HAPPY NEW YEAR OF THE RAT 2008

I am keeping the 12 days of Christmas, so my decorations will stay up until January 6. My NOBO haiku group has exchanged the Japanese traditional greeting card (Nengaijyou). about 60 of us have done this. There is wonderful creativity in these cards. Some are hand-made and all have a New Year haiku on them together with the Japanese New Year greeting (*Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu*) It is great fun to receive these cards each morning. We are an international group of haiku poets and the stamps alone are wondeful. I have been a member of NOBO ( Shiki) since 2000 and have made some dear friends during these past 7 years. The old Shiki and the current NOBO haiku are kept on-line, so it is nice to see them for the last 7 years. The on-line data base is housed in Japan. Do have a look. This is the YEAR of the Rat. I was born in a Rat year, so this year will be special for me!!!! I wish you all a wonderful year, especially my Rat friends!!!! My New Year haiku I sent this one to all NOBO memebers: Midnight bells Rat chases Pig into the night I woke up to the sound of power saws yesterday. The city workers were sawing down two wonderful, old Weeping Wilow trees. I was very destressed. These were wonderful tress with a bench under one of them that i sit on and look out over the sea very often. I will call the city to see why this was done as soon as thier office opens today. Chinese New Year starts on February 7. I always take my family for a Chinese buffet on that day. Weeping willow trees only stumps remain sound of saws The Wheeping willow she sits under it as her tears fall Danish Christmas dinner -- the smell of red cabbage and a fat goose rice pudding with cherry sauce fat marzipan pig prize At 12:01 he sits in last year's bath water