Violets, Mom, and the Book of Ruth

A writing friend of mine was willing to share a piece she'd written at our retreat last week-end for my blog. Each person wrote a list of favorit…

National Poetry Month #30

Honoring poems each day this month has been an incredible experience for me. I have reread old favorites, found new poets, and heard lots of feedback…

Sibling Assignment #18: Poppyseed Pancakes, Strong Coffee, and Red Flags Flying

The sibling assignment this week was An Oregon Coast memory . Raymond Pert's will be found here and Silver Valley Girl's will be found here . W…

National Poetry Month #29

What the Living Do Johnny, the kitchen sink has been clogged for days, some utensil probably fell down there. And the Drano won't work but smells …

Sunday Scribblings: Mating for Life

The Sunday Scribblings topic this week is wings . Wings connect me to birds. Today I returned to mountain bluebirds. I grew up in Kellogg, Idaho and be…

National Poetry Month #28

The Red Wheelbarrow so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens. -William Carlos Williams

Touring the Inland Empire and a Starbucks Field Trip

Yesterday I left the part of Lake Roosevelt I call home to attend a leadership retreat in Spokane, WA. There are two free ferries on Lake Roosevelt. …

National Poetry Month #27: Jump Rope Rhymes

When I found these rhymes in a book entitled And the Green Grass Grew All Around by Alvin Schwartz it took me back to the Sunnyside School playground…

Sunflowers: A Writing Prompt

Tonight I began a leadership retreat with teachers of writing. It was only fitting that we began with a writing prompt. Our leader had us write five …

National Poetry Month #26

How do I know when a poem is finished? When you quietly close the door to a room the room is not finished. It is resting. Temporarily. Glad to be without y…

Same Time Every Year: A Community of Learners

A group of educators gather the same time each year at a leadership retreat in Spokane for the Northwest Inland Writing Project. Tomorrow I have the …

National Poetry Month #25

All all he would have to say is, remember the time I came home with a beard and Dad didn’t know me, and we would all laugh, Mom would say, just by your vo…

Recycled, Gently Used, and a Room With a Different View

Our house is a small rambler in the country that is divided into two parts. There is the main living area, then a breezeway/ patio that connects the …

National Poetry Month #24

Porches On the front porch Chairs sit still; The table will receive Summer drinks; They wait, arranged, Strange and polite. On the back porch Garden tools sp…

Patience, Persistance, and A Room With a View

"Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence." Unknown This is a view from my classroom…

National Poetry Month #23: Post #100

When I began my blog on February 11,2007 my goal was to post each day. I surpassed my goal and reached a milestone today. Enjoy post #100! Yard Sale Go…

"You Say Sarvis, I Say Service": Serviceberry Blossoms Beckon Spring

In the area of northeastern Washington I call home serviceberry bushes cover hillsides along the country roads I frequent. They burst into bloom at t…

National Poetry Month #22: Happy Earth Day

Lake Roosevelt in Washington state looking northeast toward Idaho. Earth Day I am the Earth And the Earth is me. Each blade of grass, Each honey tree, Eac…

Rooted In This Place We Call Home

Sunday Scribbling prompt this week is rooted . Love is like a tree, it grows of its own accord, it puts down deep roots into our whole being." Vic…

National Poetry Month #21

The Christmas Cactus All during the Christmas rush I waited for the thing to come alive. Eyed it while I gift wrapped scarves, By New Year's I vowed t…

Gardening Wisdom 101

The flowering plum blossoms greeted us this morning. I rely on experienced gardeners to pass on their wisdom when it comes to gardening tips. Some que…

My Third Spring Bouquet from the Garden

"Friends are the flowers in the garden of life." M. Engelbreit

National Poetry Month, Poem #20

Mending A giant hand inside my chest Stretches out and takes My heart within its might grasp And squeezes till it breaks. A gentle hand inside my chest, Wi…

Sour Cream-Banana Bars: From the Recipe Box

This is a great recipe to take for treats somewhere or just enjoy at home. It is easy to make and travels well. Sometimes at our house we refer to th…

National Poetry Month #19

When We Were Poets Language wasn’t ashamed of us. We lived like our poems, nailed words into a chair if we dreamed of a chair. We listened to the rain an…

Day is Done

"The day is done, and the darkness Falls from the wings of night." Longfellow As another day is done in the country and just as the darkness …

National Poetry Month, Poem #18

Remembering When there was air, when you could breathe any day if you liked, and if you wanted to you could run, I used to climb those hills back of town…

National Poetry Month, Poem #17

Since Hanna Moved Away The tires on my bike are flat. The sky is grouchy gray. At least it sure feels like that Since Hanna moved away. Chocolate ice crea…

a prayer

"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." James 4:8 My prayers are with the staff, students, and families of Virginia Tech.

Learning About My Surroundings Through the Eyes of My Dogs and Cats

As I was studying my collection of digital pictures in computer files tonight my first thought was how thankful I am that we now own a digital camera…