In Between Life Anew

The chill of a season hangs on in breath While the earth underneath awaits its death There are calls of life anew underneath As chorus frogs wait in a shrubland heath A taste of spring willingly comes and goes Warm breezes, fresh unsoiled air wafts like prose Then winter returns from clouds filled with snow Gray skies appear in silver ink shadow In time, the month of earth’s change comes along Geese and crane return, noting robin’s song Too earlyRead more

#SoCS: A Close-Up to Winter and Cats

Cats are funny. Sometimes they want to be close up to their human while they attempt a yoga stretch, and sometimes they are a bit further away. In a box. At times there are snuggles and purrs from the furballs, at times one can drive a person crazy with their need-to-be/want-to-be in the kitchen addiction. Close up, the double fence wall seems formidable, but I’m waiting for Hoshi to find a way past it. The white fence was doing it’sRead more

#SoCS: Generally Speaking…

I hate technology at times. It’s Friday afternoon and the images I wanted to share are not cooperating. The android is not cooperating. Gmail is not cooperating. Gibbs tells me I’m not cooperating with his eating schedule. Whatever. The washer and dryer ARE cooperating, thank the Lord. Clean clothes are genuinely required. Anyhow, the photo of the bike is now my new bike, without the bike rack, odometer, front and rear lights and water bottle holder that was added atRead more

#SoCS: Profound and Pink

She steps out into the morning sun, a growing child of five, taking in the warmth of spring and new beginnings. The child heads to her love, a pink bike that sits in the corner of the yard, the one thing that brings adventure to her life as the tires spin across the grass and gravel. The sun beckons her down the block, across the cracks of sidewalk cement and slowly, across decades, she ages into her real self, theRead more

Monday Morning Catch-Up

No, I am not back in Colorado. The week I returned from the mountains, we did get early snow (which didn’t stick), but my brother wasn’t quite as lucky. While our weather improved, his deteriorated for a bit. Thankfully, we are both back to nicer weather, although the photo above would make a nice Christmas postcard. The last two weeks have flown by with a mountain of busy-ness. Personal/doctor appointments, cat sitting for a friend, churchy stuff, getting together withRead more

A Winter’s Psalm

Frigid winter is my torment; I shall not want.     I lie wrapped in a cocoon of a comforter’s warmth, a sleeping cat lays still beside me.     Frigid gnaws at my shivering soul. He lures me outside in evil deceit     for a frozen winter’s sake. I trudge through drifts of plow’s leavings,     and fear the ice underneath, for there is no one with me     to right a body when it falls.     Frigid cannot comfort me where I lie. Winter prepares arrivalRead more

#SoCS: A Day Such as This

I aspire to a day such as this When blue meets blue and autumn is barely kicking When the geese aren’t sure if they’re supposed to stay or go When a summer-like breeze mixes with a waft of fallen leaves And Mother Nature spares us from her killing frost I am inspired on a day such as this To hop on a bicycle and ride ’til it hurts To follow a trail littered with leaves and invisible footprints To breatheRead more

Three of Everything

“So when you’re coldFrom the inside outAnd don’t know what to do,Remember love and friendship,And warmth will come to you.”― Stephen Cosgrove It’s cold outside. It’s been cold outside since last Friday, after our first major snowstorm of the winter. The 10-day forecast predicts a continuation of the cold: Highs in the single digits (F) with wind chills below zero. The sun and blue skies have been oh so pretty, but there’s no warmth to either one. Walking outside is currentlyRead more

Don’t Ask…

“If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads.” ~Anatole France~ As I write this, I am looking out at an all-day rain and the end of what was an absolutely mouth-watering, life-giving, and rejuvenating stretch of weather in November. I spent four days of this stretch on the bike and when the wind was a little too much or time ran short, I went for a walk. The cordiality of the sun and smiling companion ofRead more

SoCS: An Addition to the Menu

This past week was a glorious addition to a fall biking menu. Rather than normal high temperatures in the upper 40’s to low 50’s F, we have been basking in the warmth of the 60’s and low 70’s. It is the weather I had hoped for in October. It’s been a blessing as the loveliness of the outdoors has kept my mind off the national election and on to more important matters: time on the nearby state bike trails. IRead more

In a Moment

In a moment I shall see the wholly beauty of thee the chartreuse forest sublime in a taunting seasonal rhyme In a moment I have laid down Horizontal lifeless brown Roots exposed to autumn air The forest sing-song in despair In a moment I stand tall Piney feathers never fall Limbs hold up a child dear An endless mission crystal clear In a moment winter will come My leaves fallen, done I’ll capture the warmth of sol Rue arrival ofRead more

Stop Touching Me!

“The snow doesn’t give a soft white damn whom it touches.” ~E.E. Cummings~ It snowed in Wisconsin on October 25th. Too damn early. Although it’s always a possibility, I prefer to wait until after Thanksgiving to witness the first snowfall. First snowfalls tend to be the prettiest, except when they come a month before anyone is ready and I’m not ready. Then again, it could be worse. Check out this post from Shelley at Quaint Revival. While she also livesRead more