The Snow Out My Front Door
The snow out my front door
Intimidates my hearty soul
In order to attend church
Will I shovel in the cold?
There’s breakfast to be
made
And then shower and get
dressed
Can I do it all in time
To clean up this snowy
mess?
Or will I opt to go back
to bed?
Or at least stay inside
today
Regardless what I do
I’ll worship and I’ll
pray.
2024
Hello, two
thousand twenty-four!
I wonder what
you have in store.
Intense, as the
year twenty-three?
I’d like a
crystal ball to see.
Will my two
trips proceed as planned?
To Italy and
the Deutschland?
Will I, at last,
get website made?
Still work
three jobs and still be paid?
Will my family
still be healthy,
And perhaps a
bit more wealthy?
Be more active
to my liking?
Ebiking, kayaking,
hiking?
Will I please
the Lord I adore?
Will I play the
uke and paint more?
Will I keep my
house somewhat clean?
Buy a car
online, sight unseen?
So with that twenty-twenty-four
To you, and the
Lord, I implore
Be good to the folks
who I love.
Bring glory to my
God above.
Videography 101
We (my niece,
her Irish husband,
my traveling
sister and I)
rode through
the Irish countryside
one Sunday afternoon.
We spied a
young sheep out of the fence.
Josh stopped
the car and Meg jumped out.
As we watched
her chase the sheep nearly
to the horizon,
we wondered if she’d return.
But she somehow turned the sheep around
and they both
came running toward us,
my determined
niece, with long hair flying
and the panicked
wooly sheep.
Glad to have video
on my new cell phone,
I set the function
and followed along.
Josh ran toward
them, they grabbed the sheep,
struggling, they
heaved it over the fence.
A sheep doesn’t
land gracefully,
but with a thud
and a tumble.
We watched worriedly
as it stood up,
and ran off
with its friends.
That’s when I
learned, of course,
you have to
push the red record button.
Two Walking Companions
As my dog and I
ended our last walk today,
I couldn’t help
but think I’d rather have a cat.
A cat would
stay inside the cozy house and play,
but a venturesome
dog wouldn’t put up with that.
On the other
hand, his companionship is great.
And his eyes
adore me as if I were his queen.
And it’s as
good for me as it is good for him,
to get outside
in fresh air and enjoy each scene.
The reddish
bluffs in the south past an open field,
The small homes
huddled midst woodstove smoke to the west,
The Utah
mountains in the distance to the north,
and the eastern
view of snowy peaks is the best.
I take time to
think of the blessings God gives me,
and with each
step I feel His warm love as I pray.
And I thanked the
Lord for my rambunctious smart pup,
as my dog and I
ended our last walk today.
as my dog and I
ended our last walk today. William Preston
Farewell
Goodbye, two thousand twenty-three
The most part, you were good to me
Though you gave us quite a bad start
Through son’s bad health of brain and heart
But that smoothed out, he’s doing fine
His sister helped him through that time
For months Sis and I planned our trip
Like a block of ice, we did chip
Much to plan for France and U.K
We did bit by bit every day
But I renewed my passport late
Received two days before the date
Told Sis, May the fourth be with you
And prayed that God would see us through
We toured Paris, Normandy, and
London, Wales and all of Ireland
In July, I went to Peru,
A mission trip with much to do
Hot, poor and crowded, kids with smiles
Held sloth, parrot and some reptiles
In August, Shannon reunion
In Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Living it up at a resort
Had lots of fun is my report
Our travels weren’t through for the year
Went to retreat with friends so dear
You ended with daughter and son
In Arizona for some fun
In between times that I did roam
I took care of our yard and home.
I wrote, spoke and did caregiving
Taught homeschoolers nature living
Goodbye, two thousand twenty-three
The most part, you were good to me
Special Gifts
It’s better to give than
receive,
but I like receiving.
Especially, when it’s from
someone
who knows me well
and knows what I would
like.
That speaks volume of what
a good friend they are.
I have a friend who
generally does not give gifts,
particularly at Christmas.
She doesn’t like the
feeling of giving as an obligation.
She can never think of
anything for her relatives.
The past two years, she
has made a Christmas card for me.
She’s an artist and drew
her and me
sharing moments that we
had together during the year.
What a great gift that is
to me.
Those Christmas cards stay
up all year around.
Periwinkle and Indigo
Periwinkle and indigo
Two of my favorites, this I
know
Periwinkle’s full of joy
A bit of hope it does employ
Indigo’s a shade of night
A horse and rider taking
flight
Indigo is adventurous
Its impact thunderous
Indigo and periwinkle
Together they smile and
twinkle
Opposites attract they say
Good combo like night and
day
