Moon Rise

Cooler weather brought out crowds of people today to the Waynesboro, Virginia Street Fair.  Venders’ tents dotted the main street. People wondered in and out of booths with their children and their dogs. It was a great day to be outside.

Crowds milling about

Fall colors tint the Blue Ridge

Hunter’s Moon rises

Photos taken today with iPhone: Dwight L. Roth

Frank Tassone’s Haikai challenge is to write a poem about the Fall season and the October Hunter’s Moon that rises tonight over the Eastern Blue Ridge Mountains.

Join us at: https://frankjtassone.com/2019/10/12/haikai-challenge-108-10-12-19-hunters-moon-next-full-moon-nochi-no-tsuki-haiku-senryu-haibun-tanka-haiga-renga/

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Reflections of One’s Self

This morning I heard a tap, tap, tapping on my kitchen window. When I went to see what it was, this cute little brown capped nuthatch pecking at his mirrored reflection in the tinted glass. The overcast day tuned our Low-E windows into mirrors. He was trying very hard to chase away that bird he saw in the window. So funny! How often do we want to try to chase away that person we see in our mirror!

Silly little bird

trying to peck his image

Just like you and me

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Nature’s Patterns

Nature’s living things are all composed of defined patterns. Things don’t just happen. Everything is designed for a unique function. From the smallest microscopic creature, to the biggest elephant, to you and me; we are all special and unique. Everything about us is planned for our best interest. Some things grow and adapt to changes in their environment, but their basic pattern and design is still there.  Some think all this just happened, but I believe there is a God, the creator, who set it all in motion.

Nature’s patterns show

 perfectly designed flowers

bloom every summer

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

Homemade Bread

When I was growing up, one of the perks of being a preacher’s kid was that people in the church often gave us things. This helped to supplement what little income my father received. One of my fondest memories was getting a big loaf of homemade bread on a Sunday morning. Bertha McCann and Katy Townsend were two women who made the best bread I ever tasted. One day, when I was ten, I was raving about Katy’s bread. I expressed interest in learning to bake bread like that. She said when I was twelve, she would teach me. I remembered her promise, and when I was twelve, she helped me bake a batch of bread. My bread never quite matched hers, but I was very proud of my accomplishment!

Fresh warm homemade bread
Topped with butter and jelly
My best summer treat

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Photo of my first batch of bread: From our family album

Our prompt today at d’Verse is food! One of my favorite food memories is homemade bread.

Join us at: https://dversepoets.com

Back in the Radio Era

It is hard to imagine a time when we did not have all of the electronic gadgets we have today. When I was young we did not have a TV, so the radio was our only source of broadcast information. We used our imagination to connect the dots when we listened to Lowell Thomas and the news. His broadcasts from all over the world were fascinating to hear. The Lone Ranger and “Hi-O-Silver” came through the speakers and tickled my imagination. Music and religious programming also came across the airwaves.

Today we have information overload. So much so, that many things are only view for a few seconds at most. Music comes through earbuds and blocks out any chance of social interaction.  As I watched the Ken Burns special, The History of Country Music, on PBS, it once again took me back to the Radio era, when music came live across the airwaves and was played on vinyl records. I must be really old!!

Radio Music

Coming through ten inch speakers

Forty-thousand Watts

Photo: Dwight L. Roth

If you enjoy history, check out this blogger’s trip down old Rt. 66!

An Ode to the Mother Road

 

 

Spider’s Equinox

Golden strands of a spider’s web shine in my window as the sun was setting in the distance. Today, for Frank Tassone’s Haikai challenge, we are using the September Equinox as our prompt. Earlier, I watched a writing spider spread her web across my dying zinnias, hoping to catch that one last bug before cold weather closes in for good.

Spiders spin crossroads
Sun sets on golden silk strands
Shining fall colors
September Equinox makes
crossroad tangled deal once more

Photos: Dwight L. Roth

Join us at: https://frankjtassone.com/2019/09/21/haikai-challenge-105-9-21-2019-september-equinox-tsuki-shunbun-haiku-senryu-haibun-tanka-haiga-renga/

 

 

Harvest Moon

Harvest moon rises

 On Friday the Thirteenth eve

Once in our lifetime

No need for superstition

Snow falls on the peaks

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Painting B&W edit: Dwight L. Roth

Frank Tassone asked us to write a Haikai poem about the Harvest Moon. This one is very unique in that it comes on Friday the Thirteenth. It has not done that since the 1800s. We missed it here due to the much needed rain that came through last evening.

Join us at: https://frankjtassone.com/2019/09/14/haikai-challenge-104-9-14-19-harvest-moon-meigetsu-haiku-senryu-haibun-tanka-haiga-renga/

 

Dollar Cone

Down the country road from where I live is a little Ice Cream Shop called the Dollar Cone.  Julie and her family have been serving up ice cream and milk shakes for many years. Not too many places sell you a cone for a dollar. I believe, due to inflation, she is going to raise the price to a dollar and a half next year. All the little kids like the homemade cookies and free sprinkles. As the summer season ends, the colorful Dollar Cone truck will have to be put to rest till next year. I guess I better hurry over and get one more fix before she closes.

Ice Cream truck sits still

Summer heat // ice cream tastes great

We love this cool treat

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Photo: Dwight L. Roth

63 VW Bug

I saw this VW Bug as I was waiting at a red light. Someone had done a beautiful restoration. Took me all the way back to college days. Good memories of a cute little car that did the job for many. Amazing engineering!

Bug transformation

Memories of days gone by

Waiting for my turn

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Photo: Dwight L. Roth

 

 

 

Big Blow…

Dorian blew through
Spent time in the Bahamas
Wreaked havoc on all
A windstorm like no other
Finally headed up the coast
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President misspoke
Drew lines clear to Alabam’
Unforgivable
New Media jumped on it
Over and over they slammed
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Dorian crept on
Ocracoke and Hatteras
Storm surge rolled inland
Never did reach Alabam’
Headed on to Newfoundland
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President’s drawing
Still making news every day
Does anyone care
News Media won’t let it go
Trump’s sketch book making history

Our Haikai prompt from Frank Tassone today is windstorm. As we watched Hurricane Dorian take its time moving out of here, we are in awe of the damage mother nature can do when a huge hurricane moves through! In the middle of it all, the News Media made a big adieu of President Trumps home-made prediction. that it could possibly go inland as far as Alabama. His hand drawn sketch should have been taken with a grain of salt. Instead, the news broadcasts making drama will help it go down in the history books! How silly!!! This is my attempt at Renga humor about it all.

Join us at:https://frankjtassone.com/2019/09/07/haikai-challenge-103-9-7-19-windstorm-nowaki-haiku-senryu-haibun-tanka-haiga-renga/

Picture from Bing images