Sibling Assignment # 103: The Table in the Sunroom

Silver Valley Girl gave the sibling assignment this week:
"Write about specific things you remember about being at Grandma West's house during the summer."

The Table in the Sunroom

The rays from the evening sun glowed on the hollyhocks;

the windows of the sunroom framed Grandma’s tall gladiolus .

Dad wiped his reddened face,

the pitcher of ice tea sweating under the stifling heat.

Steam rose from the bowl of garden fresh beans --

we climbed to the back of the table

wedged between the Singer sewing machine and the old Frigidaire,

squeezed in the six chairs.

Corn on the cob was always in season.

The kernels small and golden.

Grandma cut her kernels delicately off the cob,

I begged for the knife so I could do the same.

In a voice that even the neighbors could hear, Mom announced,

“You have good, strong teeth…

just eat it off the cob.”

Next a plate of tomato slices

followed by cooked beets and fried pork chops.

I lifted my legs as my bare skin stuck to my chair,

while my brother was kicking my foot,

my baby sister’s damp hair stuck to her head.

From my seat I couldn’t gaze at Grandma’s garden

or watch the bees buzz around the roses,

but I took in the slow table conversation

as I tried to cut up my tomato:

Canning cherries, and Norm and growing cucumbers,

Konkleville, Canada Hill and cousin John came up.

Is that fire still burning out at Yellow Dog?

What is on special at the Glenwood Market?

Dad took his paper napkin and wiped his face again,

And told Grandma this was the best corn he had ever had.

Her eyes lit up as she rose from the table

And thank goodness headed to the old chest freezer.

Vanilla ice cream from the Orofino Creamery would be

passed around last.

The sun slipped behind the crabapple tree,

The shadows cooled the sunroom.

That cold vanilla ice cream was the best I had ever had.

Inlandempiregirl

on location at the Writing Retreat

Retreat

re-treat (n)
1. The act or process of withdrawing, especially from something hazardous, formidable, or unpleasant.

2. A place affording peace, quiet, privacy, or security.

3. A period of seclusion, retirement, or solitude.

Enjoy images at a camp on Coeur d’Alene Lake where I am residing this week at my annual writing retreat. The air is fresh, the food is delicious, the flowers fragrant, the view breathtaking. Great things are happening in our writing workshops led by my brother Raymond Pert. There is lots of time to read, sleep, think, talk, write, sing, and breathe. Tonight the weather cleared and we get a campfire! Bliss!

Another Entertaining Performance at the Wallace Melodrama

Sunday I had the pleasure of watching "D.K. Molar, the Devious Dentist, or... There's Gold in Them Thar Teeth" at the Sixth Street Melodrama in Wallace, Idaho. We also enjoyed Kelly's Alley Revue, a musical/comedy revue after intermission. We booed and hissed and cheered and laughed loudly at the melodrama and revue. I give the perform two thumbs up..... WAY UP! I always love seeing the Roberts family as part of the show, which this time included my sister Carol, brother-in-law Paul, and niece Molly perform. If you haven't seen the performance and live in the Inland Empire you can find information on the summer performances here.

The Peace of Mom's Backyard

It was a hectic week and there was nothing more peaceful than sleeping in at my childhood home,waking up to Mom's coffee and a peaceful walk in her backyard.Her lettuce and dill are thriving in the raised bed. I love the combination of flowers in this container. Noel took time to pose in the corner of the backyard.I also love the combination of the pale yellow petunias and the sedum.
My nieces added some pazazz to the yard by decorating the walk with sidewalk chalk.

Welcome to the Blog World!

This week I am facilitating and learning side by side with a group of teachers at the Northwest Inland Writing Project. Each participant today decided to start a blog as a form to show thinking, share writing, and provide a way for the rest of us to experience their words plus add comments. As we listened to class members share original poetry today it was a treat to return later and read the words again on a blog. My new blog can be found here.

I have loved blogging for a few years now, but this way of communicating with other teachers and learners is exciting. I am sharing a poem I composed a year ago.

Filling the Vase

Writing is wandering through the

garden path harvesting morning flowers.

Gathering leaves, finding fillers,

snipping blossoms as they begin to open.

Pausing to reflect and even observe

while paying attention to the smells.

Gold, chartreuse, and deep red become the wondrous words,

thorny stems phrases which cut too deep.

The combination of textures sort the sentence variety

overpowered by the sweet scent of similes.

The violet vase is the vessel of form

Aligning the sentences, arranging the words,

Taming texture with attention to audience.

Place the bouquet on the farmhouse table,

or away for a spell to let the contents settle.

June 24, 2008

JEJ's Vegetable Garden

"God almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures."-- Francis Bacon
JEJ grabbed his camera again and caught some delightful photo images of his vegetable garden!
I can't wait to taste the first ripe tomato.
The grapes almost hide one end of the garden fence. Each week the garden changes and we say good-bye to some plants and hello to another harvest. This week I loved picking fresh peas off the vine and eating them in the garden!