A Sure Sign

By Dahni

© 2010

all rights reserved

The Hawthorne berry bright red

Seemingly an attractive fruit,

But most unsavory,

For they last the whole of winter,

Undisturbed and uneaten.

A robin one or two or few,

A sure sign of spring,

Though long after the snows melt,

And the rains come,

And the worms surface.

Two years ago, about a week,

Before the end of February,

Hundreds of robins picked the Hawthorne clean,

In minutes,

Their migratory mates followed two weeks later,

And brought spring with them.

Today, about a week,

Before the end of February,

Many robins sat in the Hawthorne;

My heart was lightened,

Though snow still upon the ground,

And in the air,

Surely their mates are on the way,

And bringing with them,

Spring.

From the collection: ‘As it Happened – Collections of Recollections

By the same author

© 2010

Red

By Dahni

© 2010

all rights reserved

From my living room window that faced the back yard

It was a cold grey winter day

And there on a leafless bush branch

Sat my familiar cardinal and I wondered

Where his mate might be

She was usually close behind

As I watched, he flew to the ground for some spilt seed

And there was red on the snow

Later I went upstairs and something caught my attention

From my upstairs hall window that faced the back yard

It was a cold grey winter day

And there upon the ground

Sat an unfamiliar hawk and I wondered

What its prey might be

And there was red in the snow

From my living room window that faced the back yard

It was a cold grey winter day

And there on a leafless bush branch

Sat my familiar cardinal for hours

Patiently waiting and wondering

Where his mate might be

And there was red in the snow

The patient bright protector and egg watcher mate for life

Finally left alone

The real me knew the hawk had found life

And there was red in the snow

The poet me felt the sting of sadness

Over the missing mate and loss of life

And there was no brownish, with a pink crest on the snow

And there was no red on the snow

And there was red in the snow

And I hope on the morrow…

…from my living room window that faces the back yard

On a cold bright winter day

For two upon a leafless bush branch

And then for red on the snow

She close behind

From the collection: ‘As it Happened – Collections of Recollections

By the same author

© 2010

Note:  On the following day at 9:42 am EST Mr. & Ms. Cardinal –

“For two upon a leafless bush branch sit!”

Transformation

by Dahni

2/14/2010 © 2010

all rights reserved

…that You are Loved.

From caterpillar to butterfly,

From bud to bloom

and from the steady rhythm of life

to throbbing, pulsing, beating joy

Love changes things, but it also

Transforms.

from the collection: ‘Full Measure’ by Dahni

Happy Valentines Day!

Love,

Dahni

xxx’s & ooo’s

Global Warming

by Dahni

© 2010 all rights reserved

Greed for gold and the itch for silver,

fashioned this fire of fiction.

And the lust for power,

struck the match,

fueled by fear

and fanned by guilt,

But extinguished by,

the waters of wisdom.

From the collection:  ‘Letters from Earth’ by the same author

Grandma’s Secret Ingredients

by Dahni © Holidays 2009 all rights reserved

‘Secret Ingredients’ © 2009 by Dahni & I-Imagine all rights reserved

Grandma was the world’s greatest cook and many people would say this was true. It seemed she was in her best form during the holidays. But what were her secrets?

Grandma never went to culinary school or ever worked in a fancy restaurant, but she certainly could have. No, her skills were known far and wide by her family, friends, bake sales for charity and many often strangers that just happened by her home. She used to feed the milkman when milk was delivered; the letter carriers, many a paper boy and girl, and those which mowed her grass, raked her lawn and shoveled the snow from her sidewalks.

She never won any blue ribbons at the fair and most likely because, she never tried or ever entered any contest. She thought that was all just for show and she would rather cook for people and not for prizes or recognition. Grandma’s reward was the smiles on so many satisfied faces.

If you were ever in earshot when grandma was cooking, you would hear her humming some happy little tune while she worked. Grandma always said that “Good food make happy faces and happy faces were a good cure for the blues, so you better be a happy cook!”

Everyone loved Grandma’s cooking and many asked for her recipes, which she was more than glad to share. But no matter how well the recipes were followed, nothing seemed to turn out quite as well as Grandma’s cooking. Several people asked her if they had understood or if she possibly had left something out? “Oh, maybe I left out the secret ingredients,” she replied, “a dash of this, a pinch of that, a smidgen and a whole-lotta.” Grandma would smile and the funny thing was, no one ever asked her what she meant, if she was just teasing them or ever asked to watch her cook.

One day, I came over to her home and Grandpa let me in. Grandma was in the kitchen, cooking as usual. She did not hear me come in or say hello. She was humming another little tune while she worked. I sat down at the table in the back of the kitchen and watched her. Grandma never even knew I was there.

When it looked like Grandma had finished with what she was doing, she opened the cabinet door in front of her and pulled out four little plain, unmarked metal spice tins. She opened each one, one right after the other. Next she pulled out some measuring spoons from the drawer below. As I watched her put the spoons into each tin, the strangest thing happened. It looked as if she was measuring out something from each tin with the spoons and sprinkled them over her food, but there was nothing pouring out from those spoons!

I wondered about some logical reason for this strange behavior. Maybe I was too far away to see what she sprinkled onto the food? Then again, could Grandma’s eyesight be failing? I shuddered over the next thought that crossed my mind. Perhaps I had just witnessed Grandma having a senior moment or worse, some symptom of dementia, Alzheimer’s or something far more serious?

Grandma was still unaware of my presence and she was still humming and happy. She turned to her left and walked to the door off the garage, opened it and disappeared.

I didn’t have the heart to confront Grandma over what I had just seen and maybe, just maybe, I was wrong? I got up from the table and walked over to those spice tins. I opened one and it was empty. I repeated this for the other tins and each one was also empty. The last tin slipped out of my hand and fell to the floor, bottom-up. As I reached to pick it up, I noticed it had a simple little note in my Grandma’s handwriting. The note read: ‘A Dash of Trust.’ Startled by this revelation, I turned over two of the other three tins: The second one read: ‘A Pinch of Hope.’ The third one read: ‘A Smidgen of Faith.’

Just as I was about to turn over the last tin, Grandma walked back into the kitchen and saw me standing there. “Oh, I see you have discovered my secret ingredients,” Grandma said with a twinkle in her eyes and a huge smile upon her face.

“Well Grandma, I guess I did, three of them anyway, but what is the fourth tin for?”

“Just turn it over and read what it says,” she encouraged me. So I did. The last note read: ‘Always add in, a Whole-Lotta Love!’

‘Whole-Lotta’ © 2009 by Dahni & I-Imagine all rights reserved

Note: This story is a work of fiction, but it is based on another story I once heard which may be true. True or not, the principles are true. Whatever we do in life, we should always add in a dash of Trust, a pinch of Hope, a smidgen of Faith and especially, a whole lot of Love!

Happy Holidays!

Dahni

Famous Tweeters

by Dahni

© Copyright 7/13/09

all rights reserved

Have you ever heard or read, “There is nothing new under the sun?”

Nothing could be truer said, especially with regards to Twitter and Tweets. Many famous people have been Tweeting, years ago.

Descartes the famous philosopher often Tweeted among friends.

William Shakespeare, playwright and poet, compiled many of his Tweets and they became some of his most famous sonnets.

And then, who can forget the great genius and mathematician, Albert Einstein? He invented Tweeting!

Of course, there were those familiar sayings coined in the 60′s like: “Tweet On,” “Up with Tweets,” and “Power to the Tweeters,” among many others.

Speaking of the 60′s, remember the Beatles song, also sung by Joe Cocker, “I get by with a little Tweet from my friends.” Or does this bring back memories, Jimmy Buffet, “Wasting away in Tweeterville?”

Surely you remember the Walt Disney characters, Tweet-L-D and Tweet-L-Dum?

Everyone is getting into the whole Tweeter Nation now and that includes MasterCard^® Just yesterday (I might have seen the following):

New Blackberry^® phone – $489.00

New Apple^® iPhone – $678.00

Twitter – N/C

Tweets -

Priceless

I leave you with this one final thought-

“Tweet, It’s not just for Breakfast Anymore!”

Dahni

The Weaving and The Weaver

My life is but a weaving between the Lord and me

I may choose the colors, but He works steadily

Often there is woven sorrow and I in foolish pride

Forget He sees the upper and I the underside

Not til’ the loom is silent and the shutters cease to fly

Shall God unroll the weaving and explain the reason why

The dark threads are as needful in the Weaver’s skillful hand

As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has planned

revised from

Author Unknown

Twitter Tips & My Agenda

by Dahni

© Copyright 6/7/09

all rights reserved

It is believed, like opinions, everyone has an agenda. What is my agenda in using Twitter.com in connecting with others?

To understand my Twitter Agenda, one must first understand the stated purpose of Twitter.

“Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers

to communicate and stay connected through the exchanges of

quick, frequent answers to one simple question:

What are you doing?”

www. Twitter.com

Limited to posting just 140 maximum characters, Twitter forces one to be brief, which I find to be a great feature. Time is important to all of us. Important content can be suggested as a link to that content. Two FREE services: www.TinyUrl.com & http://bit.ly/ are to shorten the URL, which allow users to condense long Web addresses that may exceed the maximum character allowance per post or ‘Tweet.’ Both services condense these long URLS to around 25 characters. However, if either service is ‘down’ for any reason, it would not be possible to condense the URLS or the condensed URLS might not work for others that click on them. One could use both services, for their ‘tweets,’  but this would mean about 50 characters out of the 140 allowed would be spent. Twitter would be well advised to host their own URL shorten service.

One’s profile is important as it allows one to upload a picture and key in information about themselves for others. It allows one to show their web site or blog URLS for others to click on IF they so desire.

While on the subject of uploading pictures, what is this , other than your default picture on Twitter, because you are new or you are trying to hide who you are? Get a real picture of yourself or your business logo uploaded ASAP or ask someone to help. And just who are you anyway?  There are all kinds of strange profile pictures, user names, web sites, blogs and email addresses shown, not just on Twitter, but all over the Internet. Some of this is to hide one’s true identity and some is for some misguided idea of protecting one’s privacy. I really don’t get this whole privacy thing, I REALLY, REALLY DON’T!

If one is so concerned about privacy, what are they doing on the Internet in the first place, other than to disguise their true intentions or identities, for so-called good reasons or not so good? There is no such thing as security on the Internet, despite any claims that this exists. Sooner or later, hackers can find a way to hack and spammers can find a way to spam. If we do not want to take the risks, then don’t take the risks of placing your stuff on the Internet. Block people, ‘follow’ people you know or trust based on some experience with them. Do not list your email or post your updates publicly (for all eyes to see).

If privacy is really an issue, speak or write to the person personally. If it is possible, go see them or simply put, go-see-um.’ Use the telephone, snail mail, email or tin cans and string.

Just make sure you are not in earshot, being picked up by satellite, zoom camera with long distance microphone, smart carrier pigeons or someone has tapped into your string with an alligator clip and extra string to their can. Privacy though important and should be protected, it kind of gets ridiculous when we are in public.

There is nothing in life for FREE. Someone or something pays for everything we get for FREE and it will always cost us something in return like spam, wasting your time or actually spending time engaging the brain, if the content is beneficial or important to us.

Some do not have web sites or blogs and that’s OKEY DOKEY by me, but I take exception to those that use the URL shorten web sites mentioned above, to mask their true intentions. One could click on these condensed URLS given by TinyUrl.com or bt.ly, only to find some adult site, something you have no interest in or something that has nothing to do with the profile of the member. Twitter should not allow URL condensers to mask or hide the true identity of a  web location.

For those that would like to custom design their own Twitter background, the process is quite easy. Most computer users view a page size of 768 X 1024 pixels. Make your background image this size. Twitter uses a fixed overlay which is nearly center of the background images, so most of the background will not be seen. If you would like something visible and/or readable (text), to the viewer, the open space on the left side and the right are each 120 pixels wide by the height of your page or 768 pixels.

So position your image/text so that it is 120 X 768 of your 768 X 1024 background image.

Another great feature of Twitter is the ability to automatically update other social networks and web sites when you post or ‘tweet’ from your Twitter account. Instructions are pretty clear in the help sections and other tips can be found by Googling Twitter helps, tips etc. Also look for twitter widgets or little apps (applications) that can be used to show your latest Twitter ‘tweets’ on your web sites, blogs and other social networks like LinkedIn, Plaxo, and Facebook etc. For examples of how I use these apps and java script, see:

http://www.dahni.com/ContactUs.htm

Access to twitter by the Internet or through the use of cell phones is really cool and a time saver. With the right setup and apps (applications), you can post or tweet to your Twitter account and have it update to your other stuff and that’s pretty neat! We all are busy or get busy at times and may not have the time to update all our other stuff directly, so this fills our absence until we like Larry the Cable Guy says can, “Git-er-done!”

I sincerely hope these tips are beneficial to you! 

My Twitter Agenda is perhaps no different than that of anyone else and our reasons for connecting to others may be as old as when people first started populating the earth. We want to connect with others and know the latest stuff. We want to find stuff and share stuff. We want to connect with others that share similar goals and dreams as we do. We want others to know about our stuff. We want our own voice and place in the world. That’s pretty much it; what we always wanted throughout history and in the present time.

I am no different than most people. Most people want to get paid for what they love to do. So do I, but rather than constantly trying to sell you something or bug you, I have placed links in my profile on Twitter and all my web sites and blogs. I would hope that I have something to offer almost anyone and that you would check out the links I have provided.

What I am into’ or interested in is pretty plain and clear to see on my profile, the background image on my Twitter page; other web sites and the several blogs I write. Notice I wrote the words “I write.” I do NOT write for anyone as in I am paid to write. I know I said nothing is free, but these blogs only cost you your time if you stay there for any length of time.

The possibility exists that it might be a waste of your time. And then again, it might be useful, beneficial, cause a smile or some other ‘good’ emotional feeling. The time spent on my content just might cause one to engage their brain and mind and to THINK. It just might pop a neuron and get someone inspired to DO something beneficial for others. Did you catch the words, “DO something…?”

Do NOT just follow, join another group and never get involved. How is one supposed to know whether you like their stuff or not? Oh, we can use counters to see how many people follow or show up, but counters are limited. Consider these examples: Counters cannot show how long one stayed or if ALL the content was read or if they looked at all the ‘purty pit-chures.’  Counters cannot show if the content inspired you to take out the trash, walk the dog, throw stuff or leave a comment and things like that?

Here are a few lines from some poem; its title and the person who wrote it, I cannot recall.

“If some praise is due em,’ now is the time to slip it to them,

for they cannot read their tombstone when they’re gone.”

-unknown-

The point being, if you like someone or something they do, let them know. Even if it is an honest critique without being critical or I hate your guts negative, it would be appreciated. Why not pay me to do what I love, but then again, why buy the milk when you can get the cow for free?

I am all over the world so to speak, as I am interested in many things and in many people. My profile reads that I am an artist (multiple mediums), an entrepreneur (I have several businesses), and that I am an I-Magineer (an engineer of imagination). I am a light writer which is what photography literally means and what a photographer does, they write with light. What a poet is, is pretty self-explanatory. A word weaver is simply one that weaves with words, a writer.

All that I do or try to do, centers on these things. Lastly, I am an AMER-I-CAN.  It is a self-professed title, indicative of the potential of each of, WE the people of the United States of America. Each of us can say, I-CAN! Each of us can affect change in our individual lives, in the lives of our families, friends, and associates and to the whole of our country and the peoples of the world. WE are not WE without freedom and without freedom, there can be no more WE. Lets us commit or recommit ourselves to this cause, forsaking all parties, our particular sex, our race, color, beliefs, opinions, intellect, and economic status. WE are a nation of individuals, but we were united as one people, for FREEDOM. WE can be connected or reconnect on Twitter. This is, my Twitter agenda. I have no others!

Dahni

Twitter-pated

By Dahni

© Copyright 6/4/09

all rights reserved

http://www.Twitter.com

”I’m Twitter-pated”

Thumper

I am excited about Twitter.

“How Tweet it is!

–Jackie Gleason-

It seems like we’ve become a Twitter-nation. With so many tweeters, it’s almost next to impossible to find yourself or to be found. After awhile, we all start to look the same. Is this bath night? Breath mint anyone? Gotta go, Tweet me.

A sea of endless Tweeters

What must we do to stand out from the rest of the crowd?

March to the ‘tweet’ of a different drum

And the Twitter phenomenon is not just here, it’s gone global.

Global-Twitter-ization

Twitter is a great way to make contact with others. Some may not appreciate the 140 character maximum to send a ‘Tweet,’ but personally, I love the brevity. There are a lot of tips and tricks, images, widgets, and even books to purchase for all Twitters that want their tweets to be really tweet, I mean sweet. If you have a really long URL and no room to post your tweet, check out these FREE sites:

http://www.tinyurl.com

or

http://bit.ly/

As ‘cool’ as Twitter is, it’s not without some potential problems. It seems like so many are ‘following’ others and so many others may be ‘following’ you. Some use programs, applications, widgets and software to get followers. Others pay to get followers or solicit you to pay them to get followers. Some have others tweet for them or set up an account, just to see if they can get enough followers, to make it worth their while to tweet.

I follow people I know; people that I like; people that I am interested in and those whose content I find useful. Then, there are others that I don’t particularly care for, but I want or need to know, what they are up to. I would like to think that this all means that I check in with those I follow on a regular basis; send them direct messages or reply to their tweets because, I have read them. Come on, people that follow 1,000’s of others (+ more), who is kidding who? Do you really check in, reply to their tweets or send them direct messages regularly? Maybe you have one of those software/widget thingies that I call Automatic Tweeters? Come on, 1,000’s of followers? Does  this not sound like a big ego or low self-esteem? If it is legit, I guess you need your own Twitter Response Team, just to keep up with all your Tweets.

Well, here we are in Tweetsville or Tweettown, all tweeting up a storm with our tweets.

Here we are? Who Are We? Are we really here?

In the image above, we are all sitting in some Twitter-cafe or Tweet-theater, holding up pictures of ourselves. But they may or may not be who we really are. And our names might be real or made up or we are actually using our not-real names as our user names like, I am Not Dahni. or Not the Real Dahni etc. Some are not even here, but who would know this? They are having someone tweet for them or they are sending in their tweets by phone, but their real or not-real pictures are siting on empty seats.

Yes, we have these little icons to represent us. Some have a profile and others do not. Some have masked or hidden the names of their web sites and if you click on the links, you just might find yourself inside an adult content site, with nude pictures. Ahhhhhh for some and oooooops for others, I guess.

Perhaps you are famous or a person of note and want your privacy and don’t want people to stalk you? Well, didn’t all of us go ‘public,’ the moment we walked out of our private lives and into a public forum? Hey, if we don’t want others snooping around, we can always block them or just stay home. And this would mean that the Blackberries, iPhones, other phones and our pooters’ are OFF.

With the popularity of Twitter exploding, there are other things we need to be aware of.

Hackers – Spammers – Vultures

(poor little helpless Tweeter)

Note: Isn’t spam, hacking, solicitation and even people bugging us, the price we pay for FREE? And language? Whew – hashmarks, abbreviations, code and so forth? Is this really a language? I am starting to hear people speak in Twitter-speak too. Soon, maybe our official languages will reflect this? I can’t wait for the signs posted outside of shops to read:

“Twitter-speak spoken here.”

It seems to me that the Twitter bird is the Blue Bird of Hapiness? Are other birds allowed, say like a woodpecker? By the way, have you ever wondered if a woodpecker ever gets a migraine headache? Hmmmm?

For me, I am what I am, and what you see is what you get. I am really Dahni. Dahni1 on Twitter. Yep, I’m a Twitter and a Tweeter, because to me, this is more than another social network thingy. It’s a great way to Tweet to others quickly, about something fun, cool, and informative or to provide links to some beneficial content. Lickety-split too! It’s an art form!

Follow me if you’d like, but realize that I might not lead. Try to lead me, but I just might not follow. Why not walk beside me and be my tweety-friend!

Please never drive while Tweeting and Tweet responsibly.

Thank you for listening. You may now return to your regularly scheduled tweeting program.

Tweet – Tweet – Tweet!

Tweet on,

Dahni

In Her Eyes

In Her Eyes © Copyright 2009 by Dahni & I-Magine

 

How Can We Know

by Dahni

We mere mortal men – proud and upright;
with our bow stretched taut
and a quiver of arrows
in hunt and search for prey,
find our hearts cornered and captured
by a goddess.

How can we know,
the blood red thoughts of her heart?

We take a cup of courage to our lips,
but dare not ask,
for fear of being stricken down.
We take yet another cup of courage
to our lips,
but dare not ask,
for our words could be slurred by the cups of courage;
and fear her words could be feigned.
How can we know?

Some the heart – worn upon the sleeve.
Some the heart – penned upon parchment,
heard with the ears;
spoken with the lips;
read with the eyes.
How can we know – deaf, mute and blinded?

How can we know?

How is it that we look, but cannot see?
Our eyes clouded with tears of hope,
haze our own arrow lodged there.

How can we know?

The contents of a woman’s heart,
is in her eyes,
for there she is loved
and is in love.

From the collection: ‘Full Measure’ © 2009 by the same author