Reflective thoughts and poems

Today, I got up early and went to the guitar class at the center. It was a bright, sunny morning with a breeze that ruffled the leaves, so that they swept unto the road as I drove by. I opened both windows, as it was warmer than usual.

I am making progress with the guitar! I now know some chords: G, C, D, and A. We kept playing these chords in class while he played a tune, until we were comfortable switching from one chord to the other.

I received a handout today. It had a matrix that includes a list of the chords with about five columns across. I learned that there is a code that Nashville used, like 151. One (1) represents the G in the first column, while five (5) represents the C in column 5, and one (1) represents G again In column one. Still learning it. I got a chance to play "Angels We Have Heard on High" on my guitar today. I had memorized it, but I still need to build my confidence.

I've a Christmas songbook that is easy, has the chords, notes, and fingers. So I decided I will learn a few Christmas songs for Christmas during my evenings (between knitting, painting, and card making). I told the guitar instructor today that I would like to bring my violin (he calls it a fiddle) and he said he would show me how it is played (with double stops - think Joe Clark). He said that we should not stop learning, and I agree.

Then I went to the watercolor class and painted some more. I am also learning a lot from that class. I actually went to two classes today. The first is at the center, where I do my homework for my second class later in the day.

The second watercolor class is around the corner at an arts store. This is a top-notch class and our instructor takes the time to show us how the paper saturates, and how to use the brush (dry brush, wet brush) to get certain effects. We get homework to do each time. It's only 6 weeks, but I learned a lot. This is the second class I have taken with him. I have learned other techniques, like blotting the paint with a tissue for a certain effect (particularly for clouds). One of these days I will share my latest painting(s).

Came home and have been working since. Took a break now to share my day with you.

Have a wonderful day/evening!
 

It sounds like you are having a enjoyable time at your senior center. I have never known one around to have all those activities. Usually puzzles or cards and Bingo, of course.
 
katlupe said:
It sounds like you are having a enjoyable time at your senior center. I have never known one around to have all those activities. Usually puzzles or cards and Bingo, of course.
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I just learned about the center this year. Once I signed up, they email me a monthly calendar with a schedule and we can preregister for classes (free, of course). I also receive a newsletter. It is convenient to my home.
 

Well, today was a doozy! I woke up very early with a bad stomach ache which ended up becoming diarrhea with periodic vomiting. I had it all morning, and had to opt out of a Zoom meeting. I felt woozy and lethargic. I drove to Urgent Care, which is five minutes away. Found out it was viral gastroenteritis. I felt good about the diagnoses (was worried it might be caused by the gallbladder, pancreas, or appendix). So all day I have been sipping electrolyte water. I still have not finished a glass (although I am trying not to get dehydrated). Hopefully, I will resume eating something tomorrow.

The good thing is that the symptoms seem to have subsided this past hour. Burping has replaced vomiting. I was told it would take 24 hours to get rid of that and five days to recover completely. I honestly don't know where I got it from and don't want to go out and spread it. So am staying home for a few days.

I think I might order from instacart instead of going shopping this weekend as initially planned.
 
palides2021 said:
Well, today was a doozy! I woke up very early with a bad stomach ache which ended up becoming diarrhea with periodic vomiting. I had it all morning, and had to opt out of a Zoom meeting. I felt woozy and lethargic. I drove to Urgent Care, which is five minutes away. Found out it was viral gastroenteritis. I felt good about the diagnoses (was worried it might be caused by the gallbladder, pancreas, or appendix). So all day I have been sipping electrolyte water. I still have not finished a glass (although I am trying not to get dehydrated). Hopefully, I will resume eating something tomorrow.

The good thing is that the symptoms seem to have subsided this past hour. Burping has replaced vomiting. I was told it would take 24 hours to get rid of that and five days to recover completely. I honestly don't know where I got it from and don't want to go out and spread it. So am staying home for a few days.

I think I might order from instacart instead of going shopping this weekend as initially planned.
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Oh dear, I hope you get feeling better soon. Instacart is a lifesaver for sure!
 
Today's poem was written by ChatGPT and it's about redheads, of which I am one.

"In a world of hues, vibrant and bright,
Dances a flame, a fiery light,
Adorned in locks of auburn grace,
The redheads weave their unique embrace.
Like autumn leaves in a golden swirl,
Their hair, a blaze that makes hearts twirl,
With strands like copper, kissed by sun,
Each tress tells tales of passion spun.
Their freckles scattered, constellations rare,
Mapping stories beyond compare,
Eyes, a shade of emerald green,
Hold mysteries, a wonder unseen.
With fiery spirit, a spark untamed,
In their laughter, a zest proclaimed,
Brave and bold, yet gentle too,
They paint the world in shades anew.
Oh, redheads, with your fiery mane,
A portrait of art that shall remain,
In every step, a vivid thread,
A tapestry of life, beautifully spread.
So here's to you, in your vibrant hue,
A symphony of crimson, bold and true,
In every shade and every tone,
The redheads' spirit, forever known."
 
OldFeller said:
Today's poem was written by ChatGPT and it's about redheads, of which I am one.

"In a world of hues, vibrant and bright,
Dances a flame, a fiery light,
Adorned in locks of auburn grace,
The redheads weave their unique embrace.
Like autumn leaves in a golden swirl,
Their hair, a blaze that makes hearts twirl,
With strands like copper, kissed by sun,
Each tress tells tales of passion spun.
Their freckles scattered, constellations rare,
Mapping stories beyond compare,
Eyes, a shade of emerald green,
Hold mysteries, a wonder unseen.
With fiery spirit, a spark untamed,
In their laughter, a zest proclaimed,
Brave and bold, yet gentle too,
They paint the world in shades anew.
Oh, redheads, with your fiery mane,
A portrait of art that shall remain,
In every step, a vivid thread,
A tapestry of life, beautifully spread.
So here's to you, in your vibrant hue,
A symphony of crimson, bold and true,
In every shade and every tone,
The redheads' spirit, forever known."
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Wow! What a fantastic poem! That ChatGPT is going to get us poets out of business! Thanks fo sharing, @OldFeller!
 
palides2021 said:
Although I posted this music video in the Entertainment section of SF, I wanted to have it here in my diary as a keepsake.

It is from a poem I wrote in 2015 titled "Remember the Roses."

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This poem was inspired by the fact that every year my husband would give me roses for Mother's Day. I grew them in the garden and loved to clip them and place them in a vase on the window-sill. So we had several rose bushes in my previous home before moving here.
 
I recently was looking for a Christmas story I wrote (I want to share it with the writing group this weekend) but instead, found this poem that I wrote for my son. I don't think I have shared this before, and although it's over a year old, it still has much value for me.

A Mother’s Blessing

May you grow strong and healthy
With God blessing you each day
May your path be a straight one
Finding friends along the way

May sunshine greet you each day
As you strive to meet your dreams
May courage help you obey
Your heart’s desire to not stray

May your soul be wise and calm
Embracing your inner peace
May it keep you safe from harm
As you open your heart’s palm

May you help others in need
When you reach your pinnacle
May you never be greedy
May your life have dignity

May you reach old age one day
And be blessed with grandchildren
May they bring you joy always
May I live to see that day.

P.A. Sep 21, 2022
 
Last poem before I die

Before I pass, I leave these words,
Before they all expire.
Words of wisdom or foolish ones?
Depending on ones desire!

Stand by my grave, arrival soon,
By chariot with trumpets blowing.
To summon all of Heaven's Angels,
Spread wings and halos glowing.

Uplifted home to Paradise,
Into the gates my soul will pass.
At times I've lost, but now I've won ----
Triumphant in Heaven I shall rest!
 
ohioboy said:
Last poem before I die

Before I pass, I leave these words,
Before they all expire.
Words of wisdom or foolish ones?
Depending on ones desire!

Stand by my grave, arrival soon,
By chariot with trumpets blowing.
To summon all of Heaven's Angels,
Spread wings and halos glowing.

Uplifted home to Paradise,
Into the gates my soul will pass.
At times I've lost, but now I've won ----
Triumphant in Heaven I shall rest!
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Thanks, @ohioboy for your poem (I'm assuming you wrote it!) Good rhyming. I can see the gates opening up for you.
You should write a copyright date on it, just to play it safe. I can't help feeling that the poem is a little premature, I hope?
 
It's early now and this thread has been a blessing to start my day. Thank you Palides. I always knew you were special but it's growing the more I read....and I'm only on the first page...looking forward to the rest :giggle:
 
It's been a few weeks since I posted on here. I spent Christmas fighting a nasty cold (lots of sleep, no appetite, coughing, coughing, and more coughing) and it's been lingering ever since. Feeling stronger every day, though.

The sun is shining today and that always makes me feel good. I sweep open the curtains to the house every morning and it's wonderful when the sun greets my eyes. The last few days, it has been gray, so it felt good when the sun was shining this morning.

Tomorrow, we are expecting a winter storm - up to 8 inches. It will be our first in a long time. When I was growing up in Cleveland, snow was a common occurrence. I remember breathing through my ice-encrusted scarf when waiting for the school bus on a cold winter morning. I remember slipping and sliding on the icy sidewalks because we were too poor to get boots. I remember not being able to open the door of our house because of the foot-high snow forming a barrier, and spending all day shoveling with my family. I remember driving through a snow blizzard and not being able to see a foot in front of me. I don't miss the snow. :)

My son visited me during the Christmas holiday, and even though I was sick most of the time, the days that I was feeling well, we went out and enjoyed the mall, went to the theater and watched movies, and ate at our favorite restaurants. He left this morning, and I miss him already, but am now settling back into my routine as my next university classes begin on Monday.

I wrote a short poem for the New Year:

Happy New Year!

All is possible today
And every day
Let your dreams spill forth
Like Manna on the desert
To give life to your purpose
And purpose to your life.

Resist the temptation
To repeat your errors
Move forward in a positive light
Sweep away all illness and disease
Let Love shine the way
To a New Year
And a New Day!

P.A. Jan 1, 2024
 
palides2021 said:
It's been a few weeks since I posted on here. I spent Christmas fighting a nasty cold (lots of sleep, no appetite, coughing, coughing, and more coughing) and it's been lingering ever since. Feeling stronger every day, though.

The sun is shining today and that always makes me feel good. I sweep open the curtains to the house every morning and it's wonderful when the sun greets my eyes. The last few days, it has been gray, so it felt good when the sun was shining this morning.

Tomorrow, we are expecting a winter storm - up to 8 inches. It will be our first in a long time. When I was growing up in Cleveland, snow was a common occurrence. I remember breathing through my ice-encrusted scarf when waiting for the school bus on a cold winter morning. I remember slipping and sliding on the icy sidewalks because we were too poor to get boots. I remember not being able to open the door of our house because of the foot-high snow forming a barrier, and spending all day shoveling with my family. I remember driving through a snow blizzard and not being able to see a foot in front of me. I don't miss the snow. :)

My son visited me during the Christmas holiday, and even though I was sick most of the time, the days that I was feeling well, we went out and enjoyed the mall, went to the theater and watched movies, and ate at our favorite restaurants. He left this morning, and I miss him already, but am now settling back into my routine as my next university classes begin on Monday.

I wrote a short poem for the New Year:

Happy New Year!

All is possible today
And every day
Let your dreams spill forth
Like Manna on the desert
To give life to your purpose
And purpose to your life.

Resist the temptation
To repeat your errors
Move forward in a positive light
Sweep away all illness and disease
Let Love shine the way
To a New Year
And a New Day!

P.A. Jan 1, 2024
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I love your poem because it has meaning to me. Everything I am trying to do this year.
 
Some would argue that Shakespeare is as dull as ditchwater, well not for me. The sonnets are just captivating, for example, sonnet three goes:
Mine eye hath played the painter and hath stelled
Thy beauty’s form in table of my heart.
My body is the frame wherein ’tis held,
And perspective it is best painter’s art,
For through the painter must you see his skill
To find where your true image pictured lies,
Which in my bosom’s shop is hanging still,
That hath his windows glazèd with thine eyes.

Sonnet 3: The poet urges the young man to reflect on his own image in a mirror. Just as the young man's mother sees her own youthful self reflected in the face of her son, so someday the young man should be able to look at his son's face and see reflected his own youth.
The genius of Shakespeare is like no other. What an incredibly gifted and talented wordsmith The Bard was, and still is.
 
horseless carriage said:
Some would argue that Shakespeare is as dull as ditchwater, well not for me. The sonnets are just captivating, for example, sonnet three goes:
Mine eye hath played the painter and hath stelled
Thy beauty’s form in table of my heart.
My body is the frame wherein ’tis held,
And perspective it is best painter’s art,
For through the painter must you see his skill
To find where your true image pictured lies,
Which in my bosom’s shop is hanging still,
That hath his windows glazèd with thine eyes.

Sonnet 3: The poet urges the young man to reflect on his own image in a mirror. Just as the young man's mother sees her own youthful self reflected in the face of her son, so someday the young man should be able to look at his son's face and see reflected his own youth.
The genius of Shakespeare is like no other. What an incredibly gifted and talented wordsmith The Bard was, and still is.
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Thanks for sharing Shakespeare's poem and interpretation with us, @horseless carriage ! I agree with you that the "genius of Shakespeare's poem is like no other."
 
I love the way the snow blankets the earth and lifts the colors from the trees! It is still early. We are expecting more snow to continue until evening. This view is from my front porch. The driveway is also blanketed with snow. I don't think I will shovel it. It is so beautiful.

IMG_1477.JPG
 

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