Straight From The Hart

  “The only bird that dares to peck an eagle is the crow. The crow sits on the eagles back and bites his neck. The eagle does not respond, nor fight with the crow; it does not spend time or energy on the crow instead he just opens its wings and begins to rise higher in the heavens. The higher the flight, the harder it is for the crow to breathe and eventually the crow falls off due to a lack of oxygen. Learn from the eagle and don't fight the crows, just keep ascending. They might be along for the ride but they'll soon fall off. Do not allow yourself to succumb to the distractions....keep your focus on the things above and continue rising!!”

 The Perils of Joan and her Keys I was born in the State of Infancy, grew up in the State of Poverty, and it appears I will die in the State of Confusion.  As a young person, I always wondered what old people do when they retire. They always seem so busy but I couldn't figure out why. Now I know. They spend all their time hunting things they lose or forget. (I'm not retired, but I'm old, and it still works that way.)  I have never had a good relationship with Keys. Keys on a piano and the key any given song is written in - I can handle. But keys that unlock doors and cars are my bugaboo. Take today for example, oh, why not just take the last week.  It all started last Thursday night. I grabbed the church van key out of my keybox near the door and laboriously made my way half a block down past my house, hobbling along with my cane to make sure I didn't fall, only to find once I got there that I had the wrong bunch of keys.  Made my way back to the house, but the bunch of

  When I am an old woman, I will wear purple! Yes, and hot pink with roses that smell (if you scratch them) so wonderfully well! I shall wear my purple and pink in the fall and not worry should 'looks' follow, wherever I stall. On the sidewalk or street bench I'll sit in the sun, and never get up until I am done. Yes, wearing purple I'll feel such a queen, and won't mind a bit when some watch me preen. In fact, I'll enjoy a sneak peak now and then just to see if they wonder, and smile once again. I'll wear my bright purple and feed squirrels and birds, enjoying their friendship without any words. Yes, sharing these songs of the feathered and furry, I'll hear all the sounds of this world without worry. Green leaves rustle tunes for each season they last, till winter has come and their sound is all past. Those greyed branches that tremble and lift to the sky are rooted in earth that holds spring's bright sigh! So, aging and newness walk life altogether

  "Comes the Dawn" "After a while you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul. And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning and company isn't security. (Kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises.) After awhile you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open, with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child. And you learn to build your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain and the inevitable has a way of crumbling in mid-flight. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you stand too long in one place. So, you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone else to bring you flowers. And you learn you really can endure, that you really do have worth. You learn that with every good-bye comes the dawn." Author Unknown

  Have you all heard the story about the two friends discussing the sad state of our country? One man says. “Don’t you think our problems are caused by ignorance and apathy?” The other thinks a minute then says, “I don’t know and I don’t care”. I fear that the second man speaks for a great majority of American citizens. We have become a nation of uninformed people when it comes to politics and our economy. Some are just too busy to get involved. Others just grow tired of the cacophony of talking TV heads with their shrill voices and rude manners. Some feel that it just doesn’t do any good to even care. They are panocitzens, another word I made up to describe the people who just don’t want to be bothered by it all. They say however it all pans out is fine with them. Surveys routinely show that the general public is poorly informed about government and politics. In a survey conducted in 2010, for example, fewer than half of respondents even knew which political party held the majo

 

  (I did not write this and have no information as to the author.) Barely the day started and... it's already six in the evening. Barely arrived on Monday and it's already Friday. ... and the month is already over. ... and the year is almost over. ... and already 40, 50 or 60 years of our lives have passed. ... and we realize that we lost our parents, friends. and we realize it's too late to go back... So... Let's try, despite everything, to enjoy the remaining time... Let's keep looking for activities that we like... Let's put some color in our grey... Let's smile at the little things in life that put balm in our hearts. And despite everything, we must continue to enjoy with serenity this time we have left. Let's try to eliminate the afters... I'm doing it after... I'll say after... I'll think about it after... We leave everything for later like ′′ after ′′ is ours. Because what we don't understand is that: Afterwards, the coffee gets co

  I love to write poetry and I love to read poetry out loud just for the rhythm and flow of the words, and one famous poem which always comes to mind this time of the year is Joyce Kilmer’s “Trees” which is so beautiful in its simplicity. Although Kilmer writes of the summer tree with a “nest of robins in her hair”,and the winter tree “upon whose bosom snow hath lain”, I would venture to say that he never drove through the Missouri Ozarks in the fall to see the blazing red of the autumn foliage, and the neon yellows with the sun shining through, or the orange leaves falling like miniature pumpkins from Charllie Brown’s “Great Pumpkin Tree”, or the muted mauves and dusty roses spread across the “hills and hollers” as you travel the highways and byways of the Ozarks. I have always enjoyed the beautiful colors of fall and have my favorite routes I take to view the trees here in town. The City Cemetery of course is spectacular. The mature trees along Harwood Avemue are magnificent. S

    Measurements are not included because depends on how much cabbage etc you are making. To shredded cabbage he adds shredded carrots, sweet red pepper sliced very fine, onion sliced fine and celery half sliced fine, other half grated. Dressing: he refuses to use anything on coleslaw except Hellman's mayonnaise (not lite), combined with sugar, salt and Heinz salad vinegar, not plain kitchen/cooking vinegar.

                THE “STAGES” OF LIFE The clock of time is ticking as the New Year now awaits; We stand behind the curtain, the old year’s getting late; The footlights are just coming on as we step out on stage; Life’s past script is behind us, we prepare to turn the page That reveals the new year’s stories. What will the future hold? The playwright hasn’t told us. He lets the book unfold; No good to try to read ahead, only He knows what is there; We take the parts assigned to us, only He knows what is fair. We only know that come what may, the assigned role must be played; It’s up to us to make it work, in this life there are no trades; And so we sing and dance and cry, each day brings something new; We do the best we can, because we know when day is through We once again will take the stage to take our final bow; Surrounded by the witnesses in clouds we see them now* The trees of the field will clap their hands**, we receive the golden crown And we follow the flood lights to the thron

 Memory from a year ago. As a Christian I don't believe in luck or even coincidences. I belong to a sovereign God who is in complete control of what happens to me, but He has also given me a free will, so my choices, whether good or bad, are aways also a part of what happens to me. Milan and I have gone over the events of the last 36 hours several times. Milan keeps a very close eye on our property. He knew the hickory tree had some problems but it was still budding out annually and providing beautiful shade and following the cycle of life and he had every reason to believe it still had many years. It had a sister tree of equal size standing very close to it when we moved there in 1983. After a time that tree began to show signs of inner decay and was leaning toward the house so we had it professionally removed several years ago. But this tree had withstood so many windstorms in its 100+ years of life that we never dreamed it was in that much a state of decay. (There i

  SPRING IN THE OZARKS The spring equinox arrived weeks ago And the sun began warming the earth Alerting the trees and the shrubs to awaken Tis the season to bring forth new birth. The gardens spring up in rejoicing, The lettuce and onions come through Awaiting the gardeners first picking, Awash in the morning’s first dew. A profusion of blooms fills the hillside, Reflections of the artist Monet A mingling of colors, indescribable In one glorious pattern arrayed. There is nothing like spring in the Ozarks, There’s just no better place to live The earth has awakened with great jubilation Her resurrection treasure to give. Green is spring’s favorite color Her palette overflows with its hues It’s verdancy bathes every hillside The trees overlapping in queues. The season is pregnant with promise Of bright summer days yet to come With beaches and playgrounds and picnics And games in the ball stadium Spring doesn’t stay long in the Ozarks Its days turn to summer too soon So we treasure each

Green beans and new potatoes traditional summer fare Green beans and mashed potatoes, I really do not care Which way you want to serve them, or even which entree Just as long as I have green beans, that’s all I’ve got to say Those tender strands of goodness cooked down in bacon grease Served whole, or broken carefully, I savor every piece Let’s talk about some cornbread heaped high upon the plate With butter melting slowly down, best stuff I ever ate. The slightest touch of onion with salt and pepper, too I tell you folks, it’s heaven’s food sent down to me and you So if you want to please my soul When my time comes to die Just fix a “mess” of summer’s beans and I’ll bid this world goodbye. Written by Joan Rowden Hart August 25, 2017 ©

  Travelling Down Memory Lane What interesting roads we travel When we head down memory lane; What images of life fill our vision As the intersections of our brain Lead off in so many directions To paths now obscured by the fog Of dates and places and people; Strange things cause our memory to jog. Our memory lane curves and meanders Round the corners, o’er the hills of our mind As the fences and posts mark the boundaries Of the places we’re trying to find Now almost lost in the days of our journeys; Days we wouldn’t bring back if we could; Yet our thoughts seem to long there to linger As the ivy entwines round the wood. In the mist we see shadows of houses; Broken tree swings where children once played; Seems like it was only yesterday When those precious memories were made. Does memory lane just make a circle; Bring us back to a time we once knew; Or does it continue to go on forever Until it ends somewhere in the blue? I think we will find the answer As our children and grandchildr

  A POEM FOR FLAG DAY (June 14) This Is Why I Cry By Joan Rowden Hart I’m often asked why tears fall from my eyes When I see our flag flying high Let me tell you today, please hear what I say So you will know why I cry. That piece of cloth means so very much more Than just the colors you see And there’s a story in that glory Of how our flag came to be. There is purity in the white of that flag And valor flows from the red The blue means eternal vigilance And justice to honor the dead I cry for the pride that I feel deep inside For those who have given their all I cry for the wounded whose lives are now changed Because they answered that call They were called to fight evil that threatens our freedom Called to defend family and home They were called to serve country and honor their God On the land, in the air, o’er the foam. I cry when the Star Spangled banner is played When the roll call of veterans is read My tears make their way through God Bless America And when the Pledge of All