THE PASTURE REVISITED (Written in the style of Robert Frost)

Robert Frost placed "The Pasture" as the first poem in his book "The Complete Poems of Robert Frost". Frost has always been one of my favorite poets and this little poem is to me a "poem of invitation." (Maybe that is why he put it at the beginning . . . )

Several years ago (2006) I saw a reference to a "Robert Frost Poetry Contest" in which folks were invited to write a poem "in the style of Robert Frost" and enter it in the contest. I wrote "The Pasture Revisited."  After writing it . . . I had the horrible feeling that I had violated Frost's poetry and almost didn't send it in. I called one of my grandsons (Sam) and told him of my dilemma and he asked that I read it to him. I did. Sam's response was: "Grammpa, Robert Frost would be proud of that poem."

So, I sent it in and guess what !  It didn't win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd prize. But . . . the poem was selected as "one of 50 poems"  (out of thousands of entries) for "honorable mention."  That was simply amazing for me.

It is this poem that I would like to share with you. . . .

                      (the original Frost poem)

           The Pasture

           I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
           I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
           (And wait to watch the water clear, I may)
           I shan't be gone long. - You come too.

           I'm going out to fetch the little calf
           That's standing by the mother. It's so young,
           It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
           I shan't be gone long. - You come too.
                                                                             -Robert Frost

           The Pasture Revisited
               (written in the style of Robert Frost)

            I'm going out to grieve the pasture spring;
            I'll only stop to weep where water used to be
            (And watch ethanol corn grow, I may)
            I shan't be gone long. - You come too.

            I'm going out to see the feed lot calves;
            So hormone-filled, abandoned in dung,
            They totter, grow too fast. Each one.
            They shan't be around long. - You come too.
                                                                                     -Clem Nagel



         

Never Too Late

The neighbors cut down
the ash that did not know 
whether it was a tree or a bush.


Privacy screens once in shade
where nothing would grow
now bathed in light.


Opening up the space
around them to sunlight 
that now pours through.

We went out and bought
three varieties of grapes with
visions of vines heavy with fruit.

A January promise of tart jellies 
red and purple with just a touch
of sugar for filling waffle spaces.

The Wisdom of Purring Cats

Cats have got it right. Although no one has quite figured out exactly why cats purr, I suspect it has something to do with contentment. Cats who feel threatened or who are doing their duties as guard cats in their houses are not likely to purr. I would then extrapolate purring to underlying the common belief that cats have nine lives.

Pixie the Cat waits until breakfast is over and then stretches out in front of me so that I will pet her, stroke her chin and other such delights - while quietly purring away.

Maggie the Cat prefers her petting to occur while she lies on my desk as close to my keyboard as I will allow her. She will reach out with her paw and draw my hand to places she wants me to stroke - such as under her chin and her left front "armpit." (Why there? It's a mystery.) Meanwhile, she loudly purrs away. When she was a kitten, her purring could be heard across the room. As a responsible adult cat she has become a bit more dignified in seeing that her needs are met.

And me? As I am commandeered into this petting and purring routine, I relax and feel so good. Ahhh!

Research has shown that elderly persons (that's not me, of course) benefit, when they are allowed pets in nursing homes and assisted living apartments. A particularly touching photo/article on an online news source some months ago showed a women in clearly in her last days, lying in a hospital bed with her beloved pet snuggled up to her.

Then there is pet therapy (I am diverging from purring-effects momentarily). Benefits are documented about its many values. From helping children relax while learning to read to a whole array of situations calling for healing.

Now about this purring business. I wonder if human beings could learn to purr, would we be happier and healthier?

So just how do cats do this purring thing . . .?

FRICKIN' FRACKING

I suspected as much.    As I began to read through recent news reports on tracking
and mining sand in Wisconsin and Minnesota, I noted that both states situate their
mining sites adjacent to streams and rivers. These locations make "all the sense in
the world" since sand fracking requires a dependable and ample supply of water.

As a young person back in the fifties, I was taught an old, common-sense adage
"look before you leap" and, as I read the articles . . . I could see it coming. The "left
over" piles of overburden and processing chemicals often were stored on location
with little or no precautions as how to contain them. You can imagine what might
occur when deluges of rain would pour down. And, rain it did! You guessed it . . .
into the rivers it went and coursing down the streams and rivers went much of the
myriad polluting chemicals used in the extracting process. Compounds with intriguing
names as:

       glutaraldehyde, 
                 tetrakis hydroxymethyl-phosphonium sulfate, 
                           formic acid,
                     triethanolamine zirconate, 
            borate salts, 
    guar gum,
                thyoglycolic acid, 
                             phosphonic acid salt, 
                                         naphthalene, ethylene glycol (antifreeze),
                                    along with    
                          no less than fifty (50) 
                  other chemicals commonly 
                                               used as additives.

So much for our traditionally valued "quality of life" for fish and other aquatic life -
to say nothing about our sources of clean drinking water and don't even mention our
love of water for recreation . . . And, the bottom line:  lost tourist dollars that
partially support our economy.

Not sure what solutions there are to address these problems. To be sure, we do rely
on a steady flow of oil and gas liberated from deep in the ground. 

But at what cost?

Summer Flower Wayside

Baby's Breath
clouds of white
taking up more than
its assigned space

Culver's Root
quietly displays
layers of five
whorled leaflets

Cup Plant
sentinels on watch
tower over everything
all is safe

Giving It A Try

I have been watching my human learning to use her new computer (I catnap on her desk while she is working away) and I think I have the hang of it. Her old computer was not to my liking - much too slow for my nimble mind. But I think this new-fangled machine is the cat's meow.

So here goes - a blog by me, Maggie the Cat.

I want you to know that my sister Pixie and I have been taking our responsibilities seriously as owners of this house. When I am not here next to this computer, I am at the open sliding door in what I call my room in this house. It is a lovely screened porch (I believe that's what my humans call it) and can survey almost the entire back gardens from my post at the door. A cat needs to keep track of the activity outside - birds, squirrels, and the like.

Several nights ago, there were a couple of large animals I had not seen before with black masks across their eyes and striped tails. Pixie and I went on high alert. These creatures moseyed around sniffing at things in my backyard. I have no idea why they were doing this, but one must observe them carefully. Pixie and I both watched from my porch and then in a dignified way befitting responsible cats, we walked as fast as we could to the other end of our house to gain another vantage point.

Back and forth we went. Our humans paid little attention. Probably because they knew we were keeping track of these strange animals. I was glad I as inside, protected by a screen. I wouldn't have wanted to challenge one of these creatures to order to chase it away.They were BIG.

Earlier this week my two humans left and were gone over night. I think they figured we two cats were now mature enough to monitor this house in their absence. The Jan-human from down the street did not even come by, as she usually does when my humans go away. It was good to be fully in charge. Pixie even caught a little mouse and left it by the back door where the humans would be sure to see it when they returned.

It has finally stopped pouring water down from the sky outdoors (I'm glad we are inside cats, all tidy and dry). It has meant the return of sunlight which fascinates me as it plays on the walls and ceiling. I have tried to catch this light, but so far I have not been successful. My humans tell me Ansel Adams (another human) spent all his life trying to catch the light, so I guess I have plenty of time to strategize how I might accomplish light-catching.

Oh, I hear my human coming into this room where her computer lives. So I need to sign off until later.