Bracket Fungi

Neat fungi...same formation, viewed from opposite sides.

Poetry Foray

I know, I've missed nearly all of Poetry Month (April), but it's never too late to start celebrating. I've read lots of poetry this month, and even started a poem based on the 23rd Psalm. I will finish it sometime, I promise! I also began working my way through Painless Poetry by Mary Elizabeth (a Barron's book). It was a fail for my junior high daughter, but I think it will be a GO for me. I've never learned to analyze and understand poetry, although I do enjoy reading it. I would like to know more. So here I am!

The book segment that I read today challenged me to write a poem using a starter sentence that they provided (1st sentence). My writing is based on a tree that I did see (and photograph) a few years ago, that had literally just been struck by lightning. The photograph shows it the morning after, and it has since been cut completely down.

Lightning just shattered that tree!

Tendrils of smoke, still do I see

wisping from its scattered pieces;

Broken, black, scarred: the tree ceases.

God's Beauties

Last weekend, we spent the weekend at a church retreat. I always like...no, make that LOVE...this retreat, because for $120, we camp and eat. No cooking!!!! The food is always varied and delicious, too :-)

So anyways, I walked around the lake on the boardwalk every single day that we were there (in addition to back and forth to the camper zillions of times a day, plus riding my bike around!) Sunday morning dh walked with me, and we were blessed with a real NATURE walk. First, we came around a bend, and there was a doe 15 feet ahead of us. We stood and watched each other, and she finally crossed over the boardwalk and into a more brushy area where she watched us slowly pass by. Guess there were some good eats and she wasn't going to leave them! Then, further down the boardwalk, we encountered a hummingbird. Now I don't know about you, but I love hummingbirds. They're just so cute and tiny and active. This one was definitely active! So active that I'm not sure she knew we were there. She was enjoying the purple thistle flowers clustered next to the boardwalk. It was neat seeing her circle each flower, then flit to the next flower and circle it. Then she found a stand of wild snapdragons. She buzzed several before she found one that was full of nectar. Then she quazi-perched on a blade of grass as she drank and drank and drank from the snapdragon flower. She finally got her fill and went up into a pine tree for a bit of a rest. We probably stood watching her for 5 minutes before we finally moved on. My dh even commented that we'd had a REAL nature walk ;-)