Halloween Haiku

Happy Halloween! Last weekend, we went to the Enchanted Pumpkin Garden in Carefree, AZ. Gretchen wanted to visit a real pumpkin patch, and Shawn saw a blurb about the festival in Carefree. We kinda thought it would be more of a pumpkin patch than it was; it was also very crowded. They had a cool old west village inhabited by jack-o-lanterns and live music, food and fun merchandise, but no place to buy pumpkins.

On Sunday Rachael, Gretchen and I went to Wal-mart; we needed to get the weekly shopping done and the past few years it is where we picked up our pumpkins. Well there were none to be seen there either, so I sent a text to Shawn to make a trip over to Sprouts for our carving pumpkins. His trip was a success!

Mom’s and Gretchen’s (cat on bottom) jack-o-lanterns

Carve jack-o-lanterns
Halloween is tomorrow
Never give mom a knife

But by the time we all got home Sunday night and cooked dinner, we were too tired to carve. Gretchen and I worked on our pumpkins Monday night. Gretchen was a little uncomfortable with the sharp knife Mom handed her and had me cut the top off the pumpkin. She backs away pretty far whenever I have hold of a sharp knife. But once I got the pumpkin open for her, she gutted it and while I was busy working on mine apparently she lost her fear of sharp knives or figured Mom wasn’t good at detail carving, because she cut out the outline she drew on her pumpkin without any issues.

 

Rachael and Mom at Carefree pumpkin festival

Pumpkin festival
Fun night of mischief making
Famous duo framed

 

Shawn at Carefree Pumpkin Festival photo effects Facebook

Infamous prankster
Enchanted pumpkin garden
Famous Shawn Hosking

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Happy Halloween

Jack-O-Lanterns 2015

Last year, I wrote a set of haiku about our pumpkin carving here. As you can see, my oldest continued her skill and patience with Attack on Titan theme this year. While we carved the pumpkins Thursday night, Gretchen wasn’t sure how she wanted to proceed. When I carried hers outside to light up, I noticed it had two faces. I laughed and said, You went with Batman. Gretchen replied eerily, I am the night.

The other dilemma Gretchen had was a costume. She wanted to go as a character in the story she is writing, but she said there is nothing in her closet close to what her character dresses in. I told her, Go as a Betazoid wedding guest. It seemed logical to me. If you have nothing to wear there’s no excuse not to attend a wedding on Betazed. Well Mom’s suggestion didn’t fly and Friday after school, Gretchen raided my closet. I’m not sure how I feel about my 14 year old fitting in my clothes.

Gretchen and Rachael dressed for a party.

Gretchen came out of my closet victorious and proclaimed she would have worn the costume to school for the costume contest if she knew her mother had such a cool dress. May I introduce exhibit 1, Mom has worn this dress before. Really, I am NOT sure how I feel about my girls being able to raid my closet.

Anyhew on to today’s #haikuchallenge word fright:

Attack on Titan
Carved into Jack-O-Lantern
Gives amateurs fright

Fourteen year old raids
Mom’s closet in desp’rate search
of frightful costume

Happy Halloween!

Random Acts of Poetry

October seven
Random acts of poetry
Hope to pass stress test

Today is Random Acts of Poetry Day @tspoetry and the #haikuchallenge word is seven. Also as I’m composing this post, my husband is taking his stress test. I don’t think he knew what he was getting into – no caffeine for 24 hours before hand, fasting for six hours before the test, and running on a treadmill. Yes, I would fail before the test even started. The poetry challenge @Writersdigest today is write a spooky poem –

Cut off from caffeine
for twenty-four hours! Stress
test spooky ordeal

I’m also working on the October #platchal which really is proving to be a challenge because my Internet has been temperamental the past week. Not good for children’s homework needs either. The modem and wifi are all green. We have no idea why the computers pick it up sometimes and say, No Internet connection, a lot lately. Shawn thinks it’s a problem with Apple since it is the computers and idevices not connecting. The PS4 has no problem connecting.

Gretchen is on fall break. I’ve had a leisurely week thus far. Yesterday was cold, wet and rainy. I put on sweatpants and Gretchen and I cuddled up and watched Doctor Who on Netflix. When Rachael came home, she said, I wish I could wear sweatpants and stay home all day. Well she only has a half day today so… actually we’ll be running errands this afternoon. 😉 Here is another haiku challenge I wrote this morning.

Seven minus two
Basic math shows five days ’til
Anniversary

Wedding thank you card

Pumpkin Carving Haiku

The #haikuchallenge word today is flash.  Since the girls and I carved pumpkins last night, I have a collection of pumpkin carving haiku all with the word flash.

Pumpkin carving time
simple geometric shapes
flash over patience

Mom’s simple jack-o-lantern

Five Nights at Freddy’s
characters carved in pumpkin
meet up in a flash

Gretchen performs surgery

Carving pumpkin flesh
takes precise surgical skills
more than just a flash

Rachael’s patient takes hours

Vegetarian
tray filled with yummy pumpkin
eaten in a flash

Tortoise enjoys a treat

Gearing up for November Chapbook Contest

I’ve been quiet this past month. The last poem I spent any amount of time on was my anniversary limerick.  Over at Writer’s Digest, Robert Lee Brewer posted the last Wednesday Poetry prompt until December, because Saturday is already November 1st! Throughout November Brewer will be posting daily prompts for a chapbook contest.  One of my goals this year was to compile a chapbook.  I worked on one in the summer.  It didn’t get any bites.  I am going to give November an effort.  Today’s prompt was emerge.  On twitter the #haikuchallenge word today is unleash and with Halloween two days away –

Every Halloween
Parents unleash their children
Candy fiends emerge

Then I decided to try to work on an acrostic.

Every Halloween
Monsters and goblins roam streets
Entreating neighbors
Ring doorbells before
Grabbing candy happy to
Exclaim, Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween

Pumpkin carving time is near
Does this look like a bumpkin?
To have skill as rhyme whiz; shear
Cannot cut pretty pumpkin.

October Ae Freslighe

Trees turn vibrant color in
Autumn, on Halloween night
Children are heard hollerin’
Trick or treat, as they glean quite

A lot of candy, fearing
Periodontal disease
Mom and Dad stop spree clearing
Of wrappers, kids go claw trees

No I have not mastered the Ae Freslighe poetry form yet but it is a fun exercise. Here is one I wrote back in April. I read each line had to be seven syllables and follow the rhyming scheme…

Rachael reaches climatic
Feets figuring and teaches
Her class concise didactic
Math measures Rachael reaches