Emily Elizabeth
The beanbag pillow,
Rug by the bed,
Silver colored food dish.
Crumbled milk bone,
Frayed and soiled leash,
Collar to match.
A lilac in bloom
at the spot where she
always waited,
Listening for the sound of
my car to approach,
her tail wagging.
Now by that lilac is
her spot for eternity,
I sometimes forget and look there for
my devoted Emily Elizabeth.
inland empire girl, April 2009
Concerto for Early Spring
After winter
Bulbs began to awaken
Crocus do the maiden voyage
Despite the snow.
Ever hardy daffodils emerge,
Forsythias' buds begin to swell
Giving us hope for early spring.
How long before we till the earth?
Ice still covers the pond,
Just a bit of snow remaining in the garden plot,
Knowing birds are now being sighted,
Longer days begin,
Morning sun has shifted,
Nests will soon be constructed
Over the wedding garden.
Presiding over the concerto the
Quail quickly cross the road,
Robins look for worms,
Starlings return to their same house
Too high to tempt the cats.
Until this season arrives
Very soon I hope
We'll sit by the fire
X-tremely excited for a change while
Yearning for shades of yellow and green
Zigzagging through the yard.
by inland empire girl
When I did some repotting of primroses in the greenhouse yesterday I had some visitors! 
Sweet William and Lily love to explore around the plants and rest in the sunshine. It must seem like a private jungle to them! 
William is always looking out for his buddy Kit.
Out from behind a geranium comes Kit!
The next time I grabbed the camera the cats were hiding in the foliage.
Just when I was ready to put the camera away..... Kit appeared again! After all those fun distractions I finally got my primroses ready to put outside.
Mining Hope
I am
from the mining town of Kellogg.
Most days I inhaled smelter smoke.
Other days I unknowingly played in lead.
I am the daughter of a Bunker Hill worker
that had to leave work clothes at the Zinc Plant,
and arose each morning with a hacking cough,
but walked the picket line during the long strike.
I am the granddaughter of a woman
unable to breathe in the town she called home.
I am the sister of a man
With crackling,damaged lungs.
I am the daughter of a mother
that survived breast cancer,
but earlier taught handwriting, reading,
and math under the shadow of the smelter smokestack.
I now return
to the Superfund town of Kellogg.
Trees flourish in brilliant green,
water runs clear as the
river winds through town,
air fills with morning freshness.
New soil, new yards, new air,
flowers bloom in hope.
inlandempiregirl , April 2009
late afternoon sunshine by Kettle Falls, Washington
I made a big dent in the spring cleaning project. I finished my taxes (Whew!), read three novels so I can report my pages in our reading contest at school, and picked out some roses, ordered some hard-to-find seeds, got a much needed hair makeover, and backed up a bunch of stuff on my computer.
My niece The Princess played the role of Miss Spider and was wickedly wonderful. She is a theater major at North Idaho College. Add in a family dinner at Thai Bamboo and pie afterwards at Silver Valley Girl's house to round out a perfect evening. 
The visit to Kellogg also included delicious home cooked meals by my mom, an afternoon with Silver Valley Girl digging around for treasures at second hand stores, and catching up on sleep! Just as I left my mom's house I got to visit on the phone with my friend Mountain Muddah. Take time to enjoy her Middle Aged Meanderings at her blog here.
As we arrived closer to home yesterday I was relieved to see the lingering snow gone and spring weather had greened things up again. As I viewed Lake Roosevelt through the bridge I was also relieved to see the snow had melted on the mountains further north. Maybe spring has really arrived!
