Sunday, August 31, 2025

Flashes of Red / August 29, 2025

 August 29, 2025

Flashes of Red

On the Way to Qigong Class

crimson cardinal
streaks across bridge street.  sign says
thirty m.p.h.

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A Single Point of Entry
3 x 3″; watercolor and colored pencil on paper
card #8 to Caroline at camp
2025

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Notes about poem and art:
• “On the Way” reminds me that the haiku form is like a palate cleanser to me—clean, refreshing, concise. To my surprise and delight, I’d elected to feature this poem today along with a photo of my next watercolor card to Caroline without realizing, until I went to put them both on the page together, the ways in which they would link to each other!
• A Single Point gave me the opportunity to take unexpected pleasure in the colors and shapes of a cardinal flower; in its natural outdoor setting the spiky form of this plant has not historically been one of my favorites. Now it holds a place of fondness in my internal catalog of flowers!

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10 responses to “Flashes of Red”

  1. Beautiful flower and great matches of color swatches!

    Also great match to you Haiku poem, so in the moment! Here and then gone!

    Do you perhaps write the poem on the back side of the card!

    What a collection for Caroline!

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    1. Carol, thanks for affirming my match of color swatches—that process has animated me this summer again and again. I’m addicted to cataloguing the flowers from our garden in this way. The mixing of colors to match engages me each and every time.

      I elected to write nothing on the back of the cards when sending them to Caroline. What you see above is the totality of the card—color swatches, date, my signature.

      : )

      Liked by 1 person

  2. When in doubt….wear red!

    I always pause when I see a bright red cardinal….and my sister always has cardinal flower in her garden for the hummingbirds. I was not always drawn to them either…but having desirable flowers for the hummingbirds has been an absolute joy for me. So maybe it’s time to give them a try!

    Another delightful haiku and color swatch garden painting for Caroline! Well done Dotty!

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    1. LOL at when in doubt wear red!

      Hummingbirds come to our cardinal flowers also. Enjoyed hearing your “conversion” story : )

      Thanks, MaryAnn

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  3. Lovely, both.

    I’m curious to know if you’ve gotten any feedback from Caroline.

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    1. Caroline is actually already two weeks home from camp but, while there, she awarded them the best of camp honors by perching them one by one as they came in, near her bunk on a 2×4 stud on the rustic unfinished interior wall of the built-decades-ago cabin in which she was a leader, and I’ll be posting a photo of that soon! Thanks for asking : )

      Liked by 1 person

  4. haiku as palate cleanser!

    my tongue pauses now

    where is the next favor burst?

    anticipation

    love the color swatch exercises!! Xo

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    1. Way fun back-at-me haiku, Lola! I am dazzled by anticipation’s 5 syllables!

      I do like haiku and its companion précis poetry pals—for many reasons, one of which is that they do act as palate cleansers in my blog here between longer poems : )

      Like

  5. Red WOW! Red POW!

    Why do I feel like singing Christmas songs right now. LOL 🙂

    Another great post, Dotty! xoxo

    Like

    1. Thanks, Sheila! Today’s swatches and flower really do have a Christmasy feel, don’t they, especially with the creamy white background.

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