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Retired from the rat race, and now a stay at home dad. Amateur photographer who attempts to write American Haiku in the style of Jack Kerouac to go with some of his photography, as he debates about becoming a professional photographer

Friday, October 21, 2011

My first public published haiku was published in Jul/Aug editions of the e-zine Sketchbook A Journal for Eastern & Western Short Forms. My poem is #163

http://poetrywriting.org/Sketchbook6-4JulAug2011/0_Contents_Sketchbook_6-4_JulAug_Results_insect_Haiku_Thread.htm

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Tiger waitng

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Tiger is a large feral male tabby that we rescued earlier this year after finding him with an injured front paw. In early Spring you could not get near him, now he loves to be held and follows me around the yard. Come winter he will probably be allowed into the house

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Laura to be reading

100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE

IS ORGANIZING A GLOBAL EVENT FOR SEPTEMBER 24th 2011


700 Events – 550 Cities – 95 Countries

Join poets around the USA and across the planet, on September 24th, in a demonstration/celebration of poetry to promote serious social, environmental, and political change.
TO REGISTER YOUR EVENT for 100 TPC write to us at: walterblue@bigbridge.org
Or participate in an existing event! Check the Event Locations sidebar menu for an event near you!


http://www.bigbridge.org/100thousandpoetsforchange/?cat=753



Thursday, August 11, 2011

Irish Blessings

May you have warm words on a cold evening,
a full moon on a dark night,
and the road downhill all the way to your door.
 

Saturday, May 21, 2011

A walk along Lake

Saturday a week ago we spent a wonderful day walking one of the trails in the Anne Springs Close Greenway. The trail curved around Lake Haigler, and was not overly strenuous.



The ASC Greenway is home to 2,300 acres of hardwood forests, prairies, creeks, streams, lakes and ponds protected by a conservation easement in perpetuity. The Greenway has over 30 miles of hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails, historical cabins, a grist mill with working waterwheel, and a nature center filled with wildlife and historical exhibits. Canoeing, kayaking, and fishing are also available on the 28-acre Lake Haigler.  Fishing is also allowed in four other fishing ponds. The Greenway property is an outdoor paradise with breathtaking scenery and something to do for everyone.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Ode to my mom written upon her death in December 1999:



I have been nominated to write something about our Mom, by my brother’s Steve and Joe. The reason they gave me was because of my so called writing ability. I guess it was a mistake to write that article in the Monacan News, thanking my parents for what they have taught me. Now everyone thinks that I am a writer. Well Steve was always more poetic and Joe the individualist.

In that article I related how my parents have always taught me to be proud of my Indian Heritage. And how, they instilled in me the Indian approach to Life; a respect and love for nature; the principles of truth, honesty, generosity, equality, and brotherhood, as a guide for my conduct in everyday affairs.

I do not know how good my writing is, or how well, I will be able to articulate my feelings. However, I do know that if it wasn’t for my mom always reminding me to use correct English, and encouraging me to read and write, I would not be writing this.

Too often, we are remembered by our occupations. We can use the words like Model, Den Mother, Telephone Operator, Hotel Owner, to describe Mom’s occupations, but this isn’t who she was. These were additional duties to her primary job of being a Mother. Mom was a Mother who provided comfort, discipline, kindness, love, protection and understanding. She was a Mother, who gave unconditional love to her three sons, even when we made mistakes.

She encouraged and supported us to take risks, for she knew that the greatest danger in life is to risk nothing. By risking nothing we may think we are safe and are avoiding pain. But, oh, how boring a life we would lead and what a lie our life would be. Only through risk can we feel, learn, grow, live and love. She wanted us to love, to live life on our terms. She wanted us to believe in our self. For, she knew that if we believe in our self, so too would other believe in us. She did not want us to be carbon copies of anyone. Yes, she may have been disappointed when we faltered.  And at times, felt that she failed as a Mother. But she still loved us unconditionally. And Mom, you did not fail us as a Mother.

She taught us that everything that happens can teach us a lesson of Life. Happiness, sadness, advancements, setbacks, the greatest moments of grandeur, and those of sheer stupidity, forges us into the individuals that we have become. For without these test, our Life would be just like a Merry-go-round, Dull and pointless!

She took great interest in our Indian Heritage. Never seeking or expecting recognition, she was glad to make anonymous donations to the Monacan Nation. Just this past October, she gave several boxes full of sewing books, supplies and material to the Tribe. Sewing and quilting was something that she was very good at, until the arthritis in her hands became too painful for her. Yes, it was hard for her to let all of these sewing supplies go, for she never gave up hope of one day being able to sew again. However, I suspect that this past October she realize that her time remaining was growing shorter and these things could be better utilized by the Tribe than by sitting in the sewing room.

There are many things my Mom taught me; I would like to share 26 of them.

Admit your mistakes
Be happy
Continue to learn something new each day
Delight in the small things
Enjoy your family and friends
Follow your own path, while doing no harm
Give thanks for all that you have, all that you experience, the good and the bad
Hug often
It is easier to be helpful than harmful
Jump for joy as often as possible.
Know your limitations, and then expand them
Laugh from the belly, and often
Miracles are real, they happen every day
Never intentionally harm someone
Opportunities to do good are always present
Plant as many trees, and flowers that you can
Quiet time, spent alone is important
Respect tradition, respect the Earth, and take responsibility for your actions
Smiles are free, give them often
Take no one for granted, for tomorrow the may be gone
Use every second and every word wisely, neither can be retrieved
Visit family and friends often
Welcome big problems, for they help us grow and may also disguise big opportunities
Xmas is the time for families and gentle falling snow
Zoos are fun

I loved my Mother, she was my friend
My Mother, my friend has walked on
What more can I say
The poem ends
Softly as it began
I love my Mother, she was my friend
Good Night, God Bless, I Love you

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Playing in the Dirt




Here in the South, when one hears the phrase 'playing in the dirt' one tends to picture good old boys and girls out mudslinging in their 4x4 or ATV's. It may also indicate a  trip to the local dirt track for stockcar racing. However when Laura or I use the term it means we are out in the yard working the gardens.

This past Sunday was a great day for us to play in the dirt, since the strong storms the day before cleaned the pollen from the air. A cool sunny day albeit a tad windy, but a great day for yard work.

Laura and Katie were visiting Laura's dad when I woke Sunday. So, I put in a load of laundry, folded clothes that were in the dryer while waiting for the two most important people in my life to come home.

Upon returning, Katie went to sequester herself in her room to text, to surf the web, and then to try to get her electronic piano working. I had to get batteries for her later in the day.

Laura planted some flowers in the flower pots that sit upon our brick wall in the back yard, as I gather the tools, potting soil, mulch and our rusty red wagon. The brick wall runs along the side of our property to the back, it helps to hold up the hill that makes up most of our backyard.

The veggie garden was our next stop. The garden is located next to the south facing side of our house.  Two circular raised garden plots that Laura uses to plant her peppers, tomatoes and other good Southern veggies.
As Laura dug the holes, I was weeding the garden plots. The weeds seem to grow very fast, especially the snake berry plant. No snakes seen while we were working, but we have found several copperheads since moving here in August 2009.

To the east and a little up the hill from the veggie gardens is another raised circular plot use flowers. There are many trees in our yard, so of course, the flower plot had a lot of leaves that needed to be turned over in the rich black soil. That is opposed to the usual red clay that makes up part of the yard.

The hoe is Laura weapon of choice when it comes to garden work. I elected to use the metal rake with sturdy teeth, not to be confused with the metal rake that has those long slender teeth that are great for raking leaves but not for turning soil. 

With weapons in hand, we began to mix the dirt, leaves and potting soil together. In addition to weeds, I pulled three wild onions from the flower bed. These would be later used in a salad. Several small tree seedlings were also present in the bed.

On our 0.75 acres of land there are more than twenty-five mature trees, mostly oak. And more seedlings trees than I care to count, but am glad that we have them.

Next stop was the flower bed directly in front of the house to plant more flowers. It was my turn to dig the holes and plant the flowers, while Laura separated the flowers from the containers.

Pansies and a large yellow flower that I purchased for Laura for her birthday. Same kind of flower that I got as a gift last year. Laura loves yellow flowers especially sunflowers. We plan on adding more of these near our front steps.

Morris the orange tabby that lives next door, but has adopted us just had to add his commentary to our yard work. Uncertain if his commentary were advice, criticism or just talking for attention. Morris also had to inspect our work, usually before we were finished planting something. Cats, don't you just love them.

Three juniper bushes were our next planting job. Our yard is a steep hill that has some erosion problems. The juniper are ground cover that could help with the erosion, plus the have a pleasant aroma.

The first two I dug the holes and  planted the bushes. To sit or kneel down to work the red dirt with the rich potting soil was such a pleasure. It brought back memories of helping my mom with her garden and flower beds. Mixing the potting soil and the red dirt of South Carolina should give a good soil mix for the juniper to grow.

Morris update: we used the red wagon to move the plants to the planting location, I spied Morris using the wagon as a sun shield and composed the following haiku.

rusty red wagon
orange tabby cats
hides in shade

Laura took over digging the remaining holes, one for the juniper and for a small oak tree. My lungs were on fire and I had started coughing. My bronchitis has been acting up with all the pollen in the air.
One oak tree seedling left to plant. It was moved from the veggie garden and put in the front yard. Laura dug the hole and I planted the tree. I sent some energy into the oak tree, and the juniper bushes, while asking Cernunnos to help them grow.

We were mulching the flowers and juniper as we planted, only watering was left to do. This is a bit of a problem since our property has an odd feature in that we have no water outlet in the front yard.

By now we were both tired and didn't feel like lugging old ice tea gallon containers full of water to all the plants. Laura had a great idea, she would use one use one of the 18 gallon bins she got to hide Christmas presents in and fill it with water. 

We placed the bin it in the trusty but rusty red wagon filling it with water and Miracle Grow and went forth to water all that we planted.

Background: the red wagon is one of those metal wagons that are bought for young children, I don't know if the wagon was originally purchase for Laura or Katie. But it is rusty and I had thought of replacing it with something new for yard work. Laura talked me out it. I guess, I need to get a steel brush and remove some of the rust and then paint it.


Thursday, March 31, 2011

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

A Bleseed Ostara to all



Days grow long
Winter’s gone
New seeds
New growth
Rejoice and give thanks
A Blessed Ostara to all

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Some Thoughts on Affirmation


You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. - James Lane Allen
~
In every moment we are creating or altering our futures. Our lives are a product of our thoughts, our visualizations, our intentions, our emotions, our feelings, our beliefs, our attitudes, our expectations. Our lives are also the products of our spoken words and our physical actions. Added to our thoughts and actions are the programming that is feed to us from our society, our religion, our culture, our family and friends. Each and everyone one of us has the power within to change our life.
~
Thoughts are the basis of all manifestation. ENERGY FOLLOW THOUGTS or ENERGY FOLLOWS CONSCIOUSNESS.
~
An affirmation from Latin affirmare —n.
1. the act or an instance of affirming; state of being affirmed.
2. the assertion that something exists or is true.
3. something that is affirmed; a statement or proposition that is declared to be true.
4. confirmation or ratification of the truth or validity of a prior judgment, decision, etc.
~
Affirmations are one tool that we can use to change our thought pattern. An affirmation is like planting a seed. If this seed is to grow and blossom than it needs to be tended to every day. When working with affirmations daily one may find that each day becomes more joyous than the one before it.
~
Notice that I said may and not will become joyous. The reason for that is in order for manifestation, magick, prayer, or affirmation to work one must be aware of and overcome the following negative patterns.

~
First is doubt or disbelief or a subconscious feeling/belief that we do not truly deserve that which we desire or that which we are affirming to. These feelings or beliefs will sabotage our efforts.
~
For any one that works manifestation, magick, or affirmation, doubt will always overcome your will and intent when using these tools.
~
Related to this is that we have habitual tendencies that may lead to self defeating behavior. Bottom line is you have to feel that you deserve to win.
~
Another thing to consider is that existence always gives us what we need and not always what we want, therefore, winning the lottery may be what we are trying to attract to us, but the lessons one might learn from winning this is not in our highest interests, so the universe doesn’t produce what we are trying to attract to us. It has been my experience that this is truer when working magick or manifestation, than when working with affirmation and prayer.
~
Here are some thoughts on affirmation that I found at various places on the web.
~
Affirmations are statements of acceptance that one uses to allow the manifestation of your destiny.  They are powerful and positive thoughts and statements sent out to the universe.  To do positive affirmations, you need to eliminate the negativity around you. You must first believe that YOU CAN manifest your destiny.  It must be a positive, powerful belief not just 'maybe I'll try and see if this works".  Together with Visualizations, you can create the life you want.
~
An affirmation is a form of autosuggestion in which a statement of a desirable intention or condition of the world or the mind is deliberately meditated on and/or repeated in order to implant it in the mind. Many believers recommend accompanying recitations with mental visualization of a desired outcome. Affirmation could be viewed positively as a mobilization of one's inner resources. For example, believers would consider "I Am making more room in my life for success every day" a much wiser affirmation than "I will win the lottery today!" Affirmations are always phrased in the first person and usually in a present tense ("I Am") rather than a future tense ("I will") in order to increase the realization of the statement for the affirmation. Affirmations are believed to be a very powerful means of reprogramming the subjective mind. They appear to be most effective when repeated in a quiet and restful state of mind and body, and when the desired outcome is vividly experienced in one's mind and resulting emotions are felt.
~
Perhaps the most often used and well-known affirmation is the word "Amen," which can be translated simply as "so be it" or "and so it is," affirming the truth of whatever was written or said immediately prior. While often used to conclude prayer, the word itself is neutral as to its context and exemplifies a logical affirmation more than a spiritual one.

Gra, Dilseacht, Cairdeas -- Love, Loyalty, Friendship
/|\ By Land, Sea, and Sky one hundred thousand Blessings to all who read these words!
 To bring Peace, be Peaceful … A Celtic Warrior.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Everything I need to know about life I learn from Trees


Author unknown to me

As above so below, as below, so above.

The three realms are represented by the tree, the roots for the Underworld, the trunk for the Middle World and the branches for the Upper World.

It’s important to have roots.

In today’s world, it pays to branch out.

Don’t pine away over old flames.

If you really believe something, don’t be afraid to go out on a limb.

Be flexible, so you don’t break when a harsh wind blows.

Sometimes you have to shed your old bark in order to grow.

There are wide years and thin years and the lines show.

Grow were you are planted.

It’s okay to be a late bloomer.

Avoid people who would like to cut you down.

Lean into the sun and rain.

It’s more important to be honest, than popular.

Sometimes you have to pull up roots and move on.

Remember, give yourself time to blossom.

Share what you have learned with those who sit in your shade.

/|\ By sea, land, and sky, a hundred thousand blessings to all who read these words.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Words are like arrows

You Never Can Tell
You never can tell when you send a word,
Like an arrow shot from a bow
By an archer blind, be it cruel or kind,
Just where it may chance to go.
It may pierce the breast of your dearest friend,
Tipped with its poison or balm,
To a stranger’s heart in life’s great mart,
It may carry its pain or its calm.
You never can tell when you do an act
Just what the result will be;
But with every deed you are sowing a seed,
Though the harvest you may not see.
Each kindly act is an acorn dropped
In God’s productive soil
You may not know, but the tree shall grow,
With shelter for those who toil.
You never can tell what your thoughts will do,
In bringing you hate or love;
For thoughts are things, and their airy wings
Are swifter than carrier doves.
They follow the law of the universe –
Each thing must create its kind,
And they speed o’er the track to bring you back
Whatever went out from your mind.
*
Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1850-1919
http://www.crcsite.org/Wilcox.htm
*
This is a very interesting poem that touches on several things. Remember thoughts are things they become manifested as words, word are sent out and become deeds and deeds become history.
*
Words are like arrows so easy to send forth and impossible to retrieve while in flight. Some people do not fully realize the power of words; they can both harm or heal another’s psyche. And there are others that know full well the power of words and purposely use them to cause hate, mistrust, confusion and doubt. Therefore Ms Wilcox is talking about being aware of the impact of our words for they have the ability to lift one up or tear one down. This teaches us two things, awareness of our thought process and the impacts of our words have on others.
*
The second stanza teaches the cause/effect of our words and since words can lead to actions it also is a reminder of the cause/effect of our actions. Both my training and my own observation of life I have realize that everything that we experience is the manifestations of our thoughts, words and deeds.
*
The last stanza Ms Wilcox talks about Universal Law, the three most related to her poem would be the Law of Attraction, the Law of Manifestation, and the Law of Cause/Effect. The Law of Attraction and the Law of Manifestation are very closely related, since they bring about the conditions and events of our lives.
*
The Law of Attraction basic principle is this: Whatever you focus on expands. In other words, think positive thoughts and you attract positive things into your life. The problem is that it works in reverse too. Worry and you get more to worry about. If you think something bad will happen and worry about it, then that bad thing will happen.
*
The Law of Manifestation basic principle is that we can manifest things in our life but the thought patterns that we send out.
*
Both the Law of Attraction and the Law of Manifestation are examples of the Law of Cause and Effect in that our thoughts are causes which have been manifested thus effecting our reality.
*
Everything in the universe is energy, including us, and that energy moves in a circular fashion. At the microscopic level, we are a whirling mass of electrons and energy atoms spinning rapidly. In fact, everything in the world is comprised of energy and we are intimately connected with this sea of energy, this sea of whirling electrons. In the mystical or spiritual realm we are spiritual energy that vibrates at a certain frequency which enables us to become material, or to be able to be manifested in the material world. The lower the vibration level the denser the material.
*
In every moment we are creating or altering our futures. Our lives are a product of our thoughts, our visualizations, our intentions, our emotions, our feelings, our beliefs, our attitudes, our expectations. Our lives are also the products of our spoken words and our physical actions. Added to our thoughts and actions are the programming that is feed to us from our society, our religion, our culture, our family and friends. Therefore the energy that we put out is returned to us in like pattern, so each and everyone one of us has the power within to change our life.
*
The first step to manifestation is the understanding that thoughts create. They create who we are and the life we live. Thoughts are the basis of all manifestation. ENERGY FOLLOW THOUGTS or ENERGY FOLLOWS CONSCIOUSNESS.
*
Things to remember
*
- Manifestation is always on; the Law of Attraction is always on. Therefore our thoughts words and deeds impact our reality
- Accept responsibility for our life and the effects of our actions on others.
- Our Karma can manifest for us either from past lives, or from our habitual tendencies in this life
- Energy follows consciousness
*
Gra, Dilseacht, Cairdeas -- Love, Loyalty, Friendship
/|\ By Land, Sea, and Sky one hundred thousand Blessings to all who read these words!
To bring Peace, be Peaceful … A Celtic Warrior.