Wordless Wednesday Winter Woods

nancybond — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:43:36 +0000

A Conscious Blessing

nancybond — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:40:06 +0000

“…For all practical purposes nature is at a standstill. . . . there is a wonderful joy in leaving behind the noisy city streets and starting out along the white road that leads across the hills. With each breath of the sharp, reviving air one seems to inhale new life. A peace as evident as the sunshine on the fields takes possession of one’s inner being. The trivial cares which fretted like a swarm of mosquitoes are driven away by the first sweep of wind that comes straight from the mountains. . . . The intense silence that broods over the snow-bound land is a conscious blessing. The deep blue of the sky and the purple shadows cast by the trees and plants are a feast to the eye…” – Frances Parsons

Holiday Trivia

nancybond — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:56:28 +0000

Christmas Trivia Fun

1. What Christmas plant is “Viscum” used to label:

Mistletoe
Holly
Ivy
Sage

2. The name of Scrooge’s dead business partner:

James Willcot
John Mantis
Jacob Marely
Jimmy Booth

3. Which author made the remark “I gave them for Dinner a Piece of rost Beef and plumb Puddings – and after dinner half a Pint of strong Beer apiece. “:

Philip Larkin
James Woodforde
Samuel Johnson
Evelyn Waugh

4. Who tried to steal Christmas from the “Whos of Whoville” in the 1966 cartoon based on the Dr. Seuss Story?:

The Grinch
The Snowman
Hattie Jacques
Ian Holm

5. What was the film called in which Peter Auty sang Walking in the Air?:

The Grinch
The Snowman
Hattie Jacques
Ian Holm

6. What Christmas food is made from “marsh-whorts”:

Stuffing
Sweet Potatos
Marshmellows
Cranberry sauce

7. Which ocean is Christmas Island in:

Pacific Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
Arctic Ocean

8. Who wrote the poem, “The Cultivation of Christmas Trees”:

Paul Thereaux
Walt Whitman
James Joyce
T S Eliot

9. Which continent is the turkey from:

South America
North America
Europe
Australia

10. In which author’s novel is it “always winter but never Christmas”:

C S Lewis
John Masefield
Jacob Marley
Sherlock Homes

Answers can be found here! You can take the quiz there, too.

The Folly of Ferns

nancybond — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:09:46 +0000

“Here is the fern’s frond, unfurling a gesture,
Like a conductor whose music will now be paused…”
- Ted Hughes, “The Fern”

Lest We Forget

nancybond — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:21:22 +0000

On All Hallows Eve

nancybond — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:48:33 +0000

Goblin Dance

Rain, like streaks of misery,
Trickles down between dead leaves,
Fog and mist and wind deceive…
On All Hallows Eve.
Still-dressed aspens shake and quiver
In the breeze, they quake and shiver,
Gold moon gleams on waveless river…
On All Hallows Eve.
Jack-O-Lanterns, sneering, rounded,
Sit like garish spirits, grounded,
Legless heads to earth are bounded…
On All Hallows Eve.
Ghosts and ghouls all flit about,
Chanting spells and casting doubt,
Curses, incantations shout…
On All Hallows Eve.
When trick-or-treaters’ night is over,
That’s when goblins shed their cover,
Over field and glen they hover…
On All Hallows Eve.
Lookouts in low-hanging branch
Will deem it safe to take the chance
To start their yearly goblin dance…
On All Hallows Eve.
On til midnight, dancing, turning,
Cares of other worlds they’re spurning,
At the strike of twelve returning…
On All Hallows Eve.
Now is the bewitching hour,
Danger lurks ‘neath every bower.
Even goblins shake and cower…
On All Hallows Eve.
Witches fly on well-worn brooms,
Silhouettes in front of moon,
Daybreak will be coming soon…
On All Hallows Eve.
Through their holy night incanting,
Finding moon and stars enchanting,
Curdling laughter, raves and ranting…
On All Hallows Eve.
Soon the moon is disappearing,
Witches, goblins now all fearing
Being found, as dawn is nearing…
On All Hallows Eve.
So from their hours of frolic, fright,
They fade away ‘neath veil of night,
Hidden, safely out of sight,
Until All Hallows Eve.
© 2004 Nancy J. Bond

October Blues

nancybond — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:10:19 +0000

October Blues

Frost kissed trees with golden leaves
With wind, they sway and move
Against a certain coloured sky
I call October blue.

And on the deck, though wind and rain
Have left them torn and chewed,
The callies and the bacopa
Still bloom in shades of blue.

Then from the sighing evergreens,
Familiar calls ring true;
The jays are back, in winter coats
Of bright October blue.October paints the hills and fields
In most amazing hues:
Tangerine and red are fine,
But I like Autumn blue.

Winter, Spring, Summer, Pumpkin…

nancybond — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 03:14:33 +0000

“Oh how we love pumpkin season. You did know this gourd-ish squash has its own season, right? Winter, Spring, Summer, Pumpkin…. We anxiously anticipate it every year.” – Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer, October 2010

October’s First Palette

nancybond — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:56:37 +0000

Autumn brings a cooler breeze
That rattles branches, rustles leaves.
Warm by day, by night deceives,
Its temperate hand from heat relieves.
Birch and maples hint of gold,
Their vibrant green, hard-pressed to hold,
Will soon be snatched by wind too cold,
Replaced by orange and red, so bold.
The land is hushed, but busy still,
Pondering harvest, gardens tilled,
Except for pumpkin patches willed
To jack-o-lanterns, when they’re filled.

There’s something in October’s wind
That brings us close to earth again,
Preparing us when warm days end,
For Winter that’s just round the bend.
I’ll take these days–full, crisp and clear–
O’er summers heat, so hard to bear.
October’s scent is in the air,
And Fall’s paint brush now hovers there.

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!

nancybond — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 16:45:28 +0000

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

- Author Unknown

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL MY CANADIAN FRIENDS!