Thankful Thursday Thoughts on nature and Las Vegas

On Thankful Thursday
I contemplate gratitude,
as I listen to traffic.

My front door is open so I can hear the traffic on the expressway echoing through the neighborhood. It's the sounds of modern civilization that come through my front door. Sounds that indicate a bustling and thriving city. I wonder how well human beings thrive when not in touch with the natural world.

Where are nature's sounds?
Sometimes I hear singing birds,
Cooing of pigeons.

Las Vegas a city spread across a desert valley in the Rocky Mountains. In the suburbs citizens can look out their front doors to see green grass, trees, or desert landscaping. In urban area apartment buildings we look out our front doors to see concrete, blacktop, and important palm, pine, or olive trees. Where is the joy of walking through an old forest? Not in the city of Las Vegas.

Tourist see the strip
they seldom leave the city
visit the suburbs.

Tourist and locals who remain in the city see very little of the natural world. There are places in and around Las Vegas that people can visit for a glimpse the beauty of nature. I wonder how many tourist visit Mount Charleston, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, or Las Vegas Springs Preserve. I wonder how many tourist think to go outside of the Casino Corridor to see what mother nature offers. I wonder how many locals have visit mother natures tourist attractions.

Saturday Morning

Lazy Saturday
Another cup of coffee
A second breakfast

It feels like a lazy Saturday. I know I have more to do then just wash the dishes, but I don't want to do anything except write and eat. Fortunately, I can't eat by the computer until I get some equipment moved around. In the mean time I think I will check to see if I have any trash bags so that I can fill one to take to the trash on Sunday morning.

Busy Saturday
Finish washing the dishes
Wait for them to dry

I take the trash out between 6:30 and 7:00 am because it is cooler then. This morning when I took out the trash I only encountered one person. Perhaps tomorrow I will take it out closer to 7:30 to see if there are more people up and moving about. I enjoy talking to people when I am out, but the person I met this morning did not want to talk. I think he was going to work.
 

An Afternoon Nap

An afternoon nap
Relaxing meditation
Don't turn T.V.

An afternoon nap is always a good idea. A meditation break is always a good idea. Turning on television can sometimes be a good idea, but not when you know you're going to fall asleep while watching T.V.

An afternoon nap
Should rest both body and mind
A refreshing break

I have found that if I go to sleep meditating then I have pleasant dreams and wake up refreshed. If I go to sleep while watching television then I wake up confused. I also miss half the show I'm watching, which may explain some of the confusion.

An afternoon nap
not too early or too late
in the afternoon.

 

Tuesday's Tip: Early Morning Writing Necessities

A cup of coffee
brewed fresh after the long night
and sipped while waiting for dawn

I go into the kitchen to pour myself my fresh cup of coffee for the day. I open the blinds and look out into the partly cloudy morning. I pour coffee into my favorite unwashed cup and then go to the front door. I stand at my front door looking into my neighborhood and listening to the noises of people and animals waking up.

I sip my coffee
contemplate the beauty of dawn
give thanks for another day

In order to meet today's writing goal, I have to begin my day early. Sometimes I begin at 1:00 or 2:00 am. Sometimes I overs sleep until 6:30 or 7:00 am. Sometimes I write for a hour or so after I wake up and then I go back to sleep. Sometimes I write before my first cup of coffee, but most of the time I write while sipping my coffee. I'm not fully awake until I've drink at least one cup of strong black coffee.

Coffee ambrosia
wakes up my mind and my muse
precious gift of God

Thursday Thoughts on the Passing of Spring

Morning advances
the birds have stopped their singing
and the day heats up.

It's Thursday morning about 8:00 am. I'm sitting at my computer staring out the open door into a bright and cloudless May day. There is not wind to cool off the rising desert heat. The wind doesn't help much on hot summer days, but during the spring and fall it helps cool Las Vegas.

Summer is coming
triple digit temperatures:
I need more coffee.

I just checked the temperature on one of the local news websites. According to the meteorologist the temperature at 7:56 am was 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature is supposed to get up to about 96 degrees today, which means I will have to turn the cool air on sometime this afternoon.

Birds fly to their nest
returning home from hunting
another warm day.

Sunday, June 21, is the Summer Solstice. My sister and I are supposed to be moving into a two-bedroom apartment sometime in June. I'm not looking forward to moving in triple digit temperatures which are supposed to arrive this week end or early next week. However, it really doesn't matter whether I'm looking forward to moving or not (I've never liked moving any time of year) I will move because it's the best thing to do.

Wednesday Word: Tomatoes

Beautiful red fruit
Adorn dark green vines waiting
For me to eat them

This morning, I went to pick up some food at one of the food banks here in Las Vegas. One of the things they gave me was tomatoes still on the vine. When I came home I took some chicken out of the freezer and made soup. This afternoon, for my lunch I ate a piece of chicken with a couple of tomatoes. I love to eat tomatoes right off the vine, when I was a child one of the items my grandparents grew were tomatoes. When the fruit was ripe we would pick them, cut them up, put a little salt and pepper on them, and eat them that way. I also like fresh tomatoes in salad.

An editable fruit
tomatoes go with lettuce
in my green salad.

When I was growing up, I thought that tomatoes were a vegetable rather then a fruit. Maybe it was because my mother and my grandmother always put tomatoes in our salads. When I went grocery shopping with my grandparents we always found the tomatoes with vegetable rather then with the fruit. The only problem I have today when I eat uncooked tomatoes is the desire to put salt on them, which I am attempting to resist. I have taken the excess salt out of my diet as a results I do not purchase salt when I go to the store. I try to use other spices or use chips to put in soup when I eat it.

Wednesday Word: Wind

The wind blows litter
west on Sunrise Avenue
partly cloudy sky.

I heard a noise, looked out my front door. and saw the wind blowing litter up the street. It calmed a little now only the limbs of the pine, olive, and palm trees are blowing. The wind and the clouds mean a cool afternoon. At least, I hope it means a cool afternoon. I have not turned the cool air on today which is a blessing. The less I have to turn on the air the lower the power bill.

Sudden gust of wind
partially clears the litter
for a little while.

Sudden gusts of wind does not help my allergies. In fact it raises issues with the pollen from the olive trees growing along this street. It would not make any difference where I lived in Las Vegas because there would still be olive trees.

Form Friday: What is my favorite poetry form?

What is my favorite poetry form? I do not have one. I write a lot of free verse, senryu, and haiku, but that does not mean they are my favorites. Even though I have not written very many prose poems, II enjoy reviewing them. Today I reviewed a beautiful story written in prose poetry form about an elderly woman on her deathbed. The poem, which was written in line phased form, had the rhythm of natural speech and used internal rhyme to emphasize the theme and subject. I usually write prose poems in paragraph form; however, after reading this poem I think I will attempt a prose poem in line phased form.

whispers from my soul
reverberates through my mind
creates poetry

What types of poetry forms do I like when I write? I like haibun poetry, which is a combination of prose and line phased poetry. I like to use haibun because it pushes me to write short descriptive paragraph, which helps when writing short stories. Haibun is difficult to write because it requires me to include other types of short poetry forms. I usually use senryu and haiku, but not always. Sometimes I include short free verse poems in my haibun entries.

Sunday Speculations: Speculations on a Windy Sunday

Sneeze causing wind blows
Through the Las Vegas valley
A windchill factor

Don't you just love spring? The wind blowing through olive and other pollen producing trees causes you to sneeze. The birds don't seem to mind because the sing in their nest as the wind blows the boughs of the trees. People wear different types of clothes when the wind of spring blows because sometimes it is could and chills them to the bone. Sometimes it doesn't raises goosebumps and sometimes it is warm without a noticeable windchill factor.

Walked to the alley
Took the trash to the dumpster
The wind breaker helped

On windy days it's better to take the trash to the dumpster in the afternoon because all you need is a windbreaker to keep your arms warm. The problem with spring and the wind is that you don't know whether to dress for winter, spring, or summer. This means you have to keep one warm hoodie and a windbreaker out so that you are dressed properly. In addition, always wear an undershirt under the hoodie incase you have to remove the hoodie. A light blouse will do under the windbreaker, but you need a t-shirt under the hoodie.

Sunday Speculations: I Miss My Mother

Coffee cup empty
I live alone; by myself
No one to share my coffee

I miss my mother everyday. Everyday I make a fresh carafe of coffee in a 5-cup Black and Decker coffee maker. Monday through Friday I can make and drink the coffee without crying, but on the weekends I want to cry. I miss my mother most on Saturday and Sunday because those are the days we could sit together talking over a good cup of coffee. I miss having someone to talk to while drinking my Saturday or Sunday carafe of coffee.

I miss my Mother
I miss making and sharing
Breakfast and coffee

I miss having someone to make lunch for on Saturday afternoons or breakfast on Sunday mornings. Mom and I didn't always have a big breakfast or lunch, but we ate them together on the weekends. I miss the sharing, the laughter, and the talking. Sometimes it is difficulty to make a good breakfast or lunch because I cook for myself. It is much more enjoyable cooking for two people.

Coffee with Mama
Was always an adventure
Talking and laughing.

I'm tired of living alone. I thought I would be all right living alone. I have found out differently because I have no one to make coffee or cook for. I think I need to find another apartment and a roommate so that I have someone to share the coffee and the food.

Success Saturday: The Last Full Week in March 2015

encourage motivation
accomplish the goal
then celebrate

A successful week passes into history. This week I completed stage 3 in the Breakthrough challenge on writing.com. I did a good job of accomplishing my word count goal and an excellent job of accomplishing my review goal.

encourage motivation
look at success
then look at failures

Where do I need to make improvements? I have to do a better job when it comes to blog entries. I am supposed to write at least one 200 word blog entry each day. I did not do that everyday. This week I have to make an effort to write a minimum of 200 words for each blog entry I make. This is not difficult when I respond to prompts, but it is difficulty when I am dealing only with a theme.

How do I improve?
Is there a formula to follow?
Should I use a schedule?

I am not sure the schedule idea will help much when it comes to the length of the entry. A schedule helps when it comes to sitting a time to compose and post the entries, but not when it comes to the number of words in an entry. I believe that the best way to handle that is to just make a second entry if I find that the first entry is too short. Since I do not have to make both entries consecutively, I can spread them out over the day.

Form Friday: I Write Haibun

I write haibun
prose combined with poetry
precise expressions

I write haibun! Sometimes I combine prose paragraphs with haiku or senryu because the syllable counts require precise words. At other time I combine the paragraphs with short, three or four line, free verse poems. My haibun blog entries are continually evolving because I experiment with the form.

I write haibun!
I listen to birds singing
on Sunrise Avenue
and I write.

I like the haibun form because it is versatile. I can use it with any subject and with any short poetry form. I can describe an early Las Vegas morning or a trip across the city. It is especially good when I want to sit with my front door open while I am writing. I can write a short paragraph, glance out my front door, and then write a poem

Early morning sky
Black transformed to powder blue
A rooster crows

Haibun is also good after meditation or prayer. When I write haibun I feel as if I am writing a meditation. A paragraph is inhaling a breath and the poem is exhaling the breath. Perhaps this is why I enjoy writing this poetry form.

Paragraph inhaled
Poem exhaled
Focusing on the words and lines
Counting breathes

Wednesday Word: Winter

Freezing temperatures
I shiver under layers
Of sweat shirts, sweaters.

This morning it is cold in Las Vegas. It is now about 9:20 am, the temperature at 8:56 am was 49 degrees predicted to raise to 50 degrees by 10:00 am. Sometime today, the temperature is supposed to get as high as 61 degrees. I am wearing a sweater, a sweat shirt, and a pair of slacks, which should keep me warm. I am not warm. My arms are cold. My legs are cold. Worst of all, despite the fact that I am wearing shoes and socks, my feet are cold. The only part of me that is not cold is my head and my ears.

The arctic express
blowing through Las Vegas
drives locals indoors.

Spring is still sixteen long and cold days away. I am complaining about the cold. Last summer, when it was so hot, I said I would never complain about the cold. I know I shouldn't have said that, but I said it in triple digit temperatures when the thought of double digit temperatures seemed like a distant dream. I am so cold that triple digit temperatures sound nice. Of course, when summer comes with its 115 or 120 degree temperatures I will wish for 45 or 50 degree temperatures.

Cold penetrates the
marrow of my bones and chills
internal organs.

I really should be thankful for the winter temperatures and the wind chill factor because they both inspire poetry, rants, and short stories. Winter, like the other three seasons, is inspiring. The temperatures inspire creative ways of keeping warm or cool. They inspire creativity in all areas of life because you always have unreasonable power bills draining your finances. If I could afford it I would run the central air unite twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year; however, I am on a fixed income and cannot afford high power bills.

Form Friday: I Write both Haibun Haiku and Haibun Senryu

Haibun, haiku, and senryu are all Japanese poetry form. A traditional haiku is a three-line seventeen syllable verse with nature theme, while a traditional senryu has the same number of lines and syllable as a haiku, but its theme is about some aspect of human beings. Haibun combines prose with poetry; it usually begins with prose and ends with a haiku.

Cold rain is falling
Birds are shivering in their nests
Wind in the palm trees

I write haibun that incorporates both haiku and senryu in a single entry. Sometimes I write haibun entries with haiku, sometimes with senryu, and sometimes I include both haiku and senryu in the haibun entry.

Music echoing
Through the thin apartment walls
The neighbors are home

Wednesday Word: Sunset

It is past sunset here in Las Vegas. I listen to the evening noises echoing from next door or from the street outside my house. This evening I hear children laughing, shouting, playing, and making other types of joyful noises. The days are growing longer and the nights shorter. This means daylight savings time, spring flowers, and birds singing.

Late winter sunset
the mountains embraced by light
city never sleeps.

It is after sunset in Las Vegas, I feel the late winter chill penetrate my body and send shivers up my spine. It is not cold, but my aged body feel the chill. My fingers ache and my knees hurt. I get up, put on another sweater and then sit back down at the computer. I stare at what I have written and I smile. I smile because I know that the winter will soon pass. I know that spring will come at last.

The late winter chill
brings back memories of childhood
and hot chocolate.

I do not drink hot chocolate any more because the milk and the chocolate contain too much potassium. Sometimes after sunset I make hot water so t hat I can drink a cup of English black tea. I do not put sugar in my tea; however, sometimes I put peppermint candy canes in the tea and watch the candy cane melt. This morning, when I went after some food, I received some candy canes so tomorrow evening I will make hot tea and have a candy cane with it.

Tuesday's Tip: Continue to Write

Continue to write
Even when there is no light
Depression is clouds

Tuesday's tip is to write even when you are depressed. I have found that writing helps alleviate my depression because it gets words on paper or in a document. It does not matter if you spell the words wrong when you are writing because there are spell checkers and grammar checkers. Get the words down and then go back and edit the document. If you do not want anyone else to see what you write then save it with a password or put the words in a pen and paper journal that you can lock or lock up.

Never stop writing
Never stop looking for light
Clouds cover the sun

Continue to write even when you have to use a candle or a flashlight (just make sure you have extra batteries). Write your worries out in long hand using a pen and paper journal. Write shorties about characters facing depression or worries similar to those you are facing. Write poetry of any form or type. Sometimes writing form poetry helps focus the mind and get the words down in stanza and line. Write prose poetry, free verse, or make up your own poetry form. It does not matter as long as you write and get your worries down on paper.

Writing on a Rainy Afternoon in Las Vegas

A rainy Sunday
Clouds conceal desert blue sky
Asphalt  street shining

It is Sunday afternoon, the rain descends in gentle drops soaking the dry desert ground. It has rained all day without stopping. At least that is how it seems to me. I have trash to take to alley, but it is too wet to  walk there and back. I will wait until Monday morning to take the trash to the dumpsters in the alley.

A hot cup of  tea
warms my body calms my mind
sleepy afternoon

Hot black English tea on a rainy afternoon is a relaxing way to contemplate my next word. I have worries, but this is not the time to state them or focus on them. I glance at the time wondering if it  is time to take my afternoon medication. I took that pill about 6:30 pm yesterday, so I think I will wait until then to take it today.

I fill my pill box
medication schedule
for every weekday

On The Last Friday in December 2014

On the last Friday in December 2014 I did not get back to the house until around 2:00 pm. I enjoyed myself. I got a haircut. I drover all over Las Vegas or at least it seemed I did. I got to take a nap while I was waiting for my sister to pick up her meds at Walgreen's.

I sat in the truck
and dozed in the truck's warm cab
instead of writing.

On the Last Friday in December 2014 I wonder what the coming year will bring. I know it will bring joy. I know it will bring sadness. I do not know the circumstances that will cause either emotion. I also suspect the New Year will bring new worries and fears. I have to trust in God that everything will turn out for the best even if it does not turn out the way I think it should.

Look at the New Year
with joy, faith, and gratitude
place my trust in God.

Writing on a Chilly Autumn Evening: A poem

A chilly evening
the cold penetrates my bones
shivers up my spine.

I checked the temperature on one of the local new websites. At 6:56 pm Pacific Standard Time  the temperature was 48 degrees Fahrenheit, but it feels like 45 degrees. I look at the temperature on the air conditioner and it reads 61 degrees. Since the air conditioner is not on the temperature in this apartment must be above 61 degrees.

Desert temperatures
descend into mid forties
as night progresses.

NaNoWriMo Haibun

I open the blinds

dawn scatters morning's blue light

across the city

I am awake! I have consumed one cup of coffee. I have made one blog entry. I am warming up to finish another chapter in my NaNoWriMo novel. I need another cup of coffee.

chilly autumn dawn

I limp across the tile floor

with my coffee cup

I am behind by half a chapter on my NaNoWriMo novel. I will catch up today despite the arthritis pain in my right thumb. The question now is what do I want for my first breakfast. I suppose I should have something warm, but oatmeal is completely off my diet because of its high potassium level. I need something to fuel my muse in order to complete the chapters of Mark of the Blue Wolf.

bowl of cereal

with hot coffee instead of milk

my Sunday breakfast