
had my colors done
i’m a spring, bring on flowers;
lookin’ good in pink
in pink by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell, Yakima Valley

had my colors done
i’m a spring, bring on flowers;
lookin’ good in pink
in pink by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell, Yakima Valley
by Angie 3 Comments

upon reflection
holes dripping lost connection
my heart leaking love
leaking love by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell, Tieton River Nature Trail, Washington state

horse king by Angie Quantrell
Blackout poems are challenging and fun. I love playing with words and this take-everything-away-except-the-words-you-want is an exercise in deleting the fluff. I thought I was done with this poem, but something did not flow. It originally had 17 words. Actually, the entire page had hundreds of words, but I didn’t count those. I kept reading and rereading. Aha! I figured out which 2 words needed to be blacked out. Ta-dah! Here is horse king, a 15-word blackout poem by yours truly.
From the 15-word poem, can anyone guess which book this page comes from? Don’t worry, the book is old, missing pages, and falling apart. Besides recycling, wrapping gifts, art projects, and decorating walls, there is not much else I can do with this book. Let me know your guess in the comments below.

winter gray skies parch
eyes, soul, heart: desperate need-
nourishing green feast
parched by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell, Washington state

People.
RV life in the winter, particularly in a four-season location (like the Pacific Northwest, east of the Cascades), is not a piece of cake. Nor is it for the faint of heart.
I should have opened with a question mark and let you guess first. How many fleece blankets do you think a person would need to adequately block window drafts against winter chills? In January. While living in an RV? And all-season RV. At least that’s what it says on the side.
Nine. We require an assortment of 9 lap throw-sized fleece blankets to tuck along the cracks of all window openings to block drafts. Is this a pain? Yes. Do I despair? Yes. Murmur? Unfortunately. Yes.
But we are warm! The draft-blockers do their job. So well, in fact, that on super chilly mornings, they block the heat to portions of the curtains and the curtains freeze to the windows. Don’t worry! It eventually melts and we wipe away the beaded rivers streaming down into the window tracks.
Extra tasks are required for RV life in the winter. There is a longer daily chore list. But we keep warm. Our tricks of the trade keep us nice and toasty, despite ice, fog, snow, sleet, wind, rain, and sub-freezing temps. How about you? Any winter RV tricks you’d like to share with a couple of RV popsicles?
A Haiku Moment for you:
fleeced
winter’s chills gobble
heat, invite mr. frost in
9-fleece kicks him out
fleeced by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley

tried typing question
big fat finger mega fail
surprise! right answer
autocorrect by Angie Quantrell

winter freeze equals
locked in place, stuck in RV
special escape tool
stuck by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley

snow, ice, sunshine, warmth
orange green red harvest decor
fall and winter friends
two seasons clash in
popularity battle!
yet time marches on
die, rest, rebirth, grow-
to repeat again, cycles
chase each other home
two seasons clash by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell
Yakima Valley, WA
by Angie 6 Comments

wet drippy wander
way off road and tummy growls
pop forest popcorn
forest popcorn by Angie Quantrell
photo by Angie Quantrell
Oak Creek Road, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Pacific Northwest

NOTE: This is not really popcorn, though it looks as if popcorn grows on trees, er, shrubs. I’m not sure if it’s edible. Do not eat this popcorn!
by Angie 2 Comments

October’s color
orange, furry, smooth, soft, warm,
purr, marmalade girl
orange girl by Angie Quantrell
Seattle furry friend, Daisy