A Lotus, but not for POTUS

 The Majestic Lotus

At the bottom of the pool, bright orange koi fish swirl about,

Soothing to watch, without a doubt,

The water is as clear as a bell, as the fountain produces a trickling sound,

And the carefully placed flat rocks form a beautiful border all around,

A man-made pond in the courtyard, for the pleasure of the residents,

Assisted living residents, elderly people, not kings or presidents,

These residents deserve to live their best life, enjoying the view,

Most have nowhere to be and not too much to do,

On the surface of the water are green heart-shaped lily pads with flowers,

Floating gently and unincumbered by the fountain showers,

Majestic large-petaled lotus flowers open to the morning sun every day,

These pink delicate beauties have a very special way,

Of tempting me to want to photograph them at every opportunity,

It is a conversation starter for the entire residential community,

How lovely they are, openly blooming dawn until night,

Then closing up, until reblooming the next day at sunlight,

A symbol of purity and rebirth, they are quite unique,

If you get a chance, you should sneak a peek,

Prepare to take a photo, I know you won’t resist,

In fact, I hope you don’t mind if I insist!

Tammy Harvey

7/29/2022

Saxapahaw, NC

Saxapahaw Island Park

Walking through a nature trail with my grandsons is a real treat,
They are curious and observant and light on their feet,
The dirt trail is narrow, and the day is hot,
Adventure is worth it, so we give it all we’ve got,
We observe a toad camouflaged nearby on the ground,
While the Haw River alongside us produced a beautiful sound,
The path was filled with roots, but relatively flat,
My knees and hips will thank me for that,
There were flying insects and wildflowers and such,
And an occasional cool breeze that we needed so much,
Hickory nuts, acorns, berries and bees,
An abundance of all kinds of interesting trees,
One in particular was a hackberry tree,
With another hackberry growing out of its side, you see,
Forming a natural u-shape, an unusual sight,
And Charles pointed it out with explosive delight,
His mother said that’s a tree made for a climber,
And Charles replied, “God is a great designer”!
Hungry and tired and in need of a bath,
We played a game of kick a walnut down the path,
Our adventure continued, oh yes, there was more,
We went to eat lunch at the Saxapahaw General Store,
What a pleasurable afternoon, such a wonderful day,
Making memories with my grandsons, Charles and Gray!

Tammy Harvey
written:  7/14/2022

What is Diamond Art?

 

Diamond Art

In making your own Diamond Art,

Tedious, but fun, right from the start.

So many would ask:  What is Diamond Art?

I’ll try to explain it, at least in part,

 It’s like paint-by-numbers, only using tiny beads,

To do this craft kit you don’t have to read,

But you must have dexterity in order to proceed,

The beads are called diamonds; sounds more chic,

The diamonds are actually plastic, not at all unique,

Flat on one side, and dome-shaped, specifically,

Each one with a number or a symbol, in particularly,

The pre-printed designed canvas has adhesive to hold beads in their place,

The legend reveals what diamond goes to what space,

A stylus provided is used to pick up each domed bead by its top,

Once you start placing them, you won’t want to stop,

A small bit of wax on the stylus tip really helps out a lot,

In holding each one ‘til it reaches its spot,

Pick up, put down, repeat, next color, same, repeat,

Quickly the art becomes 3-D and is colorfully complete,

It’s a stress-relieving activity for me,

You should try it out and see.

Tammy Harvey

6/13/2022

Since 2018 and especially during the pandemic isolation, I did these diamond art kits as a stress reliever and have completed 39 of them to date. Some have been solid bead designs, and some have had printed backgrounds.   I frame them with frames found at the thrift stores.  Recently, I had some of them sell in the silent auction to raise money for Brain Cancer Research.  Others I have given for gifts.

A Magical Place

 

My Fairy Garden

A fairy garden is made up of miniature windows and doors,

With rocks and sticks and fish gravel and moss on the floors,

A tiny bridge or a fence with a gate, miniature flowers and a rippling “stream”,

It can have anything in it that you can dream,

I have all of these in my fairy garden I made,

It is housed in a planter on my porch in the shade,

When I walk past it, it puts a smile on my face,

It is magical and fun, but doesn’t take up much space,

I created a forest where imaginary fairies would love to live,

It may be childish, but I can’t explain the joy it gives,

It makes me happy and that’s why I share,

Make your own fairy garden, if you dare,

But don’t be surprised when you walk by,

That you stop and stare and heave a sigh,

There is something mysteriously tranquil there,

You might even want to pull up a chair!

Tammy Harvey

7/30/2022

Early Bird gets the Worm

Cock-a-Doodle-Doo

My five-and-a-half-year-old grandson is an early bird,
The first one up every morning, he is both seen and heard,
He wakes up consistently at the break of day,
His parents are always wishing in his bed he would stay,
But alas, he is up and on the go!
He has energy flowing from head to toe!
At 7am, he is allowed to go downstairs alone,
For his morning muffins and time on his dad’s phone,
He settles into the big comfy couch with his favorite bear,
That bear is named Pokey and goes everywhere,
Everywhere Charles goes, Pokey goes too,
And there is a favorite blanket, fuzzy and blue,
That accompanies this boy through his morning routine,
Pokey is tattered and worn and doesn’t look very clean,
But he is a constant companion for Charles anyway,
Especially at the wee hours of the day,
And when his dad complained about his 5 am visit,
He simply replied with an answer, quite exquisite,
Charles smiled and said: “Waking up is my specialty”!
That’s an early bird with a worm, don’t you agree?

Tammy Harvey (Gigi)
Written: 7/5/2022