National Poetry Month, Poem #2

Where I’m From

I am from clothespins,
from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride,
I am from the dirt under the back porch.
(Black, glistening,
It tasted like beets.)
I am from the forsythia bush,
The Dutch elm
Whose long-gone limbs I remember
As if they were my own.

I’m from fudge and eyeglasses,
from Imogene and Alafair.
I’m from the know-it-alls
and the pass-it-ons,
from Perk up! And Pipe down!I’m from He restoreth my soul
with a cottonball lamb
and ten verses I can say myself.

I’m from Artemus and Billie’s Branch,
Fried corn and strong coffee.
From the finger my grandfather lost
to the auger,
the eye my father shut to keep his sight.

Under my bed was a dress box
spilling old pictures,
a sift of lost faces
to drift beneath my dreams.
I am from those moments-
Snapped before I budded-
leaf-fall from the family tree.
-George Ella Lyon

This poem is one that is simple and familiar. When I first read it I thought of Grandma’s black dirt under her porch, Mom’s homemade fudge, making a cottonball lamb, and Dad losing an eye in an accident as a child . This poem is a good starting point for a writing exercise for families, friends, and students. Enjoy!

Gathering Around the Table.... Hard Hat Area

Growing up in Kellogg, Idaho hard hats were commonplace for the workers at Bunker Hill Mining Company. Posted around the different areas of the company were signs that said "Hard Hat Area... Safety First". You'd see men in white or yellow hard hats which were usually covered with muck from the mine or grease and dirt from the Zinc Plant. Usually Dad had one in the basement or out in the garage.

Mom started a collection of antique kitchen items after Grandma West died. She inherited some memorabilia from her own childhood and continued to add other pieces to the collection. The items are all situated on the large eastern wall of the kitchen. New collectibles have been added until now the wall is pretty full. When Dad's cronies, our family members or family friends would gather around the table there was always a warning to the person that would sit in the back part of the kitchen table. Dad loved to announce," You better put on your hard hat if you sit in that chair. If anything shakes this house, you'll be a goner". Then he would break into a smile followed by loud laughter. Through the years each of us had an encounter with something that fell off that wall. There was a lightweight rug beater that ended up on my niece's head. Somebody got a trivet on their plate. Mom had some round casserole holders that were attached to the wall with tiny nails. All it took was a clumsy, left-handed blonde (me) or a grandchild trying to secure a seat for dinner and one of those ended up on a head, in a plate of food, or on the floor.

The wall has always been quite a conversation piece when people come to visit. These items remind us of those funny mishaps and of many hours gathering around the table at my childhood home.

National Poetry Month, Poem #1

April is National Poetry Month. "Inaugurated by the Academy in April 1996, National Poetry Month (NPM) brings together publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools, and poets around the country to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events." from http://www.poets.org. This site introduces you to all kinds of activities taking place during this poetry month. I love to read, write, and teach poetry. I will be posting a poem a day in celebration of National Poetry Month

Poetry Post #1
This poem is dedicated to my sister SilverValleyGirl that has an ambitious list of things to get done this week while her family is gone. She is behind the laptop screen here with her dog Sadie coaching her from her shoulder and Snug giving moral support as she plans her strategy for the week.


There Isn’t Time
There isn’t time, there isn’t time
To do the things I want to do,
With all the mountain-tops to climb,
And all the woods to wander through,
And all the seas to sail upon,
And everywhere there is to go,
And all the people, every one
Who lives upon the earth, to know.
There’s only time, there’s only time
To know a few, and do a few,
And then sit down and make a rhyme
About the rest I want to do.

-Eleanor Farjeon

Another Springer In My Life

Snug is my brother Raymond Pert's springer spaniel. We got a phone call about four months after we had brought our springer Annie home. It was my brother announcing that he too had brought a springer spaniel home. Snug traveled with my brother this week to Kellogg. I love this picture of Snug looking like he is waiting to check his email. Since my dogs had to stay home this trip I have had more opportunity to "bond" with Snug. He is definitely Snug the Joiner. He loves to be with people and loves all the critters at my sister's house. You can enjoy pictures of Snug here. I wish we lived closer. I will miss him when he leaves and returns to Oregon tomorrow.

The Candy Bar That Makes Idaho Famous

Today I was back in my hometown of Kellogg, Idaho. I got to spend the day with my siblings touring the Inland Empire and visiting memorable places from our childhood. I was in charge of dinner at the end of our full day. What would be more fitting than making a dessert that originated right here in Idaho? I had cut the recipe below for Idaho Spud Fondue from The Spokesman-Review awhile ago and placed it in the recipe box. I had never tried it. I did remember the Idaho Spud candy bar as a child. I always felt pride seeing a candy bar in the box on the shelf at IGA with my own state imprinted on the wrapper. It was one of those more expensive candy bars (10 cents) so being allowed to enjoy one was a treat.

A little background- "It is wonderful combination of a light cocoa flavored marshmallow center drenched with a dark chocolate coating and then sprinkled with coconut (Sorry, no potato!). The potato shape and unique blend of ingredients appeals to both young and old, making the "Idaho Spud" one of the top hundred selling candy bars in the Northwest, and is Idaho Candy Company's best selling bar. The Idaho Spud Bar has been a favorite since it was first manufactured in 1918." (from Idaho Candy Company).
This is a very easy recipe. After preparing it today, I would certainly serve it again.
Idaho Spud Fondue
4 Idaho Spud candy bars
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons Kirsch,cognac,or Cointreau, if desired
Combine candy and milk in a microwave-safe container. Microwave until melted. Stir in liqueur,if desired. Stir until creamy. Pour into fondue pot suspended over heating element. Dip sliced fruits or pieces of angel food cake into the mixture. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. My mom baked an angel food cake ( her favorite) to dip in the fondue and it was a perfect combination. Enjoy!
More info on www.idahospud.com.

Back to My Hometown

When I head back to my hometown of Kellogg, Idaho I travel a familiar route that takes me through our beautiful Inland Empire. While cruising south on Highway 395, I know I am getting closer to Spokane County when I drive by the Clayton Burger in Clayton, Washington. This landmark means I am almost to the shortcut turnoff. As I weave through the north end of the county, I see the signs to Green Bluff, the new roundabout, and miles of fields ready to sprout. The I-90 corridor leads me back to Idaho. I enjoy the sunset in Coeur d'Alene. I smell the evergreens in Fourth of July Canyon. Further down the freeway the Catado Mission is like a beacon on the hill by the Coeur d'Alene River. The highway straightens out as I come to the Smelterville Flats, and soon I see the exit that has taken me off the freeway thousands of times before. As I drive into town I am reminded of the changes that have taken place in my Kellogg. The hospital at Jacob's Gulch has recently been replaced by a new one. Turnbow's motel has been torn down and a McDonald's and a gas station have taken it's place. The A&W is gone. A nice latte stand was moved and a Subway went in. When I turn the corner on old Highway 10, I can see the porch light down the block at my childhood home. Mom was waiting with dinner. I'm back in my hometown.