday, April 2^nd

Dr. M & I finally made it back to the Siebenthaler Fen. We had promised to go once a month, but we missed March due to the rude weather. We really enjoyed the walk, although it didn’t really feel any warmer than the last time we were there. Brr. But look – much dryer!

And there were green things and flowers growing.

I’m just a little windblown.

Navigating the planks.

Go to Sara’s blog here to see the blogs of all the other Project 365 participants.

The Poetry Bus - The Boundless Sea

This week's bus driver is JoAnne of Titus the Dog. Titus, er, JoAnne is an excellent driver and poet. She has asked us to write about one of the following animals (for her own sneaky reasons - go here to see why): 1) The Dolphin; 2) The Gecko; 3) The Panther; 4) The Bushbaby; 5) The Archerfish; 6) The Kingfisher; 7) The Harrier; or 8) The Ring-tailed Lemur. 


I chose the Kingfisher, specifically the Sacred Kingfisher, because of what I read about it on Wikipedia.

Image from Wikipedia

The Boundless Sea


I don’t do water.
It’s alien and alive
with evil intention.
Really it is and so
thank you, but I
will just stand here
on the shore and watch
the brilliant Kingfisher
make its capricious
pronouncement
about who lives and dies
in the boundless sea.

Thankful Thursday

Let's look on the bright side of life for a minute:

·         Dr. M's mom had surgery on her hip & is already going back to the nursing home tomorrow. We're glad that the surgery went well - and we're hopeful for a quick recovery.

·         I finished the last book in the Millennium series today (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest). I thoroughly enjoyed all the books - it's really too bad that Stieg Larsson died before they were published & that there aren't going to be any more novels by him.

·         I am thankful for today's snow. Well, that might be a stretch (see yesterday's post). And it wasn't much of a snow - but I'm hopeful that in the middle of the summer remembering it will keep me from complaining about the heat. If I were you I wouldn't place any bets on that happening. The not complaining I mean. But feel free to remind me of this date come mid-summer. 

This is the look on my face after I saw the first snowflake this morning

·         Tomorrow is baseball's opening day!! I'm so excited - we have been in baseball withdrawal for quite some time now. There's always a bit of a honeymoon period at the end of the season where I'm glad that it's done, but it doesn't really last very long. It's like how I'm glad to spend some time alone at home - and then after about an hour and a half I'm bored with myself & wishing for Dr. M.

·         And speaking of Dr. M, I'm glad he's on his way home from his late class. And now I need to go fix his dinner!

It’s your turn! What are you thankful for today?

Winter’s Last Assault

Winter’s Last Assault

I looked into the face of spring

and laid bare my yearning.

Enigmatic as always

she gave nothing away.

The gray sky is a backdrop

to my melancholy.

The buds on the trees,

the greening of grass,

and the surprise of flowers

tremble at winter’s last assault.

Hands in the pockets

of my winter coat

I look into the face of spring

and sigh.

This is a Magpie Tale and a One Shot Wednesday. Please check out those sites to read more.

Monday Miscellany

“What is life, but a collection of miscellaneous events that make up a blog post?” The Bug


• Dr. M’s mom fell and broke her hip over the weekend. Despite her other problems, she has actually been in fairly good physical shape for the last while so we’re hopeful that she’ll be able to recover from this quickly. The problem will be getting her to understand that she can’t move the hip.

• I was glad to get my car back last week. I might think I want a new car, and I did enjoy the rental, but I’m a creature of habit and I am quite comfortable with my Saturn. I know where all the buttons are. I like the drink holder situation (very important!). I can listen to my audio books without problems. So here’s hoping I can put another 115,000 miles on it! Maybe I should give it a name. Any ideas?

• I went to downtown Columbus for the first time on Saturday. Although I have been many places for the first time by myself (college, Zambia, Ohio Department of Jobs & Family Services) I don’t really like it. But I made it to the restaurant to meet a friend after only two wrong turns, so it wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed poking around a vintage store (um, filled with stuff from my childhood – plus they had the Olivia Newton John Physical album for heaven’s sake – that’s not vintage. Is it?). And I enjoyed the Texas Chair Project quite a lot. So the takeaway is that it’s good to venture out of your comfort zone every now & then.

• I just glanced out the window of my office & I see that there is ICE on the water in the pool in front of my building. Ice! What. The. Hell. Sigh.

• I put my NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket form in the recycling yesterday. Kansas was the only team I had left & now they’re gone. But I’m pretty excited about Virginia Commonwealth & Butler making the final four – and VCU had to play a play-in game so the fact that they made it this far is pretty amazing. Or maybe the selection committee has issues (which I think we would all agree with since they sent eleven big east teams to the tournament & now only one remains, which, you know, actually makes sense since there are only four teams left. But still.).

OK, that’s enough miscellany for now. Have a great day!

Weekly Wordzzle

It’s Wordzzle time! I was trying really hard to write a dramatic piece for my dad, but I just couldn’t do it. It started out dramatically, but then it drifted on over into melodrama, or comedy. Sorry Daddy – I don’t think I’m going to be able to do it.

Since I was working on a longer piece I used all the words together instead of doing separate stories. Please go to Raven’s Nest to check out the other stories!

Words for the week: sharp as a tack, paper towels, sage, boiling water, mystery, salivate, news worthy, try it on for size, pardon, ambulance, misery, saga, flat as a pancake, pearls, octagon

Looking back, I see that there is a mystery to this “memory.” Perhaps what I thought was newsworthy then hasn’t stood the test of time. Don’t get me wrong, I still think it’s quite a saga, if only of interest to me. So why am I casting these personal pearls before you? Perhaps in the vain hope that sharing my misery will lessen its sting.

In 1964 I was working on my father’s dairy farm. My young bride was about to give birth to our first child. I had been up since dawn being a dairyman and now I was expecting to deliver this child. I had an intense desire to bring new life into the world with my own hands.

My wife was not amused by my intention, muttering, “You’re going to try to be a doctor! Try it on for size! I’ll try you on for size! WW, I am not too sure about this at all. I know you think you’re sharp as a tack, but begging your pardon, I haven’t really known you all that long. Have you ever delivered anything other than a calf?”

“Now CJ,” I admonished, “I’ve got the pot ready for boiling water, the paper towels to clean up the mess, and the sage to put under your pillow to keep you grounded.” I could understand her concern, but she didn’t know how the thought of delivering my own child made me salivate. My plan had eight points, an octagon of a plan, if you will. But I never had the chance to implement even one of the points. While I was gathering my supplies, CJ was calling the ambulance.

In the hospital several hours later, my dream flat as a pancake, I fell asleep in the waiting room.

A few years ago I talked to CJ about that day. She remembered me falling asleep, but not that I wanted to deliver the baby at home. I wonder now, was this dream deferred really just a dream I had napping in the hospital? Perhaps I’ve spent my life regretting the loss of an experience that I only dreamed I wanted. Perhaps. On the other hand, I have a pregnant niece – I wonder if she would let me deliver her baby?