Tag Archives: haiku

High Coo – Oct 18 – Happy Birthday Peter Boyle

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Peter Boyle, character actor, born Oct 18, 1935

“A bold, blunt instrument of hatred and violence at the onset of his film career, Peter Boyle recoiled from that repugnant, politically incorrect ‘working class’ image to eventually play gruff, gentler bears and even comedy monsters in a career that lasted four decades.” https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001967/bio

Known most for his roles in the comedy movie Young Frankenstein and the hit TV show Everybody Loves Raymond, Peter Boyle was a delight to watch and a source of laughter for many years.

“Boyle’s death (December 12, 2006) had a tremendous effect on his former co-stars from Everybody Loves Raymond, which had ceased production less than two years before his death. When asked to comment on Boyle’s death, his cast members heaped praise on Boyle. Ray Romano was personally affected by the loss, saying, ‘He gave me great advice, he always made me laugh, and the way he connected with everyone around him amazed me.’ Patricia Heaton stated, ‘Peter was an incredible man who made all of us who had the privilege of working with him aspire to be better actors.’ …

After Boyle died, his widow Loraine Alterman Boyle established the Peter Boyle Memorial Fund in support of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Boyle

Today’s haiku: Happy Birthday Peter Boyle

We laugh and we cry –

you humbly role modeled while

“Puttin on the Ritz”

Peter Boyle and Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein 🙂

High Coo – Oct 17 – Black Poetry Day

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Gorman in 2021 at the inauguration of Joe Biden delivering “The Hill We Climb“

Since 1985, October 17 has been celebrated as Black Poetry Day “to honor all the talented African American poets, both past and present. If you’re a literature enthusiast, poet, or writer — no matter your race — you’ll absolutely love Black Poetry Day where you can celebrate black heritage and history. Black Poetry Day is celebrated in commemoration of the birth of the man popularly referred to as the father of African American literature, Jupiter Hammon, the first published black poet in the United States of America.” See https://nationaltoday.com/black-poetry-day/

Famous black poets include Langston Hughes, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou and more recently Amanda Gorman, pictured above. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Gorman

Today’s humble haiku: Black Poetry Day

different voices

reveal a loving spectrum

for all to adore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Hammon#/media/File:An_Evening_Thought_-Jupiter_Hammon-_1761.jpg

High Coo – Oct 16 – Global Cat Day

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Buddy in the rafters

October 16 is Global Cat Day. Formerly known as National Feral Cat Day, the founding organization Alley Cat Allies (https://www.alleycat.org/) established the day in 2001 to promote awareness for saving community cat lives, preventing their harm and encouraging nonlethal neutering of cats before returning them to their chosen freedom. (See https://www.alleycat.org/global-cat-day-is-october-16-take-the-pledge-to-fight-cruelty/)

The picture above is the cat that adopted us one day and accepted food, water and a safe place to sleep in our barn on cold nights. We followed the TNR (Trap – Neuter – Return) protocol with our veterinarian. Otherwise, Buddy would travel the countryside as he pleased.

Today’s haiku is dedicated to Buddy: Global Cat Day

one day you arrived

we enjoyed your company

until you moved on

We’re not sure what happened to Buddy, but we know for a short while we were graced with his presence.

For more information on how you can help feral cats, check out https://www.alleycat.org/about/frequently-asked-questions-faq/

Buddy inspecting a garden bucket

High Coo – Oct 15 – BRIDGE DAY?

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New River Gorge Bridge via YouTube

“Bridge Day isn’t a day to celebrate the architectural beauty of bridges all around the world. Bridge Day is a festival held in Fayetteville, West Virginia in the United States where thousands of adventure lovers either watch or take part in various extreme sports that largely involve jumping off the New River Gorge Bridge….

The bridge was the world’s longest single-span arch bridge for 26 years and is now the fifth-longest. Because of the bridge’s whopping 876 feet height, it was a natural attraction for daredevils around the world. The initial person to jump off the bridge was Cowen’s Burton Ervin, a coal-mine foreman who jumped off the bridge on August 1, 1979, using a conventional parachute….

Why we love Bridge Day – it breaks the monotony of life. Let’s face it — life can get boring. Bridge Day reminds us to get out of the monotony of our regular lives at least once a year and reminds us that life can be exciting.” See https://nationaltoday.com/bridge-day/

When I think of a bridge, three pictures come to mind:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge
Mackinac Bridge – static.thousandwonders.net
Highway bridge near Kalamazoo, MI

All three immediately above have been very significant in my life. The first two for pleasure and the last is a haunting memory.

Here is today’s haiku: Bridge Day

You threatened to jump

into oncoming traffic –

I miss you brother

High Coo – Oct 13 – Celebrate Failure

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WordPress.com

The second Thursday in October is now known as the International Day for Failure. In 2010 a group of Finnish university students celebrated failure in hopes of encouraging more small business start-ups. The idea spread. Read more about it here: https://nationaltoday.com/international-day-for-failure/

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” ~Henry Ford

Failure is often a part of the process to success. Sometimes it’s the best motivator to try something new and become someone new. See this excellent post from the Wanderlust Worker, Robert Kanaat: https://www.wanderlustworker.com/if-you-think-you-can-or-you-cant-youre-right/ and https://www.wanderlustworker.com/about-this-blog/

Here’s today’s haiku: CELEBRATE FAILURE

try, try, try again

to learn how best to succeed –

repetition helps

Bottom line: if you want to be successful, never give up.

And, finally, if you’re fed up with both success and failure, well …. read this excellent post from Nate Muller: https://theapeiron.co.uk/the-myth-of-sisyphus-how-to-find-meaning-in-a-meaningless-world-a2ed98f11e20

“The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart.” Camus

Photo by Keith Jonson on Unsplash

High Coo – Oct 12 – National Pet Obesity Day

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National Today

October 12 is National Pet Obesity Day. See https://nationaltoday.com/national-pet-obesity-day/

“Many pets become overweight due to poor diet and lack of exercise. Another huge factor is the pet owner literally loving their pet to death. Most pet owners think their pets deserve treats every day and don’t need to go for walks if the pet would rather lie on the couch. This is a mistake the owners are making.

Diet is a major key factor in a pet’s body condition. It all starts with a measuring cup and good quality dog food.

The single most important thing that you can do to increase the lifespan and health of your pet is to maintain a healthy body weight.” See https://www.elkovet.com/services/blog/national-pet-obesity-day

Is your dog overweight? For more information check out this excellent article How to Determine Your Dog’s Healthy Weight and Body Condition at https://www.dailypaws.com/dogs-puppies/dog-nutrition/dog-weight-management/dog-weight-chart

Today’s haiku: National Pet Obesity Day

Don’t forget to play –

your pet needs exercise too –

healthy together

petMD

High Coo – Oct 11 – Happy Birthday Thich Nhat Hanh

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Thich Nhất Hạnh in Paris in 2006

Zen Master and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh, was born on this day in 1926. He died earlier this year, at the age of 95, January 22, 2022. Known mostly for his non-violent peace activism during the American/Vietnam War in the 1960s, he was lauded by such notables as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Father Thomas Merton.

Thich Nhất Hạnh, or Thay’ (which means “teacher” in Vietnamese), “published over 130 books, including more than 100 in English, which as of January 2019 had sold over five million copies worldwide. His books, which cover topics including spiritual guides and Buddhist texts, teachings on mindfulness, poetry, story collections, and scholarly essays on Zen practice, have been translated into more than 40 languages as of January 2022. In 1986 Nhất Hạnh founded Parallax Press, a nonprofit book publisher and part of the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism.” See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thich_Nhat_Hanh

As one of his thousands of students, I have taken comfort especially in his books: Living Buddha, Living Christ, No Death, No Fear and No Mud, No Lotus published in 1995, 2002 and 2014 respectively. See https://www.parallax.org/authors/thich-nhat-hanh/ An inspiring quote from the first book mentioned is “Because you are alive, everything is possible.”

Today’s humble haiku: Happy Birthday Thich Nhat Hanh

Ev’ry moment counts,

relative and ultimate –

let’s pause, breathe and smile

https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/thich-nhat-hanh

High Coo – Oct 10 – Indigenous People’s Day

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@ Medium

“In 1992, Columbus Day became Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a sign of protest against the massacres that the Native Americans suffered at the hands of the Europeans. …Celebrating Columbus Day and Columbus himself goes against the very essence of indigenous nations as he was the man who began the genocide of the Native Americans.

For the Native Americans, Columbus Day was always hurtful as it glorified the violent past constituting 500 years of colonial torture and oppression by European explorers like Columbus and those who settled in America. Indigenous Peoples’ Day draws attention to the pain, trauma, and broken promises that were erased by the celebration of Columbus Day. Before his arrival, the indigenous folk were successful self-sufficient communities that sustained life for thousands of years.”

Find more information on this day at https://nationaltoday.com/indigenous-peoples-day/, https://www.vox.com/2014/10/13/6957875/christopher-columbus-murderer-tyrant-scoundrel and https://www.revolt.tv/article/2021-10-11/109820/the-truth-about-christopher-columbus-massacre-of-indigenous-caribbean-peoples/

Today’s haiku: INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S DAY

Greed and genocide

cannot erase the beauty

of native peoples

Joy Harjo – https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/first-native-american-poet-laureate/

High Coo – Oct 9 – World Hospice & Palliative Care Day

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“Throughout time, people have suffered life-limiting illnesses but there wasn’t always a system in place to make sure that their last days were comfortable….In 1967 Cicely Saunders influenced the modern concept of Hospice Care. Dr. Saunders directed St. Christopher’s hospice in England and she was a champion in developing the philosophy of end-of-life care and hospice practices that spread globally….The first World Hospice and Palliative Care Day was held in 2005.” For more information see https://nationaltoday.com/world-hospice-and-palliative-care-day/

Dame and Dr. Cicely Saunders (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicely_Saunders)

“Dr. Saunders developed breast cancer but still continued to work. She died aged 87 in 2005 at St Christopher’s Hospice.” (See  Saxon, Wolfgang (31 July 2005). “Cicely Saunders Dies at 87; Reshaped End-of-Life Care”. The New York Times.)

Today’s humble haiku: World Hospice & Palliative Care Day – Thank You Dr. Saunders

it’s true, we all die,

yet our lives can help others –

die with dignity

lawinquebec.com

High Coo – Oct 8 – World Octopus Day

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Octopus: fun facts, marine biology, infographic from Pinterest

“World Octopus Day celebrates one of the most distinctive creatures living on the planet today. Octopuses are worthy of appreciation for a number of reasons:

Today’s haiku: World Octopus Day

Three hearts and eight brains –

a diversity starr and

saltwater wonder

And check out this 2013 video ad starring Ringo Starr and an animated version of his song, Octopus’s Garden

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAeSiM4YTFM