Jane Spavold Tims's Blog, page 25

dandelion fluff

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dandelion fluff

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purse lips

and puff

make a wish

scatter seeds

to wind

and follow

into sun

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Copyright Jane Tims 2019

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All my best,

Jane

 

 

 

 

Pearly everlasting

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Pearly Everlasting

Anaphalis margaritacea L.

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Pearly Everlasting

sign of summer’s passing

yet – immortelle

picked by the road

by the armload

hung from rafters

children’s laughter

runs beneath

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downy leaf, woolly stem

white diadem

perfectly matched flowers

thatched in gold

dry and old

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Linnaeus named

for Marguarite

memory sweet

paper petals keep

pale perfume

summer grace

in a winter room

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Published as:  ‘Pearly Everlasting’, The Antingonish Review 92, 1993 and at niche poetry and prose, August 20, 2012 here

Copyright   Jane Tims   2012

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All my best,

Jane

in an orchard

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orchard

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between apples, twigs and leaves

stems and branches

are glimpses

of sky

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sapphire and cerulean

panes of leaded

transparent

glass

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molten in motions of wind

edges in

malleable

light

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fragile as blades of bent grass

stiffened by frozen

morning

dew

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Copyright   2019   Jane Tims

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All my best,

Jane

fetching water

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fetching water

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‘Strength in those arms,’

says Mama. ‘Fetch

me a bucket

of cold water

from the well.’

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‘Need one of those

pumps,’ says Papa.

‘Painted iron,

hornbeam handle.’

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‘No need,’ says Thomas.

‘I know how to drop

the bucket

so she fills

the first time.

~

‘Echoes lift

from well-stones.

My face down there,

winks on the water.

Strength in these arms.’

~

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Copyright   2019   Jane Tims

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All my best,

Jane

hauling wood

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hauling wood

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The draft horse answers

to a click, a shake

of the reins, the squawk

of a blue jay, flushed

from the thicket. Long

tail hairs scatter flies.

Chain rings, loops around

the log, its cut end

a brake, ploughs up duff.

Nostrils flare and hooves

find gain in gather

of leaves, paw for ground.

Lather under tack,

he lowers his head.

Takes the woodlot incline

as though he’s navigated

these hardwoods

all of his life.

~

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Copyright   2019   Jane Tims

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All my best,

Jane

Free e-book next five days

Do you like a good love story? Like to explore alien worlds? Love adventure and a bit of mystery?

The Meniscus Science Fiction Series follows the story of human survival on a distant planet.

The seventh book in the series, Meniscus: Oral Traditions, tells the story of two people as they journey across alien landscapes to reach safety.

Meet aliens who do not share our ideas of right and wrong. Explore a city built at the edge of a churning sea. Join Tagret and Rist as they tell stories around a fire. Find out about the vow Rist has taken and why it will break Tagret’s heart.

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Meniscus: Oral Traditions is a great entry point to the series for readers who think they’d like to find out more about the aliens and humans on Meniscus. Each Meniscus book is written as a readable long poem and is illustrated by the author. The books are a quick read, and include both adventure and romance. For the science fiction lover there are maps, a glossary of alien terms and a Gel-speak dictionary.

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For five days this week (August 5 to 9, 2019), I am running a Kindle Free Book Deal and the e-version of Meniscus: Oral Traditions is free at Amazon.  here

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Kindle Free Book Deal: Intro to the Meniscus Sci-Fi Series

Meniscus — a planet far from Earth. When humans are taken there, they face a life of hardship and servitude. But humans are resilient. Follow the story of the humans who struggle to escape from the oppressive Dock-winders and build a home in an alien world.

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In the sixth book of the Meniscus series, Meniscus: Oral Traditions, meet Tagret. The Dock-winders have taken her from Earth and deposited her on the streets of the alien city of Sintha. Tagret feels helpless, but she soon meets other humans who will help her get along in this strange and dangerous place.

One of these is Rist, a Slain, a genetically modified human who has forged a life for himself. He does not want or need a tag-along to burden his days. But when Tagret is sold at a Dock-winder auction, Rist uses all his tickets to save her from a terrible fate. Tagret feels safe with Rist and makes plans for the future.

But Rist has a secret …

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Meniscus: Oral Traditions is a great entry point for readers who think they’d like to find out more about the humans on Meniscus. Each Meniscus book is written as a readable long poem and is illustrated by the author. The books are a quick read, and include both adventure and romance.

~

For five days next week (August 5 to 9, 2019), I will be running a Kindle Free Book Deal and the e-version of Meniscus: Oral Traditions will be free at Amazon.  here

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I will be sending reminders during the Kindle Free Book Deal, so stay tuned!!!!!

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All my best,

Alexandra Tims

(a.k.a. Jane)  

How Her Garden Grew

Mid-summer and my little garden is doing well. The plants are growing in planters on my deck: three parsley plants, three climbing beans, three snow peas and one cucumber. I have to ‘weed’ every day as the maple keys keep sprouting!

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With a small garden, I have lots of time to read. Right now I am reading the forth in the Lane Winslow Mysteries, set in Canada in British Columbia after WW II here. I love mysteries and now I have one of my own. ‘How Her Garden Grew’ tells the story of a mom and her kids who find a packet of old letters and follow a trail of mayhem and murder to summer’s end.  This is the first in a series of three Kaye Eliot Mysteries, set in Nova Scotia in 1995.

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‘How Her Garden Grew‘ is available on-line here. Or at Westminster Books in Fredericton (you should see their new store at 88 York Street!)

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I am spending my summer (when I am not pulling maple sprouts) writing the sequel to ‘How Her Garden Grew’. It will be called ‘Something the Sundial Said’ and take readers on another cozy mystery adventure.

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Enjoy your summer reading!

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All my best,

Jane

Canada lilies by the highway

On a drive to Chipman today we came back via the old Trans Canada (now Highway 105) through Grand Lake Meadows. The Canada lily (also called meadow lily), Lilium canadense, is in bloom. Each plant holds its lily chandelier above the other field vegetation. They are bright orange with dark spots and hang downward.

 

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This seems to be the time of year for lilies. I have three varieties of day-lily in my garden and when one finishes its blooming, another begins.

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All my best,

Jane

checking out the berries

As I have often written, our cabin is an enjoyable place to be. We read; we go for walks; we watch the birds; we occasionally do a little work (keeping the trails clear, working on the cabin).

This past weekend we identified the trees surrounding the cabin and we were pleased to find we had 13 different trees:

horse chestnut
red maple
mountain birch
white birch
trembling aspen
green ash
apple
red oak
willow
white pine
black spruce
balsam fir
shad bush

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The berries on the shad bush are just beginning to form. At this stage they are about as big as a small pea.

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We weren’t the only ones interested in the progress of the shad bush fruit. While we watched, a cedar waxwing landed and stayed for a while.

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Last year we had fun watching the cedar waxwings feeding wild strawberries to one another! If you’d like to see those photos, click here.

Al my best!

Jane