N is for No Time

A to Z Challenge (see tab above or link to the right) and Slice of Life Tuesday today!

Three boats and three poems for today!
N is getting along in the alphabet.  I need a Q boat name for Friday!  And a U for next week, though I kind of found a U name... no picture, but a lobster boat name from years ago.
SO, if you have a boat you haven't named yet, I think you ought to name your boat Quick Quixote or Quilly Wonka...Ultra Sultry or Utterly Ugly...anything with a Q or a U!  Then paint the name on it, move to Maine, take a picture and send it to me.  That should be easy enough to do for next week.  And I think dedicated readers SHOULD be willing to do this, for the sake of blogging integrity.   Any Z name would be fine, also.   Suggestions:  Zed's Meds, Zealously Jealous. 

Don't make me resort to buying my own fleet!  

Oooh, a copy of PhotoShop would be cheaper!

No Time

"No Time"

There's no time to lose
The hours fly by
No time like the present
The wind and waves sigh.

At sea there's no time
It's stirred in the wake
Evening comes quickly
Soon after daybreak

Most of our lifetime
Our time is not free
But time spent at sea
Is just No Time and me
 

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Number 7

"Number 7"

I lead a blessed life,
I'm straight out of heaven
A guardian angel
The great Number 7

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 Nadine Rae

"Nadine Rae"

Nadine Rae, what did you say?
"It's time for work and not for play."
Nadine Rae, why can't you wait?
"Get your boots and get your bait."
Nadine Rae, why do you nag?
"Grab that gaff and bait that bag."
It's time to go, I know, I know!
"Best be quick, or I'll make you row!"
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Educational Nook:

New-shell lobster = A lobster that has recently molted (see M), and whose shell is still very soft. These aren't usually for sale. They are softer than a "soft-shell" (see S next week), which is sold. These do not get bands put on their claws because they are so soft they can't damage other lobsters in the holding tank and the bands could crush the claws.

K is for Karen Elizabeth

It's Letter K Day for the A to Z Challenge (see tab above to go to more great A to Z posts), and it is Poetry Friday.  Thank you, Diane, at Random Noodling for hosting today.

"Karen Elizabeth"

The sea is my road;
The spray is my air;
The helm is my soul;
Coils of rope my hair.

My strength's in my hull;
My keel keeps me true;
From bow to the stern,

 My heart is my crew.

"K & E II"

Real sisters in life, companions we two;
The smaller the old, the larger the new.

A father and son will soon get us set;
 Prepare us for launch, when deadlines are met.

Keels in the water, bait in the traps
Sisters will dance again o'er the white caps.

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Educational Korner

knots - check here for some ways to tie knots

Keel = The central framing part in the bottom of a ship's hull

Lobstering can kill you, literally.  Ropes and moving traps are always a danger.  Fishermen always carry a knife for cutting lines in case a foot gets caught in the ropes and they get carried overboard with traps.  Watch a scary lobstering trip (YouTube), with a good ending.

J is for Jacob & Rachel

The day of J-ay.
And this first poem was a first poem, scheduled and ready to post.  Then I came back to it today (which is yesterday officially for you) to check and see what I had put together.  I wasn't satisfied with it.  So I started messing with it.  I was just going to add to it, but then before I knew it:
Cut.  Revise.  Cut.  Paste in a different spot.  Cut.  Add. Edit-Undo, Edit-Undo.  Rewrite.  Add.  Think. Think.  Admonition to self - "Stop thinking and just see, feel and write".  Cut a bit, move a bit.  Done.  Whoops!  One more word change.

So the first poem just under the picture is old, below ~~~~~~ is new and revised.

"Jacob & Rachel"

1.
The lobsterman's job

To pass on to kin:

The traps are hauled up

And then tossed back in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2.
With barnacled hands
Sand dollar skin
 Periwinkle eyes
And rocky hard chin
He’s  a part of the land
A part of the sea
 A heart for the deep and
For his family.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3.
Barnacled hands,
Sand dollar skin,
 Periwinkle eyes,
Rocky ledge chin;
 Part of the land,
Portion of sea;
 Heart for the deep
And for family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now that I see both together, the second one is nothing at all like the original.  That's good.  Do you agree?  Or do you prefer the first?
"But I see three poems here," I hear you saying.  Okay, just came back to this, this morning, and did some cutting and resulted in #3.  That's my pick.  What a transition!  I think I'm finally happy with it.  Less is more here.  J is also for Just Do It.
I like revising.  Do you?  Have you ever started with a poem or piece and messed with it so much that it ended up totally different?

Educational Jargon:

Jumbo: A lobster that weighs over 2-1/2 pounds.

H is for Happy Crab

Each day in April, except for Sundays, we are challenged to write on a topic that begins with the letter of the day.  Sunday will have a poem maybe topic related or at least Maine stuff, but not assigned a letter.  Click on the AtoZ Challenge tab above and visit more bloggers participating in this alphabetically challenging month!

It's also Slice of Life Tuesday, so head over there when you are done here at the shore!

My topic is Maine Lobster Boat Names...with a Trawler or two thrown in for missing letters.  Photos are all taken by me, of boats on the coast here in Maine.  They are mostly on land, as this is where they are parked for the winter awaiting warmer days and lobsters to return from deeper waters.  It was fun driving around, jumping out of the car, snapping a picture and taking off to find the next one.

I love this boat!  It definitely looks happy!  Love the color.  It just seems to be smiling.

"Happy Crab"

Warmer days

Gulls winging

Sun, fog, rain
Wind singing
Boat launch May
Happiness springing

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Educational Haven:

Hands-on Education - Lobster Conservancy Educational page - Lobster Curriculum.

Homarus americanus is the species of lobster caught in Maine waters.

Hard-shell lobsters =  Black mottling on the underside of the claws of the live lobster show that it is in its hard shell. They have not recently molted and you will need nutcrackers or a rock (seriously) to get the shell off after it's cooked.

Lobsters exhibit 'handedness'.  A lobster could have the crusher claw (dominant hand) on the right side while others will have it on the left.

 

Hen = A female lobster.

Hauling traps video (it's long...watch a bit) - not my video...YouTube of a local.