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The Pinecone
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April 2014
Nicole Car l ton
Congratulations
emp l o y ee o f t h e mon t h
HOME THOUGHTS FROM ABROAD
OH, to be in England now that April ’s there
And whoever wakes in England sees, some morning,
unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brushwood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England—now!
And after April, when May follows
And the white-throat builds, and all the swallows!
Hark, where my blossom’d pear-tree in the hedge
Leans to the field and scatters on the clover
Blossoms and dewdrops—at the bent spray’s edge—
That ’s the wise thrush: he sings each song twice over
Lest you should think he never could re-capture
The first fine careless rapture!
And, though the fields look rough with hoary dew,
All will be gay when noontide wakes anew
The buttercups, the little children’s dower,
Far brighter than this gaudy melon-flower!
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by English Poet, Robert Browning
When I read Browning’s poem, two of my county’s loveliest places “spring”
to mind: Memphis, Tennessee and Charleston, South Carolina. April and
May are glorious months in both cities.
Dogwood, Redbud, Willow, Ginkgo, and Cherry too;
All in profusion and each just for you.
Amaryllis, Daffodils, Lilies and Crocus in the snow,
House high azaleas – none prettier wherever you go.
Song birds and migrators of every hue,
Colorful home bodies, the Cardinal, the Jay, and the Dove
Wrens, Owls, and Flickers I love.
Drunk with spring’s perfume and serenaded so fine!
I know in reverie it is all still mine!
Or as Emily Dickinson described it:
To Make A Prairie It Takes A Clover And One Bee
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by American Poet, Emily Dickinson
To make a prairie, it takes a clover and one bee,
One clover, and a bee,
And reverie.
The reverie alone will do,
If bees are few.
Take a moment for reverie;
I guarantee there is a poem in it.
-
Val Reed, First Monday Poetry Group
Nicole Carlton was named Employee of the Month, because of her dedication and ability
to balance multiple tasks all at once. Nicole continually works with a number of different
departments to make the experience for the residents here at Kirby Pines a great one. She is
normally one of the first people a new resident will meet upon arriving at Kirby Pines and
always greats them with a smile.
Nicole is willing to go the extra mile for anyone she comes in contact with and should be a
prime example for all employees to follow.
-
Mike Nolan, Director of Environmental Services
