Like an old tree, limbs twisted with age, keep on keeping on in that journey of life God has given you. No one knows how many years are left to make a difference in the lives of those around you. As long as the sun warms your branches keep moving forward.
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Photo: Dwight L. Roth
I really enjoy Ken Burns PBS video series on the History of Country Music. The beauty of it all is reflected in the way music was passed back and forth across the social and racial divides. The influences of all the cultural groups are reflected in the music. Great music speaks to everyone’s soul. It has no boundaries.
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Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Can you tell what melody is written on the painting… Start at the clef and work upward…
A pair of house finches pull sunflower seeds through the mesh. A new year has begun for us; but, for them it is still a matter of survival. Hopefully, my feeder provides them with needed resources as winter comes on strong.
Photos: Dwight L. Roth
Today at D’Verse Poets Pub, Bjorn asked us to write a Haibun that refers to the new decade starting and new beginnings.
Join us at: https://dversepoets.com
Sixty years ago, when I was twelve, we loved to go sledding in the moonlight. The bright full moon shone down on us as we sailed down the hill, past the mail boxes, on our sleds. All the neighbor kids joined in for a fun evening in the cold. Those were great times.
Photo: from our family album
Frank Tassone asked us to write a Haikai poem that alludes to the Wolf Moon in January.
Today I took the ornaments off of my Christmas tree, and packed them back in the box, to store until next year. I enjoyed looking again at each ornament, remembering that many of them came from my former elementary school students. Some I remembered; others had names on them. You may think an ornament is an insignificant gift, but mine have hung on my tree every year since 1970.
Photos: Dwight L. Roth
It is always interesting to me when people feel the need to put little jackets on their dogs or blankets over the backs of horses. I may be totally uninformed, but I think, “Why would you do that? What about all the other creatures in nature that spend all winter in the freezing cold. They all adapt to the temperature changes with thick hides and hair or fluffed up feathers and a high metabolism rate that keeps them comfortable. The dove above sits on my deck rail, right in the snow, and seems to be quite comfortable as he watches me eat my breakfast. You can see all those fluffed up feathers insulates him very well!
Photos: Dwight L. Roth
During the cold winter encampment at Valley Forge, Washington rallied the troops. A big Christmas surprise was about to take place. While the British partied in Trenton, Washington loaded his men in boats and crossed the icy Delaware River in the dead of night for a surprise attack. The victory that took place would continue to be remembered in American History. I can imagine the letters sent home told exciting stories as the New Year came rolling in.
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Stamp Art: Dwight L. Roth
Frank Tassone asked us to write a Haikai poem related to New Years. As I thought about those freezing cold soldiers camped at Valley Forge, I wondered what they must be thinking as Washington laid out his plan to attack the British in Trenton, NJ. This is my Haibun about that time.
This quilt was made by my wife’s grandmother. She put a lot of love for her craft into each quilt. Back then the quilts were stretched across a quilting rack and stitched by hand. She and her friends would get together and spend time quilting and enjoying each other’s company. You can see the beauty of the stitches in the floral design. These days quilts are still being made, but many are done on a long arm sewing machine.
Photos: Dwight L. Roth
The songs of Christmas have endured for many years. Some are hundreds of years old and others more recent. Some have tried to change them or add to them, but the originals seem to be frozen in time; enjoyed over and over again.
Photos: Dwight L. Roth
This year we got our nine year old grandson his first tool box with real tools for Christmas. To help get him started, I cut out a birdhouse out of some scrap cedar lumber that I had in my garage. I predrilled the holes and put in the screws. When I was finished I took it all apart and put the pieces and the screws in a zip-lock bag for him to put together. It will be a good project for him to complete.
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Photo: Dwight L. Roth
