Tag: Haiku

Friday John Ku – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 75 Comments

 

“What are you doing out there, Lucy.”
“Since it’s Friday I’m walking the line to make sure it’s secure.”
“Now at least I know where I get my paranoia.”

We have a Friday! Yes, indeed, it is here.

This week has been a good one. Lots of news from Washington regarding executive orders from the president. Looks like most of the problems of society are ordered to be solved. It will be interesting to see the longer-range effects on some of them. I think most people feel good that something is being done about what are perceived to be inequities.

I have gotten into a rhythm regarding my latest WIP. I’m able to get down something each day, which is an important thing to do. I wrote the last three lines, which I always do, but I am not sure they will stick. Here they are, so you can keep me honest.

Sam feels the light slowly spread around her as the source comes closer from above. Her tears do not obey her will and run unchecked from her eyes. She hesitates but finally looks up into the blinding storm and whispers, “Thank you, my Lord.”

Yes, my WIP is another book with Sam and James. This time they have been called upon to find a soul and guide who are missing on the Eternal Road. The soul is Ryan Sanders, who stayed with his crippled plane in Afghanistan to prevent it from crashing into a settlement. The guide is Eddie Rickenbacker. Yes, that Eddie Rickenbacker. Sanders always admired the WWI pilot.

There you have it. Just enough to keep me on the hook. Oh, one last thing. The first stop on the Eternal Road is Super Bowl I. The book has a working title of On the Road Again, but that probably won’t stick.

Today’s JohnKu is about a story. I hope you all have a great weekend. On Sunday, we are doing a potpourri kind of tour. A little bit of a mixture of things.

The Story by John W. Howell © 2021

You can plan and think,

But until something grabs you . . .

The story is not yours.

Friday – JohnKu – AKA TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 99 Comments
“So it’s Friday Lucy. What should we do?”
“How about what we always do.”
“What’s that?”
“Run around like a couple of nut cases and then take a nap.”
“Works for me. You ready? I’ll give you to three.”

Well, here we are, starting day three of the new administration. As I float around the blogs, I see some of those who worked themselves into a frenzy regarding Trump are now writing hate-filled posts about a few in Washington who have a question about the new direction.

I have to wonder why the name-calling and vitriol on these blogs. I was personally looking forward to seeing that kind of behavior stop once Trump was gone. The continued hate-filled sentiments against anyone who is not in favor of the current administration’s expressed plan is exactly what President Biden asked us not to do. Come on, folks, Trump’s team was defeated. Give it a rest. Because folks don’t agree with you, it doesn’t make them any less American for expressing their views. That is unless you want to live in an environment where all opposing views are stifled. Do you? If so, be careful what you wish.

Today’s John Ku talks about free speech. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Free Speech by John W. Howell © 2021

Is free speech defined,

Within how much you agree?

Or is it all speech?

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 83 Comments
“Yes,Twiggy it’s Friday.”
“Thank heavens. Didn’t think I would make it.”
“Why? What do you have to do?”
“Wait, Lucy, wait.”
“Blessed is he who stands and waits.”
“Well, I sat most of the time, and I’m a she.”

Twiggy gets her wish. Friday is here, and we are all glad. Before I forget I am also at Story Empire today. Here’s the link but come back.

This has been one heck of a start to 2021. We all witnessed an insurrection act that we haven’t seen since the British burned the Capital in 1814. The sight of those Proud Boy hooligans desecrating the House Chamber was enough to turn the stomach.

There was no excuse for this to happen. The Capitol Police had enough warning from the Hooligan in Chief that this could be a possibility. There were not enough officers placed at the Capital to maintain law and order. If the Capital Police didn’t think they had the human resources to do the job, then Federal troops were needed. I’m no lover of the conduct of Congress but seeing them having to scurry out of the place was a sick sight.

I’m betting that law enforcement needs the mandate to enforce. The sight of that Capital guard chased up a flight of stairs made me wonder how far we are willing to let unruly mobs go. You can draw comparisons to the BLM protests all day long and criticize the lack of Police action as much as you want. The fact of the matter is these thugs should never have gotten access to the Capital, and somebody better figure out why they did and fix the problem.

I’m hoping someone does an honest evaluation of the security needs for the inauguration and then takes the steps necessary to eliminate any mob rule threat. I would also hope that an exercise of the 25th Amendment will ensure that inside leadership of any seditious behavior will be absent.
Today’s JohnKu talks about our heritage. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Our Heritage by John W. Howell © 2021

Mocking the Congress,

Flaunting the laws of the land. . .

Not our heratige.

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA – A Brand New Year

~ John W. Howell ~ 72 Comments

 

“Happy New Year, Twiggy.”
“Gee Lucy. It doesn’t seem much different out here.”
“But it is a New Year.”
“That’s true. Happy New Year, Lucy.”

 

Well, here it is at last. The new year with all the hope that the crap from 2020 has been wrung out of our collective crying towel.

Yeah, it feels good to have a new slate. We have to remember that change is not a matter of flipping the calendar. It will take time to ease into what I hope will be the NEW NORMAL. You know where we can all move around without fear. Where we stop calling each other names. Where the radical left and right just go away. Where world peace becomes a priority. Where we can think and plan on the future. Where Congress pulls its collective head out of the place where the sun don’t shine. Where people are viewed as individuals and not generalities. Where opportunity is available to all, who are willing to invest to reach their dreams.

Well, it’s a tall bit of expectation for the new normal. If you share the ideal, I hope you will work to make it happen. Happy New Year

Today’s JohnKu talks about the new year. I hope you all have a great weekend.

New Year by John W. Howell © 2021

It’s not just champagne,

Nor blowing horns with gusto . . .

The New Year is change.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 93 Comments
“Finally Friday, Lucy.”
“Yup Little One. How about a ruckus?”
“Sounds good. I’ll give you a head start.”
“Last one to the fence is a goat.”
“No a cat.”

The last Friday before Christmas is here. I hope everyone has their shopping done. If not, I know special handling (To be read “Big Money”) can get those gifts delivered on time. You have to hurry, though. Time is running out.

It has been a quiet week. I did have one hiccup on Word Press. For some reason, many of the post notifications were not delivered by e-mail. In the course of investigating the problem, I closed my WP site. I thought maybe a reboot was in order. I then got a weird message when I tried to log back into WP.  Here is the message

“Whoops!
There was a small systems error. Please try refreshing the page and if the error is still there, drop us a note and let us know.”

Well, I refreshed the page. Nothing happened. I tried clicking on the link, and again, nothing. I hit the internet and found out it was a 502 error with enough steps to fix it that would drive a rocket scientist crazy. I went for a bike ride instead. When I got back, it was working.

I just hate it when WordPress acts up, and there is almost nothing we as users can do about it. It is an out of control feeling for sure. I apologize if I’ve missed any posts on Wednesday or Thursday. I will be checking the reader and hopefully won’t miss much.

It is now working fine, so I guess I’ll just move on. Today’s JohnKu talks about systems errors. I hope you all have a relaxing weekend.

Them by John W. Howell © 2020

A systoms error,

No problem, I will fix it . . .

Says no one, ever.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 84 Comments
“Well. it’s Friday, Little one.”
“Yes, it is, and a beautiful day too.”
“Did you stop and smell the flowers.”
“I did. Now I’m ready for whatever that thing is making the noise.”

 

Here we are on another Friday. My goodness, how the time gets away.

Not much is going on. I am busy collecting the photos for the next two Views of the Neighborhood. All is going well except for some technical problems with the subjects themselves. If they are not solved, I’ll just run the photos with the problems included.

Been waiting on word from the FDA on the Pfizer Vaccine for Rona. Looks like approval might be next week. After approval, there will only be about 5 million doses available (In two shipments) for front line workers.  The vaccine from Moderna is the one that is expected to be used for up to 50 million people by the spring. It would be nice to get a large number of folks inoculated so we could start living a more normal life.

I have all my holiday shopping done. Like a stand-in for Howard Hughes, I did it all online. Didn’t have to get near anyone. Good for the Rona avoidance. Not so good for the spirit of the holiday.

This week’s JohnKu talks about this year’s holidays. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Holidays by John W. Howell © 2020

Happy holidays,

Without the shopping hustle . . .

Doesn’t seem the same.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 55 Comments

 

“What’s going on you two?”
“I want the chipmunk toy and Twiggy won’t share.”
“Um-hum. Twiggy?”
“Well, I guess.”
“It’s Friday Ladies. Time for fun.”
“Chipmunk is fun.”

It is Friday and hopefully, you are as glad as Twiggy. We can now look forward to a couple of days to recharge. At least that’s what I do.

Not too much going on this week. We have increasing cases of Rona (I believe I know her well enough to call her by her nickname) and our county just upped the severity level to four. That means restaurants and bars need to go back to 50% occupancy and large gatherings discouraged. The parks remain open so mostly it is business as usual.

This weekend is the anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It was over fifty years ago but to those of us who were in college at the time will never forget those days. The country came to a standstill as we mourned the death of the man we considered as “Our President.” Now the event has passed into history and those of us who were there are relics as well.

Today’s John KU talks about history. I hope you all have a great weekend.

Events by John W. Howell © 2020

We live through events,

That remain with us always . . .

History are us.

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 77 Comments
“Yes Lucy it’s Friday and I’m taking the day off.”
“Okay, Little One. You relax I’ll get the kibble.”
“What kibble?”

 

It is Friday, which is known as Saturday Eve around here. Well, we have heard that the Rona Virus Vaccine is 90% effective in third stage trials. That is pretty good news. I noticed Ticketmaster has decided to start setting up procedures for concerts once the vaccine is released. I think it will be good to get these pesky teens away from books and back to the music scene. (Spoiler alert: That was a joke)

The lull between inauguration and voting day is a blessed piece of peace so far. I can’t tell you how much nicer it is without having to listen to the right and left sprew hate at each other. Of course, the pundits some blogs, and Twitter trending posts are still full of it, but they are easy to avoid.

I, for one, am glad some of the shows I enjoy are back. I can only watch HGTV for so long. (Well, dummy, it has been almost nine months, so you have at least that much stamina.) I have to explain.  I only watch 45 minutes of entertainment a day. I prerecord everything and then playback. An hour network show takes 45 minutes to play. Then I watch the news for twenty. I guess I shouldn’t exclude news from the entertainment category, but I’m really after the weather because our local news follows the same pattern. 1. Hit and run, assault, or murder (If it bleeds, it leads) 2. Local school district and/or teacher angst. 3. Rona virus update (With no context) 4. Weather highlight. 5. Report from Washington (usually an insult to average intelligence) or Austin city report, which usually will include an update on those experiencing homelessness along with the mayor or city council members explaining why nothing can be done about whatever the issue happens to be. 6. The full weather report including the five day forecast. 7. TV off.

So you can see the time is precious and I want pure entertainment.  There are ten shows recorded regularly, and I can only watch seven in a week.  My viewing then usually lasts until well into summer.

Today’s JohnKu talks about rest for the mind. I hope you. all have a great weekend.

Rest by John W. Howell © 2020

The body needs it,

So rest is all important . . .

Don’t forget the mind.

Friday John Ku – AKA- TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 78 Comments
Lucy and Twiggy
“Hold on Little One. I think it is here somewhere.”
“What is it?”
“Friday.”

 

Well, it is Friday and a nice milestone in the week’s travails. As I write this, I still don’t know who has won the election at the presidential level. Before I make any comment,let me be clear. Whoever wins should receive the support of our entire country.

I have been appalled by some of the vicious personal attacks written by fellow bloggers. There is one blogger out there who calls those who vote for other than her candidate A-holes. Unfortunately, the followers of that blog provided supporting words for that outrageous statement. Why is it outrageous? Anytime Americans are denigrated for voting for their choice, one more piece of freedom is threatened. Instead of A-hole, what if this person called those choosing the other candidate ‘traitors?’

We need to think about how we handle disagreement in this country. Do we continue to shout it down or listen and respond? Anyone out there who has written a slanderous statement about either candidate or their supporters should be ashamed of themselves. It is now time to knock it off and get back to being a decent society again.

Today’s John Ku talks about the freedom to choose. I hope you all have a great weekend.

My choice by John W. Howell © 2020

My right to choose those,

To represent my interests . . .

Is part of freedom.

 

Friday JohnKu – AKA – TGIF

~ John W. Howell ~ 81 Comments
“Yes, indeed, ladies, it is Friday.”
“Oh, good Boss. Can we have the car keys?”

 

 

Good to see Friday here again. It lets us know that time is, in fact, marching on. That is always a good thing. (Not that time marching on is a good thing but knowing it is marching is helpful)

Ahem. Now that I got out of that circle, I can talk about significant things. I don’t know about you, but I’m not looking forward to daylight savings time. Sheesh. With the “Fall back” situation, it will mean the pups will decide at 5:30 that it is time to get up. The only way to prevent that is to keep them awake for an hour later the night before. Yeah right. Ever try to keep a sleepy dog awake. So maybe if everyone stays quiet, they will lose track of time and snore in. I’m not counting on it.

Eternal Road has 17 ratings on Amazon for a 4.8 overall. I’m so pleased with the reviews and thank everyone who took the time. A reminder that the 99¢ price on the Kindle version goes up to $2.99 on November 1st. Here is the universal link once more.

Today’s JohnKu talks about daylight savings time. I hope you all have a super and safe weekend.
Daylight Savings Time by John W. Howell © 2020
It is time again,
To mess with our clocks and ask . . .
Why the heck do we?