Shrouded Shore: The Many Musings of Thom Singleton

  Thanks for Being You Thanks to… Aaron A tower of power In front of his college-credit class, a teacher of the best Appleton has to offer As a Dad, a model of what is important in life A model of love Amy A woman of many talents A teacher of long-standing, one who will be remembered by her students for her resolve for their betterment As a Mom, one who knows how to love her children, and does so with aplomb For Aaron, their kids, and us grandparents, a great cook as well! George At eight years old, a reader, like Mom, of many books A football player A big brother to August A good student, how could he miss with parents like his? August At five years old, a builder of legos A super hero A happy fellow A boy with a great future ahead of him 

   Haiku: Our Wilderness Friends Teeth inspection time The dentist says, “Open wide.” Easy for ‘gators Saw one far away A Yellowstone grizzly bear It was close enough! Ponds bring in wildlife Saw two beavers at their pond Then also, two moose River otters play Play near the bow of our canoe On Isle Royale Coyote crossing In the meadow and the woods Our front and back yards We have “daily deer” We’re one stop on their food run They love our bird seed They’re tiny squirrels But they’re not as squirrely They are called chipmunks A giant elephant In Nepal the males roam free Except when they mate Paddling our kayak Paddling the Intracoastal Paddled with dolphins Those were killer whales And not killer as in cool But as in dead meat In Olympic Park Mountain goats showed us the trail To the Park’s highest point California coast Seal with a trunk for a nose An elephant seal Elk were in the dunes And also in the mountains Diverse habitats Our lone opossum Tried to make our deck her ho...

  Animals We’ve Encountered in the Wildernesses of the World  Alligator Grizzly Bear Beaver River Otter Coyote White Tail Deer Chipmunk Elephant Dolphin Killer Whale Mountain Goat Elephant Seal Elk Opossum Big Horn Bobcat Fisher Flying Fish Donkey Black Bear Grey Squirrel Grey Whale Sea Otter Snapping Turtle Mustang Pica Timber Wolf Urchin Manatee Bison Mule Deer Muskrat Moose Mink Prairie Dog Porcupine Jack Rabbit Loon Pronghorn Red Squirrel Ring-Neck Pheasant Rattlesnake Turkey Rhinoceros Raccoon Skunk Red Fox Starfish Vulture Weasel Armadillo Woodchuck

  Motion Lights Our house is ringed by them, installed by the former owner, a single woman. When one goes on at night, I look out the window, and, sure enough, I see animals - deer, racoons, ‘possum - or sometimes, nothing. It must be a shock to whomever or whatever hurried to the shadows to avoid my eavesdropping. If it’s a ‘who,’ the trespasser should be exposed. If it’s a ‘what,’ they’re just trying to make a living foraging by night. The animals are so much safer to do so when it’s dark, rather than when the big, blazing motion light - our Sun - is out.   

  The Tao of Snow I attempt to say what the Tao is But, as Taoists say, if you define it, the Tao is not it The Tao is the indefinite, or, perhaps, the infinite. It is all there is in every moment It is the light I see around the drapes It is not just the streetlight, but the glow The glow from the light reflected on the snow The hazy light of falling snowflakes Snowflakes in the wind, in the tree branches, on the ground First snowflakes on the yearling deer in the yard Deer who don’t know what to make of it First snow for them First snow of the season for us Oh, and the Tao is the shovel, too