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Lawn Guy

Where are you, lawn guy?

The yard is a hayfield…

Please answer our calls.

You’re billing the month of June?

You only mowed once…Get real!

Roofers

Water on the floor…

Handyman-installed roof vent

invited rain in.

How much? !!! Can’t come for four weeks?

It’s hurricane season, man!

Do-It-Yourself

Did a bomb go off?

Cleaning up bushels of glass…

Shower door exploded!

Installing heavy new doors.

We’re getting too old for this!

Electricians

Dinner stopped cooking…

no power in the kitchen.

Extension cord rigged.

Mr. Sparky’s coming next week!

Anticipating huge bill!

Optometrist

Fully immunized,

Robert has his eye exam!

Glasses won’t help now.

Cataracts need surgery.

Research protocols, choose surgeon.

Doctors & Dentists, Oh My!

The older we get,

the more doctors and dentists

become a part of out lives.

We’re thankful they’re here for us,

but sometimes, enough’s enough!

Computer Technicians

Computer is slow…

Should I consult Apple Tech?

Yes, but not today.

One day I’ll feel energized

and deal with my computer.

House Guests

Family calling…

Pandemic is winding down.

When can they visit?

Not right now, but soon, we hope.

It seems like years and years!

The Two of Us

Looking at the ring

that sparkles on my finger,

I see the future.

With love and hope in our hearts,

we’ll get through this together!

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Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

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Progress Report

This poem was written about why I decided to take a break! It may be a while before everything settles down and I am fully back on WordPress. When I get the computer up to speed, I look forward to reading and responding to more posts.

• The new lawn guy is great!

• Robert installed new shower doors a couple of weeks ago. I am still finding an occasional piece of broken glass.

• The electrician was here most of today, and the lanai kitchen, where most of our food is cooked, is fully operational.

• Robert has an appointment with a cataract surgeon at the end of the month. We don’t have a date for surgery yet.

• The roofers will be here next week. I hope we don’t get another tropical storm before they finish the repair!

• We have invited family groups to visit in the fall and early winter when Florida weather is nicest.

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Happy Birthday, USA!

July 4, 1776 was the day delegates from the thirteen colonies signed the Declaration of Independence from England. Those who signed the document did so at great personal risk. The bloody American Revolution followed under the leadership of General George Washington, who later became the first president of the United States.

To celebrate Independence Day, Americans will fly flags, watch fireworks shows, sing patriotic songs, and tell the stories of our history. Cookouts and picnics are also traditional.

Today, though we are celebrating our country’s birthday, the Global Community is uppermost in my mind. We are suffering from a worldwide pandemic, wars, and widespread racism and violence. Environmental problems threaten all of us.

Today I would like to share song lyrics that express my thoughts about our Global Community.

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This Is My Song

This is my song, O God of all the nations,

a song of peace for lands afar and mine;

this is my home, the country where my heart is;

here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine:

but other hearts in other lands are beating

with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,

and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;

but other lands have sunlight, too and clover,

and skies are everywhere as blue as mine:

O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,

a song of peace for their land and for mine.

May truth and freedom come to every nation;

may peace abound where strife has raged so long;

that each may seek to love and build together,

a world united, righting every wrong:

a world united in its love for freedom,

proclaiming peace together in one song.

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Third stanza by Georgia Harkness. © 1964 Lorenz Publishing Company.

First and second stanzas by Lloyd Stone. © 1934, 1962 Lorenz Publishing Company.

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To My Fellow Bloggers:

It has been very busy here. Nothing we can’t handle, but fatigue has set in, and a busy agenda still stretches in front of us. I am taking a break from WordPress and will miss all of you. ❤

All the best,

Cheryl

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Perfect Partner, My Shadow

Lighthearted I dance,

lightly with spritely shadow.

Sunny June morning.

Perfect partner, my shadow…

always keeping pace with me.

Afternoon transforms

my shadow and me…giants

taking giant steps.

Perfect partner, my shadow…

always keeping pace with me.

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Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

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Striving

Leaving the serenity of the womb at birth,

we strive all our days upon the earth.

Babbling syllables, learning to talk,

clinging to furniture, learning to walk.

Studying hard to get good reports,

practicing endlessly to excel in sports.

At the library borrowing a book.

In the kitchen learning to cook.

At the mall shopping for formal dress;

going to the prom, we want to impress.

Rigorous program at our chosen college

to optimize our skills and knowledge.

Preparing for the race to be run,

getting ready for our place in the sun.

Finding a paragon to share our life,

a partnership of husband and wife.

Striving endlessly to make a living,

bringing up responsible offspring.

Saving money for when we retire,

making a will in case we expire.

Visiting a spa to regain our youth,

Time with grandchildren, sharing our truth.

Appointments with doctors, seeking a cure,

Diets and exercise we endure.

Enjoying photos from the past,

remembering moments from first to last.

Then comes the day our striving is done…

We journey peacefully into the unknown.

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Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

Blog, Here I Come!

Second vaccine shot.

Fever, next day spent sleeping,

a few lazy days.

New prescription

with dramatic side effects

from three half-doses.

Days spent researching

dietary strategies,

drug alternatives.

No time for learning

how to use the new smart phone…

drinking cabbage juice!

Fighting frustration…

painting for relaxation…

Nothing I will post!

Blogging difficult…

computer going haywire.

Locked out of emails!

Done trouble-shooting

with scammers online…Today,

it’s Apple Pie Tech!

Equanimity!

Technology overhauled.

Blogging, here I come!

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Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

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I missed all of you! 🙂

I have had trouble commenting for several days, and then got locked out of my email. My WordPress seems to be working normally again. I am feeling better and glad to be back!

I hope you are well. Stay safe and be happy! ❤

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Day at the River

Glowing sunrise…

Going to the river.

Blowing breezes,

flowing water…

Floating downstream .

Slowing the pace,

growing mindful,

knowing serenity.

Glowing sunset…

Going home in peace.

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Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

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Thank you to My WordPress Family

500+ Subscribers

Your support and encouragement mean the world to me! You have helped me to get through these dark days of the pandemic, the isolation, and the health issues. WordPress bloggers are talented, inspiring, kind, and helpful…friends who have treated me like family! You are appreciated!

Kritika of “Valorous Bird”, thank you for discovering my website and encouraging me to start my blog. I will always remember.

My first post was on June 18, 2020, and this is post number 112. As of today, I have 505 subscribers. Thank you all!

Love,

Cheryl

❤ ❤ ❤

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Grande Dame of Peace River

Classic arches…

time marches…

Soulless and faceless

utilitarian bridge replaces

grande dame’s graces.

Bridges side-by-side,

span Arcadia’s scenic pride,

Peace River, tannin-dyed,

where fierce alligators reside.

Now pedestrians on a lark

linger in Peace River Park

on the bridge, historic landmark,

viewing kayakers in waters dark.

Grande dame retains her spark!

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Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

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This historic bridge over the scenic Peace River in Arcadia, Florida holds fond memories for me. My father used to fish in the Peace River when I was a child, and our family vacationed in Florida. The Peace River flows into the Gulf of Mexico not too far from where we live now. Robert and I have walked along the river at Arcadia a number of times. Last year, my daughters and I took a breathtaking boat tour on the river near Arcadia.

Arcadia is a town that once had a fine train station and an opera house. Many historic buildings are now home to restaurants and antique shops. Mary Margaret’s Tea Room is one of Robert’s and my favorite restaurants located in an historic auto dealership and garage and furnished with antiques.

It is a tradition to go to Mary Margaret’s on my birthday, missed for the last year two years because of the pandemic. The restaurant has changed hands since the pandemic began. We want to visit again after it is over. I hope they still have our favorite crab Louis, quiche Lorraine, turkey sandwiches, flavored tea, and tea biscuits!

I have attempted to paint the old Peace River bridge several times over the last couple of years, but I could never quite capture my feelings for the place. I will try again, and post it if I get it right.

This poem is a Ziggurat, a form created by Paul Szlosek and presented by Eugenia at Eugenia’s Causerie. It consists of 14 lines and 4 stanzas. 2 lines, 2 words each, 3 lines, 3 words each, 4 lines, 4 words each, and 5 lines, 5 words each. The rhyme pattern is aa, bbb, cccc, ddddd. This was a fun form to work with.

An unexamined life is not worth Living–Socrates

This quote, as described in Plato’s Apology, is from the trial of Socrates, where he was convicted of “corrupting the youth” of Athens. Socrates believed so strongly in his philosophy that he chose the punishment of death rather than exile, and died by drinking poison hemlock. The “Socratic Method” teaches by asking questions and is still used today.

This poem contrasts the “unexamined life” in the first half of the palindrome with the “examined life” in the second half of the palindrome. I believe that we should not drift through life, accepting conventional wisdom without question. We should take responsibility for our own lives by asking the difficult questions to discover our true purpose. A purposeful life is meaningful and is in service to others.

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Identity Crisis

Purpose of life?

Lassitude banishes purpose.

Here am I. Why am I?

Obscurity supersedes clarity.

Anxiety outpaces curiosity.

Crisis of identity.

Randomness overpowers intention.

Why wonder?

Complexity of world…

Perplexing!

World of complexity.

Wonder why…

Intention overpowers randomness.

Identity of crisis.

Curiosity outpaces anxiety.

Clarity supersedes obscurity.

I am why. I am here.

Purpose banishes lassitude.

Life of purpose.

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Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

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A Palindrome Poem.

There is a central word.

The first half and the second half of the poem

are mirror images of each other.

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Lost & Alone

Lost and alone you are now!

Destination unexplored.

Light becomes darkness,

day becomes night.

Friendship unanticipated,

unfounded fears…

companions are strangers!

Shared experience,

shared fire and food.

Seen and heard…

Empathy.

Heard and seen,

food and fire shared,

experience shared.

Strangers are companions…

fears unfounded,

unanticipated friendship!

Night becomes day,

darkness becomes light.

Unexplored destination…

Now are you alone and lost?

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Copyright© 2021 by Cheryl Batavia

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This is my first attempt at writing a palindrome poem. My thanks to David, at Ben Alexander for his explanation of his method for writing a palindrome and for his encouragement.