tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83609971375480179082024-03-05T09:31:04.658-05:00Ring around the Rosy...this is my virtual Posy/Poesy!
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For the most part, I will explore poetry, nursery rhymes, fairy tales, fables, and present the occasional anecdote from my childhood in Germany. Along with a little philosophizing, I basically want to use this blog for day dreaming and pondering - for finding my muse, if you will!Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-5963712005872775122012-04-20T10:26:00.000-04:002012-04-20T10:26:30.100-04:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh7S8ngwRLRt9MzaCS0FlYdDZ9gbkggWS62AfJJ-1BZ7YQmw4ujz-WGvhnBxuUw63yuHLjxZxkYKZR4jSFo8NxO5CNj_tzuAWlUssKS2GlVPhIMSESUAHPjzHKIITNRnzClGT301yJLSA/s1600/forget+me+not+Gizzy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh7S8ngwRLRt9MzaCS0FlYdDZ9gbkggWS62AfJJ-1BZ7YQmw4ujz-WGvhnBxuUw63yuHLjxZxkYKZR4jSFo8NxO5CNj_tzuAWlUssKS2GlVPhIMSESUAHPjzHKIITNRnzClGT301yJLSA/s400/forget+me+not+Gizzy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm still struggling with the absence of my long time companion and friend, Gizzy. He was my world for so long and I am thankful that I had him in my life - but I simply can't stop missing him. Maybe If I can start writing little anecdotes about him and I, it would help. I just wanted to post this picture!<br />
<br />Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-40509077746365970192012-01-29T14:18:00.000-05:002012-01-29T14:18:49.450-05:00I'll be seeing you...... in all the old familiar places...missing Gizzy more than ever!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJKO-Bsu58QRkDpj2SeZ-ytudv0YRgmQxVSemWTsel7M85IWLf53MYJfvqGHVzFC1YuYY9b8SvuI_C9fUjVHoufkzxyMiRzzL_dOqqVng2ADkXGIugYiYLeRFRPJ6jhnKaQJChaq0MWo/s1600/handsome+Gizzy+clouds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJKO-Bsu58QRkDpj2SeZ-ytudv0YRgmQxVSemWTsel7M85IWLf53MYJfvqGHVzFC1YuYY9b8SvuI_C9fUjVHoufkzxyMiRzzL_dOqqVng2ADkXGIugYiYLeRFRPJ6jhnKaQJChaq0MWo/s400/handsome+Gizzy+clouds.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
When I walk around Gizzy's lake with Weezie and Romeow, I always look up into the sky to see if I find his flyaway ears in the clouds and then the tears start to flow...I loved that dog so much!Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-40642126101396750792011-12-31T10:55:00.000-05:002011-12-31T10:55:56.374-05:00Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxIQZuh-5PEHxtdzxHjmTXdDQAeu0hdDB6HVvtvyUAixV6_rFMDudKSYZOSarhdliH7fNbeHa-q-bvENPzHgaOeTnSjzH_40XubdU5cXCEXF979ImGxvWPUpHL2YaT_GPU081NWCwY-o/s1600/Enchanted+Gizzy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijxIQZuh-5PEHxtdzxHjmTXdDQAeu0hdDB6HVvtvyUAixV6_rFMDudKSYZOSarhdliH7fNbeHa-q-bvENPzHgaOeTnSjzH_40XubdU5cXCEXF979ImGxvWPUpHL2YaT_GPU081NWCwY-o/s400/Enchanted+Gizzy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Wishing you all a wonderful 2012 from me and my Weezie, Romeow and beloved Gizzy (in spirit)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBN-jejNdL_fr0xQHTqVd6OPlXq4m5POUI2S-gCOK0Gb1K3PLr81oCwioLpdFs8l4fuBR7QKLWbgLdmwxL7NbW01jQZeDEA0rkjDn6eEXSDozuELWO0WTxCGvYR3eypgXlHGJQTj-43kQ/s1600/Happy+New+Year+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBN-jejNdL_fr0xQHTqVd6OPlXq4m5POUI2S-gCOK0Gb1K3PLr81oCwioLpdFs8l4fuBR7QKLWbgLdmwxL7NbW01jQZeDEA0rkjDn6eEXSDozuELWO0WTxCGvYR3eypgXlHGJQTj-43kQ/s400/Happy+New+Year+2012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-31122646461606459232011-12-14T14:05:00.004-05:002011-12-14T14:05:46.757-05:00Remembering...<a target="_top" title="" href="http://imikimi01.com/link/link_through/1BNLD-11c"><img alt="animated winter day" src="http://kimages.imikimi.com/image/1BNLD-11c.jpg?height=640&scale=max&width=640" border="0"/></a><br />
<font size="1"><a target="_top" title="Celebrate 7/4 - 4th of July! Winter!! Get Customizable Comments, Images, Animations, Photos, Frames and Graphics for MySpace, Hi5, Orkut, Friendster and Facebook @ Imikimi.com" href="http://imikimi01.com/link/link_through/1BNLD-11c"><b>imikimi</b> - sharing creativity</a></font>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-21441116364894457532011-12-12T15:51:00.000-05:002011-12-12T15:51:58.952-05:00Reminiscing...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLHgZNJz6hjYHNCWTG3hBdxAm6RgOv8Pa68Pu59AM1Xc9J-NolTJJOd47vaIXipvg5fMBYuTHFRELDkR92vjA1CkxoRGN-6km6vvjGoYXrzuU-9EHw9eYjW05VEllnGX51S0CaqVrFgM/s1600/Gizzy+and+Garden+029-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLHgZNJz6hjYHNCWTG3hBdxAm6RgOv8Pa68Pu59AM1Xc9J-NolTJJOd47vaIXipvg5fMBYuTHFRELDkR92vjA1CkxoRGN-6km6vvjGoYXrzuU-9EHw9eYjW05VEllnGX51S0CaqVrFgM/s400/Gizzy+and+Garden+029-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
My sweet, little baby boy, my big, BIG love... I will see you again in heaven! I am counting on that! RIP Gizzy! You left a big hole in my heart ... momma misses you so much!Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-58957711941696186332011-07-01T21:38:00.002-04:002011-07-01T21:38:57.292-04:00Happy Independence Day!<a href="http://www.magickalgraphics.com" title="4th of July Comments"><br />
<img src="http://www.magickalgraphics.com/Graphics/4July/july9.jpg" alt="4th of July Comments" border="0"></a><br><br />
<a href="http://www.magickalgraphics.com/fourth-of-july-comments1.htm"></a> <a href="http://www.magickalgraphics.com">Magickal Graphics</a><br>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-74100264729360359482011-06-21T11:38:00.003-04:002011-06-21T11:49:02.592-04:00Happy Summer 2011!<a href="http://www.magickalgraphics.com" title="Summer Comments & Graphics"><br />
<img src="http://magickalgraphics.com/Graphics/Miscellaneous/Seasons/Summer/summer8.jpg" alt="Summer Comments & Graphics" border="0"></a><br><br />
<a href="http://www.magickalgraphics.com/summer-comments1.htm"></a> <a href="http://www.magickalgraphics.com">Magickal Graphics</a><br>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-81386476211472556672011-06-19T11:00:00.006-04:002011-06-19T11:02:12.794-04:00Happy Father's Day!<a href="http://www.magickalgraphics.com" title="Father's Day Comments"><br />
<img src="http://www.magickalgraphics.com/Graphics/FathersDay/f1.jpg" alt="Father's Day Comments" border="0"><br />
</a><br><a href="http://www.magickalgraphics.com/fathers-day-comments1.htm"></a> <a href="http://www.magickalgraphics.com">Magickal Graphics</a><br>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-48378298718640998572011-05-31T14:52:00.003-04:002011-05-31T15:13:31.100-04:00Dominion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4H9r4JD9jPWn0T5qVs_-CSfyJn-714IcTjTJIf4gLgH3cZeCVRbbvf4IJqQ7B8DleJU2gMP3WsnGvInBHyC-biMfbi-LPtkpOUkfv8S-qr9Pyo3-qfBXwmPu4e0psZ15egnwk3cDtyA/s1600/endangered_species_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4H9r4JD9jPWn0T5qVs_-CSfyJn-714IcTjTJIf4gLgH3cZeCVRbbvf4IJqQ7B8DleJU2gMP3WsnGvInBHyC-biMfbi-LPtkpOUkfv8S-qr9Pyo3-qfBXwmPu4e0psZ15egnwk3cDtyA/s400/endangered_species_map.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
"And what is this God?" I asked the earth and it answered: "I am not he," and all the things that are on the earth confessed the same answer. I asked the sea and the deeps and the creeping things with living souls, and they replied, "We are not your God. Look above us." I asked the blowing breezes, and the universal air with all its inhabitants answered: "I am not God." I asked the heaven, the sun, the moon, the stars, and "No," they said, "we are not the God for whom you are looking." And I said to all those things which stand about the gates of my senses: "Tell me something about my God, you who are not He. Tell me something about Him." And they cried out in a loud voice: "He made us."<br />
<br />
(Saint Augustine, The Confessions, X:9)<br />
<br />
<br />
I just started reading the book called"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dominion-Power-Suffering-Animals-Mercy/dp/0312319738/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306869103&sr=1-2">Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy.</a>" I like it so much thus far that I feel compelled to share a passage from Chapter One "The Things That Are:"<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">And God said</span>, Let the earth bring forth the living creatures after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and it was so.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">And God made</span> the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;">And God said</span>, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.<br />
<br />
(Genesis 1:24-26)<br />
<br />
<br />
(Excerpt from Chapter One of 'Dominion' by Matthew Scully)<br />
<br />
I am not, I confess, a particularly pious or devout person. But animals have always awakened something in me - their little joys and travails alike - that, try as I might, I find impossible to express except in the language of devotion. Maybe it is the Lord's way of getting through to the particularly slow and obstinate, but if you care about animals you must figure out why you care. From a certain angle it defies all logic, often involving, as in the case of pets or the strays who find our doors, all sorts of inconveniences and extra worries one could do without. And the only good reason I know to care for them is that they are my fellow creatures, sharing with you and me the breath of life, each in their own way bearing His unmistakable mark.<br />
<br />
I know that they do not have reason comparable to ours. I know that their lives and place and purpose in the world are different from ours. I know that theirs is an often violent world, "nature red in tooth and claw" as Tennyson described it. But I also know that whatever their place and purpose among us might be, it is a mysterious one beyond any man's power to know. Whatever measure of happiness their Creator intended for them, it is not something to be taken lightly by us, not to be withdrawn from them wantonly or capriciously...<br />
<br />
After having read just a few pages, I'm already addicted to this book... I think many of my readers/followers would like it too.Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-38697026391056905512011-05-07T19:48:00.003-04:002011-05-07T19:56:53.916-04:00Happy Mother's Day!<center><a href="http://magickalgraphics.com"><br />
<img src="http://magickalgraphics.com/Graphics/SpecialOccasions/MothersDay/m7.jpg" alt="Mother's Day Comments" border="0"></a><br><a href="http://www.magickalgraphics.com/">~Magickal Graphics~</a></center>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-41188431495719605952011-05-05T17:10:00.002-04:002011-05-05T17:10:51.561-04:00Hope you have a great day!<center><a href="http://magickalgraphics.com"><br />
<img src="http://magickalgraphics.com/Graphics/SpecialOccasions/CincoDeMayo/cinco28.gif" alt="Cinco De Mayo Comments" border="0"></a><br><a href="http://www.magickalgraphics.com/">~Magickal Graphics~</a></center>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-38990341249411450962011-04-23T14:53:00.003-04:002011-04-23T14:54:55.252-04:00Happy Easter!<center><a href="http://magickalgraphics.com"><br />
<img src="http://magickalgraphics.com/Graphics/SpecialOccasions/Easter/Vintage/eastervintage1.jpg" alt="Vintage Easter Comments" border="0"></a><br><a href="http://www.magickalgraphics.com/">~Magickal Graphics~</a></center>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-20889710422690912942011-04-06T14:06:00.000-04:002011-04-06T14:06:07.466-04:00Computer Problems<img height="342" src="http://nierocks.areavoices.com/files/2010/10/SAD-COMPUTER.jpg" width="400" /><br />
I'm having some computer problems and will not be blogging on a regular basis because I have to go to the library to do it. I'll check back with you as soon as the problem is resolved.Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-70830876581512868302011-03-27T16:48:00.002-04:002011-03-27T18:05:20.762-04:00Silly HeartMany, many years ago, I purchased a Hallmark greeting card for which I finally got a frame, because I fell in love with the poem inside and always want to be able to look at it to cheer myself up:<br />
<div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8dwhorWb5fAW3ZB2b7mcvBkgwmump6YmzbC0if9K8778tMzLcz4SQ_64wWPZ8hyZQRQRsaCJzsxLpTmAD__rQnjV6ZCQz4WrwIUiGOh8Yts2e0ibFKFoQ4AOmPCEAoVgyNht1BDkx-c/s1600/DSCF1092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8dwhorWb5fAW3ZB2b7mcvBkgwmump6YmzbC0if9K8778tMzLcz4SQ_64wWPZ8hyZQRQRsaCJzsxLpTmAD__rQnjV6ZCQz4WrwIUiGOh8Yts2e0ibFKFoQ4AOmPCEAoVgyNht1BDkx-c/s400/DSCF1092.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I just love the photo of the happy, white-haired lady and hope that can be me some day!</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>I want to have a silly heart</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>when I grow old someday</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>a heart that still does somersaults</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>and runs outside to play</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>a heart that won't forget to dream</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>and can't remember facts</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>and thinks of birthday candles</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>as just sticks of wicks and wax</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>I want a heart that's been around</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>and knows a thing or two</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>but still can laugh</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>I want to have</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>a silly heart</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>don't you?</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i><br />
</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><img height="300" src="http://img.wallpaperstock.net:81/heart-of-flowers-wallpapers_12465_1024x768.jpg" width="400" /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-12324944226577370222011-03-24T19:10:00.002-04:002011-03-24T21:05:07.955-04:00Open SeasonNo, I will not fear you anymore<br />
I'm through hiding in the house<br />
I'm outside to do my gardening like a woman<br />
Not run and squeal like a mouse<br />
<br />
You sting my skin and make it itch<br />
Ok, it's quite impressive<br />
But I am tougher than a bug<br />
And probably just as obsessive<br />
<br />
So, bring it on!<br />
Is that the best you can do?<br />
I'll smack myself as hard as I can<br />
just to be rid of you!<br />
<br />
(by Doris Sturm)<br />
<br />
...and that's how we do it down South! (bzzzzzzzzzz - whack!)<br />
<br />
Yep, it's that time of year again....<img height="171" src="http://images.clipartof.com/small/42548-Clipart-Illustration-Of-A-Blood-Thirsty-Mosquito-Diving-Forward-And-Baring-Fangs.jpg" width="200" />Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-86561998094016786122011-03-17T13:27:00.000-04:002011-03-17T13:27:04.110-04:00Happy St. Patrick's Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg448uJFls9s0fYevp7X12C1pyp6dS4NSpcrq9vYQ_t31obZYC1ek7_urN0N3KzVNm3dDl6iuyhFcVschetYRyda2DZJdkWFEkRoL5FPdwtR_RrtiM-BTinrCz78fTqTzfoJx-i82zbAM8/s1600/DSCF0998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg448uJFls9s0fYevp7X12C1pyp6dS4NSpcrq9vYQ_t31obZYC1ek7_urN0N3KzVNm3dDl6iuyhFcVschetYRyda2DZJdkWFEkRoL5FPdwtR_RrtiM-BTinrCz78fTqTzfoJx-i82zbAM8/s400/DSCF0998.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div><h1 style="color: navy; font-family: Arial; font-size: 24pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">The Dear Little Shamrock</h1><table border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" style="font-family: Arial; font-style: normal;"><tbody>
<tr><td>by Andrew Cherry <br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">There's a dear little plant that grows in Ireland.<br />
'Twas Saint Patrick himself sure that set it.<br />
And the sun on his labor with pleasure did smile.<br />
And a tear from his eyes oft-times wet it.<br />
It grows thro' the bog, thro' the brake, and the mireland,<br />
And it's called the dear little Shamrock of Ireland.</span><span style="font-size: medium;">That dear little plant still grows in our land,<br />
Fresh and fair as the daughters of Erin,<br />
Whose smiles can bewitch, and whose eyes can command,<br />
In each climate they ever appear in:<br />
For they shine thro' the bog, thro' the brake, and the mireland,<br />
Just like their own dear little Shamrock of Ireland.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">That dear little plant that springs from our soil,<br />
When its three little leaves are extended,<br />
Denotes from the stalk we together should toil,<br />
And ourselves by ourselves be befriended.<br />
And still thro' the bog, thro' the brake, and the mireland,<br />
From one root should branch, like the Shamrock of Ireland.</span></td><td valign="top"></td></tr>
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</div>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-32426757784925816482011-03-10T08:40:00.003-05:002011-03-10T21:14:21.395-05:00Early Spring<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I've been spending a lot of time outside lately, knowing that these pleasures won't last much longer for summer time in the South has become my dreaded season of heat, humidity and bugs...so I stay mainly indoors in the summer with the air conditioner humming day and night. Poor me - poor Gizzy!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cf6500; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><img height="300" src="http://jakethecake.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/spring.jpg" width="400" /> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cf6500; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"></span></div><div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I have always enjoyed walking for when I walk I often get my best ideas. It's a good time for day dreaming, pondering and musing. Seeing nature around me, observing wildlife and watching my own little Gizzy dog as he investigates every single blade of grass fills me with joy and gratitude for life and being alive. I can't help but wonder what happened to us - meaning man, in general - when did we become so superficial and self important? If that's progress, I don't want it.</span></span></div></div><div style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I found this bitter-sweet poem very appropriate for the way I feel sometimes:</span></span></div></div><div style="color: black; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cf6500; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"></span></span></span></div></div><div style="color: black; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cf6500; font-size: large; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px;">Lines Written in Early Spring</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">by </span></span><a href="http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/296?utm_source=poemaday_030611&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=content&utm_term=poemaday_wordsworth" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">William Wordsworth</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">I heard a thousand blended notes,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">While in a grove I sate reclined,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">Bring sad thoughts to the mind.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">To her fair works did nature link</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">The human soul that through me ran;</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">And much it grieved my heart to think</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">What man has made of man.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">Through primrose tufts, in that sweet bower,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">The periwinkle trailed its wreaths; </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">And 'tis my faith that every flower</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">Enjoys the air it breathes.</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; line-height: 17px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a; line-height: 17px;">The birds around me hopped and played:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">Their thoughts I cannot measure,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">But the least motion which they made,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">It seemed a thrill of pleasure.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">The budding twigs spread out their fan,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">To catch the breezy air;</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">And I must think, do all I can,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">That there was pleasure there. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">If this belief from heaven be sent,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">If such be Nature's holy plan,</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">Have I not reason to lament</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;">What man has made of man?</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><img height="400" src="http://www.designsdelight.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/bird-at-spring.jpg" width="400" /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2a2a2a;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 17px;">(Photo Credits: Google Image Search)</span></span></div></div></div><div style="color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"></div></div>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-54936781742746794902011-03-07T16:06:00.001-05:002011-03-08T13:38:02.006-05:00<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend and fellow hooker (crocheter) Pam of <a href="http://bagsandmorebypam.blogspot.com/2011/03/about-haiku.html">Bags and More by Pam</a>, has reminded me of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku">Haiku</a>, a form of Japanese poetry that I want to share here today:</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. Each poem consists of three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">This is what I came up with:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><u>MY BEST FRIEND</u> (by: Doris)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Short, fluffy and stout</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">walking, sniffing all about</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Outside, he and I</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkU5io7eLqt_jGvco67dH9e43a7BsMF6C1g8Aj2zcJcAC9Ribs7YW2qppAJKdlJ9Hx4jPGx5EAqT4e7y-X8XK9FigZvxIE9EBUUCERxhDPBik_jcwx1m0VfDtoy8ZJaIWnb0TCIF7dOs/s1600/nature+lover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkU5io7eLqt_jGvco67dH9e43a7BsMF6C1g8Aj2zcJcAC9Ribs7YW2qppAJKdlJ9Hx4jPGx5EAqT4e7y-X8XK9FigZvxIE9EBUUCERxhDPBik_jcwx1m0VfDtoy8ZJaIWnb0TCIF7dOs/s400/nature+lover.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #38761d; font-family: tahoma, 'Trebuchet MS', lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span></span>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-26918092092347499252011-02-25T12:57:00.002-05:002011-03-30T14:39:50.074-04:00Das Veilchen/The Violet<div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; text-align: left;">I have violets growing all around my apartment and I thought I'd share a poem by Johann W. Goethe, first in German and then in English along with some photos... enjoy!</div><div align="center" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><img src="http://www.americanvioletsociety.org/American_Violet_Society_Images/violets3.gif" /></div><div align="center" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><br />
</span></div><div align="center" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><b>Das Veilchen</b> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">By: Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832)</span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; text-align: left;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><br />
</span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; text-align: left;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><br />
</span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; margin-left: 20px;"><span class="pageTextArialFont">Ein Veilchen auf der Wiese stand,<br />
gebückt in sich und unbekammt:<br />
es war ein herzigs Veilchen<br />
<br />
Da kam ein'junge Schäferin<br />
mit leichten Schritt un<br />
muntern Sinn daher,<br />
die Wiese her un sang.<br />
<br />
Ach! Denkt das Veilchen,<br />
wär ich nur die schönste Blume der Natur,<br />
ach, nur ein kleines Veilchen,<br />
bis mich das Liebchen abgepflückt<br />
und an dem Busen mattgedrückt,<br />
ach nur, ach nur ein Viertel stündchen lang.<br />
<br />
Ach, aber ach! Das Mädchen kam<br />
un nicht in acht das Veilchen nahn,<br />
ertrat das arme Veilchen.<br />
<br />
Es sank un starb und freut'sich noch:<br />
und sterb ich denn, so sterb ich doch durch sie,<br />
auch sie, zu ihren Füßendoch.<br />
<br />
Dar arme Veilchen!<br />
Es war ein herzigs Veilchen<br />
</span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; margin-left: 20px;"><span class="pageTextArialFont">-----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; margin-left: 20px; text-align: center;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-left: 20px;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; text-align: center;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><b>The Violet</b></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; text-align: center;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><img src="http://www.americanvioletsociety.org/American_Violet_Society_Images/violets4.gif" /></span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 20px;"></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; text-align: center;"><span class="pageTextArialFont">A violet in the meadow grew,</span></div><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="pageTextArialFont"></span></span><br />
<div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; text-align: center;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="pageTextArialFont">blushing quietly, quite unknown;</span></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; text-align: center;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="pageTextArialFont">a pretty little violet.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"></span></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">A young shepherdess drew near,</span></span></span></div><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">with tripping foot and merry heart,</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">she came alone,</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">singing through the meadow.</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">If only, the violet mused, I were</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">the finest flower in the world,</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">just for a little while,</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">until the dear girl picked me</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">and pressed me to her heart 'til I died,</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">if only, if only for a quarter of an hour!</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Alas! The girl approached</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">and paid no heed to the violet;</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">she trod it underfoot.</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">It sank and died, yet it rejoiced:</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">if I must die, at least I die through her,</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">through her, here, 'neath her feet.</div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Poor violet! </div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><div style="text-align: center;">It was a pretty violet!</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOtzMiQfNFkJ6BUNrIDUuDv5POrdcvexHWgrvJjUGgYRhu8S4zEutEKh8IkrsH9AnaorMvWpkTWa6EwaeyDG1aCfIkR2v6TREysSbUjoRaS5ozIQndLOp_AAJLFRAXsKXextSyi_WmZo/s1600/DSCF0425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOtzMiQfNFkJ6BUNrIDUuDv5POrdcvexHWgrvJjUGgYRhu8S4zEutEKh8IkrsH9AnaorMvWpkTWa6EwaeyDG1aCfIkR2v6TREysSbUjoRaS5ozIQndLOp_AAJLFRAXsKXextSyi_WmZo/s400/DSCF0425.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 20px; text-align: center;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 20px; text-align: center;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Violets from my "garden" and flower pots!<br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FUfGLpvlsl31BzgYJ3Z9EEiingFXq58zTs8JTbSxq2cGJRo-i2hMUHGMI3a9YMjvHLNcW2pdDnQnN06o3s8xHPPTXsZWV8H2HCTWttJPdU5Zp3IoKRQlOlKeZKjWd9mQxlADSztUal8/s1600/DSCF0424-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_FUfGLpvlsl31BzgYJ3Z9EEiingFXq58zTs8JTbSxq2cGJRo-i2hMUHGMI3a9YMjvHLNcW2pdDnQnN06o3s8xHPPTXsZWV8H2HCTWttJPdU5Zp3IoKRQlOlKeZKjWd9mQxlADSztUal8/s400/DSCF0424-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 20px; text-align: center;"><span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="pageTextArialFont"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">... and none of them are being trampled on!</span></span></div></span>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-20740148616417394752011-02-14T11:14:00.001-05:002011-02-14T11:14:59.988-05:00Happy Valentine's Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdh8bDwG1IWW0wq_OgxYNMEh_yKYwemEl2AETg11Tx6G4O-wchWDz4xP8sa__lSTOtdAhx6dFx0rpW3uCsy5KyREgrF_s5fZyKrRfAYd6p6DhebNP14QqNKT2mc4oU-0otZ3Z-8n-Qj4/s1600/Gizzy+by+the+Lake+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXdh8bDwG1IWW0wq_OgxYNMEh_yKYwemEl2AETg11Tx6G4O-wchWDz4xP8sa__lSTOtdAhx6dFx0rpW3uCsy5KyREgrF_s5fZyKrRfAYd6p6DhebNP14QqNKT2mc4oU-0otZ3Z-8n-Qj4/s400/Gizzy+by+the+Lake+009.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Best wishes for a very happy Valentine's Day from Gizzy and me!Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-83377597360025622202011-02-12T12:42:00.000-05:002011-02-12T12:42:14.648-05:00The Look<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4FaGcY2pDR71xHZUrTr5S4RF66FMp9oJBGWkp6bev437lwdG3cHm7AqE5x33oyoNvtGrW9XFZZ6O-XYC6HaNk90J5xjwQ8ZTwrEvYo59cx1Po0s7-F1KE8DkkZwcx-lKfBSWx11moBo/s1600/29644-Vintage-Victorian-Scene-Of-A-Boy-Carrying-Flowers-And-Walking-Behind-A-Girl-As-She-Reads-A-Love-Letter-Circa-1886-Poster-Art-Print.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv4FaGcY2pDR71xHZUrTr5S4RF66FMp9oJBGWkp6bev437lwdG3cHm7AqE5x33oyoNvtGrW9XFZZ6O-XYC6HaNk90J5xjwQ8ZTwrEvYo59cx1Po0s7-F1KE8DkkZwcx-lKfBSWx11moBo/s320/29644-Vintage-Victorian-Scene-Of-A-Boy-Carrying-Flowers-And-Walking-Behind-A-Girl-As-She-Reads-A-Love-Letter-Circa-1886-Poster-Art-Print.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="font-family: verdana, arial, 'lucida sans', helvetica, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="font-family: verdana, arial, 'lucida sans', helvetica, geneva, sans-serif;" valign="top" width="80%"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc6600; font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">The Look</span></td><td align="right" colspan="2" nowrap="" style="font-family: verdana, arial, 'lucida sans', helvetica, geneva, sans-serif;" valign="top"></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3" style="font-family: verdana, arial, 'lucida sans', helvetica, geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">by <a href="http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/658" style="color: #336699; font-family: verdana, arial, 'lucida sans', helvetica, geneva, sans-serif; text-decoration: none;">Sara Teasdale</a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="3" style="font-family: verdana, arial, 'lucida sans', helvetica, geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></td></tr>
<tr><td colspan="2" style="font-family: verdana, arial, 'lucida sans', helvetica, geneva, sans-serif;" valign="top"><pre style="font-family: verdana, arial, 'lucida sans', helvetica, geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Strephon kissed me in the spring,
Robin in the fall,
But Colin only looked at me
And never kissed at all.
Strephon's kiss was lost in jest,
Robin's lost in play,
But the kiss in Colin's eyes
Haunts me night and day.</span></pre></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWv3iI9B_apLTcfLNy110x4GVkiw92xQsdWNZxeS4i_D9t65pWg1FrofYgnxv28E4xgo19yDoJCxpn59qwtj-UpwSXyKaQjm8y0m_GGQvumH6K2C0iEbGK0lSPaPuv5yDQOIxPtk00dk4/s1600/29646-Vintage-Victorian-Scene-Of-A-Sweet-Young-Boy-Giving-A-Girl-A-Basket-Of-Flowers-For-Her-To-Make-Wreaths-With-Circa-1886-Poster-Art-Print.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWv3iI9B_apLTcfLNy110x4GVkiw92xQsdWNZxeS4i_D9t65pWg1FrofYgnxv28E4xgo19yDoJCxpn59qwtj-UpwSXyKaQjm8y0m_GGQvumH6K2C0iEbGK0lSPaPuv5yDQOIxPtk00dk4/s320/29646-Vintage-Victorian-Scene-Of-A-Sweet-Young-Boy-Giving-A-Girl-A-Basket-Of-Flowers-For-Her-To-Make-Wreaths-With-Circa-1886-Poster-Art-Print.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-56232468689652827072011-01-24T12:10:00.001-05:002011-01-25T12:18:23.235-05:00On Rain and LoveWhile researching "Native Indian Rain Dance Attire" I came across this poem that gave me a chuckle:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXIkSUi7sfWEpKryLaT38_-jPNP1e8dOmyex1lUd8htYnH7t6PpQXt_1NNBHHZqr_VXg8DvWx5Q1PdfJ3h0fC0jAguVLNZXK1bhjMqJN7lfP2DBPT_UXfMHMF1muR_N3_g6vCPPQ5_6E/s1600/Rain+a+poem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXIkSUi7sfWEpKryLaT38_-jPNP1e8dOmyex1lUd8htYnH7t6PpQXt_1NNBHHZqr_VXg8DvWx5Q1PdfJ3h0fC0jAguVLNZXK1bhjMqJN7lfP2DBPT_UXfMHMF1muR_N3_g6vCPPQ5_6E/s400/Rain+a+poem.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Ha, ha, ha... maybe that's what Elvis meant with his song "burning love!" LOL<br />
<br />
Even though I never got acid indigestion from being in love, I have to confess that I totally lose my appetite and find it difficult to eat. Needless to say I have not been "in love" for quite some time, but it does make for good song writing...I love Bonnie Raitt!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VU2x9YoVJPY?fs=1" width="425"></iframe>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-90243333005068902022011-01-01T21:39:00.002-05:002011-01-01T21:45:54.743-05:00Johann Strauss II - The Blue Danube Waltz - New Year's Concert<iframe frameborder="0" height="295" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PCge-suZLWw?fs=1" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
The Vienna Philharmonics are playing now on <a href="http://www.pbs.org/">PBS</a> and I'm watching their New Year's Day concert when they are playing Johann Strauss music. One of the songs included is always "An der schoenen, blauen Donau" (on the beautiful, blue Danube or Blue Danube for short.) I love <a href="http://www.pbs.org/">PBS</a> for all kinds of reasons, but especially for their arts and entertainment during the holidays.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">When I was growing up in Germany, my Oma and I were big Johann Strauss fans. She is gone now, but every time I hear his music, I get transported back in time and remember my Oma. I imagine the both of us watching one of his many Operettas on TV (we looked forward to those) or me pretend-ballet dancing around the house to one of his walzes... thanks for the memories, Oma!</div><div><br />
</div></div><div></div>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-11148027444664884272011-01-01T11:21:00.000-05:002011-01-01T11:21:35.661-05:00Happy New Year!Happy January 1st, 2011!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSsANc3ebP_jqLhAA_jpslrHTG9_QafkpK3dL6o746u6Cqp_ZzWBNpyHwRH7zd1Pg616GpZf1gxpV8EPpdguLYu7DBVtBlZm69pwJZ_5e6n1ofz8BVk7bMe_5kPW7Wl0BPlNlBhjBBvhs/s1600/Jan+1st.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSsANc3ebP_jqLhAA_jpslrHTG9_QafkpK3dL6o746u6Cqp_ZzWBNpyHwRH7zd1Pg616GpZf1gxpV8EPpdguLYu7DBVtBlZm69pwJZ_5e6n1ofz8BVk7bMe_5kPW7Wl0BPlNlBhjBBvhs/s400/Jan+1st.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8360997137548017908.post-24954279027621686332010-12-31T15:48:00.000-05:002010-12-31T15:48:43.363-05:00Should auld acquaintance be forgot...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtYcGj6QJWc4JaSeZLXNmrXldm2_G2mFWRGtPA24M4kfKMseAE92rNQcIMM64d8qfgos1iceSuWnWRdpAU9MKeJK-cU2q2y0YW-cqwWckwkHEGGWk6wihPOX8HYZ9bxTVsUged1VSczy8/s1600/auld-lang-syne-lyrics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtYcGj6QJWc4JaSeZLXNmrXldm2_G2mFWRGtPA24M4kfKMseAE92rNQcIMM64d8qfgos1iceSuWnWRdpAU9MKeJK-cU2q2y0YW-cqwWckwkHEGGWk6wihPOX8HYZ9bxTVsUged1VSczy8/s400/auld-lang-syne-lyrics.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Auld Lang Syne (The Good Old Days) is a song traditionally sung at midnight when horns are blown, confetti is thrown, and a general party atmosphere is created to ring in the New Year with happiness and hope for a bright and prosperous year.<br />
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The outgoing year is often represented by an elderly man known as Father Time and the new year is represented by a baby known as Baby New Year. <br />
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Robert Burns wrote the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne in the 1700's. <br />
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<center> <b>Auld Lang Syne</b><br />
Robert Burns <br />
<br />
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,<br />
and never brought to mind? <br />
Should auld acquaintance be forgot <br />
and days of auld lang syne? <br />
For auld lang syne, my dear, <br />
For auld lang syne, <br />
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet <br />
For auld lang syne <br />
We twa hae run aboot the braes<br />
And pou'd the gowans fine; <br />
we've wander'd mony a weary foot<br />
Sin' auld lang syne <br />
We two hae paidled i' the burn,<br />
Frae mornin' sun till dine; <br />
But seas between us braid hae roar'd <br />
Sin' auld lang syne <br />
And here's a hand, my trusty friend, <br />
And gie's a hand o' thine; <br />
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet <br />
For auld lang syne <br />
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,<br />
and never brought to mind? <br />
Should auld acquaintance be forgot <br />
and days of auld lang syne? <br />
For auld lang syne, my dear, <br />
For auld lang syne, <br />
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet <br />
For auld lang syne<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">...and to this day, I can't help myself but cry every time that song is played - I've cried to this song since I was a kid in Germany - there's just something about the lyrics - and I guess I'll continue this old habit! (someone hand me a tissue, please!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy New Year!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Prosit Neujahr!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></center>Doris Sturmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09383495196401230783noreply@blogger.com5