Feeling irrepressible

Exuberance

Bubbles

Up and

Laughter

Lifts

Ill will, bringing to an

End a year of

Noxious,

Tweeted swill.

Appreciating the...

Superb, magnificent,

Undeniably the

Best, the

Lutenist’s

Inspired performance

Mesmerized

Every guest.

The eye of the bedecked

Frivolous adornments

Regarded as garish

Indeed show

Personal

Preferences one might cherish.

Everyone certainly has the

Right to satisfy a

Yen to be a sight.

Such talk is taxing

Flapping

Lips

In

Burble

Babble, they

Earned the

Right

To join the rabble

In its incessant

Gibberish; on

Impulse, they

Boldly

Bowled over

Every  

Three- and four-leaf clover. The

Senate and House, they got their wish.

Accounts recounted

A tale originally

Not meant for every

Ear became a

Common narrative,

Declared and shared

Over the years by

Tellers who might

Elicit cheers, tears, or jeers.

Turdus migratorius

Red-breasted songbirds

On cold winter days eat

Berries by the dozens

In treetops. By the way, do

Not park your car below

Since while up there, they tend to ‘go.’

Bon appétit!

Once upon a

Yuletide white, a

Seafood

Treat was a great delight; the

Empty shells we

Returned to the sea where the gulls

Swooped down hungrily.

Thank you so much, Martha and Greg, for wonderful Christmas memories.

Bah, humbug?

Christmas celebrations

Offer

Modern

Markets an

Ever

Ready

Cause for fiscal

Elation.

Star stories

Consider that dark indigo bowl

Of twinkling stars

Named for

Shapes and

Their legends of old

Eloquently told;

Let Ptolemy’s

List, his

Almagest,

Transport you

Into that realm

Of

Never ending

Sky studded with clues.

Originally the carrying bag itself

Myriad cards and parcels

Are wending their postal way

In all kinds of winter weather to

Land in boxes today.

A big shout-out to the women and men who handle millions of pieces of mail every day. Particularly at this time of year, those employees who work directly with the public are to be lauded for their patience and positive attitude. Many thanks to them all!

Winter ...

Standing still at this time

Of year, our

Lovely

Sun seems

To

Idle on its

Cosmic path, but then

Ever longer days start coming back.

Tootling along

Weaving our way to the

End of this year, we hope the

Next one will

Deliver great cheer.

Impression

Deep or shallow

Immersion depends on one’s

Personal version.

The moment was...

Glittering, shining 

Orbs

Light up the night,

Dazzling the

Eyes with

New delight.

Thanks, Shelly and Greg S., for the fun tour of beautifully lit Golden, Colorado.

On the other side

Boundless good

Extends to

You

Outside the bonds of

Now and here;

Dare to sense it without fear.

En route

Though once

Regarded

As toilsome, journeys now

Vary for the adventuresome, who

Eventually will

Land with great welcome.

In honor of Shelly and Greg S. with many thanks.

End of year

Best time to

Relax, sleep in,

Exercise, these next weeks might offer

All

Kinds of surprise.

Then and now

Recalling tragic

Events, being

Mindful of the

Effects, reminds us that

Mental health issues

Befall

Everyone. On this, let’s

Reflect.

Thinking of Sandy Hook, with love and concern for all those involved and affected by this tragedy. Peace!

Arrogance

Conceit causes

One

Not to

Confess to loss;

Eventually he’ll

Deign to

Eat his own dross.

Appease

Please

Listen

And be

Calm. We will

Attend

To your

Every need.

Vernacular

Literally

A tongue,

Natively spoken, it

Gives

Utterance to

All thoughts, but

Goes just so far,

Emotions to betoken.

Console

Caring for

One who

Needs comfort from

Distress

Over the

Loss of a loved one is

Empathy; profess

Not to

Completely understand, but

Envision offering

Serenity through loving hands.

Time flies

Zounds! Our

Existence, our days

Nearly tumble

Over each other as the

Sun rises and quickly sets,

Yet it is the same

Number of hours. Can we

Elude this sense, this power?

Unfortunate departure

Relinquishing his role, in

Embarrassment (the

Senator got caught up

In harassment) was the

Gracious way to go and he did

Need to say in

A very emphatic way

That

It’s disturbingly incongruous that

Our

Nation’s leader is himself disingenuous.

Conflict

When will man’s

Aggression evolve to a

Reasoning session?

Scheme

Conspiring

On a

Ludicrously high

Level of

Underhandedness to win

Shows an

Insane desperation to

Overpower a

Nation from within.

Curiously outside

So surprisingly different were

The customs of that

Realm, those newly

Arrived feared their

Neighbors wouldn’t sell them the

Grain they needed for making clothes or

Eggs they required for their repose.

Drink and be merry

Beverages are

Often

Trapped inside,

Though not for

Long, when

Eagerly imbibed.

In pensive places

Vast

Eclectic collections of

Long-loved books

Line shelves

In shops that

Carry a scent of

History, a unique mix

Of thought, a creative

Repository.

Thank you, Gail H., for the link to some fun and fascinating words.

Relief

Cleansing the soul of

Anger and anxiety

Takes courage; we

Honor and love ourselves by

Admitting the worst,

Releasing all the

Toxins

Into a

Constant Universe.

Bad buddies

Conspiring with his

Old cronies, the

Man with

Political ties spread a

Lot of baloney – so-called

Intelligence and lies – and

Caused

Insidious divisiveness; for many, his

Tweets don’t fly.

Thank you, Dictionary.com, for your most apropos Word of the Year!

Gift

Purposefully

Opening our hearts

To give gifts of

Love –

A smile, a greeting, a

Token – helps to sustain

Community, self-respect

Held high above.

With many thanks to the Elwha Elders, teachers, students, and families for hosting this meaningful evening.

When in doubt, ask a ...

Lives

Immersed in

Books are

Rich indeed

And she,

Rare friend and mentor,

Instilled in me

A love for the quest and the

Need to read.

Happy Birthday, Molly Giles, wherever in the Universe you are.

Tabula rasa

Not

One

Thing

Has less to

It than

None, but with room for

Growth, it can become some.

Growth

Press into the ground with

Loving hands

And feet those

Naturally-knowing seeds;

The floral being is ever so grand.

Predatory

Ruffian raiders were

Excited to

Invade

Villages bordering Scotland and

England where many folks already endured

Rough lives; those robbers made

Savagery a common word.

I heard this word while listening to Susan Fletcher’s novel The Highland Witch.

Warm and fun

Sliding all over

On wool-

Covered feet, the laughing

Kids’

Spirits were certainly upbeat.

Thanksgiving Day fun

Believing the invented

Answers true, the players

Laughed; the next one

Drew a card with

Even crazier clues,

Read the nonsense,

Declared the points,

And

Started to

Hoot on the didgeridoo. 

Let's talk...

The Meleagris gallopavo is

Usually present this day,

Roasted, maybe stuffed,

Kind of displayed at the

Epicenter of the family feast with

Yams, green beans, and pumpkin treats.

Maritime warning

Finding their way

Out on the water when thick,

Grey mist rolls in,

Harbor boats are

Offered

Regular warnings;

Not to hear them is grim.

Blab

Bellowing out an answer, or

Letting the whole world know an

Undisclosed

Reality, is that

The way to go?

The San Juan

Somewhere

Underwater, a crew of 44 

Brave

Menacing conditions;

Atlantic storms

Render rescue a nearly

Impossible mission.

Nonetheless the world hopes the plan

Eventually comes to fruition.

In honor of, and with heartfelt thoughts for the crew of the Argentine submarine San Juan.

Dignified

Newsworthy, known should be those

Of honorable living,

But their quiet integrity offers

Little sensation to people giving

Ear to the social hype of this nation.

Undignified

Scandals involving sordid behavior

Have reached

A new high of trying to mask

Malevolent past exploits;

Everyone’s been living a lie.

Just don’t call me ‘Late For Dinner’

Measured by a need to

Eat, food is prepared    

And bowls are filled;

Late comers might not be thrilled.

Snail spinners

Some shells

Present this

Interesting twist,

Right or left

Around an axis.

Lots of different gastropods exist.

Too soon

Despair

Engulfs her;

She sees no

Possible way

Out.

Not thinking straight, she

Decides to

End the pain.

No one understands.

Too late.

This is for Ashley Ann, a 15-year-old student, who died Monday, November 13, 2017.

Amazing aperture

Have you seen this

Orifice that can change its size? It

Lets light rays shine right through,

Especially to the back of your eyes.

Dauntless jaunt

Take the

Road, the air, the sea

In adventurous spirit and

Please, take me.

Theseus in the labyrinth

Clues, like a practical ball of thread, might

Lead someone

Eventually from a place of dread, that is,

When all is done and said.

Thank you, Veterans!

Daring is

Essential for

Devoting years

In service to one’s

Country in spite of

All the          

Tears of

Ever-loving family trying to

Deny their fears.

Hot from the cauldron

Cook pots

Hold the

Optimum

Wonderful

Dish of

Edibles from land and

Required clams and/or fish.

Lip (or tongue) service?

Can they genuinely

Orate on

New legislation when the

Gender in power

Rules over

Everything in this nation? At least it

Sounds like coming together might

Start the conversation.

Tiny instruction packets

Sow, grow, harvest,

Eat;

Enjoy what

Develops from dreams

So sweet.

Put a lid on it already!

Viciously

Insulting

The equally

Unmindful

Pyongyang leader,

Every

Rational

American can see,

Threatens to

Ignite more

Violence and

Endless hostility.

The ripple effect of calm

Edging toward an

Alleviated state, and

Sharing it, helps

Everyone feel great.

Spelt like this...

From Umbria in Italy comes

A kind of hulled wheat, a

Relict crop, that’s great to eat; it’s

Really delicious, this nutritious

Option, this popular good-for-you treat!

Thanks for the great dinner, Kristinä and Jackie! And for the word.