Changing season

 You get so much before other times develop.

Great golden yellow greets us this morning.

Saw two standout scarlet cardinals first thing.

The rest of the yard is overly still.

One small cute squirrel then a guy and his dog walked by.

Dark grey clouds behind brightly sunlit trees.

The yard, bush and tree green has certainly developed.

The tree buds have become leaves.

Mark it down: trees went from bald sticks

to the wonder of leafed out, colorful springtime.

Even slow branches with few leaves 

have filled with water and turned a healthy dark brown.

Day an night

 Rabbits are in our yard.

We drove back from the store and right there

on the side of the drive was one of our rabbits.

They’ve become daring. Makes me cautious.

I mean I hope they’ll be cautious.

I don’t want them overly comfortable with the traffic.

I hope they pay attention and keep out of the way.

I shouldn’t have to worry about wild rabbits.

Working in Hollywood

   Thick traffic some days.

  worked at a radio station on sunset boulevard 

Out the window I often Saw Groucho take 

a morning Walk.

Recording studios were nearby.

For me ten or fifteen minutes to home in north Hollywood.

Or down the street to Santa Monica pier.

Took my kids to La Brea Tar Pits.

and to BingTheater where we saw Ray Bolger the

Scare crow from The Wizard Of Oz dance and sing

To Singing In The Rain.

Sun shiney warm Hollywood.

Three on the run

 Woke up to them going around.

Chasing, frolicking from one side to the other.

Sprinkles of rain are about to happen.

Moving quickly from side to side.

Can’t tell who’s the leader.

Large bunnies, swift moving.

Have they been running all night?

It’s eight o’clock, started to sprinkle. They’re gone.

Builds a nest

 We watch as the bunny carefully builds her nest.

Read about how they work, what to expect.

Get into a routine and lose track of our bunny.

All for sure is finished, then it reappears.

Is it our mother bunny to be or not?

Meri keeps looking. I make notes and worry

as reports of bunnies movements come in.

In and out of the nest too quickly. What is happening?

This I said is her nest when it is for sure a nest.

An who is the male rabbit that sits and watches?

Bunnies don’t have much protection from predators 

they can run and those big feet are built for kicking.

Black Cutout dog

 Keeps deer away.

We like to see deer around.

However, they eat our good plants.

Can’t blame ‘em for being hungry.

Squirrels are out. It seems warmer.

But squirrels come out when snow is on the ground.

For clarification on my report of anything squirrel:

I’m not or have I ever been a squirrel watcher.

If there were buses here,

And places to go on them

then I’d stamp my ticket

and have a look up and down the town.

Building a nest

 Below our widow

Been working all night.

Two bunnies prepare.

She builds, he overlooks.

After eight, she needs to rest now.

A mouthful of grass or pine needles at a time.

she's gone now. will return this evening.

newborn bunnies could be covered up in there.

Looks like a good day

 Sure we don’t have it perfect.

It’s completely cloudy. Grey looking.

No traffic, walkers or animals.

Not a breeze.

Give it a few hours. See what happens.

I’m coffeed out. Nothing scheduled now.

I’ll review what I’ve written to see how it is.

Decide where to go from here.

Sat eve, knock ‘em down

 The jazz orchestra hits it.

haven’t heard them for two months and we’re ready.

Charts like the top bands of the 1930’s to today.

Oberlin college teaches them kids to be hot cats.

quiet, waiting for 7:30 p.m. 

Finney Chapel twelve hundred wooden pews,

below and balcony,  a long way up to the wooden ceiling.

 a fully charged spiritual concert hall that swings.

sincerely

 the toughest songs to interpret

are the ones with words

without music.

Nod your head,

Snap your fingers.

easy take along

Summer coming on

 Smooth riding to Trader Joe.

Thirty minutes.

Traffic light, feeling right

Tina’s brother with the gold record …

Never met him, never saw him.

Why don’t more people stop their car on the freeway to get a sandwich out of the backseat?  Meri asked.

I like the history of what happened when we were young or before. A generation prior.

fill your day

with working, 

writing, reading,

doing something for somebody.

Before eight a.m.

 Per usual, not a soul out.

Reminds me of the TV weather folk,

Always they say “0ut and about”.

I have to complain about it.

Perhaps I should build another pond,

Something of which I’m very fond.

Yeah they’re fun but a lot of work.

I’m not in condition to move  many rocks.

There, we’re staying in again.

The water falls will live in my memory.

Fresh cool trickling wet

With swimming fish, you bet.

frog winter

scooping leaves from the pond

where the sugar maple deposits them

there is a plunk in the water

it's forty degrees this afternoon

 

who did i disturb but a frog

how can they live like that

sleeping in a plastic flower pot

submerged in the bottom of the pond

 

making a home for the winter

be solid as the ice through the snow

then come back chirping in the spring

well, rent is free, that i know

Chopin

 He Wrote a prelude I played; on and on.

Clair de Lune I could do

the way he waould have approved.

Then it slipped from  my grasp.

I thought it would always be with me.

How vegetably foolish of me.

His name was sacred at our house.

His music was too.

Unraveled

 The long water line to Meri’s garden is unfurled.

Laying out set to go.

This day will remain cold and windy they say.

Won’t be fit for outside working

The grass and flowers are being blown

Wiggling and wobbling, I see ‘em.

seems work inside is practically what the day’s good for.

It is easier to ride the horse in the direction that it’s going.

Silver screen

Glass screen, the television and how it Rolled into other forms of video. Let’s get going.

Clean your material, dust everything thoroughly.

Start at the beginning with a blank page.

 Silver screen lit for me.

Kept to better seeing.

Daws Butler gave me The Elements of Style.

What a friend he is to me. Permanent.

We met, we read and i wrote.

Of course Daws wrote all the time.

i know we both enjoyed our sessions together.

He was a master putting words down

And putting them out. We talked.

My favorite friend, well, one of them.

brilliant showcase

explosion of blossoms.

brilliant Yellow. White. Pink.

each tree has its color.

blooming once in spring for a short time.

drive down any street and the first thing you’ll see

is the attention grabber in complete bloom.

full brilliance aboard, nothing left out.

i must have had to ask thirty-five times before i remembered magnolia. 

Jen is instructor

 for physical therapy to keep me upright.

if she is not having her new girl

Jen will be there. Her mother called

her Jenifer hen tension hung in the air.

We’ll see if she shows.  It is due day.

I wish her quick an smooth.  She’s clever

so I’m betting on her

and her new little girl.

Seems a warm spring

 Been doing my usual reading and writing phrases.

Nothing new, it’s what the craze is.

Then saw five rabbits running in circles.

that doesn’t happen around here everyday.

Going to squeeze out warm weather 

by the time we get to later in the day.

Not making this up,

That’s what official Weatherheads say.

It is quiet as Rome this morning.

No person or creature is seen.

Clocks are ticking, everything else

Is on hiatus and inbetween.

Eight o’clock five running i’m

on the edge of the sparse woods

quick going, hopping at full speed

having bunny fun, quick as they can.

they’re a comedy team running in circles.

i’m happy to see them around.

just happened to be the time for looking. 

they cover a lot of ground. 

a bright start for everyones day

Coming back

 All should go well.

Checking the map seemed sensible 

Up the road then straight out of town,

 left where it forks.

Took this road once years ago.

Used to go this way when dad drove.

Seems I recognize a barn or house, a few.

Not well is the road memorable; only vaguely familiar.

We drove out here years ago.

Seems a few buildings I recall.

Now I want to see downtown.

Its been years since I’ve been there.

Pasqua

 rose to frosty cold in streaming dawn sun .

Robin and others are rushing gathering nest material.

Hard creature work is evident.

This day is Easter.  Spring has opened.

Take me back

 my 1952 Chevy pickup lived another time, so fine.

As did our perfect 1950 Dodge Cornet.

By the touch of cousin Don,  producer of old vehicle magic.

Years pass,  alas they always do. Oh, memories.

How it warms my heart to have the feeling of those golden days.

Good streams of people and our varied ways.

On the boats, over and under the Golden Gate.

Under the best of sunny skies.

Grover, mike Davis, mike at the Arquez Ship Yard.

Charlotte and seagulls, Crab Louie, so many others

All the boats and the years.

The Coast Guard bringing me in when my engine failed.

What I don’t wear

 Figuring what clothes I don’t wear.

The occasion for some doesn’t happen.

My heavy cowboy hat for instance.

I’ve hardly pulled it out to try it on in thirty years.

It hangs on a wall in an out of sight corner.

Times have changed and I haven’t worn it for a while.

I’ve pictures wearing that hat that I never see.

Times change with little notice.

Car in

 Going along rather normally and okay

Rather completely like every other day then …

Was making noise unexpectedly and brutal.

Then stopped.  Without reason.

Unfortunately we’re going in with expectations 

Car folk will magically decide why.

This is the strange route we have set upon again.

Sitting in the car place can be long and lonely.

I’ll have one donut.

Clean sweep

 Halls fill with hope because weather said heat today.

Seems outlandish I know. Can you believe it?

I have nothing to confirm good temperatures upon us.

I should sip my coffee slowly to see the weather design.

Maybe it is written in the wind.

Now I’ll put on a vest because it’s cool.

No one walking by; must be waiting.

Misread. heat not expected, wind is.

So the weather is a wreck.

All those tornados in other parts, is it our turn?

We have no basement in which to find safety.

Here is where we have to be just plain lucky again.

So far behind us.

 The days have changed.

We‘ll wear lighter clothing.

The days are longer; there is more sun-time.

just like snap, it changed.

 Now to set ourselves new ways to function.

I’m looking forward to being outside.

Hello to you.  How about this fresh season?

Best wishes.

Slept to spring

Kept eyes out for winter’s departure.

Wouldn’t go, would not go.

 Finally it happened.. You know how long we waited?

Everyone stood around looking for spring to open its doors.

At last the vegetation grew more visible green than yellow.

And I’m a most happy fellow.

I’m telling you we rode a slow lame horse to get here.

All will be better now. I promise we’ll work outside.

The land, the flowers. Vegetation will be happy.

With no hesitation we’ll be snappy

Under blu sky and sunshine. You’ll hear us say:

Summers on the way.

Words written

 When Ned Washington set the words 

to that melody by DimitriTiomkin he put

down something that would last.

I met Ned in Los Angeles at the American 

Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers.

meeting. The time will stay with me.

Starting with nothing then 

pulling those words out and putting

them together for the movie High Noon

was like magic: Do not 

Forsake me oh my darling.