lounging alone on
glistening bed, to showcase
my excellent form
lounging alone by Angie Quantrell
Haiku Moment: lounging alone
Tag Archives: Nature
History of the Garden Arbor
It’s fun to go back and look at pictures to see how things have changed over time. Our garden area is constantly changing.
The garden started with three simple garden beds placed in the pasture, which used to be mostly dirt and weeds. As you can see, it was already looking good with “greens” growing.
Frequent feathered guests foraged in the pasture and wide-open garden beds. Which transitioned into even more visitors, of the furry and voracious garden eating variety. The chickens were fine with me, but when bunnies ate down all of my plants, something had to be done.
My honey put a low fence around the whole lot. The main purpose was to keep the bunnies out. It worked great! Actually, the fence is so short, most of us can easily step over it. But the bunnies were befuddled and my plants could grow free.
And then. I found one of those old metal chain-link fence gates while visiting my buddy in Seattle. One of those “free yard sale” treasures! Guaranteed to make my honey whisk his eyebrows up when I drove into the yard with my little Mazda packed to the gills. Gate included. So, we added an easy access gate. By we, I mean him. 😉
And then. I really wanted an arbor. Over that awesome gate. We had this other piece of metal junk hanging in our shaded car park area. Just an old rusted metal grate of some sort. I think it was left on the property from the previous owner. And ta-dah! Instant unique arbor! Instant for me. A bit of hard work for my honey and Taylor.
I might add how HEAVY that thing is! And I am blessed to have 2 strong guys to let me come up these wild ideas and they make it happen. Oh, and it’s rusty. One of my favorite garden colors and textures.
My honey bought me a honeysuckle plant for Mother’s Day. You can see it above just starting out. Below, you can see I’ve been working on training it up. It’s nearly reached the top!
And here we are today. I just took this picture. It smells so good! Last week I stood and watched a hummingbird feast on the fragrant blooms, for so long that I wandered off before it did. That is my kind of garden.
Ahhhh. The garden continues to grow and change.
What about you? Any big changes in your garden or yard over the years? Any cool rusty items??
Haiku Moment: autumn tree
hide and seek pumpkin
twisting, vining, reaching out
autumn tree decor
autumn tree by Angie Quantrell
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) Â 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!
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
More Flower Hammering: Mixed Media and Greeting Cards
My pansies and Johnny-jump-ups are fading fast in this heat, so I took a few hours to hammer flowers. I also snuck in a red rose that was nearing the end, to surprising results!
I haven’t figured out how to keep them firmly in place once I start hammering. I think my table is not as sturdy as it should be, so the whole thing bounces. Whoops. But I am not hammering on my oak table! Bouncing it is.
They turned out so well! These are the only colors that are still flowering, despite my deadheading.
I did one page in my mixed media journal, combining a bunch of inks and “stuff.” And I experimented with card-sized cardstock, which turned out well, but it takes MANY flowers to fit on one of those (I did 5 card fronts). Hammering flowers is a workout! My honey was outside and thought someone in the neighborhood had their bass up too loud. LOL.
Just look at the surprising color I got from the red rose! I didn’t finish the page in my journal yet, but I was fascinated by the results.
The leaves did not leave any color at all. Too tough and thick.
I have some zinnias getting ready to bloom. I might experiment, but they are pretty thick flowers. Flower hammering. Experimenting is fun. Creating is FUN!
Until next time.
Haiku Moment
hot melty day means
shade magnet, but first admire
sun hula hooping
by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley
Flower Hammering & Mixed Media
Here is what happened in round 2 of flower hammering. I tell you, pansies make great prints! I don’t have much else of substance blooming yet in the garden, but I’ll keep experimenting as the season goes along.
This is what the cover paper looks like after hammering.
I tried hammering this batch of flowers on paper I’d already added color to. It turned out very nice by the end, and the flower prints give great texture. But I was a bit disappointed that the prints did not turn out as well as I had hoped. At least the yellow/orange ones did not. You can barely see the stem I tried, and darker bits where I added leaves.
The poor smashed flowers.
Here is try number 2. You can see where the prints on the previous page soaked through, which is cool. There is some beneath my arranged flowers as well. The bleed through is at least 2 pages worth. This page is all white except for some bleed through. I crammed the flowers, leaves, and stem with the hope of getting plenty of color.
This is how the back of the cover sheet looks after hammering. Things tend to move around a bit. I start out with the cover paper straight, but by the end, it’s all twisted. It’s hard to hold it still and not hammer your fingers!
Oooooh, yes! This is where I’m getting results. Just look at those pretty pansy faces on the white background! You have to gently peel off the petals, or in some cases, just let them dry and rub them off. Bonus: The cover page also has wonderful colors! I’m saving that for another project.
I LOVE this! I haven’t done anything else with this flower hammering page, but the ideas are brewing. Growing? Smashing? ;0
I did go back to the green background page and finished that mixed media project. I LOVE how it turned out! This is one of my favorites so far. The smashed flowers really add texture and the greens tie in so nicely. I saw another creator (several actually) who added circles to their art. So I played with some gold glitter acrylic paint. Wow! Perfect touch. You can see the other materials I used on this page.
Et voila! Stamp pads, rubber stamps, hammered flowers, chalks, washi tape, acrylic paint, colored pencils. Plus a stick for painting and an empty tape-dispenser plastic disc for the circles.
Have you tried flower hammering? Or creating of any kind? What is your favorite trick?
Happy Earth Day!
It’s Earth Day 4 22 24! Earth Day with a palindrome!
Here are some pictures of a day trip we took yesterday to see Palouse Falls. These gorgeous falls are located in southwestern Washington state. Plenty of people had the same idea, but it did not feel crowded. The remote roads were not busy, the parking lot had room, and it was easy to wander off by yourself.
It was slightly windy, but that kept it from feeling too hot. Because the sun was on full blaze. The 2-mile dirt road drive from the paved road was dusty and had sections of solid washboard, but other than that, perfect conditions.
I recommend a spring trip. We loved seeing the green hillsides (soon to be brown, dry, and filled with wildfire potential) and wildflowers as we drove.
How many marmots can you see? There is quite a colony! See below for the answer. They are quite unafraid of people, and apparently used to being given treats. If you go, watch the bottom of the fence (to keep you from falling off) to see little entrances they’ve dug to access the grass of the picnic areas and the people. We did not feed them, but a few approached to see if we reached out their way. When we didn’t, they toddled back under the fence to their edge of the cliffs.
We also enjoyed watching the swifts who flew all about the waterfall, grabbing bugs and chattering to each other.
Sadly, we were unable to take the trail down to the bottom of the waterfalls. Due to multiple tragic accidents, those trails are blocked off. That fall is a long way down!
What a beautiful way to celebrate the amazing earth our God made! I am in awe.
If you go, know that this is remote desert rattlesnake country. Several warnings are on display reminding people to be careful (and advising them that the nearest hospital is quite far). Be prepared for dry desert conditions and follow the rules to stay safe! This is a day use state park. Not too far to the east is Lyons Ferry State Park where you can access the river. There is also camping nearby.
Happy Earth Day!
Note: There are 4 marmots in the photo.
Love, Laughter, and Life 
