Weekend Coffee Share , a Haiku Kind of Day

With Miles turned up high

A chai latte in my hands,

I greet the sunshine.- (c) 2023

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer and shared by various authors around the globe. It’s a bright, sunny day, so my latte is chilled. The aforementioned music is The Greatest Hits of Miles Davis, lively yet relaxing.

It was another hectic, fast-paced week at school. I put my feet up when I got home Thursday night and relaxed until my boyfriend came to get me for dinner at a barbecue restaurant. The meal was good, and there was lots of venting about our jobs, and also plenty of things we laughed about together. Laughter is the best thing for stress!

Friday brought appointments. I had a thyroid ultrasound, which went well despite the long wait. Then, I went to the chiropractor and asked him for a “gentle” adjustment. When I’d gone two weeks ago, my back was still sore for about two days after the adjustment. I think my nervous system is in stress overdrive with spring frenzy and test season. Stress is bad for our health, but I felt good after this adjustment as he really listened to my comments and self-assessment of my reaction to two weeks ago.

Ah yes, test season. I’ve been teaching compare/contrast writing and assigned an essay for them to write. I have a new student that asked for a lot of help but really got going, and I could see a light in her eyes as she kept getting ideas. That is the joy of my job. Some don’t let me help them, though. I’ll just remember the good points, I guess.

Before yesterday was over, I got online results of my thyroid scan, and all is well. Today, I have nowhere I have to go. Of course, I’ll do my Saturday cardio….when I decide to. I plan to go to church for Easter service tomorrow, which is always beautiful.

A happy Easter to those who celebrate, and have a great weekend, everyone!

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The Perfection Facade. #haiku

The Perfection Facade by Pamela Schloesser Canepa

If you stuff it down,

If you can just toe the line,

No one knows you fell.

***********

Trust it to someone,

The times you fell off the line.

Shut self-judgment down.

*Both haiku were written in response to the Ronavan Write Haikay Challenge. You may view the details at https://ronovanwrites.com/2022/01/17/ronovan-writes-weekly-haiku-poetry-prompt-challenge-393-down-and-line/

Weekend Coffee Share, Greetings from My Little Corner

 

Morning, Day 14 of Social Distance Haiku by Pamela Schloesser Canepa, (c)2020

Morning birds sing out

Mankind has taken a pause

Breathing and waiting.

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Allison at Eclectic Ali.

It’s a beautiful morning, and it’s poetry month, so I thought I’d share a haiku reflecting some thoughts on nature (and mankind’s place in it).  I took a nice walk twice around the block in 83 degree weather this morning, sun shining and nature in all of its glory.  There were a good number of people out, most on their own.  A man with his child in a stroller waved at me.  A boy on a bike was riding me way but then turned around in a circle.  Good move, I thought.  Socially distance yourself.  A woman was walking my way, talking on the phone.  She seemed oblivious to me.  So I moved to the sidewalk on the other side of the road.   Still, it was nice to be out in this wonderful day.

I feel a little cut off from this community, since I have been trying to get a grip on the online teaching requirements and methods our county is using.  Still, I have to tell you, it has been overall positive for me! The students are so polite online, and I’ve received several e-mails from parents expressing appreciation.  I wrote a post on Medium here, this is a link which does not require membership:

A Day in the Life: Teaching in the Coronavirus Era 

I am learning a whole lot from this experience, and while we owe the doctors and nurses of our world a debt of gratitude, I am pleased to feel as if I have a purpose in this whole situation.  It is good for my mind.  I am also trying to exercise regularly; I take yoga or pilates online a few times a week. The outdoor walks are also helpful, providing my Vitamin D and a feeling of well-being.  Hearing the news does not help.  I only turn on Netflix and try not to look at any news reports more than once a day.  The stress and anxiety do not help me sleep, you know.  I started The Witcher earlier as I love to watch Henry Cavill, and my son and I sometimes watch Money Heist together, though he is way ahead of me!

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, and I will be viewing my church service online.  Maybe I will wear a dress, just to get a sense of normalcy.  When I have to go to the store this week, I will wear a mask and gloves.  The mask was bought for me last year when the flu virus seemed bad; I work in a germ factory being a middle school teacher, but there has not ever been a germ like this.

My manuscript, Malachi, should be ready for release in 2-3 weeks.  My formatter got it formatted, and I need to check those files and get the paperback cover done.  It’s happening!!! I am excited.  We all need something to read right now.  Please stay tuned….

Malachi is a college drop-out who just lucked out and fell into an unusual job, once that promises excitement, a good rate of pay, and the chance to put his acting skills to work.  Will Malachi do anything for a dollar?

I am still sort of working on the description and bi-lines for this book.  Malachi is sneaky, a great actor, and really good at lying.  He also needs a good meal.  The book is somewhat of a young adult/new adult book, appropriate for those 16 and up.  Malachi gets a chance to find out who he really is.

I hope you all have a great weekend with family or loved ones, practicing your social distancing and staying away and safe from coronavirus.

 

 

Vacation Wind-down. #poetry

Sunset at Middletown, Easton Beach, R.I.

A haiku

A sunset completes the circle,

Dusk til dawn, beginning to end.

All so the journey can start again.

(c) Pamela Schloesser Canepa, 2018

We Are, a Haiku #amwriting

We Are, a Haiku
Hurricane Irma Aftermath
(c) 2017

We are resilient,
Surviving the storm’s effects,
We are Florida.

**I’d like to offer a genuine prayer for the hurricane victims in TX, those enduring fires in the Northwest, and victims of natural disaster all over the world. May your spirits rise you up until circumstances improve.** I was humbled by this woman enjoying her kayak in the flooded street my neighborhood. Her smile touched me.
God bless us all!

M is for Mother. #AtoZChallenge

Mom in her youth, holding her baby brother.

“Mother,” by Pamela Schloesser Canepa

An icon of strength,

Mother paved the way for me,

Courage led by faith.

 

(c) 2017, All rights reserved

**The AtoZ Challenge theme for my blog is “Who I am.” Yes, it’s wide open.  In April, I will blog from A to Z to include little tidbits about me, poems I’ll share, and stories. Each day I will write something based on the next letter in the alphabet.  It’s been fun so far, yet it has really given me a chance to pause for reflection as well.

Want to know more about the A-Z blog challenge?  Visit http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

 

 

 

D is for Dog. A haiku. #AtoZChallenge #NAPOWRIMO

A haiku in honor of Bixby, the one who is always excited to see me and go places with me!

By Pamela Schloesser Canepa

 

A Haiku

This is what I see:

Man with a dog in the rain.

HE is not alone.

 

*Photo taken 2015, Prisma filter added.

Hurricane Haiku while Hunkering down…#hurricanematthew, Poetry and Reflection

As it gets closer,
Wind gusts, growing more steady.
Hurricane Matthew.

One must admit, Nature can be beautiful, even when it is fearsome.  I videotaped the breezes and wind gusts the morning of our expected hit date by Hurricane Matthew.  The breezes were beautiful and enthralling at this point.  However, they are to be feared.  Reporters and news reporters kept reminding us to “hunker down.”  It was a Category 4.

I had said that I didn’t want this storm to be anything worth writing about.  I recently shared a poem with my classes about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.  No one wants to go through that.  I did not want a life or death situation.  I did not get one.  Luckily, the storm downgraded to a category 3.  The worst we had personally was a power outage, and a tin roof from my neighbor’s dog house flying into our backyard.  I survived said power outage by reading with a flashlight.  James Patterson is entertaining no matter what goes on around you.

Some neighborhoods did not fare as well, as old trees were knocked down or uprooted, blocking roads or hitting houses.  This tree and road blockage was surveyed the day after the storm came through.  Residents of the beach area, 20 miles away, had to evacuate, as it became flooded out.  I feel fortunate not to worry about such a thing as flooding, and am very relieved no trees damaged our house.  A tree was felled at the front of our neighborhood but was cleared away by the time I ventured out.

Trees with shallow roots did not stand a chance.  Shown below, is a tree near the front of my neighborhood, already trimmed to make our entrance and exit possible.

I am heartbroken, however, by the death of a friend of our family, a church member who had taken us under his wing, mentored my son, and helped him get his first job.  It was reported that he tried to cover up his roof during the storm.  It had been damaged by a tree, and while on the ladder, he fell.  I believe he was approximately 70.  He lost balance and fell, most likely because of those wind gusts.  He later passed away in the hospital.  Why did it have to be him?  Sometimes it appears these things happen by random, to good people who didn’t deserve it.  I can’t question it much more because I can’t find the answer.  He will be remembered and missed, God rest his soul.

I truly will miss Bob’s smile and his hugs.

Blissful Saturday Yoga Surprise! #haiku #NAPOWRIMO

11:30 Saturday Yoga Escape Brings a Blissful, Sentimental Surprise Today.  My Haiku:

She is playing Prince!

Purple Rain drives my down dog,

and goosebumps ensue.

-Pamela Schloesser Canepa

#PrinceGoneTooSoon  #musicofmyyouth