A writer inspired by nature and human nature

Archive for the ‘Nature’ Category

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Have an Amazing New Year! (+poem by Bette A. Stevens)


May your New Year be Amazing
as a Monarch Butterfly

May your days be blessed and beautiful

May your nights, sweet dreams supply

May your New Year be amazing

As a monarch butterfly

Wishing all of you and our amazing monarch butterflies…
“An Amazing New Year!”

~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author

All About Monarchs

Monarch butterflies offer an amazing view into the intricate nature of the wild. Their science name, Danaus Plexippus, Greek for “Sleepy Transformation,” gets part of the story right, but not the epic whole. International conservation efforts to protect and restore monarch habitat are ongoing. These efforts may help improve the near-endangered/endangered status of the species; but we, as ordinary citizens, can easily help the monarch butterfly recovery right in our own backyards and gardens. Find out more at the links below.

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Written

on 12/30/2017

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Believe in Miracles—poem by Bette A. Stevens


 

Believe in Miracles

Poem by Bette A. Stevens

The whistling of the wind at play
Sunrise marking each new day
Rainfall crafting flowers to grow
Bright hues of every new rainbow

Planning skills for birds and bees
Conifer seeds becoming trees
Seas with creatures great and small
Land or sea, God made them all

Stars that mark the sky at night
Waning moon soon waxing bright
Seasons as they come and go
Wonders in each day they show

Wonder of wonders is mankind
Of every persuasion, you will find
God’s miracles are everywhere
Here to treasure, here to share

God made each one of us to show
His love and mercy as we go
About our life on earth each day
To all God’s wonders on our way

The greatest miracle you’ll find
God made the world with us in mind
He made it so that we might see
The love He has for you and me

John 1:3 (NIV) “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

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Written

on 12/17/2017

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November Travelers (Haiku) by Bette A. Stevens + Thanksgiving Games & Activities for Families!


November is a month when the last leaves of a glorious season in Maine are soon to be whisked away.  It’s also a month when families and friends gather to celebrate Thanksgiving across the USA. Whether you are planning to travel near or far, or maybe just to stay at home where it’s cozy and warm, I wish you all the Happiest of Holidays! ~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author

November Travelers

Haiku by Bette A. Stevens

November travelers

Await an autumn outing

Wind whisks them away

 

Kick back, relax and have fun with the kids this Thanksgiving. Click on the link below to download #free games and activities from KC Edventures for the whole family to enjoy together!

https://www.kcedventures.com/blog/27-free-thanksgiving-games-activities

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Written

on 11/19/2017

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Respite for the Soul (Haiku & more Maine coastal photos) by Bette A. Stevens


Whenever we need a respite from the doldrums, Maine’s coast is calling…and no matter the season, Belfast, Maine is always a relaxing, scenic 45-minute drive from our 37-acre farmstead in Central Maine. The photo inspiring the haiku Respite for the Soul was taken at Moose Point State Park in Searsport, Maine. Photo collage below is from our latest visit to the nearby town of Belfast. Hope you enjoy the haiku and our visit to two of Maine’s  coastal towns too! ~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author

Ocean waves calling

Visitors from near and far

Respite for the soul

Haiku by Bette A. Stevens

A Day in Belfast, Maine

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Written

on 11/07/2017

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“October Sunset” Haiku by Bette A. Stevens


Here at “The Farmstead” in Central Maine, the splendor never ends as God blesses  us with his bountiful beauty every day—season to season. This evening’s sunset inspired me to pen “October Sunset,” a haiku. What’s inspiring you today? —Bette A. Stevens, Maine author

October Sunset

Haiku by Bette A. Stevens

Ominous skies view
Evening extravaganza
Mourning daylight’s end

Twilight promises
Reassure restless critics
Splendor never ends

 

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Written

on 10/24/2017

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“Autumn Parade: Haiku by Bette A. Stevens


Autumn Parade

Haiku by Bette A. Stevens

Medley of colors
Marching in seasonal time
An autumn parade

About the author

Inspired by nature and human nature, author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five. Stevens lives in Central Maine with her husband on their 37-acre farmstead where she enjoys reading, writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. She advocates for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies—an endangered species (and for milkweed, the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat).

Stevens is the author of AMAZING MATILDA, an award-winning picture book; The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too!, a home/school resource  incorporating hands-on math and writing; and PURE TRASH, the short story prequel to her début novel, DOG BONE SOUP—coming-of-age story and family drama set in 1950s and 60s New England.

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Written

on 10/18/2017

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A Lesson from the Morning Star


Exquisite art and poetry by Frédéric Georges Martin… Enjoy! ~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author http://www.4writersandreaders.com

Written

on 10/03/2017

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Complex intelligence ~


Oh, the wonder of it all… ~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author http://www.4writersandreaders.com

“There is a difference between our wisdom and nature’s simplicity. That reflects the burden of a complex intelligence…” Click the original post to read the entire quote by Alison Hawthorne Deming

Maverick ~'s avatarMaverick Mist

There is a difference between our wisdom and nature's simplicity. That reflects the burden of a complex intelligence. A complex intelligence like ours is impotent compared to the intelligence of a monarch butterfly migrating from Canada to Mexico, or the intelligence of hummingbirds that have co-evolved with the flowers all along their migration route. That seems so simple; it just happens, it just unfolds. — Alison Hawthorne Deming

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Written

on 09/28/2017

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Summer’s Last Song—Haiku by Bette A. Stevens


Summer’s Last Song—Haiku by Bette A. Stevens Summer’s Last Song—Haiku by Bette A. Stevens

As summer draws to a close here at The Farmstead in Central Maine, the air feels crisper and days grow shorter; yet a few summer blooms remain to perform their last song as notes of autumn begin to appear in the background of the landscape, biding their time to take center stage. Oh, the wonders of the seasons.

Summer’s Last Song

Haiku by Bette A. Stevens

Serene autumn hymns

Play softly in the background

Of summer’s last song

 

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Written

on 09/15/2017

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Persistence Speaks—a poem by Bette A. Stevens


Persistence Speaks—a poem by Bette A. Stevens

Nature has so many lessons to teach us and here’s one among the many I’ve learned from the butterflies.

Persistence Speaks

by Bette A. Stevens

Persistence speaks—Do not give up
And why should we comply
The answer’s very humbly found
In wings of butterflies

A tiny egg begins its tasks
Of monumental span
To metamorphose sundry times
Before it understands

The goal which seems impossible
Before the toil begins
Nets dividends beyond compare
When butterflies earn wings

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Written

on 09/04/2017

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