hide and seek pumpkin
twisting, vining, reaching out
autumn tree decor
autumn tree by Angie Quantrell
Haiku Moment: autumn tree
Category Archives: Nature
Free Yard Sales, Wood Scraps, and Homemade Table (Kevin’s Woodshop)
Welcome to another issue of Kevin’s Woodshop. In today’s story, we will hear how free yard sales, repurposed wood, and a little elbow grease contributed to this lovely weathered outdoor dining area.
FREE YARD SALES
Recently I visited “free yard sales” with my friend and fellow thrifter, Alyson. We love the thrill of the hunt. Free is an awesome word! My prize for the day is pictured above. Four solid metal framed wood outdoor chairs. Friends, that is what we call a SCORE. At this point in the “free yard saling,” I was cut off. No more stuff. Well. We only had her small car. Tetris in the car is the name of the game. And the limit to the thrifting.
I was so excited to haul these babies home. One of my favorite sights when I pull in the driveway after being away is to watch my honey’s face. My car is small, a Mazda four-door. BUT it works big! Like a truck. I call it my truck. I can get huge items in my little white truck. But not a gun safe. That is a hard limit. That’s a different story, but we did try.
I follow my husband’s eyes as I back around so we can unload my haul. Heh-heh. It’s almost more fun than scoring the “treasure” from yard sales or thrift shops.
He shakes his head. In wonder, I’m sure, amazed at how thrifty I am.
And proceeds to help me figure out how to reverse the process of filling my little “truck” with stuff. What. A. Guy.
REPURPOSED WOOD
We’ve been weathering our deck wood for a few years, always considering when it would be done to our satisfaction and what project required the updating of the deck so we could use the old wood.
Ta-dah! A taller patio table was needed to match the lovely free yard sale chairs. Time to rip off the deck wood.
Perfectly aged to that gray beachy tone. Some people work in clay, watercolor, textiles. My honey works in wood scraps. The older the better. The wood imperfections create challenges, sure, but the results are unique and wonderful.
HOMEMADE TABLE
Woodworker Kev got right to it. As I mentioned, aged wood often requires ingenuity and rethinking. That was certainly true with this table project. Some pieces were warped, so the framing had to be redone. He is so good though. Just look at that beautiful table! My style for sure.
Now we can dine al fresco (as long as the weather holds). Though we have to first wipe off the sunflower shells and debris from our guest goldfinches, sparrows, and red-winged blackbirds. After that, it’s sit and chill time. Ahhhh.
And so concludes another issue of Kevin’s Woodshop. Readers, do you enjoy old wood? Free yard sales? Thrifting? Dining al fresco?
Do tell.
OH, THE THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH HAIKU! (+ WHO WON THE GIVEAWAY?)
Thank you, Danna Smith, for sharing all about haiku last week in a very special blog post. You can read it here. Danna has offered a giveaway of 2 (TWO!) of her Poetry Pop Journals! Wow!
But first. I had to play. I used the template Danna shared and penned a haiku comic. Sadly, you have to use your imagination to understand the drawings, and it was much harder to print small words than it looks! This is Monet, our cat. She loves the garden and watching moving things. I assure you, she is much prettier in real life.
In case you can’t read the print, here is my haiku comic:
Monet writes a haiku.
hot summer bees buzz
zig-zag garden rocket ships
orbiting flowers
Now that was fun! We would LOVE to read your haiku! Post one in the comments or tag us with #haikumoment so we can find you!
Drum roll, please.
The winner (with assistant Monet) of the Poetry Pop journals is:
It got a little dicey after this, because then Monet wanted to play a paper game.
Alyson, come on down! You are the winner of 2 Poetry Pop journals!
Thanks, everyone, for reading and participating in the fun. And thank you, Danna, for the word play fun and inspiration!
Now, let’s all go HAIKU!
OH, THE THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH HAIKU! (PLUS, A GIVE-AWAY!)
Welcome, Danna! Dear readers, Danna is here to share more about haiku! I’m so excited to learn more about haiku wiht all of you! Take it away, Danna!
I want to thank Angie for the opportunity to hop over to her blog to celebrate haiku with you!
But first, SURPRISE, it’s time for a pop quiz! (Hey, it’s okay. I promise you’ll ace it!).
Question: What can you do with haiku?
A) Two, write it and read it
B) Three, write it, read it, and share it
C) Is there more? Do tell!
Answer: C! There is so much more you, your family, and students can do with haiku. In my book, How Do You Haiku? A Step-by-Step Guide with Templates, I introduce various haiku activities and crafts for all ages.
I’ll share some ideas with you below, but before we get started, let’s talk about haiku for those who are just getting started or want a refresher.
WHAT HAIKU REALLY WANTS
Haiku means “light verse.” At its center, haiku are unrhymed three-line poems that focus on nature and are written in simple language. Follow this condensed checklist from How Do You Haiku? to make your haiku shine!
#1 Three Short lines: There are two ways of writing modern haiku. One way is to write haiku using a 5-7-5 pattern of counted syllables. That’s five syllables in the first line, seven in the second line, and five in the third line for a total of 17 syllables. That said, a haiku should take just “one breath” to read, so if counting syllables makes your haiku feel too long or “clumsy,” go ahead and write your poem with three short lines without counting syllables. In modern haiku, both styles are accepted.
#2 Imagery: Painting an image with words is essential for writing a good haiku. Imagery is a word or group of words that tap into the senses. Writing about what you can smell, hear, taste, see, or touch in nature will create strong images in your haiku.
#3 The Real Deal: Haiku is always happening around us. The trick is to pay attention and think deeply about what we see. When I say the real deal, I mean try writing from an actual experience. What you witness firsthand will give you details you couldn’t possibly imagine.
#4 Season Words: Haiku is about seasons, but the poet rarely mentions the season directly instead, they replaced the words winter, spring, summer, and fall with” kigo” (a season word). For example, when we read about tulips, we know it’s springtime without reading the word spring. Use season words whenever possible. I’ve included a template for a Saijiki (season word dictionary) below that you can download and complete to help you when writing haiku.
#5 Feeling: Haiku can make readers feel emotions like loneliness, grief, fear, or joy. The feeling is never said directly. Instead, the emotion is shown through the image the poet paints with words. Instead of writing “the sad dog,” you could write “lost puppy in a storm.” With these descriptive words, your reader can imagine the dog is cold, hungry, afraid, and, therefore, sad.
#6 Love of Nature: Haiku is a brief poem filled with compassion for nature. There is no room for hatred, violence, or cruelty.
#7 Ah! Moment: The best haiku ends in a way that surprises or enlightens your reader. The surprise makes us say, “Ah, I understand,” or “Ah, that’s funny.” The surprise comes at the end of the haiku as a subtle turn or change in the poem.
Now, as promised, here are some fun things you can do with haiku:
KUHI: POEM STONES
Kuhi ©Danna Smith at poetrypop.com
Carving a poem on a stone is an old Asian tradition. These stones are called kuhi (coo-hee) that are placed in gardens, parks, and temples.
Kuhi is a great writing activity for the whole family! Walk outside to find a smooth, flat stone, and try your hand at Kuhi! You can paint the rocks and add doodles or drawings if you’d like. Anything goes! Just have fun. Be sure to spray a couple of coats of clear sealing varnish when you are finished to protect your work from the outside elements. Create kuhi for your garden, for a friend, or leave one in a public park for someone to discover.
HAIKU COMICS:
Comic strips offer a contemporary and creative way to celebrate haiku. Download this template with example and write your own haiku comic strip. Remember to use speech bubbles, thought bubbles, and sound words, like swish, pop, or splash.
DIGITAL HAIKU:
Showcase your haiku in a short video or graphic. Here’s an example of a haiku video I created in Canva, but you can use Google Slides, Word Swag, or another digital platform to make your digital haiku featuring your poem along with nature photos or videos. Post your graphics or video on your website or social media platforms to share your #haikumoments.
(Angie here. Sorry, but my blog does not allow videos. Please click the link below to go to Danna’s post on her blog to see her video. It’s super easy. Thank you!)
BONUS DOWNLOAD
In tip #4 above, we talked about season words. Every country or region has its own weather and kigo. Download this template to create a Saijiki (season dictionary) for writing your haiku! Print four templates, one for each season.
ENTER GIVEAWAY
I am giving away two paperback Poetry Pop journals to one lucky winner (one of each color)! Use these journals to keep track of your #haikumoments or write along with poetry pop’s posts and challenges. To enter, just comment on this post. Angie will randomly choose a winner on August 21, 2024. If you’d like to purchase a hardcover or paperback Poetry Pop journal, you can do so here.
Thanks again, Angie. This was a blast!
Oh, and readers, did you know Angie contributed to the book How Do You Haiku? You can find her beautiful haiku on pages 36 and 57!
Happy Writing!
Danna Smith
DANNA! This has been awesome! I can’t wait to go write haiku and play with words! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing!
Readers, make sure to comment below to get your name in the hat for a chance to win two Poetry Pop journals! We’d love to read your #haikumoment!
Sunday Thoughts
Photo by Angie Quantrell
Haiku Moment: meander (+ Surprise Haiku Author News)
a stream meanders
like the path my feet follow
where do they travel?
meander by Angie Quantrell
Kruckeberg Botanic Garden
Seattle, Washington
Join us next Wednesday, August 14, when Danna Smith, author of many haiku and rhyming works, will join us and give us tips, strategies, and ideas for writing our own haiku poems! I’m so excited! Plus, she’s giving away not one, but TWO copies of her Poetry Pop journals! Mark your calendars now.
Wednesday. August 14. Poetry Pop. Haiku. #haikumoment
Sunday Thoughts
Photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Haiku Moment: heart of sunflower
heart of sunflower
beams joy to avian friends,
buzzes, and humans
heart of sunflower by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Love, Laughter, and Life 
