The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty swans.
The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.
I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
All's changed since I, hearing at twilight,
The first time on this shore,
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread.
Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.
But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake's edge or pool
Delight men's eyes when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?
Please to remember that Pootie Diaries post twice a day!
The regular Pootie Diaries post daily at 1:45 pm Eastern (on Sundays at 3 pm Eastern)
and the evening Open Thread Pootie Diaries post at about 10 pm Eastern
Please to show ‘em both some lubs!
In Loving Memory of Swampyankee:
In Loving Memory of Jan4Insight:
And almost finally, please note da roolz:
PWBPeeps is a group that posts a daily diary and nightly open thread for animal lovers. We share photos, seek & give advice about pet health and behavior issues, support each other in times of sadness and stress, celebrate together when times are good, and on most days have an inordinate amount of fun.
You are welcome to join us!
Here are a few not-too-onerous PWB rulez
Violate ‘em and we’ll say that you’re crulez
- Do not “Troll” the Pootie Peeps Diaries. If you don’t like animal diaries, there’s no need to tell us about it. Just go find some other diary more to your liking.
- Whatever happens in the outer blog STAYS in the outer blog. As in, no pie fights. This is a place to relax and play; please treat it accordingly.
- If you would like a pic from the comment threads, please ask the poster. He/she may have a copyright to those pics. Many thanks!
- There are some pics we never post: Snakes, creepy crawlies, any and all photos that depict or encourage human cruelty toward animals. These are considered “out of bounds” and will not be tolerated.
- If you’re not sure about an issue...please ask. Someone is always glad to help.
For those who missed our Earth Day special, Climate Change helpful hints from the aminals are here!
If you are looking for our illustrated poetery, we will keep here da list!:
Srs Ogden Nash (and Other) Poetry for December 31, New Year’s Eve, Illustrated! (At the end of which is the list of all our illustrated Ogden Nashes.)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for January 7, Illustrated! (Marge Piercy, Twisted Sister)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for January 14, Illustrated! (Ogden Nash, Francesco Marciuliano)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for January 21, Illustrated! (Shel Silverstein, Muhammed Iqbal, Elena Carlena)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for January 28, Illustrated! (Rita Dove, Anonymous, KoalasofNYC)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for February 11, Illustrated! (Neil Hilborn, Jeannine Atkins)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for March 3, Illustrated! (Poemasabi)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for March 31, Illustrated! (Rebekah Bastian, traditional song)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for April 7, Illustrated! (G.K. Chesteron, Faith Shearin)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for April 14, Illustrated! (David Bowie, Robert Lowell)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for April 21, Illustrated! (I Am Your Dog by Author Unknown)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for April 28, Illustrated! (Francesco Marciuliano again!)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for May 5, Illustrated! (Elena Carlena cartoons, Venessa Medina-Rosas)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for May 12, Illustrated! (nelpogrando)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for May 19, Illustrated! (Edward Monkton, Giles Andreae)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for May 26, Illustrated! (Lesbia Harford)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for June 2, Illustrated! (Sienna Luna)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for June 9, Illustrated! (Christopher “Kit” Smart)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for June 16, Illustrated! (Russell Edson)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for June 30, Illustrated! (Rosa Silva’s cat)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for July 7, Illustrated! (Mark J. Halliday)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for July 14, Illustrated! (Vivian Shipley)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for July 21, Illustrated! (Sawyer Sewell, David F)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for July 28, Illustrated! (Carma Reed)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for August 11, Illustrated! (Bob Raczka)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for August 18, Illustrated! (The Sumerians, William Topaz McGonagall)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for August 25, Illustrated! (Kathleen Graber)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for September 1, Illustrated! (Daver Austin)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for September 8, Illustrated! (Terri Cannan)
Srs Not-Srs Poetry for September 15, Illustrated! (Ada Limón)
This is an open thread! Please chat away in the Comments. Enjoy!
PLEASE NOTE: Your humble diarist is NR, so consider yourselves +1 as long as you behave! ;-)
ADDITIONAL NOTE: Scientists are still seeing mass die-off of migrating birds! Please help the little feathered folks out by putting out extra birdseed and/or fresh water for them, wherever in the US you live. I have been doing that daily. The skwirrels take advantage, but I am finally seeing birdeez come to the feeders and water bowls too.
And finally, hernia update: Since several have asked: I have seen the special hernia surgeon and an incisional hernia about the size of a tennis ball has been confirmed near my belly button. The surgeon wants a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis. The CT is scheduled for this Friday. Radiology wanted labs to verify that kidney function is OK for contrast. Blood was drawn for that today and results are supposed to be available by now. I assume it’ll be fine. So I will call Radiology tomorrow and see if they can scan me before Friday. This thing hurts more or less depending on how much activity I do. The hernia surgeon will coordinate with the thoracic surgeon to dilate my esophagus the same day, as soon as the hernia surgeon is done. The hernia occurred because I vomited because I can’t swallow very well because of the esophageal stricture. So it’s important I be able to swallow better whilst healing from the hernia repair. One of my nieces has stepped up to stay with Mom whilst I’m in the hospital. Whew!