Busy With Life

I'm sorry to be so neglectful of this blog. Life has been busy with activities for the Grow Me A Story classes and life in general. I seem to be on a disconnect with my writing at the moment, but I have ideas for some art projects. I actually have one in the works right now. Our classes focus on all types of creativity including decorating, artwork, music, story writing and telling, gardening and more. Anything you put your creative skills to work on qualifies.

Yesterday the class was on how to make use of the Canva website. It is a free online graphic desgn tool you can use to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos, business cards, and more! Below are two examples. I made these after the class to post to my Instagram account.

This was my first attempt.
I wanted something pretty for springtime.

My second attempt used a free image from Pixabay 
and a poem I wrote early this morning.

It was challenging and fun! I can't wait to try out some other ideas in the coming weeks! Until then...

© 01APR2023 ajjahner

Time Together and Alone...

What a lovely weekend it's been! Family time and a bit of solitude. I watched Case Histories, a British crime drama starring Jason Isaacs. I started reading When Death Draws Near by Carrie Stuart Parks, a good read so far. Four boxes were filled for donation which Paul dropped off for me at the Idaho Youth Ranch. And at the moment, I'm waiting for the clothes in the dryer to finish so I can put the next load in. Why I waited until late Sunday evening, I can't explain. It just been one of those days, full, fun, and also relaxing.

I was reminded how much I love spending time with my family. There is nothing so precious as being with people you love, who also love you. The value of time alone is not lost on me either. In every love relationship, whether it's romantic or family, you need to find time to nurture yourself. In doing so, you have more to offer the people you love. With that in mind, I wrote the following poem.

just me, not you
someplace of my own
a hideaway, a nook
an island of self imposed
seclusion
to rest
reflect and reimagine
to rediscover
then emerge, myself again
with you

© 29Apr2018 ajjahner

Poetry Month, Blogging, Springtime...

I've really been missing my blogging friends, so this weekend I plan to visit a few of them. Maybe I'm wrong, but it feels like Facebook, Twitter, and such have replaced blogging for many people. For some, it's a financial decision because their blogs were an extension of their online business. For others, it's just a matter of setting different priorities. For me, life has just been busy and complicated, so I don't sit down to write much.

In Idaho, we're finally getting some warmer days. Today is a mix of sunshine, a little rain, and perhaps a thunder storm moving in later. My white tulips just opened up, the red are already gone along with the hyacinths. Each morning there are bird songs to enjoy. One of my favorite sounds is the call of the mourning dove.

Poetry month is coming to a close soon. I feel uninspired today, so here is one I wrote a few years ago. Perhaps it will bring back memories of your childhood. I hope it at least makes you smile.

Taking Flight

My feet push against the earth

Higher, higher

The swing takes me up

To blue sky and then back again

Toes striking the soft, dusty brown earth

Pushing, pushing

Reaching for the sky

Imagination taking flight with the seagulls,

The robins, the wild geese

Grandma calls, “Dinner”

Releasing the chains I fly through

The air for an instant

Then feet connect firmly with the ground and

I go running back to reality and the mundane

© 11JAN2010 ajjahner

Until next time...

Princess of the Corn Fields...

Memories triggered my poem for today. I grew up in the countryside, between farms, in our home on a quarter acre lot. A lot of farm kitties passed through my childhood, my favorite was our old mama cat, Thomasina, a calico. Another favorite is the subject of this little poem.

Orange and unique
Among the greys and the tuxedos
Soft voice, white feet
Gentle, like her calico mother
Farm cats with a touch of sophistication
Little Tiger Lily
Princess of the corn fields


© 16Apr2018 ajjahner

The In-Between

On the Today Show, they were talking about mental disorders like Bi-polar and anxiety. A little while ago, I read a Facebook post by a family member who struggles with depression and how she handles it. I've struggled most of my life with unseen disorders. They sometimes pull you apart until you don't even recognize yourself anymore. While lost in thought, the first line of this poem came. It's an incomplete work in progress, but since it's poetry month, I decided to share it as is...

There is blood coming down the rafters
from places unseen
Pain and confusion. Desolation
and isolation collide and
implode into heartbreaking
shards of doubt and frustration

There is light reflected on the rafters
from the deep
Faith and communion. Affirmation
and illumination collide and
explode into expanded
stars of hope and exaltation

She stands in the in-between
pulled from one to the other
Praying the light will be
bright enough to save her.

© 11Apr2018 ajjahner

Poetry Month Offering...

Image shared by Dawn of The Feathered Nest

I haven't participated in poetry month at all this year, so I looked up an old post and revamped one of my "work in progress" poems.  Here it is:

I hear the ducks sound off loudly

feuding over females or seeds

I hear the mourning doves call

comforting sounds through morning breeze

I hear the chickadee, the robin, the sparrow

voices raised in song, harmonizing with ease

I hear the traffic sounds, cars and trucks

inches from nature, progress speeds

I don't know if this will be the final version, but I like it better than the original, found here:  Working on Poems...

My writing muse seems to be on an extended vacation, and I've become preoccupied with so many other things in my life. When the time is right, I know it will come rushing back. Until then, I'll enjoy putting my focus on different areas of my life. 

Too Late For Goodbye...

For Sunday Scribblings #355 - Immunity:

Did you ever have someone disappear from your life?  Someone you loved, you were never given the chance to say goodbye to?  Not a death.  They are just gone from your world, and nothing will ever bring them back or change what has happened.

There is an empty, hollow place in my heart today.  I can't really explain it.  It's too raw.  I wish I were immune to the pain.  Saying more might infringe on another's privacy, but I had to write my feelings down.  It's what I do.  I write.  When there's nothing else I write... and cry... and pray... then I write again.

It's too late for this, but

Goodbye...
to your sweet face
your smile
the laugh that made me laugh
to everything you were to me
to everything I dreamed for you

I'll tuck you away
a memory of sweeter days
of hopes and dreams
for a life that could have been
should have been
brighter

Too late for goodbye...
and too soon for hello...

© 06FEB2013 ajjahner

Dance

Sorry I've been absent.  My computer crashed and is beyond repair, so I'm waiting to get a new one.  My son loaned me his this evening, so I could check my email, blog, etc.

Life has been crazy.  Between traveling, family stuff, getting one son registered for college last week, and our other son registering for his college this week, I haven't had the energy to think about writing.  For the NaBloPoMo Prompt, I'm using the following poem.  I originally wrote it for a Sunday Scribblings challenge.  I love watching dancers, and dream of dancing, but am content to still be able to walk.  I hope you enjoy this:

In dreams I dance,
spinning effortlessly across the flour,
my soft dress fluently swirling
around me to the rhythm of the music.
Moving gracefully, lightly,
unencumbered by age and circumstance.
In dreams, I still dance.

© 07MAR2010 ajjahner

Violets & Kittens...

For dad... who left us on a Friday, 22 years ago today.  He loved animals and flowers.  My violets bloomed this spring, for the first time in several years, and this forgotten image came to mind...

nose pressed to flower
soft kitten breath on purple
the violets dance

I hope this verse conveys the curiosity of kittens, exploring a world new to them.  Treasure your loved ones, your days, the beautiful world all around you.  Enjoy life.  Breathe it all in.  Rejoice in the simple moments.

© 20APR2012 ajjahner

Some thoughts and a short poem...

I have not lived up to my bargain to post every day this month.  It's been a crazy, sad, busy time for my family.  Dealing with the loss of a loved one takes a lot out of you.  My husband and I just returned from a trip to his father's home.  We met his sister and her friend there, and we spent a hectic weekend sorting through years of accumulation.  There was, and still is, a lot of stuff.  The one nice thing is, it was very organized.  We donated and recycled what we could, but two pick-up loads still went to the landfill.  Some precious treasures went home with my sister-in-law and with us.  There is still a lot to do, but it's mostly cleaning, small repairs, and painting in preparation to possibly sell the home one day.  There is no rush on that.

Every room in the house was filled with memories, as was the yard and the garden.  It was like whispers, too quiet to hear, but definitely all around.  Poignant, palpable, precious....

Silent rooms and
walls with dusty photographs
Paintings created, hung with loving hands

A chair, a throw,
favorite jacket in the hall
Symbols of the life they once enveloped

Quiet whispers
of voices no longer heard
but hanging in the air, just beyond reach

Memories linking
hearts to hearts, throughout time
Unbroken chain of life continues on

© 17APR2012 ajjahner

A Surprise in the Mail...

To begin, I want to wish each of you a Happy Easter!  It looks like a beautiful day here in Idaho.  My plans are simple, to spend the day with my husband and sons. 

I received the most beautiful package in the mail last week!  I won the giveaway from Michelle Palmer, and here is what I saw when I opened the package...

 This is what was inside...

Michelle does such beautiful sketches and painting.  You can see more of her work in her Etsy Shop,
Michelle Palmer Art.  She drew the acorns, placing them randomly in the squares of this vintage piece of linen.  She left the buttons separate, so I can place them where I wish or leave them off altogether.  I love this!  The acorns take me back to my childhood, and the giant oak tree in our yard.  I spent hours in the shade of that oak, reading my Nancy Drew mysteries, looking for 4-leaf clovers, making dandelion chains, and collecting acorns.  Precious memories of simple times.  I will treasure this!

Today's Sunday Scribblings Prompt is Treat.  The word is implied, rather than being inserted in this post.  The treat was winning the Michelle Palmer piece!  Continuing with my April poetry theme, I wrote the following:

In the shade of ancient oak,

branches stretched upwards and out,

solitude is not lonely.

In the wonder of cool shelter,

a bumpy floor of grass

and acorns so abundant. 

I choose a spot and stretch out, 

favorite book in hand,
under comfort of green arms.

© 08APR2012 ajjahner

Those of you who are readers, will recognize the treat in this piece.  There's nothing quite like finding a place you love to enjoy a great book.

Taking Flight

Here's another earlier poem of mine, that really takes me back.  Isn't memory an amazing thing?  If I close my eyes, I am on that swing, going higher and higher.

Taking Flight

My feet push against the earth

Higher, higher

The swing takes me up

To blue sky and then back again

Toes striking the soft, dusty brown earth

Pushing, pushing

Reaching for the sky

Imagination taking flight with the seagulls,

The robins, the wild geese

Grandma calls, “Dinner”

Releasing the chains I fly through

The air for an instant

Then feet connect firmly with the ground and

I go running back to reality and the mundane

© 11JAN2010 ajjahner

As with all my writing, journaling, photos and art, please do not reproduce or copy without express written permission.  Thank you for respecting my copyright.  I hope you're enjoying this month of poems for the NaBloPoMo prompt "Poem" and to celebrate National Poetry Month. 

Change...

It comes, and then goes
like breezes on a summer's day,
or ice melting in the sun.
When the water runs,
then trickles away
til the stones are
dry again, and warm,
and no trace remains
of what once was.
Life changes
and moves on.

 © 06APR2012 ajjahner

Modern Girl

The Sunday Scribbling Prompt for yesterday was modern, so I combined that with my NaBloPoMo Theme of relative, and came up with a little poem.  It's loosely based on moms and grandmas, and those ladies I have known who continue to embrace life at any age.  To me, that is the true definition of a modern girl.

A Modern Girl

 

She was a modern girl

Circle skirt, sweater set

Bright red lips 

Poodle pet

Jitterbug made her swirl

Saddle shoes on her feet

Swinging hips

Just so sweet

In her chair feet still twirl

Graying hair, laughing eyes

Bright pink lips

It's no surprise

A modern girl she remains

She'll never settle for plain Jane

 © 27FEB2012 ajj

Sunday Scribblings #254 - A Thousand Years

reality shows, news about wars
images on film or digital,
the latest fashion, the trend,
the thing that's "it" for today
wallpaper, paint, linen, leather or vinyl
who's who, who's hot, who's not
property; buy it, sell it, rent or
find a niche under the bridge

save words in a book or a memory chip
create art in paint, charcoal, ink, pastels
what will it matter in a thousand years
will anyone be here to care
will it all be blown to oblivion
will all the good be in heaven
what about me... where will i be
will any of this really even matter

So.... that's my take on the prompt for Sunday Scribblings #254 "A Thousand Years"
I wrote it a while back.  It's a bit dark, but sometimes we all stand in the dark... and wonder.


copyright 13Feb2011 ajj

Mother...

A friend sent this to me this past week.  It is beautiful.  Whether you are  a mother or a daughter... whether you are blessed to still have your mother around, or if she has passed on, I think it will touch you.

MOTHER

Author Unknown

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. 

"Is this the long way?" she asked. 

And the guide said: 
"Yes, and the way is hard
And you will be old before you reach the end of it.. 

But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young mother was happy,
and she would not believe that anything 
could be better than these years

So she played with her children, 
and gathered flowers for them along the way, 
and bathed them in the clear streams; 
and the sun shone on them, 
and the young Mother cried,
"Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."



Then the night came, and the storm, 
and the path was dark, 
and the children shook with fear and cold,
and the mother drew them close
and covered them with her mantle,
and the children said, "Mother, we are not afraid,
for you are near, and no harm can come."

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead,
and the children climbed and grew weary,
and the mother was weary.  

But at all times she said to the children,
"A little patience and we are there."

So the children climbed, 
and when they reached the top they said,  
"Mother, we would not have done it without you." 
And the mother, when she lay down at night 
looked up at the stars and said, 
"This is a better day than the last, for my children 
have learned fortitude in the face of hardness.
 Yesterday I gave them courage.
Today, I've given them strength."



And the next day came strange clouds 
which darkened the earth, 
clouds of war and hate and evil,
and the children groped and stumbled, 
and the mother said:  

"Look up. Lift your eyes to the light."
  And the children looked
and saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, 
and it guided them beyond the
darkness. And that night the Mother said,
"This is the best day of all, for
I have shown my children God."



And the days went on,
and the weeks and the months and
the years, and the mother grew old;
And she was little and bent.
But her children were tall and strong,
and walked with courage. 

And when the way was rough, 
they lifted her,
for she was as light as a feather;
and at last they came to a hill,
and beyond they could see a shining road
and golden gates flung wide.
And mother said,  
"I have reached the end of my journey.
And now I know 
the end is better than the beginning, 
for my children can walk alone, 
and their children after them."

And the children said, 
"You will always walk with us, Mother, 
even when you have gone through the gates."

And they stood and watched her 
as she went on alone,
and the gates closed after her. 
And they said:
"We cannot see her but she is with us still.
A Mother like ours is more than a memory.
She is a living presence."

Your Mother is always with you....
She's the whisper of the leaves 
as you walk down the street;
she's the smell of bleach 
 in your freshly laundered socks;
she's the cool hand on your brow 
when you're not well. 

Your Mother lives inside your laughter.
And she's crystallized in every tear drop.
She's the place you came from, 
your first home; and she's the map you follow 
with every step you take.
She's your first love and your first heartbreak,
and nothing on earth can separate you.
Not time, not space... not even death.

My favorite part is the last.  I feel my mom near in times of laughter and tears.  It's all part of the gifts that she instilled in me.  She lived life fully, in good times and in bad.  She faced it with courage, and with her unique sense of humor.  I was blessed to be her daughter.  I hope each of you have been blessed in life with a loving mother.

Images provided by Dawn of The Feathered Nest.  She is such a generous lady!  Please take some time to visit her beautiful blog.  If you are new here, you just click on the highlighted name of her blog and it will take you there.


Have a blessed day!
Nita Jo

Sunday Scribblings

Following is my piece for Sunday Scribblings. The theme was "ask". I wrote this for my uncle, in memory of his life partner, Madeline, who passed away this week. I think many of us have asked questions like these during a time of loss.


Rainbow

If I sit quietly and focus
Will I hear your voice in the wind or see
your face in the distance?

Can you hear me when I whisper
your name into the starlit night, saying
I will always love you?

Will you remember me
As I remember you, in the quiet moments
of every hour, every day?

And the day you died
was the rainbow, framed in a cloudless sky,
your secret message to me?

May you be at peace,
knowing you forever hold a place in
my broken heart.

I'm Still Here...

It's been a while since my last post. Life has been busy! During the time I've been away, my sis was taken to the hospital (but she is fine now), my niece found an apartment with a friend (I helped her move), I got my computer problems ironed out (so far), and my Grandma Martha turned 90... that's a brief look.

I have been gathering materials for my planned art projects. Now it's a matter of getting organized and finding the time to do them. I'm big on planning and bigger on procrastination! This may give insight on why I chose the following quote...

"Besides the noble art of getting things done,

there is the noble art of leaving things undone.

The wisdom of life consists in the

elimination of non-essentials."

— Lin Yutang

Well, I still have some work to do on figuring out what my "non-essentials" are. I like to keep everything!