Haiku Wednesday

Procrastination
Is such a lonely talent
At which I excel.

I should be cleaning
And laundry is a-waiting;
And yet here I sit.

Articles to write,
A resume to update;
And yet here I sit.

A trip to pack for,
Instructions to write for pets,
And yet here I sit.

The dogs should be walked,
The kitchen must be cleaned up,
And yet here I sit.

Blame it on Facebook,
And the videos of cats,
And so here I sit.

Haiku Sunday

It's been a lazy weekend for me. Yesterday we lounged around on the deck and had a couple of beers and then headed over to our neighbor's for the first barbecue of the season. As usual, I was one of the ones still sitting on their wonderful wraparound porch drinking wine and talking at 2 a.m. We never stay out that late ordinarily, but since this is three houses down from our house, DH could wander home at his preferred time of about 10 p.m. and I was able to stay until the bitter end!

Today was also spent out on the deck in the sunshine (I can't remember the last time we were able to be out on our deck in New Jersey in both March and April for many days in a row!). Now DH is staining the deck in preparation for the official deck season and I'm trying to come up with some haiku for a Sunday afternoon...

Santorum is out
Looks like it will be Romney
Less scary, still bad

Which Romney is he?
The right-wing conservative
Or that other guy?

You know who I mean,
The one who was governor
And passed that health care

It had a mandate
Just like Obama's plan has
He thought it was great!

And another thing:
He supported the women
Said he was pro-choice

But that's all over;
He's against "Obamacare"
And Planned Parenthood!

So which one is it?
Both sides are in a quandary
Who is the real Mitt?

Right-wingers worry
He's really the liberal
That he seemed back then

Liberals worry
That he now means what he says
And lied in the past.

Such a conundrum.
But if you're a liberal
Your choice is still clear

Vote for Obama;
And you won't have to worry
Which Mitt is for real.

Haiku Thursday

Rain is falling down
Both of the dogs are snoring
It's very peaceful.

I'm reading the blogs
Skipping over to Facebook
And then back again.

The house is a mess
The dogs were chewing rope toys
Now shredded to bits.

Soon I must arise
Go clean up the living room
And do some dishes.

Then I must go out
Venture forth into the rain
And visit my aunt.

But for now, I think
I'll just sit here reading blogs
And listen to jazz...

Haiku Saturday

Well, here it is, the day of the South Carolina primary. It is amazing to me that in such a short time, Newt Gringrich has surged to the point he may actually beat Romney despite all his morality-challenged past actions.

And it's not all because Rick Perry dropped out; it seems as if people down there just seem more excited about Newt than about Mitt. As columnist Paul Mulshine says in the linked article, "An excess of emotion trumps a lack of emotion every time in the Deep South. That might explain why Romney’s in so much trouble in a race he was expected to win in a walk."

It probably isn't helping Mitt much that Stephen Colbert is down there campaigning with former candidate Herman Cain, further confusing the voters, some of whom may not even realize he's a satirist.

And of course, in the meantime, Romney is still reeling from finding out he apparently didn't win the Iowa caucuses after all; Santorum apparently beat him by 34 votes.

It will be very interesting to see what happens today. Since I have no real news to talk about until after the vote, I thought it would be a good time for some haiku. And the first one I am going to post is by Jeremy over at Chew the Fat - and I'll send you over to his place to read it. Hint: It's about Newt and it is very good!

Now here are mine...

First snow of winter
Drapes cotton over the cars
And makes my feet slip.

The dogs aren't walking
We drove to get the paper
We are pathetic.

This is the Northeast
Snow is a normal event
But we were so spoiled.

One snowstorm in Fall
Nothing but good weather since
What do you expect?

It's warmer down South
Where things are getting hotter
Newt may beat Romney.

Running neck and neck
Santorum and Paul behind
But they're still trying.

After tomorrow
The race may get more narrow
We will wait and see.

That's all I've got today! Tomorrow is another day and will provide plenty of entertainment, I'm sure. In the meantime I'll post this highly amusing and very pertinent song by the Austin Lounge Lizards, "Gingrich the Newt." The ironic thing is, this song is from Newt's FIRST era in politics and is still true today. I love the reference to orphanages; apparently Newt said back in the 90s that kids would do better in orphanages than in the welfare system. Now he thinks poor kids should be janitors. Really, the more he changes the more he remains the same! (If I've posted it before, apologies for repetition, but it is definitely worth repeating. There isn't really any video to this but do listen to the words!)

Summer Haiku Tuesday

After a whole week up at the cabin in cool springlike weather, coming back to New Jersey was a shock. It's mid-July. It's hot. It's humid. The only good thing is, there is a nice breeze. In fact, it was such a nice breeze yesterday, apparently, that two branches broke off and fell in my neighborhood - one on the sidewalk around the corner and one on our front porch steps!

The brinksmanship between President Obama and John Boehner slogs along. I think the President is playing it right for a change - actually holding out and saying that he won't accept any budget that doesn't include revenue, i.e., tax, increases. I just hope he doesn't fold at the last minute. At some point the Republicans will have to either give in and accept some tax increases, even if only in the form of closing loopholes, or else they will take the blame for the economic mess that would follow if the debt ceiling isn't raised.

But in the summer heat it's hard to get worked up about anything in politics. In the back of my heat-drugged mind I have questions: "If the government defaults on its debts, does that mean investments in treasury bills will tank?" "Do I have any investments that would be stable if this happened?" but I can't bring myself to think any further than that or bother to Google something to find out. Maybe I don't want to know. After all, what can I do about it anyway?

So, I decided today would be a good day for some haiku. As part of my resolution to get back to blogging, haiku is always a good way to get over any writer's block I may have! So....

Summer has arrived.
Cicadas are chattering
High in the treetops.

The dogs are panting
Diva's too hot to walk far
We sit on the deck.

The news is dismal
Haven't read the New York Times
Or the Star Ledger.

Budget talks drag on
Boehner meets with Obama
No progress is made.

My computer's on
My MiFi is blinking green
Where shall I go next?

Facebook is sluggish
The blog world is beckoning
Time to go explore.

I often wonder what we ever did without the internet? Can anyone remember? And don't say we read, because I still read. But I find the world has opened up and become so much more accessible since the advent of the internet. It would be very hard to go back to the past.

Haiku Tuesday

I just spent about an hour trying to find a suitable cartoon or other illustration of how totally dreary the weather is today. However, I couldn't decide on any one thing and finally gave up. It was fun trying though.

In the meantime I'll provide a few February-themed haiku to tide myself over till the next time I actually get up enough energy to write something.

Freezing rain today
Drizzling on the grayish snow
February's here.

Huge mounds of old snow
Obscure everyone's driveways
Driving is risky.

Snow looks so pretty
Right after the snowfall ends
Then it gets dirty.

I'm tired of winter
Spring is still so far away
Days are creeping by.

Sooner or later
Even this much snow will melt
Hard to imagine.

People in Egypt
Having a revolution
Too cold for that here.

Haiku Thursday - Autumn Leaves

October Autumn
Means bright yellow leaves against
A royal blue sky

While red maple leaves
That turned rosy weeks sooner
Are quickly falling.

Some trees are now bare
Showing dark against the sky
Dramatically stark.

Some days are still warm
But you can smell the dead leaves
Wafting on the air.

Winter's not here - yet
But it's around the corner;
November looms close.

I'll be back next week to let you know how the Rally to Restore Sanity (and/or Fear) goes. Hope the weather is good in DC!

Haiku Wednesday

Winter seems endless
I'm so tired of winter coats
And sloppy weather.

More snow is coming
The weather forecast is dire
I'm so sick of this!

Naked black branches
Against leaden winter skies
So very dreary...

Winter is boring
The dog has cabin fever
The cat doesn't care.

But there are some signs
That spring will be returning;
I hear birds singing.

And on the TV
I hear pitchers and catchers
Have come back to train.

I know it will pass,
This long winter from Hades
But please, tell me when!

Haiku Thursday

Live from the Adirondacks, this is Haiku Thursday!

Spending time up here provides new perspective on current events. I start noticing little things instead of worrying about big things. A small blue wildflower peeping up from the grass, a shaft of sunlight brightening the goldenrod; tracks in the soft dirt - whose? Somehow the rest of the world seems far away - and I know it will still be there when we get back. But in the meantime I think I'll just watch the ripples in the pond and listen to the geese call. I think they still migrate up here, unlike in New Jersey where they remain all winter long, fat and happy in the well-landscaped office parks.

So, without further ado...Haiku (yes, that rhymed!)

GM killed Saturn
But Jupiter still remains
Up there by the Moon.

I heard some sad news
Earthquake in Indonesia,
And a tsunami.

Roman Polanski
Is being extradited
After thirty years.

Michael Vick endorsement
Being denied by Nike
"We just give him stuff."

The healthcare debate
Continues in Washington
But news is not good.

Democrats will fight
To get a public option
Against all the odds.

Diplomats meeting,
Discussing nuclear bombs,
Progress being made?

Here it is chilly
And autumn winds are blowing
The leaves are turning.

Red, yellow and gold
Contrasting with cloudy skies
And a patch of blue.

The leaves on the ground
Will camouflage the chipmunk
As he scurries by.

Squirrels are furtive
Gathering nuts for winter
Under the bushes.

Birds still flit in trees
But now they are quieter
Mating is over.

Frogs' voices are still;
But the owl is still calling
Deep into the night.

Things are different here
Life passes by the seasons
No news is good news.