dVerse — haibun — Polar beginning

Our family has been talking about toning down the materialism of Christmas for awhile. This year we did it. We traditionally have used amazon wishlists to ensure the gifts are wanted/needed. Older son put a total of one item on his list, which solidified the beginning of the new way. The gifts I bought them…

Thursday Inspiration 35 — The Heart is the Home of the Brave

When I saw the picture and the song lyrics for this week’s Thursday Inspiration, it reminded me of a movie I saw a few months back, called, “Alpha.” It tells the tale of a young man’s survival in a harsh winter climate back in the times when humans were hunter-gatherers. The young man is out…

dVerse — haibun — Today I’m Thankful

I woke up this morning to a light fog hovering over the field. The temperature is even warmer today than yesterday. Most leaves have been washed and/or blown off of the trees, so the view out back is fairly unobstructed. The bird feeders are full from yesterday. They draw in ever more diverse species. A…

OctPoWriMo2019 — mountains — mountain flame

  I’ve only been to the ocean a few times and to the mountains a handful of times in the geographical sense. I have been to the mountains many times in my mind while reading about them in Chinese poetry while studying Chinese philosophy from the time of philosophical taoism and the introduction of Confucius…

dVerse — majestic — Acipenser fulvescens (Lake Sturgeon)

image link Lake sturgeon are a long‐lived species. They are the only sturgeon species endemic to the Great Lakes Basin and are the largest freshwater fish indigenous to this system. Lake sturgeon spawn in their natal rivers and prefer rocky areas in freshwater tributaries, usually along the outside bend of rivers as suitable spawning habitat….

dVerse — haibun — Surprise!

As each morning brings the ritual of opening all of the blinds, windows, and sliders, so does the dusk bring their closing. At times, the ritual is disrupted when heavy storms blow rain in; depending on the wind’s direction doors and windows are closed accordingly, to keep out pooling water. One such afternoon, when the…

#MM Saturday Mix — Cry for the fallen

image link The twelve city commissioners were each direct descendants of the original city leaders from a hundred years ago. The closed leadership system had grown stale at least fifty years ago, but the citizens had been demoralized for longer than that. The word sterile came to mind. The commissioners cared about two things and…