Second Day in Mesa, UK trip

 June 12, 2026

Just Living Somewhere Else

 

Second day in Mesa,

I cleaned the microwave today.

It looked like something died inside,

And they used it anyway.

 

And then I swept the floor.

 So much cat hair that

When I was done it looked like

I had swept up a whole cat.

 

I kept up on the dishes,

And worshipped as music played,

Mopped the kitchen floor,

While I looked to God and prayed.

 

Daughter called from work.

Her battery had died,

So brother picked up groceries

While I stayed cool inside.

 

Brother brought in the groceries

And I helped put them away.

Daughter made it home

And ended her work day.

 

I made the supper,

Then we watched TV.

And we played Canasta

And she won over me.

 

Then I watched my shows.

Sometimes when I roam,

My day goes just like

It usually does at home.

First Day in Mesa, UK trip

June 11, 2026

Driving Day

 

In the morning, we packed up,

And left at 9 1 1.

Easy to remember,

Then we were on the run.

 

Towaoc construction

And a road full of dust.

Stopping at Shiprock

Turned out to be a must.

 

And then our regular stops:

Gallup, Holbrook, Payson.

Then we made it to Mesa

Which sits in a basin.

 

A very hot basin,

At one hundred and six.

But it’s nothing

A little AC won’t fix.

 

Both cars of our kids

Sat in the drive.

Son and daughter greeted us.

It’s good to be alive.

 

We ate and played Canasta.

I won by 35 points.

Now, it’s time to go to bed

And rest my bones and joints.

 

 

 

One More day UK trip, In My blank, Poetic Asides

 

In My Luggage

 

In my backpack,

my computer,

other electronics,

necessary documents,

passport, money, cell phone,

snacks, meds, and an extra outfit.

 

In my carry on,

toiletries, three outfits

with extra blouses

and a compact umbrella

to carry me through

eleven days in the UK

in rainy 50-70 degree weather.

 

In my bipap case,

my bipap machine,

something I can’t live without

or with.

And on the way back,

it will carry most

of my little, flat souvenirs,

like fridge magnets.

 

In my other back pack

(that will be left in Phoenix)

enough clothes for a week

in 105-115 degree weather.

For tomorrow, like Willie Nelson,

we’ll be on the road again.

 

 

Two More Days UK trip

June 9, 2026

Cape or Cat?

 

Two more days to go.

Laundry, packing, caregiving.

Sometimes I charge through the day

like a bull at a red cape.

Other days, I feel like a cat ready for a nap,

and let the world go by.

If only someone would feed me.

Three More Days UK, over/under Poetic Bloomings

June 8, 2026

Busy Day

 

Such a busy day today!

So I started with Bible and prayer.

Three more days,

Then Mesa, I’ll be there.

 

Walk to County Clerk.

Washed the car.

Stopped the mail.

Mowed the yard.

 

Walked to Shear Shack

For a cut and dye.

Called my sister Linda.

Put the trash outside.

 

I got a lot done,

But over seven-thousand-step tired.

Sat on the porch with Loren.

To sleep is what I desired.

 

 

 

Four More Days, UK trip, over/under Poetic Bloomings

 

June 7, 2026  

Starting with Prayer

 

Had our first corporate prayer today,

Before church service began.

God hears and answers our prayers.

Of praying, I’m a fan.

 

In under a week, four days,

We’ll be “off to the races.”

I’ll wrap things up here

And pack the suitcases.

 

First trek through dry windy lands

And over mountain passes,

Across I40 with trucks barreling by

And then through the cactus.

 

In Mesa, I’ll leave Hubby.

From Phoenix, I will fly

Over the ocean to Scotland.

Anticipation is high.

 

Five More Days-UK

June 6

Juggling Tasks

 

Water proofed my jackets

In prep for UK rain,

But I haven’t decided

which one I’ll take.

 

When I return from Scotland,

I’ll have some house guests,

So I changed the toilet seat today.

Hope my house won’t be a mess.

 

Five more days before I leave,

But August is reunion gift exchange.

So despite all my trip busyness,

I read The Oil Lamp today.

 

I emailed the hotel

To prepare them for Lavon.

So much to prepare for

As time marches on.

Six More Days-UK

June 5, 2026

Small Steps Forward

 

Down to six more days.

Still a lot to do.

Trying to keep my brain

From turning into goo.

 

Ran off all the papers

I’ll need for the trip.

Bought some snacks,

Hoping I won’t slip.

 

Struggling to lose weight.

I lost an ounce or two.

Usually gain pounds traveling,

Hoping only few.

 

So Lord, may I walk with You

Even as I go.

I need You desperately.

This, of course, You know.

One More Week, UK

June 4, 2026

Practice Packing

 

One more week,

Getting ready to go.

Making my lists,

I should be a pro.

 

Knowing what I need.

Knowing what to pack.

It will be about a month

Until we are back.

 

So I practiced packing

To see what I must lose.

It turns out that it’s

The second pair of shoes.

 

I’ll have to repack

To make a little room.

Seven more days to go,

We’ll be leaving soon.

 

For we’re off to Scotland,

England and Wales.

We’ll be taking our pictures

And telling our tales.

 

First, aiming for Mesa

To see daughter and son.

They’ll take care of their dad,

While I have some fun,

 

Praying for my friend Lavon

And me as we fly,

For the Lord to calm nerves

And we’ll get there by and by.

 

My body is all achy.

I hope I’m not sick.

So I’ll take it easy.

Pray that’ll do the trick.

 

Take it easy?

Can that be done?

I’ve got a lot to do,

Then I’ll go have fun.

 

So we’ll get ready,

Pay our bills,

And check off the lists,

As the Lord wills.

 

So Lord, give me wisdom,

The next few days.

To maintain balance

In all my ways. 

 

Balance Poetic Asides

 

Cousins

 

Cousins can be the best of friends.

We did crazy things together.

 

One time, the one closest to me

in age and location, for some reason,

 took baths in our grandpa’s house.

I slipped and left a handprint on the wall.

We scrubbed all the tile around the tub

to get rid of the tattletale handprint.

 

One time, we found a large cardboard box

took it out to the hill in our yard

and tumbled for hours

feeling like clothes in a dryer.

 

One time, we spent the day

balancing on a log until we learned how to

to actually cross each other and make

it to the opposite ends.

 

Cousins can be the best of friends.

Burning Poetic Bloomings

 Give Me Oil in My Lamp

 

There was a song we sang as kids

that was a lot of fun.

Somehow we knew deep inside

we were singing of the One

to Whom we’d keep turning

“Give me oil in my lamp,

keep me burning.”

 

We’d sing it with enthusiasm

and it was no surprise

that we learned it was God

who provides and supplies.

“Give me gas in my Ford,

keep me trucking for the Lord.”

 

We learned as we sang

by giving Him our heart,

when things got tough

we wouldn’t fall apart.

“Give me umption in my gumption,

help me function, function, function.”

 

And to this day

I know he’s my oil, gas and umption

so I can function, function, function.

rules Poetic Asides

 

Testifying
 
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. Acts 20:24
 
Lord, what is my task?
Is it the same thing as the Apostle Paul’s?
Testifying to the good news of God’s grace?
 
I know it will look different than that of Paul.
I’m not sure I’m up for
the prisons, hardships, and severe testings.
 
May I testify of Your grace
in my writing, painting, singing, dancing,
my relationships and daily living.
 
Especially in my attitude, character, and prayer life.
It’s not about the dos and don’ts.
It’s about my relationship with You.

"ment" Poetic Bloomings

 

No Comment or Encouragement

 

I like the “likes” on all my posts,

Especially from our dear hosts.

We learned before we went to school,

It’s best to do the golden rule.

 

Some reason, though, that part I skip.

Though poems are great, I let it slip.

Return the favor would be cool

To always do the golden rule.

 

I read the poems with affection,

Some written to great perfection.

I know that I am such a fool

When I neglect the golden rule.

 

The comments, I appreciate,

And they will often make my day.

Encouragement is a good tool.

I’ll aim to do the golden rule.

Picture 3 Poetic Asides

 

Intensity

 

He’s kneeling in the dirt.

His white hair showing from his cap.

I know he’s in pain,

but there are children around him, watching.

He’s showing them how to play marbles,

like he did when he was a boy.

Picture 2 Poetic Asides

 

Daring

 

I remember in Montreal,

turning a corner,

my breath catching.

A building stood before me.

Yellowed walls

Nine stories

Forty-nine windows

Daring the modern buildings around it

to look as bold and wise and grand

as it did.

Picture Poetic Asides

 Picture Perfect

 

“A picture’s worth a thousand words”

Maybe that’s how it used to be,

but now with AI,

they lie so convincingly.

How much is that worth?

Maybe a thousand questions.

3 poems, 1 topic, Poetic Bloomings

 

Relationship with God

 

Glad to never be alone

She checks in with Him often

When violent storms rock her boat

Like Jesus, she rests

 

Character

 

Fun

Playful

Creative

Adventurous

Odd sense of humor

Kind of dumb, kind of smart

Falls down eight times, gets up nine

 

Activities

 

Writes, travels, keeps house

Prays, worships

Aims to love others

flower, Poetic Asides

 

Gorse

 

The prickly, flowering evergreen shrub, also known as

furze, whin, prickly broom, honey-bottle or French-fuzz.

When roaming through Scotland and Ireland,

seeing the bright yellow gorse in spring time,

reminds me of golden autumn leaves back home.

I’m looking forward to seeing gorse again.

I think I’d prefer to call it “whin”

 a prettier name for such a beautiful bush.

Mothers

 

Mothers

 

Mothers are like soft comfortable quilts

With different, textures, colors, stories.

Like the bright sun shining as the earth tilts.

Like sponges, mothers absorb our worries.

Each child represents a mother’s glories.

Mothers are like refreshing water springs,

Giving joy and life like nothing else brings.

Mothers seem to be from another place.

They are guardian angels without wings.

Mothers persevere by God’s love and grace.

Year Poetic Asides

 

The Year of Breakthrough

 

Is this the year

I do what I’ve been putting off

for decades

and break through this blockade

and actually get my work published?

Taking aim.

Yesterday Poetic Bloomings

Hebrews 13:8

 

Jesus Christ, always the same,

Yesterday, today and forever.

Salvation is in no other name.

Jesus Christ, always the same,

Sets us free from sin and shame.

Our bond, He will not sever.

Jesus Christ, always the same,

Yesterday, today and forever.

Prayer for Writing

 Resumption

 

So, I’m ready to restart my writing journey.

Oh, I have been writing forty-some years,

a poem a day for over twenty,

journaling every day.

 

But there are about twenty novels,

a plethora of picture books,

dozens of devotions

languishing on my computer.

 

Market books on my Kindle are waiting.

Self-publishers such as Amazon

have made publishing convenient.

There are oodles of options for websites.

 

I’ve been relearning how to think

by putting together 2000-piece jigsaw puzzles.

Set the framework, put in the easy pieces,

work consistently one piece at a time.

 

I’ve been reading devotions I have written

for a national online ministry twelve years

and I surprise myself.

I can see that the Lord helps me.

 

So help me Lord,

one piece at a time,

to finish my works, publish them,

and get them into the hands of readers.

 

May my forty-plus years of writing

not go to waste, but be used for Your glory,

for the encouragement of others,

and for lighting paths for wanderers.

Harvest, PAD 30

 

Weed Harvest

 

Well, I harvested the tall weeds

that have been growing in my front yard,

like Baah Baah Black Sheep three bags full,

three big, black, garbage bags full.

Now the city will see my weedless yard

and not fine me, and they might see

me hobbling around with sore muscles.