open door of 2024 . ©all rights reserved Jan Godown Annino/JGA
Small poems*
Open door
remembering kindness in 2023
kindling The Goodness for 2024
life’s an open door
[©2023 Jan Godown Annino
allrightsreserved/JGA]
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Merry manatees of December 2023
meandering manatees
groove in forest grove security
not everyone loves them
[©.2023allrightsreservedJanGodownAnnino/JGA]
Imagining here, a New Year 2024 that rolls along with soothing moments & a bit of silly among all else that we know suspect will fret us, beset the Universe, as we keep working for The Good.
*The headline is inspired by #PoetryFriday’sAnatasia Suen’s “Small stories.” Be sure to thank today’s #PoetryFriday Host, creative visual & literary artist, Michelle Kogan. #PoeryFriday’s weekly RoundUp idea is beautifully explained at NoWaterRiver.
We often rely on our area’s woods & fields retreat, Birdsong Nature Center, for weekend ramble adventures. This autumn, a double wood door appeared. Magically. Once. http://www.birdsongnaturecenter.org/home.html
Anastasia Suen https://anastasiasuen.com/
Beloved by classrooms for Adopt-A-Manatee: https://savethemanatee.org/news-events/news/
Wakulla Springs State Park is a North Florida go-to for winter manatee appreciation. https://www.floridastateparks.org/WakullaSprings
Bookseedstudio 
27 responses to “into the new”
Oh, Jan! I love this: “Imagining here, a New Year 2024 that rolls along with soothing moments & a bit of silly among all else that we know suspect will fret us, beset the Universe, as we keep working for The Good.” I’m here for it. 🙂
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Karen!
Hi & TY for reminding me one of the key gems of #PF, that is,
I luv that with our group,
I found a community of creatives passionately continually working for TheGood.
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Jan, I loved seeing the manatees. This morning there was an article in the NYT about Blue Springs Park in Orange City, Florida, where there are now about a thousand Manatees hiding there from the colder ocean water. So many! I loved hearing that their protective measures and public awareness are working to increase their numbers.
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Appreciations for your manatee 💗! And you have such a long-running connection to them in Florida 🙂
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How wonderful and whimsical to find a double door in the middle of nature! Perfect inspiration for a poem. Thank you for sharing your photos and poems with us this week.
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Appreciations for your words here & shared luv of Whimsey!
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I love that open door image, Jan. Thank for it and your poems. Wishing you lots of goodness in 2024.
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Jan, the open door photo captures the feeling of possibility, as does your poem! Those manatees! I have never seen them in the wild.
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TY Tracey! Here where we see them on a cold Winter morn, we are so fortunate for the True Protected Nature of the state park that is their haven. Until they meander away from it! #WakullaSpringsStatePark
Also recommended are other state parks, in Winter, more south, with springs that attract them. But those parks are also more accessible to large cities & therefore the parks are crowded & sometimes have lines of traffic, waiting to be admitted.
Appreciations again for writing & Have a creative cosy weekend!
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I am one of those who love meandering manatees and I used to go to the St. John’s river in Florida with my mother to watch their shadowy bodies lounging about. Thanks for the reminder and the photo. I hope they are well. Happy New Year! I hope, too, that it’s a peaceful throughout.
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Such a great nature moment memory you keep about your Mother.
Now have a St JOHNS River connection l wasn’t aware of, Janice. Appreciations for these kind words.
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The image of an open door alongside the small poem resonates with me as I have shut the door on 2023. Slammed it closed. On to the next chapter of life. I have no expectations that it will not contain hard, but I hope there is more good. Thanks for your presence and your kindness, always.
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Hugs back at ‘ya, wonderful Margaret. You are onto somthin’ groovy good in 2024.
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I, too, love those open doors! They say so much. Let’s link arms and march right through them into 2024 with determination to spread kindness like jam on toast — thick and sweet!
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Aww. Always arm-linked with you.
[My jam will be fig preserves from our freeze-defying tree]
[Your cloud embroidery is uniquely fabulous. When im on laptop vs. just the travel phone I will visit your Elevenie/Elfchen creations again.]
Now, thru that promising Open Door …
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Jan, I love love love those doors which appeared. Once. I always think of Janus and approaching the doorway of the New Year. I wish manatees would be on the other side for me too! Wishing you the goodest, silliest 2024!
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Yay! Mentioning Janus adds so much & appreciations for bringing that duality in & for all your word gifts.
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Such an apt image – your open door – reflecting the open heart that I hear in your words, heading into this new year. May your curiosity be accompanied by joy crossing this threshold, Jan!
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Oh, I love these, Jan! My favorite is the manatee poem. Happy New Year!
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Love these photos, Jan! Happy new year!
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Have you read Evan Griffith’s wonderful Manatee Summer? I think you’d love it!
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Hey wonderful Liz & appreciations for adding something new to this NY Weekend post.
I’ve just begun an endearing story I was gifted at Christmas, REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES, Shelby Van Pelt’s Giant Pacific Octopus tale, a debut novel of 2022/ Jr. Library Guild selection, with a Giant Pacific Octopus character & 72-year-old cleaning woman pal.
You may like that. And, MANATEE SUMMER is now on my 2024 list.Not enough can be said or written about protecting these safety-needing river and salt seas creatures.
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I don’t know where you found that picture & maybe it’s your ‘open door’, Jan, but I do love it and your wishes! My granddaughter studied manatees a while ago & we saw them many times when staying on Captiva. I love that you wrote about them, and have seen they’re in danger! Wishing better things for them and for all of us in 2024. Happy New Year!
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Hey wonderful Linda & appreciations for the wee nudge.
I’ve added a link below to the image location.
It cheers me to know your grandaughter will keep manatees close to her heart, all her life
TY for reminding me of our Captiva connection 🙂
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The manatee link is ABOVE, not below. . . 🙂
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I love manatees–how could not everyone love them? Thanks for your small poems and open heart, Jan. Happy New Year!
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Oh those dear and poor manatees, they really need our help, thanks for writing a poem for them and for all to read. And what an inviting and uplifting line, “life’s an open door,” I’ll take that one, and I love the pic too! Hope we can wrangle out some good for later in the year…Thanks for all Jan, Happy New Year! xox 🥳
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