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#236: cryophilic

1/31/2016

Comments

 
cryophilic bear
diving from ice shelf through air
mom shouting "beware"
Picture
How patient... and LUCKY... do you have to be to capture a photo like this! 

One of my favorite books was a National Geographic "coffee table" book that had the back stories of all the amazing photos in it. It takes being prepared, persistence, extreme patience (like Sean Penn's character in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), just dumb luck sometimes, and taking LOTS of photos. 

Lots of respect and admiration for photographers who make their living this way.

​Some photographers are cryophilic too!!


DEFINITION of this 4-syllable adjective:
  1. preferring or thriving at low temperatures.
Comments

#235: isthmus

1/30/2016

Comments

 
traveled the isthmus
of Panama last Cristhmus
despite a misthed bus
Picture
Actually, I've never been south of the border, even having lived in Southern California for almost 50 years!
I've been to Japan and many places in Europe. Lived in Germany for three years.
Next on our travel agenda is New Zealand! 

DEFINITION of this 2-syllable tongue-twister noun:
  1. a narrow strip of land, bordered on both sides by water, connecting two larger bodies of land.
  2. Anatomy, Zoology. a connecting, usually narrow, part, organ, or passage, especially when joining structures or cavities larger than itself.
Comments

#234: zenith

1/29/2016

Comments

 
you've reached the zenith
only downhill from here yet
the next peak beckons
Picture
I'm not into climbing in ice and snow, but summiting any tall peak is exhilarating! I've climbed relatively few, but among them are Princeton, Yale and Columbia on the Continental Divide in Colorado, and Conness and Hoffman in Yosemite National Park. I leave the ice climbing to my nephew Nick. 

DEFINITION of this 2-syllable noun:
  1. a highest point or state; culmination.
  2. the point on the celestial sphere vertically above a given position or observer.
Comments

#233: insouciant

1/28/2016

Comments

 
insouciant soul
running free of her burdens
takes a leap of faith
Picture
This photo caught my eye immediately on an image search of "carefree." Would you say "carefree" is a romanticized concept since it's devoid of any responsibility? Would you be envious? 

DEFINITION of this 4-syllable adjective:
  1. free from concern, worry, or anxiety; carefree; nonchalant.
Comments

#232: pugnacious

1/27/2016

Comments

 
one pugnacious pup
would be nicely sliced and diced
yet cat's retracted
Picture
This cat has 18 more razors than that half-his-size pup... don't piss him off. 

We have two cats — Jazze, a big male, and Bijou, a lightning-quick female. They're cautious, but pretty cool with dogs. 

Even being super careful, I have my share of scars from cat claws when just playing around. I can't even imagine the pain of being fully attacked by a house cat, let alone an 800 lb, 11-foot-long tiger!!


DEFINITION of this 3-syllable adjective:
  1. inclined to quarrel or fight readily; quarrelsome; belligerent; combative.
Comments

#231: nimiety

1/26/2016

Comments

 
vast variety
could cause notoriety
for nimiety
Picture
Imelda Marcos at a shoe museum! 

Apparently shoes weren't her only excess... like clothes,  ego... 
​


DEFINITION of this 4-syllable noun:
  • excess; overabundance: nimiety of mere niceties in conversation.
  • an instance of this.
Comments

#230: cupidity

1/25/2016

Comments

 
much stupidity
from rigid cupidity
thus vapidity
Picture
Hoarding is a mental health issue. 

I have a mild case of it, but for some it becomes completely debilitating and very unhealthy. 

"Collecting" is another form, which can reach obsessive extremes too. Makes for interesting museums though! 

Hoarding stops The Flow. 


DEFINITION of this 4-syllable noun:
  1. eager or excessive desire, especially to possess something; greed; avarice.
Comments
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    The Word of the Day comes from Dictionary.com. Use the word in your own haiku and add to the comments.

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    Poet and designer, David Alan Foster has been experimenting with haiku since the '70s. He has inspired (or possibly offended) many with said experiments.


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