Karl took photos of the thistle that grew in our lily garden last summer.
Winter Garden Thistle
Category: Creativity
sometimes many years
What are the pros and cons of procrastination?
Bloganuary Prompt for January 27, 2023
sometimes
many years
needed to write
a poem
in a few minutes
December 2014 and November 2021
Language
What language do you wish you could speak?
Bloganuary Prompt for January 26, 2023
reading haiku
all the places we live
all we have in common
I was reading from Haiku Society of America members anthologies, and posted my haiku at Poems For Bulletin Boards last year.
As I wrote here, “I studied French when young, from 6th grade through the beginning of college at UW-Madison. I remember singing carols in French” (December 24, 2014).
Encouragement
What’s a lie you tell yourself?
Bloganuary Prompt for January 23, 2023
I have read many books about creative work. As with bloganuary, there is encouragement to be creative and then confidence grows. I often say that my blogs are informal, because that means this is a place to practice and grow. Reading is important, and rest as well. Health first. I can see different creative chapters here over the years. Grateful every day. Thank you.
small study
What was your dream job as a child?
Bloganuary Prompt for January 22, 2023
My parents were teachers, and I enjoyed school and libraries. And art projects.
Since I began with blogs, I served as a volunteer in education at The Haiku Foundation and helped begin their Education Resources about ten years ago. Many teachers, poets, and scholars contribute their work. I am honored that one of my haiku was published in their first volunteer anthology. Here is my poem and the credits.
small study
and books to read
days with longer light
by Ellen Grace Olinger
“small study” credits:
Akitsu Quarterly, Spring 2022
Robin White, Editor
Charlotte Digregorio’s Writer’s Blog
May 10, 2022
Our Garden: The Haiku Foundation Volunteer Anthology 2022
edited by Jim Kacian & Julie Bloss Kelsey
The Haiku Foundation, Winchester VA
Home
What irritates you about the home you live in?
Bloganuary Prompt for January 20, 2023
I have been watching the Craft In America series on PBS. Many artists, art forms, cultures, and places. I enjoy the conversations, how crafts are preserved and passed along to new generations, and seeing the creative work spaces.
There have been a few times when we lost power over the years, and Karl bought generators and battery-operated lights. This year, there was one evening when our energy company asked customers to conserve – for example, turn the heat lower and no gas fireplaces – and all was stable and back to normal soon.
Shelter, heat, water and even internet – so here I sit with a new post! In our old home that began as a cottage in the 1940s, and reflects the work of many people.
haiku and photos
What is your preferred mode of travel?
Bloganuary Prompt for January 14, 2023
routine errands
never routine
country roads
Kohler-Andrae State Park
Sheboygan County
Wisconsin State Park System
August 23, 2019
Poems From Oostburg, Wisconsin 