The Last Stones for January

 

jan13badgesmall

 

The last of my small stones for January. Couldn’t quite manage the one per day the Mindful Writing Challenge called for, so I’ve had to write a bit more several times.

 

This week has included a dental consult, two days of trying to make a program work from an external drive, followed by an order for the darned upgrade, and then wonderfully warm weather but no blue skies or sun. Isn’t it funny how Ottawa winters work? A choice of pretty deep freeze days, or depressing warm and wet ones.

 

Winterlude Skating at Dows Lage

Winterlude Skating at Dows Lage (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Winterlude, Ottawa’s wonderful winter festival starts soon. Looks like we may be having another year of Waterlude. That is not good for the ice sculptures, the snow sculptures or

 

for skaters looking forward to trying out their blades on Ottawa’s canal rink.

 

 

 

Ice sculpture museum carved out of snow at the...

Ice sculpture museum carved out of snow at the annual Winterlude (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

 

Visit to the Dentist

 

One tooth no longer welcome
in my jaw, its root, shattered,
lies under a bridge. The tooth,
dormant since Christmas flares
again, anxious and inflamed.
Complicated, they say. Sedation.
Bring a friend.

 

CS Jan. 28, 2013

 

Computer Glitches

 

These necessary machines
now drive our lives, create
havoc when they refuse to
do things our way. Installation
not as planned, files here, files
there, and somewhere the hidden
key. Some days nothing works,
it won’t print, it won’t save,
it won’t open, it won’t send.
Spend hours fixing something
to save us minutes when (sometimes)
it works.

 

CS Jan. 29, 2013

 

Guaranteed Delivery

 

Order by six, delivery guaranteed
next day. Could download software,
but want security from owning the disk.
In case of glitches.  Wait all day.
All evening. Shoulda done the download.

 

CS Jan. 30, 2013

 

Rain and Grey Clouds

 

Winter cries for its own passing,
sends rain and covers herself
with grey cloud. Last week’s white
has melted to dirty grey heaps, puddles
everywhere as thermometers rise
above freezing. Young men sport pants
rolled to the knee, runners with shoelaces
undone and flapping. Teen girls leave coats
behind, walk about with bare arms
and goosebumps.

 

CS Jan. 31, 2013

 

A final picture of an ice sculpture at night, from Winterlude.

 

Ice sculpture of a train, lit at night. Taken ...

Ice sculpture of a train, lit at night. Taken at Winterlude. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

 

Small stones for a Winter Weekend Jan. 25 through Jan 27, 2013

jan13badgesmall

Lunch at a Country Farm

Cold winter days call for hot soup
but beets are not on my list, still
polite behaviour requires I try,
surprised when that musty earthy taste
does not assault my tongue. This borscht
a spicy hot pink, perfect with raisin biscuits
and followed by a warm and fragrant
apple tart, redolent of cinnamon and spice.
Dog spit on my cheek optional.

English: Ukrainian borshch Українська: Українс...

English: Ukrainian borshch Українська: Український борщ Русский: Украинский борщ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CS Jan 25, 2013
Car Windows at 100 kph

Cold air on car windows begins
to fog as we reach the highway
I accelerate, take her up to 110 kph
and soon the side windows steam and fog
I brought a passenger this time, to fiddle
with vents and heat controls, bring back
blessed visibility and ability to change lanes
and take the corners, actually see what
lies ahead.

CS Jan. 26, 2013

I’m So Ready

to hear Sutton Sammy or Wiarton Willie
or Fred from Val d’Espoir, Quebec
predict how many more weeks of winter.

Just a few days before the furry rodents
make their annual appearance, and all
the superstitious people pronounce
how many weeks of winter left to come.

(Wiarton Willie Statue Wiarton Ontario Canada ...

(Wiarton Willie Statue Wiarton Ontario Canada – Photo By Shari Chambers http://www.newmediadesigns.biz) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Just open a calendar.
On February 2nd, you can see March 20th
is the first day of spring. Same number of weeks
whether the weather is sunny or not on every
Groundhog’s special Day.

CS Jan 27, 2013

Thursday, Jan. 24 2013 Small Stone

jan13badgesmall

Today’s the first day since early December that there are no tests waiting for me, carrying worry that itches at me even when I’m trying not to worry. So for that I am thankful!

Worry changes nothing, but, despite Alexandra Petri’s article to the contrary, poetry does change things. It changes my mood, it changes outlook, it can make someone else feel like they are not the only one who has worry and doubt, or any of the many other things people may think they alone experience.

Off the Treadmill

of worry, of tests, of what
they all mean, and the stress
of stressing about stress.

No sense in worry, it changes nothing
except to add another layer of itself.

Time to set it aside, think about joy, no!
Experience the joy and happiness
of the small and ordinary.

CS Jan. 24, 2013

Frozen stone for Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013

jan13badgesmallFor today’s Mindful Writing Challenge, I’m afraid I’m thinking about this deep freeze here in the Ottawa area. Man, it is some cold! http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/caon0512

Minus What?

Sky a palette of unbroken blue,
from the window you might see June
but for snow-covered roofs, and you know
when there are no clouds it will be cold.

Here in the suburbs no wind chill, but
in the city, it feels like minus 34. I can’t
remember what that is in “real” degrees,
so the internet tells me minus 26 is really –15
and minus 34’s a bonechilling minus 29.
Too cold for anything but soup, hot cocoa,
and a long, warm hug.

cs Jan. 23, 2013