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

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

Laura to be reading

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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.

 

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.

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

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.