Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
Goodbye Slice of Life March Challenge…hello National Poetry Month Poem-a-Day Challenge!
This NPM, I will be writing acrostic poems using words from the Banned Words List at the Pen America Website.
It’s up to us to keep the truth in American history, and in science. It’s up to us to keep reading, thinking, and being as gloriously weird as possible. We must push back against the urge to obey in advance and we must defend our institutions. We must not let someone else dictate the language we choose to tell our stories, name our cultures and landmarks, and prevent us from telling all kinds of truths. I’ll do my small part by keeping some of the “banned” words in circulation by using them to write acrostic poems.
Daily poems will be found at Poetrepository, but I’ll round them up here at A(nother) Year of Reading on Fridays. Join me if you’d like!
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
Last week, a small pebble was dropped into the lives of a couple dozen ladies in Ohio. They were chosen as participants or alternates for a Casting for Recovery retreat. As Participant Coordinator, I had the delight of making calls to confirm they’d gotten their emails. The joy was unmistakable.
I got my own call twenty years ago, when my breast cancer diagnosis was seven years behind me and the Ohio CfR program was just in its second year. I was already a fly fisher, so I knew the healing power of standing in a river completely in the moment, concentrating on current, rod, line, possible fish, breezes, and patches of sunlight on the water. I had fished throughout my year of treatment and I knew palpably, viscerally, that casting a fly rod could be a vital part of recovery.
The next year after my retreat, I joined the CfR Ohio volunteer staff, teaching basic fly fishing and knot tying, and for the past seven years I’ve been the Ohio program’s co-coordinator.
Fly fishing, breast cancer, Casting for Recovery, fourteen participants per year for almost twenty years: innumerable ripples in my life and the lives of others.
We rarely know the difference we’ve made in the lives that our life bumps up against, or in the world. It’s enough to know that simply by being here and doing the work we love and that matters, our ripples, too, go out carrying love. And they matter.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers BY EMILY DICKINSON
“Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all –
And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard – And sore must be the storm – That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm –
I’ve heard it in the chillest land – And on the strangest Sea – Yet – never – in Extremity, It asked a crumb – of me.
* * * *
And “Hope” is the lady with a flyrod BY MARY LEE HAHN, 2011
And “Hope” is the lady with a flyrod – Learning something new – Just for the weekend she can drop her facade – She can forget all that she’s been through –
Or she can remember – without fear – Supported by new friends – She’ll find a way to steer – Through all life’s twists and bends –
I’ve seen Hope by the pond – Heard Hope in the happy shouts – I’ve remembered those who’ve gone to the Beyond – All this is what Hope’s about.
.
Casting for Recovery is a national nonprofit whose mission is “…to enhance the lives of survivors and thrivers of breast cancer through wellness retreats that connect women to each other and nature using the therapeutic sport of fly fishing, and providing oncology medical and psychosocial support — all at no cost to the participants!” If you or a lady you know is going through or has gone through a breast cancer journey (any age, any stage), I encourage you/them to apply for the chance to attend a CfR retreat in your state. Don’t be put off by the fly fishing. It’s a weekend of being pampered, healing in nature, connecting with others, and learning something new. Oh, and if you’re into shopping for good, Casting for Recovery Ohio’s online auction Reel in Hope opened today!
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
I am a tea drinker. So, this piece by KimHaynesJohnson yesterday caught my eye. I loved the story and I so understand this ritual (or addiction) to tea.
I drink tea all day every day. I drink hot tea in the winter and I drink hot tea during the hottest months of summer. I start every single day with tea. But I am a very boring tea drinker.
I only enjoy black breakfast tea. Plain, no milk, no sugar, no honey, plain. Waiters often suggest Earl Grey as a similar option. It is not. I would rather have no tea than have Earl Grey. Once in a great while I’ll have a flavored tea, but mostly when I am out for dinner and I need something decaffeinated. And I don’t really enjoy it. LOL.
I don’t love when my tea choices change. Up until recently, I went to Starbucks for tea every morning. Probably for about 15 years. (With being more intentional about where I spend my money these days, I make tea at home now.) Several years ago, Tazo English Breakfast was the tea they served but they changed brands and I was not happy. I survived the change but only keep Tazo or Lipton at home.
During Covid, I remember purchasing 6 boxes of Tazo tea, laughing that certainly that would be enough to get me through the few weeks of covid lockdown…..
I now keep boxes of Tazo English Breakfast tea at home. I start every morning with tea and typically carry around a cup until mid afternoon. I have a few favorite mugs that I rotate.
I am a consistent, yet boring tea drinker but drinking tea is definitely a ritual that is not optional for me!
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
I like little surprises. I like when I take the dust jacket off of a book to find some little surprise under the cover. I like that the Pigeon is hidden in all of the Mo Willems’ books. I like when a friend sends a meme that is a match to how I am feeling.
I was reminded of how much I delight in little unexpected things that pop up in the day. Today a visitor to OH What a Space had on these shoes (below). Fancy shoes with this crown that you may not notice on the back!
We opened our new business a few months ago. It is a play-based learning studio. It is full of joy and fun and making. 2 of my favorite things in the space are little surprises. I like them myself and I love to watch children discover the surprises.
First, we have a fairy door. Sometimes it takes kids a few visits to discover it. But then they are down on the floor, joyful at the idea of a fairy living in our space.
Second is an amusing sign I found on Etsy. It says “There’s like, a lot of craft supplies in here.” It made me laugh and decided we needed it for our business because, well, there are a lot of craft supplies in there. It makes me smile every time I notice it. But even more fun is when an 8 or 9 year old sees it for the first time. They laugh to themselves or mention something to one of us.
I appreciated these little surprises today and realized how much I appreciate surprises across ordinary days.
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
Of the original twelve, only four were left — Peter, Andrew, James, and John.
The first eight left in the usual ways: scrambles, fry-ups, omelettes. The ordinary work of breakfast.
But now one of the remaining four would be called to sacred duty. Chocolate chip cookies.
The Hand hovered, then chose John.
“Why did that joker get picked?” whined James.
“Look at him rolling around the counter like…” Andrew began, but Peter interrupted, “No John, don’t do it! It’s just a story! There aren’t any king’s men –“
A messy SPLAT came next, then the clicking of the dog’s nails on the tile, loud slurping, and (cover the children’s ears) crunching.
John, always the one to think he understood the assignment when placed on a high, flat, horizontal surface, was gone.
Peter, Andrew, and James looked at each other. Who would be chosen next?
Sounds of measuring and mixing were heard. Apparently The Hand was not going to risk putting another of them on the counter. It was good to go straight from carton to bowl, though. Less time to get the jitters and have second thoughts. One sharp jolt, then the swan dive into the pool of creamed butter and sugar.
The Hand hovered over the remaining three.
— — — — —
“These cookies are really good! Better than usual. Did you do anything different this time?” The Man asked.
“Nope. Not a thing. I think it was the egg. It seemed extraordinary in a way I can’t really explain,” The Hand answered.
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
We moved into a house a few years ago that needed a kitchen redo. The kitchen redo gave us a large island. When we first saw it, we said, “Wow, we’d better be careful not to start piling things on that island. It will hold a lot of stuff!”
Now, a couple years later, I am looking at our island from the kitchen table and it is piled with stuff. A lot of stuff. A mess doesn’t bother me if I can clean it in under 15 minutes when I hear company is coming, and these piles on the island can definitely be picked up in less than 15 minutes.
Looking at it, I realize it is a kind of to-do list. A few things that need taken to work. A few books I want to read. some paperwork that needs taken care of, a gift that needs wrapped.
I grew up in a house that had nothing out of place. My parents could not go to sleep if there was a dirty spoon left in the sink. It was nice to live in a space that never had a mess but as an adult, that is big expectation. So for years, the guilt of a little mess was a lot. But I’ve come to be okay with it. In my house, there are ALWAYS things to pick up. I am always in the middle of a few projects and you can tell what they are when you walk in the door.
But it cleans up nicely and it is never overwhelming. Finding the balance between perfection and an overwhelming mess is a constant but looking at the island, it seems to be that I’ve figured it out. It is a good balance:-)
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
The headline caught my eye, “Eastern monarch butterfly population nearly doubles in 2025.”
Fantastic…but 2 x 0 still = 0. I haven’t seen a monarch in my yard for several years now.
And when you dig into the article, you find that the doubling is calculated by the acreage of butterflies overwintering in Central Mexico. They are currently taking up 4.4 acres, up from 2.2 acres the year before. 4 acres is about 19,000 square yards. A football field is is 6,400 square yards. Butterflies are taking up about 3 football fields-worth of forest. Oof.
But this was supposed to be good news, so let’s focus on the doubling, and what we can all do to keep the doubling going:
Plant milkweed. Even if it doesn’t fit into your carefully planned landscaping, plant some anyway. (And get your neighbors to buy into the idea, if you can.) Milkweed is the ONLY host plant for monarch eggs and caterpillars.
Don’t use herbicides or pesticides. It won’t kill you to have some diversity in your lawn, and if you care so much about not having a few unplanned visitors in your flower beds, get out the weeding fork. (This one’s a harder sell, but get your neighbors to buy into the idea, if you can.)
That’s it. Two things. But if you want to feel like you’re doing SOMETHING to help these beautiful creatures double again, there you go. Local friends, Wild Birds Unlimited has a native plant sale going on. You can get swamp milkweed plants for $5.00. Everyone else, check out your local native plant nurseries, get out your trowel, and do your part.
Here’s the article. I wanted to get my two cents in before you clicked over. 🙂
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
I follow Andrea Gibson’s substack “Things That Don’t Suck” and I saved her recent post “A List of Things I Love” but made sure I didn’t read it for awhile before I started my own list. I actually kind of forgot about it until yesterday, when I was scrolling for a minute on IG and ran across @harrybakerpoet’s list of things that bring me joy (part two here). So here’s my mostly unedited free-association list of Things I Love.
I love. I love making lists. I love crossing things I’ve done off my to-do lists. I love adding things to my to-do lists simply so I can cross them off. I love grocery lists. I love trying not to backtrack in the grocery store as I work through the grocery list. I love recipes. I love prepping the pans and gathering all the ingredients before I start the mixing and making. I love making rules for myself, like, you have to stretch before you have your morning tea. I love when I almost break my own rules but I don’t let myself. I love the randomness of my garden. I love welcoming back each perennial as they appear in spring. (“Well, hello, Bluebells! Welcome back!”) I love knowing individual trees around the city — Grandmother Oak on Selby, the enormous gingkoes at the topiary park, the white-blooming redbud on Park Avenue, the yellow magnolia at the corner of the strip mall parking lot. I love getting everything ready to visit the tax lady. (Not really. I’m trying to convince myself.) I love homemade caramels and sauerkraut cooked with beer. I love fresh uncooked green beans (same with sweetcorn), and cherry tomatoes warm off the vine. I love Cheetos and I love Lays with homemade sour cream and dry onion soup mix dip. I love the idea that most of the cells in my body (except the ones in my brain) are not the same ones I started out with. I love wearing my dad’s stick-out ears and holding fabric and needles with my mom’s knobby fingers. I love that once, when my students met my brother, they asked if we were twins. I love having two desks; three if you count the standing table in my “studio;” four if you count the sewing machine table; five if you count the kitchen table; six if you count my lap. I love the sound and feel of writing on paper with pencil (the same not-made-anymore-so-you-better-last kind of mechanical pencil I’ve been using for decades). And I love making lists.
So, I seem to have gotten past my reading slump and have found lots of joy in my reading this week. I do not typically read more than one book at a time but I do have an audio going (sometimes) at the same time I am reading a book. I am not a great listener, so I am limited in my choices in audio–usually nonfiction, self-help, memoir, etc. It is hard for me to choose fiction when choosing an audio book.
So this week I started Let’s Call Her Barbie by Renée Rosen on audio. I thought it was a nonfiction book, but turns out it is historical fiction and I am loving it. It is the story of how Barbie came to be and includes many of the real people involved in her creation. I am only a few hours in but love thinking back to this. It’s a good audio. I love the creative process being slowed down for me as the reader–I always appreciate a good story about the creative process! And knowing how it turns into such a success while reading makes it more fun. I also love reading the backstory of a toy I loved growing up. And there is something about this work being done in a time when women didn’t have a ton of rights–women involved in the creation and then Barbie, the toy, having an impact on girls and their dreams. Seems timely to me to remember that everyone’s work impacts change–there are so many ways to impact our world for the better.
The other book I am reading and enjoying is One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon. I have loved Yoon’s young adult books so decided this was a good pick. I was hooked right away. I like a lot about this book and am anxious to spend some time reading this weekend.
Finally, I picked up Whale Eyes by Brian Rea today and was so happy when I flipped through it to see the unique format-the visuals, the colors, etc. I nearly squealed when Bryan at Cover to Cover showed me the design under the dust jacket because I love when that is a smidge surprising. Not sure when I’ll get to this one but I think it will be soon.
And I got a notice from Bookshop today that Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins should be delivered today!
I wrote a post last week about a random Wordle Poem rule I made up for myself. Sometimes I write a Wordle poem using my word choices, but I ALWAYS write a haiku (a Wordle-ku) if I get the answer in three guesses. (I rarely get the answer in three.)
I made up a new rule yesterday. If I get the answer in five, I will write a limerick. Or, as the case may be, a Wordle-imerick. (I often get the answer in five. Maybe this should be a suggestion, rather than a rule…)
3/12 party, laugh, mange, manga, mango
The party was held in Durango. For a laugh, we danced a wild tango. So wild we caught mange, wrote a manga quite strange, then went to the store for a mango.
(I didn’t say they’d always make sense. But I did get better.)
3/13 chair, champ, chalk, chase (yes, I broke the rule and used a four-word win)
There once was a child in a chair. Said child had some gum in his hair. He wasn’t a champ. Chalk him up as a scamp chased down with a threat and a glare.
3/19 glory, stare, shark, snark, spark
The ocean — a vast blue-green glory. I stare at its unfolding story. The fin of a shark, and its sharp toothy snark spark panic before beaches get gory.
They’re slightly addictive, but I’ll stop there. I have two more recent solved-it-in-fives that I’ll Wordle-imerick (it’s also a verb) safely out of sight in my notebook.
A(nother) Year of Reading 