Where there are rules, there are people like Waldo, more intent on abiding by the rules than accomplishing the mission, even when the rules are oversimplified guidelines w/o the force of law. It’s hard to formulate a rule of thumb in a way that is simple to learn and remember but adequate for the real world. One example is the Rule of Thirds in photography. Let’s try for a less exception-riddled formulation.
Author: Mellow Curmudgeon
My blog touches on many things, often with humor and/or haiku. I have been a scientist; an engineer; an Alzheimer’s caregiver.
Vocal Visitor
Caw from unseen bird.
Crows are louder and shriller.
Could be a raven.
Overlay © John Cobb | Unsplash
While my own sightings are few and long ago, I believe ravens still inhabit the region where I live and am confident that I can distinguish the croaking caw of a raven from the canonical caw of a crow. (Don’t hike much any more; still big on alliteration.) I also have some of indigenous folklore’s admiration of ravens, so I celebrated hearing one with a haiku. That posed a problem.
An ordinary image of a raven would not work for my haiku about an unseen bird thought to be a raven. I considered posting the haiku by itself, but I like images. Hmmm. I can photograph the nondescript view toward where the call seemed to originate. Can I then find and tweak an image of a raven to make a ghostly overlay that fits the mood of the haiku? Yes!
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Dusted for Fingerprints
Snow on lawn.
Tracks from last mowing,
seen again.
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Shadow Song
Gourds bask in sunlight;
shadows sing a silent song.
They both contribute.
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Mysterious Macros
Extreme closeup photos can be beautiful and/or informative. They can also be riddles. Three macro photos are posted here. What on earth do they depict? The mystery of why we call extreme closeups “macros” will have to wait.
Last Few Nights of Old Year
Seen thru bare branches
that thrash in an angry wind,
Xmas lights shimmer.
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What’s This?
Many things make more sense when seen from a distance in their context, rather than up close and isolated. Here’s one for the current season.
Lingering Leaves
Cherry hibernates,
safe under pine’s watchful eye.
A few leaves linger.
11-07 |
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11-24 |
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11-26 |
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The cherry had one last leaf on 11-26.
Did it sing Nunc dimittis before it fell on 11-30?
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“Fall, shmall. Gonna set seed.”
Yes, I know that garden gurus recommend doing many things in fall. I also know that some plants routinely set seed then. But most of my lawn only kicks grass into flower beds in spring and summer. Intrigued by a patch that seemed to be proclaiming this post’s title, I took a break from raking fall leaves to photograph the nonconforming grass from angles that yielded contrasting backgrounds. Growing more vigorously than most of my lawn, this little patch may be onto something.
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Last Song of the Leaves
The sound of dry rain
fills the air above my yard.
“Keep the rake handy.”
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Glory in Gold and Silver
October
Bright sun and cool air;
azure skies and pumpkin pies.
Leaves fall in glory.
Silver Savior
The crowning glory
of our civilization
is, of course, duct tape.
Glory ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #334
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Turning Sequence
Still-green oak
will follow maple
in due time.
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Flaming Breath
Grumpy dragon
stays outside photo frame.
It’s a bad scales day.
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Cherry Meets Maple
Still green and growing,
cherry meets older maple
and finds a mentor.
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The Brave Change First
Waiting in Early Autumn
Some leaves change color.
I wait for a pot of gold
to end a rainbow.
Waiting ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #330
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Mellow Curmudgeon 