AND SO IT’S A QUATERN?

The Horses Graze

The horses graze on yonder hill.
The grass is thick and green and good
on such a day when wind is still
there in the pasture by the wood.
Nearby a spring where elks have stood,
the horses graze on yonder hill.
A picture posed like Hollywood,
they munch close to the daffodil.
They chomp until their stomachs fill
with grass and hay just as they should.
The horses graze on yonder hill
in that high-country neighborhood.
They are the kings of brotherhood.
They chomp in sync with cowbird’s trill,
a peaceful sound well-understood.
The horses graze on yonder hill.

© Freeda Baker Nichols

Note: The Quatern form seemed just right to go with my photo here. The ancient French form of four stanzas in iambic tetrameter, using only two rhymes was a bit of a challenge, due to the particular rhymes I chose. Set-up as follows: Abab bAba abAb babA .   Poets, try it. It’s fun!

 

 

Photo101 Connect

When teacher rang the hand bell,
the students knew that it was time
to open the books of wisdom
and maybe learn to write a rhyme.
It was more than just an honor
to have such knowledge shared with them–
where to look for the Milky Way
and how the walrus learned to swim.
Today, my grandkids go to school
with heavy backpacks on their backs–
thick books with greater knowledge–
cutting paths beyond grandma’s tracks.
But who can say which way is better–
handwritten note or cell phone text?
This grandma can only wonder
what on earth will they think of next?

© 2015 Freeda Baker Nichols,
all rights reserved.

 

 

Fence Needs Fixin’

fence needs fixin’–
horses on the range
cows in the meadow

© Freeda Baker Nichols

 

“You gotta believe in Texas”

On July 7, 2014, a cowboy dismounted and strode into a bank in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, leaving his horse to graze beneath the tree, a modern-day hitching post with the Stars and Stripes waving nearby. “You just gotta believe in Texas!”

But for the fence too high . . .

If not for the fence too high,
oh the places I could go!

This Children’s Poem . . .

. . . To my readers,
This children’s poem is still in progress. Sometimes a poem is in progress for years before it’s complete. Amazing, isn’t ?  But I enjoy this poem and want to share it along with my photos. I hope you enjoy it, too, and that some of you might read it to your children or grandchildren. Thanks.

Blue lily, day lily,
what do you say, lily?
Have you seen Felicia,
the filly?

She jumped over the jonquils
out there by the pond
and pranced through the peonies
down in the front yard.

Blue lily, day lily,
what do you say, lily?
Where will Felicia,
the filly,
spend cold winter days?

There in the mountains of snow
where Red River rushes with glee,
where cowboys no longer chase horses
and horses forever run free.
© 2014 Freeda Baker Nichols

HIKING THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL

” The Appalachian Trail is a continuous marked footpath that goes from Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain, Georgia, a distance of about 2160 miles.”  (Quoted from The Appalachian Trail Home Page)

Recently, my husband’s nephew and his wife, hiked a 55 mile section of the Appalachian Trail before their visit with us, here in the Ozarks. The couple, who reside in Idaho were quite impressed by their adventure on the Trail.

Linder and Larry (Photo © Linder)

Linder, at the entrance to the Appalachian Trail at Damascus, Virginia as she and her husband, Larry, begin to hike through a section of the trail. (Photo © Linder)

 

Larry (Photo © Linder)

(Photo © Linder)

Linder poses by a refreshing stream. Her backpack with gear weighs 35 pounds. (Photo © Linder)

Larry takes a break. His backpack with gear weighs 50 pounds. (Photo © Linder)

Photo © Linder

Photo © Linder

photo © Linder

Larry (Photo © Linder)

 

Photo © Linder

Three-sided shelters are placed every ten miles along the trail. (Photo © Linder)

 

 

Photo © Linder

Along the trail, Linder stops beside a herd of wild Shetland ponies. ( Photo © Linder)

 

 

Rhodendrons blooming along the trail. (Photo © Linder)

Larry (Photo © by Linder)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linder and Larry (Photo © Linder)

Posted by Freeda Baker Nichols

One More Excerpt from “Call of the Cadron”

For a chance to win a copy of my book, go to the post of May 15, and find “Call of the Cadron” Give-Away and leave a comment in the comment section below the post. The winner will be announced Monday.   Also, the post is on my Timeline in Facebook, and you may also comment there.   # be-a-winner.

 

Excerpt from novel:

“They mounted the horses and rode down Moccasin Trail toward Spy Cave Falls, the waterfall hiding the entrance to the cave.

Jordan found comfort in riding beside Garrett. His strong hands on the reins reminded her that he could also be gentle. He was from a solid background, from a family with an unshakeable faith. His voice, rich and masculine, picked at her heartstrings. Something about him drew her thoughts to him almost daily now.

But she liked Michael, too, with his carefree ways, his sense of fun, and his ability to laugh even when life turned tragic. He talked freely of his family but she sensed that he kept much of his past to himself. The thing about him that worried her most was whether he had framed Garrett. She must confront him with that at the appropriate time.

Right now, a cow must be rescued from the cave.  Jordan and Garrett had responded to the urgent situation at hand.  Like a team.”

 

Morning Walk

In my morning walk, a sparrow watches me.

Three horses watch someone, too.

Cougar is walking, too, and watching.

The someone the horses were watching has a bucket in his hand. Feed? Maybe.

Mama Cat has had breakfast and is now basking in the warmth of the sun as she washes her face.

Nearby, a squirrel comes down from a tree and scurries across a log in a brush pile.

The sparrow is still watching.

This sparrow’s house once belonged exclusively to bluebirds. The bluebirds lost the battle again this spring.

Golden-striped mushrooms breaking through the earth.

At the end of my morning walk, I find the purple iris ( from bulbs that were once my mother’s) blown over by yesterday’s unrelenting wind.

Winter in the Ozarks

bird feathers are fluffed
the horses are blanketed
a chill in the wind

© 2014 Freeda Baker Nichols