Category Archives: Random Thoughts and Musings

July 12, 2017

Arting and Humming  

By Kat Myrman

My twins, coloring. ~kat

Mostly, I remember the smells…of linseed oil and turpentine, earthen clay and play dough. I can lose myself inside the lid of a fresh box of crayons. If I close my eyes I can imagine the sensation of finger paint, creamy cool between my fingers, and the sublime feeling of peeling elmer’s glue “skin” embossed with lines and creases from the palms of my hands. My introduction to art was a sensual, tactile experience.

Nowadays, I hum when I make art. I’m not sure why. It is not usually a recognizable tune; more like a droning purr of random notes. I suspect it is my left brain overflowing; bits of my soul released to be splashed onto a canvas, sculpted in clay, or scribbled on a page. I’ve been accused of being a bit crazy because of the humming. Or maybe it just drives others crazy because they can’t hear the music. All I do know, or am, at the very least, most certain of, is that art and music make me happy and touches the core of my being in ways that I can’t describe. So I hum and I art.

art by numbers
left-brain daubs inside the lines
magnum opus dreams
right-brain wild synapses
purr in rhapsody, the muse

~kat

For Colleen’s Taibun/Tanka Tuesday, prompt words Art and Music (Rhapsody).

12 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Haibun, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Tanka

July 9, 2017

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 9 July 2017

By Kat Myrman

There is a full moon outside my window. The sky is almost cloudless and the moonlight is washing everything in a pale frosted glow. 

During the day when the sun is bright and high in the sky we are told as children not to look directly at it for fear of damaging our eyes. But it is in the cool shadowy hours of the night when we can gaze directly at the sun’s reflection on the face of the moon. It is not in fact moonlight that we see, for the moon has no light of her own, but it is the sun’s reflection. 


Sometimes I feel like the moon. Face half hidden in cool gray matte while the other half brightly glows … or like the moon in its phases, in full face glow or completely hidden, shadowed in gray. 

I need to remind myself that I am not a moon. I am not meant to be a reflector of everything around me. But that can be a daunting task when faced with the troubles of our times. It seems so much easier to turn inward when the going gets rough. 

But the truth is I am much more like the sun. Reminds me of the little Sunday school song many of us happily sang as youngsters…”this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…let it shine…let it shine…let it shine. 

We can’t afford to brood; to become reflectors of light hoping to deflect the darkness, because we are suns. If we don’t let the little sparks within us shine the world will just get darker.  

Thank goodness for the dawn and its daily reminder that offers an example to each of us to rise anew, to be light and hope, warmth and healing from the inside out. 


“This little light of mine…I’m gonna let it shine…let it shine…let it shine…let it shine…Have a wonderful week. Your light gives me hope.

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 9 July 2017

nature’s song in green
got her
it was a good death, as deaths go
but it could be true
parched, we are drowning
those who dream dance on
their dreams frail as dust
to greening flush and browning
driving us mad
with longing
as though they are gods
out on digital screens

~kat

A shi sai or ReVerse poem is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the shi sai features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.

9 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Life Lessons, nature, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Shi Sai, Social Issues, Spirituality, Week in Review

July 8, 2017

Magnetic Poetry Saturday

By Kat Myrman

empires battle for
the planet, hacking
servers, making
memes, war played
out on digital screens
gigabyte, bit bot
programmed streams
but beware the
evil microwave!

remember when heroes
could be trusted to
keep their promises,
fighting for honor
and all things good
and true………but
only blind devotees
believe the powerful
as though they are gods

your perfume lingers
a blush on the breeze
and I am but a
fool overcome
with longing

driving us mad
moaning and drooling
from sweet sleep we lie
in cool sweaty beds
delirious, but there are
those who say these
dreams are not
meaningless
for they bare
our souls

~kat

Magnetic Poetry Online – Geek, Love, Poet, Original Kits

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Random Thoughts and Musings

July 7, 2017

Phenology – Friday’s Word of the Day Haibun

By Kat Myrman


Happy Friday. Today’s dictionary.com Word is Phenology. According to dictionary.com, “Phenology entered English in the 1880s as acontracted variant of phenomenology, with restrictionto climatic phenomena.” It is defined as “the science dealing with the influence of climate onthe recurrence of such annual phenomena of animaland plant life as budding and bird migrations.”

After a further bit of research I learned that the study of phenology goes back thousands of years and is in fact one of the oldest sciences dealing with the natural world. According to the website, Windows to the Universe, “The Chinese are credited with the first written phenological records dating back to around 974 B.C. For the past 1200 years, observations of the timing of peak cherry blossoms in Japan have been recorded.”

I also learned that there are a number of proverbs and sayings that refer to phenology. Here are a few that I found:

“If oak’s before ash, you’re in for a splash. If ash before oak, you’re in for a soak”.

And another version along this line…

“If the oak is out before the ash, ‘Twill be a summer of wet and splash; If the ash is out before the oak,’Twill be a summer of fire and smoke.”

“In like a lion, out like a lamb”

“Christmas in clover, Easter in snow”…

“Spring is sooner recognized by plants than by men.”

Windows to the Universe explains: “Phenological observations have been used for centuries to maximize crop production, prepare for seasonal allergies, and anticipate optimal wildflower viewing conditions. Today, this well established science is used to track the effect of global warming and climate change on organisms and to make predictions about the future health of the environment.”

Did you know that scientists have tracked and discovered that the beginning of spring starts a week earlier in Europe in recent years? I didn’t. It’s called “season creep” and it is the sort of things that Phonologists study. 

Phenology is obviously an important science…for those of us who believe in science. 😉 Some cool new scientific terms I learned in my research include “green up” and “brown down”, having to do with infrared wavelengths from the sun. Can you guess which phenophase is being described by those words? Tick tock tick… Spring and Fall of course. Clever! Tracking green ups helps to identify species of plants that contribute most to the “infrared reflectance values”; a process is called “ground-truthing”. Another cool term!

There is so much more to learn about phenology. Do rev your google engines and learn more if you are a nature lover…or just curious. Or peruse an Old Farmer’s Almanac for that matter. I, on the other hand have a Haiku to write! Have a great weekend!

What force spurs seasons
to greening flush and browning?
Phenologists know!

~kat

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Essays, Haibun, Haiku, nature, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Word of the Day Haiku

July 4, 2017

Twittering Tale #39 – 4 July 2017

By Kat Myrman

About the challenge: Each Tuesday I will provide a prompt, and your mission, if you choose to play along, is to tell a story based on that prompt in 140 characters or less. If you accept the challenge, be sure to let me know in the comments with a link to your tale.

A final note: if you need help tracking the number of characters in your story, there is a nifty online tool that will count for you at charactercountonline.com.

I will do a roundup each Tuesday, along with providing us a new prompt. Have Fun!

Twittering Tales #38 – The Roundup


From Michael at Morpethroad:
It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll.
Songs in my head but I want off now.
Whose idea was this?
My feet long for the earth.

From Soul Connection / Through My Heart’s Web:
Between Earth And Sky My Life Is Hanging. Can’t Afford Being Scared Of Heights. But Happy With The Feeling Being Above All,As If Am Flying.

From Di at Pensitivity101:
‘Hope you’ve got a head for heights!’ he shouted.
Damn sibling rivalry. I’d never live this down.
96 characters

From Sight11:
Hanging themselves..
To transmit..
Lives in our homes..

From Kitty at Kitty’s Verses:
Running down from the mountains, they made their way to the top of the tower. Jeff! this will be a perfect challenge for our contestants.
137 characters

From Sarah at By Sarah:
Pokemon Go is attracting controversy for contributing to various accidents, as well as becoming a public nuisance at some locations…

From Lorraine at In 25 Words More or Less:
What goes up, must come down??!!
Gravity is nine-tenths of the law; safety-gear and padding the other tenth.
(107 characters; 18 words)

From Radhika at Radhika’s Reflection:
They were the masters at climbing the tower during their college days. Today, on their 25th alumni meet, they still enjoyed it as much.
135 characters

From Monika at Monika Sharma – A Unique Advisor:
In the afternoon of summer when I work on a tower hanging with the help of harness far above the ground i think i will go home and ask my son to construct the same tower for me.

From Reena at ReInventions:

I’ve lived in ivory towers with silver spoons in my mouth. But this is downright scary. No minions to support me below, and the wind bites.
(139 characters)

From Susmita at Uniqueus:
“Oh! The lunatic is climbing up the tower. Look at him waving his hands. I hope he doesn’t do anything drastic. Need to call the police.”
135 Characters

From Kathryn at Another Foodie Blogger:
Andy just needed this one jump to get his BASE license (Building, Antenna, Span, Earth). Little did he know he’d receive it posthumously.

From Willow at Willowdot21, two tales :
Clear blue skies= safety, driving rain not so much, snow & fog = danger. As linesmen we work all weather. Sadly Jan didn’t see the ice.

Never argue with the guy up top he keeps you safe I only made that mistake once. Didn’t survive the fall. He said my wire frayed.

From Weena at Teleporting Weena:
ELECTRIFIED
1,000 steps left to reach the Promised Land
100 steps left to reach the Promised Land
50 steps left to reach the Promised Land
1 step le….ZAP
140 Characters

From Peter at Peter’s Ponderings:
He’d checked 3 times now and he was certain. There were 3 nuts, 5 bolts, and 17 washers missing.
No other option, he’d have to take it back!
(140 characters)

From Jane at Jane Dougherty Writes:
Evening, the crowd dispersed but both refused to come down.
“I won’t let you have her.”
“She loves me best.”
“I named her.”
“But she’s my cat!”

From Maniparna at Scattered Thoughts:
His attacker was right behind, chasing him. He was rising up fast. “I would rather finish myself than to succumb”, he whispered.
(129 characters)

From Sangbad at Thoughts of Words:
He looked up. His son is at the perfect height. He look at the horizon–second generation ends, third starts today. Proud of you, my boy…
(139 Characters)

From Francine at Woman Walks Dog:
I’m Pete he’s Jo. We needed the work. He’s new, scared of heights. Like him. One minute he’s above me next he’s stepping off into the serene blue sky. Then silence.

From Oneta at Sweet Aroma:
Take a break, sit and muse. Remembering third grade when the monkey bars were a challenge. Fun then, fun now! For this I get paid!
136 Characters

And starting us out last week, my take:
Took the job for the pay and benefits. Now they want us to spy on the public. It’s my last day; training the newbie. If people only knew.
138 Characters

Thank you everyone for a great collection of tales! I love what you did with this photo prompt. So much variety this week. We had linemen, legacies, philosophical reflections, sibling rivalry and competition for the love of sport and the love of a cat, and a few nightmarish tales of untimely demises…electrifying and dizzying! You all really tweeted this one to infinity and beyond and took us to new heights! (Couldn’t resist! 😉)

For this week, a photo of a bridge by Ottavio at Pixabay.com. What do you see? A tale of adventure or suspense or does the bridge represent a stirring life’s reflection? I trust you. Though I’m not sure I trust this bridge! Have fun! See you at the roundup next week!

Twittering Tale #39 – 4 July 2017

Photo by Ottavio at Pixabay.com

“Where’s Sophie?! Oh god!”

“It won’t hold you Sue. See if she’ll come back to you.”

“Come to mommy Sophie. Come…”

“Sophie…no!”

 

 

 

“Got her!”

~kat
139 Characters

69 Comments | posted in Random Thoughts and Musings