June 29, 2025
Skipped church and took it easy
Took a nap and watched Boys Over Flowers
Ate Chimichangas until we were full
And played Canasta with Lori for hours
Tomorrow it will be 114 degrees
I’ll be glad to get home where it’s cool
Here in Phoenix, Arizona
It would be nice to have a swimming pool
June 28, 2025
Intent on cleaning
But felt so lazy
Took a nap
When things got hazy
Played Canasta with Lori
Again and again
She keeps winning
Forty to ten
June 27, 2025
My friend Kathie’s birthday,
But I’m not there.
Instead for today, I did declare,
“I’m going to get some cleaning done.”
With determination,
At the mess in Lori’s room,
And with a mop and a broom,
I put off having vacation fun.
I worked until her room
Was somewhat clean.
It became a more pleasant scene.
I was exhausted when done.
At a book I’d written,
I thought, Hey not bad.
And considered ideas I had had,
Well more than one.
I read till I got drowsy,
and took a nap an hour or two.
Played cards with Lori when through.
Most games, she won.
Morning Prayer for Unity
Lord, You are our light
Help us unite
And please You in every way
Despite thorns in the flesh
Renew us afresh
Draw near to us when we pray
First Day of Nature School
In morning’s first light,
we teachers did unite,
after a short night.
Though we felt hard to please,
we smiled, saying cheese,
but our nerves were in freeze.
Though our moods were a thorn,
it was as if we were reborn,
after we prayed that morn.
It was time to set up shop.
Then the cars came to a stop.
Out of them, children did hop.
Seeing
I had retinal detachment surgery. Now, my eye feels like it has a thorn
in it. My vision is blurry and I have to wear sunglasses in the light. I don’t
sleep well at night. I have to lie on my left side to please the surgeon by
keeping his work intact. I’m looking forward to when the pain and discomfort
comes to a stop and I can see clearly again. I’m glad there is such a surgery
and my retina and the back of my eye can unite and I don’t have to go blind.
Knickknacks on my shelf
Plants, afghans, Hubby’s face
Thankful I can see
Headed South
My sis and I, we will head south
First to Phoenix to drop off spouse
Then to Florida, we will fly
We will head south, my sis and I
January, we’ll catch a ship
We’re going on a Viking trip
And sail along on the high sea
We’ll catch a ship, January
To the canal in Panama
We hear that it is quite a draw
Such history, there’s lots to tell
In Panama, to the canal
Jamaica, first, Montego Bay
We always planned to go that way
Some steps to reggae, we’ll rehearse
Montego Bay, Jamaica, first.
In Panama, we’ll see Colon
Where monkeys, sloths, toucans call home
In the jungle we’ll, “Ooh and aah.”
We’ll see Colon in Panama
Coming back home we’ll make some stops
Costa Rica, we’ll take in shops
To Dunn River Falls, I may roam
We’ll make some stops coming back home
On the white sands, we’ll get our tan
And we’ll relax in Roatan
Listen to Caribbean bands
We’ll get our tan, on the white sands
Belize City, we’ll take a tour
A motor coach we all will board
We’ll revel in its history
We’ll take a tour, Belize City
In Cozumel, we will explore
Mayan ruins and sandy shore
I’m sure we will have tales to tell
We will explore in Cozumel
Fort Lauderdale awaits us then
Perhaps relax on beach again
By then, we may be feeling frail
Awaits us then, Fort Lauderdale
Renew my strength at daughter’s home
Next Colorado, spouse in tow
For traveling I go great length
At daughter’s home, renew my strength
Only God knows what we will do
Whether or not sail seas of blue
We make our plans, He guides our toes
What we will do, only God knows
Promise
The sun creeps in and makes the green leaves bright
Gray clouds peek through and promise rain today
The fires will not die without a fight
The sun creeps in and makes the green leaves bright
We pray for rain though we enjoy the light
Yes, we believe God answers when we pray
The sun creeps in and makes the green leaves bright
Gray clouds peek through and promise rain today
Happy Birthday, Loren!
You made it this far,
And I hope you continue
As you follow the Star.
You made it this far,
(Your dad set the bar.)
Happy 71st to you!
You made it this far,
And I hope you continue!
Robert Burns was Right
Meeting upon meeting,
Getting ready for nature school.
Then emergency eye surgery.
Learning that the altitude
of the nature center is too high
for my eye to recover.
What’s that line? “Best laid plans…”
Meeting with my doctor,
Pleased with the progress.
Since it’s oil bubble not gas bubble,
I’ll be fine to work up at the nature center.
Such a relief not to miss
the first day of nature school
and the weeks thereafter.
Fire Season
Clouds or smoke
I cannot tell
Colorado is
burning up like hell
It’s getting
hard to breathe this air
As more forests
lie black and bare
The animals come
into town
The once blue
sky is now tinged brown
It smells like
a cookout but nobody dares
To strike a
match or set up flares
We pray for
rain, the non-lightning kind
To get Colorado
out of this sad bind
The
firefighters are super hero-like
Especially for us
who like to hike
One of these
days, fires will be out
And we will
joyously give a shout
Holy Magic
I don’t believe in magic
per se
But in the miracles of God
His miracles happen every
day
I don’t believe in magic
per se
But in His loving, amazing
way
His wonders I applaud
I don’t believe in magic
per se
But in the miracles of God
The Gift of Life
It’s like a wrapped Christmas present.
You shake it, rattle it, size it up,
think about what you dream it to be,
and you wonder, and you guess.
When you wake up on Christmas morning,
you open it and see what it’s cracked up to be.
On that Day, when I look back on the gift,
will I be content with what’s inside?
I will, if the Lord says,
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
And not, “Half done, somewhat faithful servant.”
Or “What were you thinking?”
A Writer’s Stash
I’ve got thousands,
maybe millions,
of words hiding
on my laptop.
I have dreams,
goals and plans
of them coming
out of hiding.
And maybe,
they will
one day.
Or maybe,
they’ll remain
hidden.
An Angel’s Kiss
At an artists’ and writers’ retreat
the Holy Spirit was moving.
You could sense the excitement
as fellow Christian creatives
raised their hands and voices,
responding to His presence
with praise and thanksgiving.
I felt nothing. No gentle peace.
No sweet warmth or passion.
What was wrong with me?
And then, for a passing moment,
I felt slight pressure on my lips.
And then that was it.
Was I kissed by an angel?
June 26, 2025
A day in Mesa just to maintain
Eating, cleaning, watching TV
Walking, planning, praying
Just being with my family
Creation’s designs
To believe they just happened
Takes way too much faith
Group of Ladies
Each lady set aside their busy day
And gathered as if going to a play.
We ate like calories had zero count.
Had yummy birthday cake in great amount.
The numeral balloons were big and bold,
Were “Sixty-four” and brightly glittered gold.
Sun glasses, colorful and said, “Cake Time.”
She read each card, each long and heartfelt rhyme.
She opened presents like a joyful child.
The group of ladies watched her and they smiled.
And some of us were friends for forty years,
Had been through ups and downs, laughter and tears.
It felt like we’d gone back to being ten,
Having a birthday party with a friend.
Ironic
Sis and I, we like to travel the world.
As I engage in morning reflection,
I often wonder how we can be bold
When we don’t have a sense of direction.
Did no sense of north come from election?
Has it been passed down from our ancestors?
It seems it plagues all five of us sisters.
I remember getting lost a whole lot,
Walking about until we got blisters.
Well, anyway, it makes for food for thought.
Second Day in Mesa
Another lazy day
I wrote a poem
We ate and played Canasta
Glad to be away from home
Just sit back
and enjoy hubby and each kid
It doesn’t really matter
How very little we did
June 24, 2025
Dishes and Canasta
Canasta and dishes
Eat some good food
Family time, this is
We’ve got to eat
So run to the store
We have some food
But need some more
Take a long nap
And then watch TV
Recover from driving
At least, for me
“Silence is a comforting companion” from Walt’s poem “Hearts in the Echoes of Silence”
Silence
Silence is a comforting companion,
Knowing peace within myself
And the people in my circle.
Free of stress and antagonism.
Silence is a harsh reality,
When sitting down to meals
Not talking to avoid him choking
While mental conversations play.
Silence is a type of communication
With nonverbal Jake, when he stops
His humming and noises and looks at me,
I know he wants to tell me something.
Silence is an opportunity to write.
When all is still and tasks done,
I turn on my computer
And tap, tap, tap out my thoughts.
Silence is an affront from the offended.
An icy blast of no words
Informing me that I crossed a line.
Now, to figure out what line.
Silence is suspicious,
When small children are involved.
Better check to see what the rascals
Are getting into this time.
Silence is respect
During a speech or song.
It lets them know
They are being listened to.
Silence is God calling
to have an intimate moment,
a conversation of love and commitment
that works both ways.
Cortez to Mesa
I woke up at five in Cortez
Remembered that it was Monday
So instead of leaving early
I had errands to run, bills to pay
First the Post Office and then the bank
I filled up my car with gas
I paid the Count Clerk for my tags
Then I was ready to go at last
It took nine full hours
Instead of seven or eight
I got stuck in construction again
On the mountain, I had to wait
But I made it to Mesa safely
I was glad to see Loren and the kids
Lori and I played Canasta
She won like she usually did.
My body’s trying to adjust
To all the time changes it has gone through
But I’ll relax for a week
And sleep whenever I want to
The Last Leg
Home at last!
At least until tomorrow.
Home is missing something.
My hubby!
I need to do yet another day’s drive
to retrieve him.
When I arrive home with Hubby in tow,
I will have traveled over 4,000 miles,
and will have seen
around 40 friends and family members.
The trouble with traveling
is that it becomes a memory all too soon.
It’s like waking up from a dream.
But it’s nice to be home
and it will be even nicer when Hubby’s home.
A Brief Rest at Home
After a good rest at the hotel
Packed up and on my way
I got lost in the IHOP parking lot
What a way to start the day
But finally on the road
I stopped at Denver west
After driving a few hours
It was good to have a rest
Somewhere along the way
I passed a long line of cars
I cut in front of one
The campers made it hard
But no one was hurt
Two more stops and then home
I unpacked did laundry
and talked with Kathie on the phone
There was an accident on 160
Kathie ranted about how absurd
That someone would pass a line of cars
I didn’t say a word
It was nice to sleep in my own bed
But I’d get up the next day
Eat breakfast and pack up
And then again be on my way
