Poem with Photo

Hello there!

Here in Ontario, summer continues to dominate with heat and spectacular storms. It’s too hot to work outside. It’s so humid we rival Texas most days. So the perennials in my gardens are on their own, left to thrive or perish.

Luckily, most of the late summer bloomers are very showy and do quite fine in weather extremes.

Under this carnival of colour, though (and discovered when I took a slow meander through the yard) are a few  plants quietly doing what they do in a more subdued way. Like the deep black seed pods of Baptisia australis: shake them and they rattle like little maracas.

Or the high-gloss finish on the leaves of native Pacysandra.

One plant in particular got me thinking about strengths and abilities, and inspired this month’s poem.

Maybe you’ll consider making a point of meandering slowly one summer day – it’s surprising what you can find when you take time to look a little closer!

Lee Ann

Hello there! I hope your 2018 is off to a strong start!

As you see from this picture I took recently in my back yard, we’ve been in a deep freeze for most of December and now again in January. I could not resist bundling up and going outside to take this shot of what looks to me like a snake, a snow otter and an elf hat. Reminds me that Mother Nature has a sense of humour! It also reminds me that I can find inspiration all around me if I only take the time to look.

This month’s poem was inspired by exactly that: looking around me and making some connections with what I saw. I found a perfect photo match for it in my collection of pictures taken at the cottage last summer.

So, what do you think about taking some time this month to look around you a little more closely? You may be surprised, and inspired! Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy Evidence of Angels.

Lee Ann

P.S. This is one of two of my poems that was recently awarded Judges Choice, and published in “The Bannister,” an anthology of 2017 contest winners by the Niagara Branch of the Canadian Authors Association.

Hello there!

Well, according to the Farmer’s Almanac, the dog days of summer are officially over! “Dog days” traditionally means the hottest part of summer but really (as the Almanac explained to me) refers to the time of year when the sun occupies the same region of the sky as the star Sirius. Although this time varies depending on the year, the dog days of summer are traditionally considered to fall between July 3 and August 11 in the northern hemisphere. The important point is that Sirius, sometimes called the Dog Star, is part of the constellation Canis Major, the Greater Dog.

Ha ha! You never know what you might learn when you follow my blog!

Summer is the theme, and this month’s poem was inspired by something that struck me during last summer’s Olympic Games. So even if the hottest part summer is apparently behind us, I hope you can pause and revisit the slow, somnolent “dog days” as you read what summer inspired me to write. Here is “Relay.”

Lee Ann

P. S.  (This month’s poem is the second of two of my poems that won Honourable Mention in the Canadian Authors Association (NCR Branch) 2017 national contest. The other winner is here.)

Hello there and happy new year! It’s time once again to spend a moment somewhere beautiful.

I’m continuing with my Tree Series, where I post a poem inspired by a remarkable tree in my neighbourhood. This month’s tree can be found in my Muskoka neighbourhood, on top of Huckleberry Rock, a magnificent lookout and a favourite hike for my family and friends when visiting the cottage.

Click here for “True to You.”

Please pause and enjoy!

Lee Ann