About Haiku

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry.  Each poem consists of three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five in the third line.  Here are some examples I’ve written.  Take a few minutes, and try it yourself.  Creating in this way is interesting and fun.

	Haiku
	A bit of haiku
	Thinking, sharing, just for you
	Boomers, buddies, friends

 

	Spring
	Spring, blowing, growing
	Wind swooshing, flowers blooming
	Beauty all around

	Life
	Eat, sleep, work and play
	Giving, caring, through each day
	Friends and  families

 

	Talents
	Blessed with many skills
	Jewelry,  clay, yarn, paints, glass
	Lovely creations

 

	Boomers
	Creating, chatting
	Caring, supporting, smiling
	Always there for all

 

	Creations
	Colorful, unique
	Paintings, pottery, jewels
	Fabric, yarn, treasures

 

	Colors
	Pinks, purples, greens, blues
	Many shades and many hues
	Created for you

Winter, Birds, Giveaway Contest, and Wolves

     Winter has been winter this year for sure!  Snow has been on the ground more than not.  The recent ice storm has virtually been the icing on the cake . . . cannot imagine how difficult it is for people to try to remove it with the temperatures so low, salting, chopping.  And the cars buried in the snow in the Chicago area as well as on the east coast.  The loss of power is scary for those with no alternate source of heat.  We were blessed this past week to keep warm and dry.  Thoughts and prayers go out to those who are still trying to get their lives back to normal.

     Have written a couple of blog posts lately . . . both about feeding birds in the winter.  You can find those at:

www.boomersandbeyond.blogspot.com

www.crafting4animals.blogspot.com

     Been doing lots of crocheting, of course, and have an item included in a giveaway contest sponsored by CFA and THAN.  Everyone is welcome to participate.  Check out the details here:

http://crafting4animals.blogspot.com/2011/01/valentines-day-contest.html

And have also signed a couple of petitions made available by Defenders of Wildlife, to protect wolves . . . one that hopes to prevent wolves from being removed from the endangered species list and the other to keep wolves from being shot from the air in Alaska.  You can help, too, by visiting these links:

Please sign our petition right now and help us end cruel and unfounded aerial gunning in Alaska before move wolves die.

Just 50 wild wolves remain in Arizona and New Mexico. But a Congressman from Montana has introduced legislation that would eliminate life-saving protections for these rare and beautiful animals and other wolves. Without these protections, these wolves may be doomed. Please help me save them by taking action online at:
http://dfnd.us/e7BeMQ

Daisy

“I’m so sorry,” Sally said quietly, as she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a hug.  “This must have been so hard for you, and especially for Bob.  I know how much he loved her, and how much she loved him.”

“Yes, it was so hard.  We cried a lot, knowing that we were going to lose her.  We had called the vet to come and see her, but she started declining so fast, and we had to call again, and ask him to come so that she could leave us with peace and dignity.   When the vet came to our house that day, he felt her abdomen and knew that she had developed cancer of the pancreas  which probably started as much as a year ago.  He said that was a common occurrence in dogs Daisy’s size, as well as  retrievers and other dogs of similar size,” I said.

“I know she was special,” Sally said.  “You told me that up until a couple of years ago, she loved to catch a frisbee in mid-air. never missed, and then you had to tickle her tummy to get it out of her mouth so you could throw it again.”

“Yes, we did that every day from spring to fall!  My goodness, she was so agile and athletic,” I smiled.

“She loved Bob, didn’t she,” said Sally.

“He was absolutely her best buddy.  Wherever he went, she went… to the utility room to do laundry; outside to work; to the bathroom to lie patiently while he conducted his business there!  On her last day, they sat on the porch together.  She could barely walk.  He got up and left the porch, and she followed him about twenty feet, and then had to lie down.  We cried to realize that she would follow him with the last bit of strength in her body.”

 

“She loved it outside, didn’t she?” asked Sally.  “I know you told me that she loved watching over her dominion of two acres, especially from the porch, out the window, and in the back by the pine trees. “

“Oh, yes,” I replied, “and when she was younger, she would chase the deer that like grazing in our yard. She would take off like a shot, and they would run, leaping through the yard and into the woods.  She would come back panting.  She never caught one!  But, that didn’t keep her from trying!” I grinned.  “She was a good mole finder, though, and many met their demise at her skillful digging and sense of smell and movement under her feet.  During the summer months, she would nuzzle me about 6 a.m. because she knew I liked to get up early and go outside and work in the flower areas.  She loved going with me because she knew we would be out there at least two hours!  Funny thing, though, on the days I wasn’t home, she never nuzzled Bob at 6 a.m!  He doesn’t get up that early.  Daisy was one of the smartest dogs I’ve ever known,” I said.

       

She never told me she didn’t like it when I put some of my crocheted creations on her for a photo shoot, so I just kept making her my model.  A beautiful one she was, too.

 

 

 

“Don’t you have another dog?” asked Sally.

“Yes,” I answered.  “Daisy’s other best buddy was Eddie.  We knew that he knew she was sick in the last few months because they had stopped playing that nightly game of growling at each other and trying to nip one another.  Eddie was inside after the vet left, and Bob, Jill, and I  had gently placed her in the ground and covered her with a rug, tears dropping like rain, as we placed the dirt over her.  It had been hard, knowing that she was not going to be with us, and finally making the decision to let her leave us in peace and dignity.  Even though Eddie was not outside during her last moments, just this week, as he and Bob went out for a walk, Eddie went to Daisy’s grave and lay down on top of it.   Dogs know, and they grieve, too,” I said.

Sally hugged me again.  “Pets are family,” she said. 

“Yes,” I sighed.  “And it so hard to lose them.  Daisy was our girl.  We loved her, and we miss her.”

Daisy – October 28, 2010

       

 

Sea Turtles, Games People Play and More...

Just posted two features on blogs for teams on Etsy and Artfire. My Etsy post is for the Boomers and Beyond Street Team (Bbest team). It is about my imaginary friend Sally and I, chatting about various things each time, usually having a snack, sometimes sharing the recipe, and always sharing lovely creations from Bbest team members. You can find that here:

http://www.boomersandbeyond.blogspot.com/

The second feature is about sea turtles and is for the Crafting for Animals Guild on Artifire, and of which I am a member. You can find that here:

http://www.crafting4animals.blogspot.com/

And, if you are in the mood for shopping for yourself or others, feel free to check out my hand-crocheted items at any of these online venues:

http://www.bagsandmorebypam.etsy.com/
http://www.bagsandmorebypam.artfire.com/
http://www.bagsandmorebypam.bonanza.com/

Have a wonderful day!

And the Winner Is………

     And here they are, folks!  The entries into my first ever blog giveaway in celebration of my third anniversary of having  a shop for hand-crocheted items :  www.bagsandmorebypam.etsy.com Thanks to everyone who went to my shop, selected the scarf or scarf/hat set they would like if they were a winner, and emailed me their choice.  Wish I could have sent you all a prize!

     What you don’t see here is my dear husband’s hand dipping into the crystal bowl to pull out the winner.  Learned you can’t take a photo with an iphone in the dark!  Since we both fell asleep on the actual day the drawing was supposed to occur, I kind of awakened him very early this morning and asked him to draw out a name while I took a photo.  He did so, without even grumbling!  However, there was no photo of his willing and able hand when I checked my pictures.  Darn!

    And truly, with his eyes closed, and in the dark, the name drawn from the crystal bowl   is Judi Brandow!  Congratulations, Judi.  I hope you love wearing the scarf you selected!

Italian Greyhounds and a Blog Giveaway!

Today I posted a feature about Italian Greyhounds, especially about Nash, Ruger, and Colt, who belong to friends of mine, Priscilla and Brent. You can read about them here:

http://www.crafting4animals.blogspot.com/

And, in celebration of my third year anniversary on Etsy, I am having a blog giveaway. Here is how you participate:

1. Go to my Etsy store: http://www.bagsandmorebypam.etsy.com/
2. Click on Hats and Scarves
3. Choose your favorite scarf or hat and scarf set, and double click on it. Copy the listing number at the top of the screen. Paste this in an email to me at: ptodd614@comcast.net with your name. (Your email will be my way of contacting you if you are the winner.
4. If you are the winner, you will receive the scarf or scarf/hat set you chose. And, if you wish a different color in the same design, I can do that!
5. Deadline to enter is Sunday, October 17, at midnight, EST
6. Names will be placed in a container on Monday, October 18, and my dear husband will draw one out!
Hope you enjoy looking at the selection of scarves and participating in this, my first ever, blog giveaway.