Endured the wind long enough, haijin? Congratulations to last week’s contributors:
Haikai Challenge Participants| 1. Peter 2. Indira 3. Jules 4. Tessa 5. Dwight L. Roth | 6. Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr 7. Reena Saxena 8. Jade Li/Lisa 9. Deborah 10. Xenia Tran | 11. Kerfe Roig 12. Linda Lee Lyberg 13. Janice |
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Ultreya!
November progresses, and here in the Hudson Valley, traditional winter manifests with unusual Autumn temperature fluctuations. It dropped below freezing Friday morning of last week. Tomorrow, it’s predicted to rise to 57 degrees F. Two days later, it will drop to freezing again!
Things are happening this month. This week, two of them include Veterans Day and the Beaver moon.
Formerly called Armistice Day to mark the end of World War I, Veterans day is celebrated in the United States each year on the 11th of November:
Veterans Dayย (originally known asย Armistice Day) is aย federal holiday in the United Statesย observed annually on November 11, for honoringย military veterans, that is, persons who have served in theย United States Armed Forcesย (and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable)[1][2]. It coincides with other holidays includingย Armistice Dayย andย Remembrance Dayย which are celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end ofย World War I. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when theย Armistice with Germanyย went into effect. At the urging of major U.S. veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
Veterans Day is distinct fromย Memorial Day, a U.S. public holiday in May. Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day honors those who haveย diedย while in military service.[3]ย There is another military holiday,ย Armed Forces Day, a minor U.S. remembrance that also occurs in May, which honors thoseย currently servingย in the U.S. military.
Wikipedia, “Veterans Day”
Meanwhile, the Full Moon occurs at 8:24 on Tuesday, November 12th:
As the chill air of late fog descends, animals begin to prepare their dens for the deep freeze of winter.
Beavers can be seen along the banks of rivers and streams, collecting wood to shore up their lodges and dams before the ice sets in. This was also the time Native American tribes and later European settlers set beaver traps to ensure a supply of warm furs for winter.
Thus Novemberโs full moon is most commonly known as the Beaver Moon, in honor of these industrious semi-aquatic rodents.
Because November also signals the time when bitter hard frostโs become more frequent, this monthโs moon is also sometimes called the Frost Moon.
Farmer’s Almanac, ” Why Is Novemberโs Full Moon Called the Beaver Moon? “
This week, write the haikai poem of your choice (haiku, senryu, haibun, tanka, haiga, renga, etc.) that alludes to Veterans Day, Beaver Moon, or both!
As always:
Hereโs how the challenge works:
1. write the haikai poem of your choice.
2. post the link of your post to Mister Linky.
3. pingback by posting the link to the challenge on your site.
4. read and comment on other contributorsโ posts.
Tomorrow, on Veterans Day, I celebrate another birthday. Expect me when you see me.
To all veterans, thank you for your service! Happy Veterans Day! And enjoy the light of another Beaver moon, haijin!
Frank J. Tassone 
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