Love, Laughter, and Life

Adventures With a Book Lover


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Merry Christmas!

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I can’t believe that Christmas is tomorrow, and fast on the heels of this special day, a new year waits to be born!

Thanks so much for visiting and hanging out with me this year. I’ve had fun exploring Haiku and photos, books, recipes, family antics and adventures, travels, and writerly topics. I hope you’ve enjoyed the posts, learned something new, laughed, or maybe wondered into which deep end I’ve fallen.

Merry Christmas to you and your family and friends! Praying that your time together will be blessed.

Peace to you!

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The grands, (l-r) Donavyn, Hayden, Autumn, Khloe, and Gage


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Holiday Haiku – 25 Days of Christmas: sacred

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green, everlasting

evidence of sacred life

hope springs eternal

 

sacred

by Angie Quantrell

 

Thanks for joining me on a Christmas Haiku journey as I celebrate with words, thoughts, and photos that take me deep into my family’s Christmas traditions. Read more Christmas Haiku here.
May this Season of Light remind you of what is sacred.


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Holiday Haiku – 25 Days of Christmas Haiku: silent

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frozen reminder

season of rest, of silence

time stopped, be at peace

 

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by Angie Quantrell

 

Thanks for joining me on a Christmas Haiku journey as I celebrate with words, thoughts, and photos that take me deep into my family’s Christmas traditions. Read more Christmas Haiku here.
May this Season of Light fill your heart with the peace of silence.


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Holiday Haiku – 25 Days of Christmas Haiku: peace

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snow, quiet drifts sleep,

mute sentinels guard shadows

keeping peace secure

 

peace

by Angie Quantrell

 

Thanks for joining me on a Christmas Haiku journey as I celebrate with words, thoughts, and photos that take me deep into my family’s Christmas traditions. Read more Christmas Haiku here.

May this Season of Light brighten your life and fill your heart with the peace of beauty.

 

 


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Holiday Haiku – 25 Days of Christmas Haiku: celebrate

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yellow, color of

celebration! Heaven joy-

the Christ King is come

 

celebrate

by Angie Quantrell

 

Thanks for joining me on a Christmas Haiku journey as I celebrate with words, thoughts, and photos that take me deep into my family’s Christmas traditions. Read more Christmas Haiku here.

May this Season of Light brighten your life and fill your heart with the colors and joy of celebration!


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Holiday Haiku – 25 Days of Christmas Haiku: adore

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simple trust, seeking;

whether cat, dog, child, Baby;

come, let us adore

 

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by Angie Quantrell

 

Thanks for joining me on a Christmas Haiku journey as I celebrate with words, thoughts, and photos that take me deep into my family’s Christmas traditions. Read more Christmas Haiku posts here.

May this Season of Light brighten your life and fill your heart with adoration.


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Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: orbit

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burn, reflect, dispel

darkness be gone; circles drawn,

rings, orbits of light

 

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by Angie Quantrell

 

Welcome to Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: orbit. Enjoy mid-week frivolities by sharing a haiku poem. Happy day!


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Smashing Pumpkins (2nd Annual)

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The pumpkins were frozen solid, as was our turkey, on Thanksgiving Day. This made for an invigorating hunt for fresh turkey to cook for the main event. It also made for challenging smashing of the pumpkins.

Overall, smashing pumpkins this year was a bust. 😉 Only 2 large carving pumpkins were hollow enough to smash when tossed. One rotten butternut succumbed to smashing by foot. All other squash, regardless of variety, bounced upon re-entry to gravity-meets-earth. Add to this recipe of disappointment, drenching buckets of rain descended on this, the 2nd Annual Smashing Pumpkins event. Rain and icy cold temperatures. Bah-humbug.

Still, there is hope. The next warm day (will there be one before spring?), more attempts will be made to roll, toss, and smash the pumpkin stash. In hopes that next summer, the pumpkin fairy will deliver bounties of new beauties.

Until next Thanksgiving Day, have a wonderful winter, dreaming of sugar pie pumpkins and dancing jack-ô-lanterns.

Toasty warm wishes to you!

 


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National Take a Hike Day

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November 17 was National Take a Hike Day. In our neck of the woods (quick quiz: who is famous for using that phrase?), the weather was clear, blue skies sparkled, and the temps were brisk but not frigid. It was a perfect day for a near-winter hike.

Er, walk. I did something to my back and have been experiencing excruciating pain for most of the day. I suspect an odd twist, weird picking up of a grand, or hauling heavy laundry through tight RV doors. So we walked, not hiked.

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Any-who, my honey and I went to the Cowiche Canyon near Yakima, Washington. It’s been on our list and ‘something else’ has consistently popped up and blocked us from this destination. There are so many more options for hiking the canyon now than when we first starting hiking at this location. One can scramble up rock cliffs, stroll along cliff edges, amble above canyon level through sage brush hillsides, or take the path through the base of the canyon. Fantastic!

Who knew, but wildlife is abundant in this practically in town outdoor area. Warning signs hint at cougars and bears. It goes without saying that rattlesnakes will be present (just keep walking). This is central Washington after all. Due to the cold temperature, I wasn’t too concerned about snakes. For our walk, we heard quail and various bird calls. Rustling in the bushes made us wonder, but they were tiny rustles. And with the other humans and their dogs, wildlife was probably running for dear life.

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Due to my back woes, we took the slow path from the east canyon entrance. No trails up and down the cliffs, highlands, or even to the end of the canyon. There was even a sign pointing towards wineries, which we did not take, but still! In the middle of a nature hike, an adult venture. LOL We took the easy jaunt on a nice path through the canyon, skirting the Cowiche Creek, checking out beaver dams, listening to the burbling water. It was a lovely day to take a hike.

There are so many outdoor options around Cowiche Canyon. This destination hike is definitely on our list for future outings. Read more about Cowiche Canyon here.

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How about you? Did you “take a hike”?


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Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge: frost

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delicate layers

frozen silk, icicle strands

spider roost hoar frost

 

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by Angie Quantrell

 

I LOVE hoar frost! Magical frozen icing drapes every day scenes with cold lace. I also realize hoar frost drops the temperatures to triple cold. But take pictures, I will, frozen fingers or not.

How about you? Write a haiku about cold weather and share with us. Happy Hump Day!